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Ephesus Day Trip: Explore Ancient Wonders
4.8
35 Ratings
Istanbul
Embark on a small-group tour from Istanbul to Ancient Ephesus, the best-preserved classical city in the Eastern Mediterranean. Explore the Temple of Artemis and the House of Virgin Mary for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Embark on a small-group tour from Istanbul to Ancient Ephesus, the best-preserved classical city in the Eastern Mediterranean. Explore the Temple of Artemis and the House of Virgin Mary for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Duration:
14 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Istanbul - Begin with an early pick-up from your hotel and head to Istanbul Airport for a 1 hour and 30-minute domestic flight to Izmir.
- Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport - Upon arrival, a driver will warmly welcome you and take you to Selcuk, where you will join other group participants to commence your full-day tour.
- **Meryemana (The Virgin…
- Istanbul - Begin with an early pick-up from your hotel and head to Istanbul Airport for a 1 hour and 30-minute domestic flight to Izmir.
- Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport - Upon arrival, a driver will warmly welcome you and take you to Selcuk, where you will join other group participants to commence your full-day tour.
- Meryemana (The Virgin Mary’s House) - Situated 6km north of the Ephesus ruins, a church was constructed in the 6th century AD atop the foundations of a 1st-century AD house. The church recognizes it as the final residence of Mary, where she spent her last days. It is also believed that the Assumption occurred here on August 15th.
- Ancient City of Ephesus - An archaeological gem, Ephesus is the best-preserved classical city in the Eastern Mediterranean. In the 1st century AD, it was the world’s second-largest city after Rome, with over 250,000 residents. Ephesus served as a crucial link between the East and West and was a major trading hub due to its vast harbor. Not only was it a wealthy commercial city, but it was also a magnificent city where Mark Antony and Cleopatra spent their honeymoon. It houses one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Temple of Artemis. Ephesus is so well-preserved that walking through its ancient streets, among stunning monuments like the third-largest library of the ancient world or the largest Roman theater on the Asian continent, feels like traveling back in time.
- Selcuk - Enjoy a traditional lunch at a handicraft carpet demonstration village, where you can also witness local masters crafting Turkish rugs.
- The Temple of Artemis - Recognized as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, this ancient cult dedicated to Artemis made Ephesus a renowned pilgrimage site. The temple boasted 127 Ionic columns, each 19 meters high, and is considered the earliest bank of the ancient world.
- Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport - After the tour, you will be driven back to Izmir Airport for your 1 hour and 30-minute domestic flight to Istanbul.
- Istanbul - Upon arrival at Istanbul Airport, your driver will greet you and ensure a safe return to your hotel. End of our service.
What's Included
- Lunch in a local restaurant
- 15kg checked baggage + 8kg hand luggage for domestic flights
- Economy class domestic flight tickets (if ticket option selected)
- 4 airport transfers
- Professional licensed tour guide
- Lunch in a local restaurant
- 15kg checked baggage + 8kg hand luggage for domestic flights
- Economy class domestic flight tickets (if ticket option selected)
- 4 airport transfers
- Professional licensed tour guide
What's Not Included
- Drinks at Lunch
- Personal Expenses
- Entrance fees
- Entrance fees
- Economic class domestic flight tickets (for Ticket Excluded Option)
- Drinks at Lunch
- Personal Expenses
- Entrance fees
- Entrance fees
- Economic class domestic flight tickets (for Ticket Excluded Option)
Additional Information
Embark on a delightful day trip to Ephesus from Istanbul.
The itinerary includes visits to the Ephesus Ancient City, the House of Virgin Mary, and the Temple of Artemis.
There are two tour options available, allowing you to choose according to your preferences.
Tour + Transfer (Excludes Flights): This option offers a guided tour in English. The group…
Embark on a delightful day trip to Ephesus from Istanbul.
The itinerary includes visits to the Ephesus Ancient City, the House of Virgin Mary, and the Temple of Artemis.
There are two tour options available, allowing you to choose according to your preferences.
Tour + Transfer (Excludes Flights): This option offers a guided tour in English. The group size is limited to a maximum of 10 people. Domestic flight tickets are not included and must be arranged independently. It is advisable to consult the tour operator before booking flights, as only specific flights are recommended for this itinerary.
Tour + Transfer (Includes Flight): This option provides a guided tour in English, Spanish, or Japanese. The group size is limited to a maximum of 10 people. Domestic flight tickets are included in this package.
Lunch will be served at a local restaurant, where you can also witness the art of Turkish rug-making.
- Free entry for kids 8yr and below (take passport for children if any)
- Please note that we do not have an assistant service for airport transfers. The driver will drop you off at the entrance gate of İstanbul airport. Please go to the check-in desk according to the instructions the provider will share in advance. When you arrive at the destination airport, the driver will be waiting for you with a sign with your name on it.
- Baggage allowence is 15kg+8kg cabin luggage for the domestic flights
- If you purchase the ‘flights excluded’ option, please contact the provider to confirm which flights can be booked, as only certain times may be available
Location
Istanbul
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(35 Ratings)
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Lilliam_s
May 3, 2024
Best of the Best 5 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Our Tour Guide, was professional and well knowledge. with College Education, Local from area he is showing you the site he was raise, Barborous Halil Toparkak is the guide everybody dream to have, he anwer every question that is being ask politely to him. Patience, reliable and well knowlege is our personal description of his tour. I think the price is worth for what you will get back form his Tour . Transportation includes 3 different drivers that you will achieve from starting point to your trip to your way back to your Hotel. Entances fees were $60.00 per person extra for Ephesus and Virgin Mary House where the Assumption is said took place. We love it and is one expirience we will take to the rest of our lives.
Review provided by Viator
Carlotta_h
Oct 22, 2023
Amazing rain in Ephesus - Ata was a fabulous guide for our trip to Ephesus. He was personable and extremely knowledgeable. We had a great lunch and a side shopping trip. Would highly recommend Ata and our excellent driver.
Review provided by Viator
Tan
May 9, 2023
Highly Recommend! - Highly recommend this tour if you are in Ephesus for a day! Thank you Riza and Erdogan for their kind hospitality. The group of 4 of us enjoyed the trip very much!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Barbaranu3961ey
Apr 28, 2023
Wonderful full day tour - Excellent tour and a wonderful guide, Gorki. Very friendly and knowledgeable. Definitely would do another tour. Local knowledge was extremely helpful to make the most of our trip
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lonniel146
Apr 24, 2023
Once in a lifetime tour - Another incredible tour and made perfect by our tour guide Efe. Highly recommend taking this. You won’t regret it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Olivermary
Apr 15, 2023
An unforgettable and great experience - We would recommend this trip without hesitation. It is expensive but worth it. You have to pay that bit extra for quality. I think the key to this is two-fold: 1. Kerem the manager at Tour Altinkum. He promptly answered every question I asked by WhatsApp in the days before our trip and at the end when we arrived back in Istanbul Airport and our driver was delayed owing to traffic congestion he was monitoring closely and did not rest until soon afterwards everything was sorted.
2. Barboros or Barb for short, our local tour guide in Ephesus who picked us up with the driver Salim in Izmir Airport and who was just brilliant with his knowledge and attention to our specific interests.
We had a very early start 4.30 am pick up from hotel. The driver was there at 4.20 am and was very friendly and spoke good English. From Izmir whisked to Ephesus . Pleasantly surprised it was just my wife and myself. So this was as private and as personal as you get. Barb has excellent English and an encyclopediac knowledge of Ephesus and the region's culture. He got it just right curating the sites and giving us private time to absorb it all. Highlights the vastness of the thoroughfare of this incredible ancient metropolis and the House of the Virgin Mary. Also, Barb arranged an incredibly tasty genuinely local lunch which was a pleaant surprise. And we welcomed his offer to visit a family run ceramic craft shop which showcased beautiful works of local art and we were plased to buy a couple of things we will treasure. Also we took up the offer to visit an elite leather shop where my wife bought a lovely jacket. We did not feel under any pressure to visit those places but they were authentic representations of the local economy and we were pleased to have the opportunity to see and avail. All in all a quality day out. A very long day. With traffic congestion not back in hotel until around 9.15 pm to catch a late dinner. But very much worth every minute. And I must say arrangements at both Istanbul and Izmir airports were very smooth. No problem carrying 150 ml. sunscreen in my bag that would not be allowed at home in UK or Ireland. A final word. A beautiful sunny mid April day, not too hot. The perfect time of the year to absorb the wonder of the world that is Ephesus. Thank you especially Karem and Barb.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Quangdinh_26
Mar 18, 2023
Must-do - Our tourguide Mitten was awesome! It was only 3 people so it was pretty intimate and doesn’t feel passive. We took our time going through the sights
Review provided by Tripadvisor
840akshitm
Mar 4, 2023
Wonderful experience! - There wasn’t much to see in house of Virgin Mary. In my opinion that could have been skipped. Ephesus is a must visit for anyone visiting Turkey.
Overall we had a wonderful experience. Our guide: Metin was friendly and highly knowledgeable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Fruppen1
Apr 22, 2025
Great historical experience, but a long day - An amazing historical experience and a fantastic guide named Ugur, but it is a long day. From pick up to return to our hotel, our day lasted 17 hours. We spent only about 3 1/2 hours of that at the actual historic sites.
Review provided by Viator
Ravi_k
Jan 7, 2024
Not worth it! - We were very excited about this experience to begin. However, it did not turn out the way we had imagined.
We were flying from Istanbul to Izmir on the day of our tour. Our flight was at 7 in the morning and we reached airport at 5am. Our flight was canceled due to weather and we were put on 10 am flight.
We called the tour operator and said that we could not do the full tour and they said we had to choose between the touring the ancient city OR the House of Virgin Mary and Temple of Artemis, which seemed reasonable. We chose House of Virgin Mary and temple of Artemis.
We even asked if we could do the pit stop at Ephesus for a few minutes and the tour operator said it was not possible as it was far.
We landed in Izmir at 11 and a driver picked us up and drove for an hour to the House of Virgin Mary. We were only there for 30 min. On the way a tour guide joined us who explained some things about this place.
As we returned from the Virgin Mary house we saw that the ancient city was indeed on the way and we could have stopped for some time to walk around.
But instead, they tour operator said there wasn't time and we drove to Temple of Artmeis which had nothing to see except a pillar, only spending about 15 minutes over there.
We were then picked by the transfer bus which dropped us at the airport at 2:30.
What was frustrating was that our flight was at 6:30 PM and we spent 4 hours at the airport when we could have also explored the ancient city easily. Overall, we spent only about an hour on the tour sites and spent 4+ hours at the airport.
They didn't provide lunch and the tour guide provided was simply filling in for someone and didn't explain much. We also did not get back any credit for our money, whatsoever.
Obviously they can't control the flight cancelation but they could have easily adapted the tour to our timeframe. You will end up spending a large part of your day at the airport regardless of the time you get there.
Overall, not a good experience.
Review provided by Viator
