Ephesus Private Tour: Explore Ancient City, Terrace Houses, and Virgin Mary For Cruise Passengers
5.0
2 Ratings
Kusadasi
Embark on a private tour of Ephesus, the largest open-air museum in Turkey. Explore ancient ruins, terrace houses, and more, all tailored to cruise passengers' limited time.
Duration: 6 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Kusadasi - We meet you at the Cruise Port! Our team will be waiting next to Information Desk at the Exit Gate of Cruise Port by holding a sign which is your name written on it.
    After booking this tour, please contact our team to agree on your meeting time. There are several Cruise Ships with different timings. So, you might decide about the best meeting time which is fitting your schedule.
  • Meryemana (The Virgin Mary’s House) - The House of Virgin Mary is one of the pilgrimage centres of Christians where the Mary came to Ephesus with John the Apostle and lived her last 10 years.
    Pope Paul VI visited the shrine in 1967, and ‘unofficially’ confirmed its authenticity. Pope John Paul II also visited the shrine in 1979. Pope Benedict XVI visited this shrine in 2006.
    Whether or not she died in Ephesus was not known until Anne Catherine Emmerich’s vision. A disabled German nun who had never been to Ephesus, had a vision of the House of the Virgin Mary and described it in detail to the German writer Clemens Brentano who later published a book about it. Catherine Emmerich died in 1884. In 1891 Paul, Superior of the Lazarists from Izmir read about her visions and found a little building which corresponded with Emmerich’s descriptions. Then, the archeological works started which allows us to visit Mary’s House and see the result today!
  • Ancient City of Ephesus - Ephesus Ruins is the largest open-air museum of Turkey which is dated to the Greek and Roman periods. Inside the Ruins of Ephesus, we explore Senate Building, Ancient Hospital, Domitian Temple, Nike Statue, Hercules Gate, Trajan Fountain, Hadrian Temple, Celsus Library, Grand Theatre of Ephesus and many more…
  • Ephesus Terrace Houses - Terrace Houses were the houses of rich & upper class people in Ephesus City have been lived, famed with gorgeous mosaics, frescoes and wall paintings. One of the best preserved site in the Ephesus in which archeological works still continue.
  • The Temple of Artemis - Artemis was the Greek goddess, the virginal huntress and twin of Apollo, who replaced the Titan Selene as Goddess of the Moon.

The ancient temple was built around 650 BC to the cult of Artemis, was constructed on a site already sacred to the Anatolian Mother Goddess, Cybele. The temple was financed by the wealthy king of Lydia and the marshy ground was selected for the building site as a precaution against future earthquakes.

During the time, it has been destroyed and collapsed many times due to the natural disasters.

  • Kusadasi - We will drive through the Kusadasi Town and will have a panoramic view while listening the key informations from our Local Tour Guide.
  • Kusadasi Shopping Center - You are able to see local handicrafts and experience local shopping if preferred. You will be also able to collect informations from your Local Tour Guide about: best traditional handicrafts, best places to go, things to be carrefull, and best tips for hassle free experience…
  • Kusadasi Castle - Also called Pigeon Island! One of the earliest settlements of modern Kusadasi. We will pass by and have an opportunity of seeing it in a distance. It is located very close to the Port, you might be able to have time after your tour if you are interested.
  • Kusadasi - At the end of our tour, we will return to the Cruise Port.
    PLEASE NOTE THAT: There are several Ships with different arrival and departure times. We carefully check all the timings, confirm with the passengers, and coordinate the return time.

OUR TOURS ARE WITH GUARANTEED ON-TIME RETURN TO THE BOAT!

What's Included
  • Convenient port/hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Comfortable transportation in air-conditioned minivans
  • Guaranteed on-time return for cruise passengers
  • Expertise of a professional licensed local guide
  • Skip-the-line entrance tickets for quick access
  • Private tour for a personalized experience
What's Not Included
  • Meals (recommendations provided on the day, if requested)
  • Museum Entrance Tickets (we send pre-purchased tickets, so you can skip-the long ticket lines)
Additional Information

• PUNCTUAL RETURN TO THE SHIP GUARANTEED
• EXPRESS ENTRY TICKETS AVAILABLE (OPTIONAL)
• DESIGNED FOR CRUISE TRAVELLERS
• EXCLUSIVE TOUR FOR YOUR GROUP, OFFERING A MORE TAILORED EXPERIENCE
• GUIDED BY LOCAL EXPERTS FOR ENHANCED UNDERSTANDING
• MORE COST-EFFECTIVE THAN SHIP-ORGANIZED SHORE TRIPS
• TOTALLY ADAPTABLE TO SUIT YOUR TASTES

Ephesus represents Turkey’s foremost open-air historical exhibit and is among the world’s most expansive, necessitating extensive planning for a visit. Cruise guests often have a compressed schedule in Kusadasi, but on our private tour, you will have the luxury to unwind knowing that our team is managing all the logistics. Immerse yourself in cultural history with sights like the EPHESUS ANCIENT CITY, TERRACE HOUSES OF EPHESUS, BASILICA OF ST. JOHN THE APOSTLE, LOCAL CRAFTSMANSHIP, among others curated specifically for cruise visitors. If desired, you have the option to enjoy an authentic local meal.

  • We highly recommend you to meet our team, after 30/45 minutes your ship docked to the Port. So, you might beat the crowds, school buses, and hot weather in order to have a better experience during your Tour in Ephesus.
  • Pick-up and Drop-off services available from the Hotels which is centrally located in Kusadasi or Selcuk Towns
  • Pick-up and Drop-off services available from the Izmir Cruise Port and Izmir Hotels with an additional fee of 100 USD for up to 15 Persons.
  • After you sent your reservation, please contact our reservation team via our e-mail or WhatsApp and coordinate your meeting time.
Location
Kusadasi
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(2 Ratings)
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1 star
Kathryn_p
Mar 19, 2024
An Amazing Tour - We had the most wonderful time exploring the Virgin Mary home, Ephesus, and the terrace houses. Our guide, Isik, was so very pleasant, informative and knowledgeable. She spoke fluent English and communicated clearly where to meet her. She arrived promptly and shared some history of the area on the ride to the home of the Virgin Mary. She handled all of the ticketing, explained what we would experience, and allowed us time to explore at our leisure throughout the day.. She then assisted us in shopping by telling us which shops had genuine Turkish items and which did not. Once at the ancient city of Ephesus, we were again amazed by her knowledge of the history that had occurred there. We spent several hours walking through antiquity. The way that Isik described the history made it easy to visualize what the streets and buildings of Ephesus must have been like thousands of years ago.The terrace houses were absolutely amazing full of mosaic “carpets” and walls decorated with slabs of marble and painted plaster. After leaving Ephesus we traveled to the Temple of Artemis for more historical information. Afterwards we asked for lunch suggestions and she took us to an outdoor restaurant where we could sample a variety of Turkish foods at a reasonable price. She was able to describe each of the foods and their ingredients and took care of ordering for us. After lunch she offered us the opportunity to learn about the process of rug making at a local weaving center. We had an amazing tour of the process and got to view a large variety of rugs. Isik made the day amazing. I highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Tammy
Jun 14, 2022
Ephesus Tour - The travel designer Ismail from this travel company did an amazing job of organizing our trip. I told him what we like to do in Ephesus, and he customized my itinerary according to my desired preferences. . When we met our guide Fatima in Kusadasi Port, we felt that we were in safe hands. She was so helpful, extraordinary knowledgeable about the sites we visited.She showed us many extra places along the way. We had a local lunch and some local artshops.We really enjoyed it! I recommend them to anyone visiting Ephesus
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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minimum 2 guests
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up to 15 guests
2 Adult
June 2024
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