Recently Viewed
Private Tour from Izmir: Ephesus, Artemission, Virgin Mary House with Lunch Included
4.8
45 Ratings
Izmir
Enjoy a private guided tour of Ephesus, the Temple of Artemis, and the House of the Virgin Mary, complete with lunch. The price includes entrance fees, air-conditioned transportation, and lunch. Terrace houses can be added to the itinerary for an extra charge.
Enjoy a private guided tour of Ephesus, the Temple of Artemis, and the House of the Virgin Mary, complete with lunch. The price includes entrance fees, air-conditioned transportation, and lunch. Terrace houses can be added to the itinerary for an extra charge.
Duration:
7 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Izmir - Your personal guide will greet you at Izmir Airport, Hotel, or Port with a sign displaying your name, at your preferred time. We will then drive approximately 50 minutes to reach Ephesus.
- Meryemana (The Virgin Mary’s House) - Our first visit is to The House of Virgin Mary, situated on the Aladag Mountains, 5 miles from Ephesus. During…
- Izmir - Your personal guide will greet you at Izmir Airport, Hotel, or Port with a sign displaying your name, at your preferred time. We will then drive approximately 50 minutes to reach Ephesus.
- Meryemana (The Virgin Mary’s House) - Our first visit is to The House of Virgin Mary, situated on the Aladag Mountains, 5 miles from Ephesus. During the third Ecumenical Council in 431 AD in Ephesus, it was asserted that Mary arrived in Ephesus with St. John in 37 A.D. and resided there until her passing in 48 A.D. Following the house’s discovery, the Archbishop of Izmir declared it a pilgrimage site in 1892. On July 26, 1967, Pope Paul VI visited and prayed at this location.
-
Ancient City of Ephesus - Our next stop is Ephesus, one of the 12 cities of the Ionian League, an ancient Greek district on Asia Minor’s western coast, located near Izmir. As a port city, it was a significant starting point for trade routes into Asia Minor.
Stroll through history along marble streets lined with magnificent public buildings, including the Baths of Scholastica and the Library of Celsus, constructed in the early 2nd century A.D. by Gaius Julius Aquila as a tribute to his father, Gaius Julius Celsus Polemanus, the proconsul of the Province of Asia. The Temple of Hadrian and The Grand Theater are two of Ephesus’s most remarkable structures. The Grand Theater was built in the 3rd century B.C. and later expanded by the Romans in the 1st century A.D. to accommodate 24,000 spectators. - The Temple of Artemis - After a lunch break, we will visit the Temple of Artemis, once one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
- Izmir - Return to Izmir, with arrival and drop-off at your hotel, marking the conclusion of our services.
What's Included
- Traditional Turkish Lunch
- GUARANTEED On Time Return to PORT
- Private tour
- Professional guide
- ENTRANCE FEES ( Our guide will have pre-paid tickets to skip the lines )
- Transport by air-conditioned minivan
- Traditional Turkish Lunch
- GUARANTEED On Time Return to PORT
- Private tour
- Professional guide
- ENTRANCE FEES ( Our guide will have pre-paid tickets to skip the lines )
- Transport by air-conditioned minivan
What's Not Included
- Drinks
- Gratuities
- Drinks
- Gratuities
Additional Information
- At time of booking, passengers must provide hotel name
- Private guided tour of Ephesus, Temple of Artemis, The House of Virgin Mary with lunch. Entrance fees, A/C transportation,and lunch are included in the price.
- Terrace houses can be added into the program (additional cost)
- At time of booking, passengers must provide hotel name
- Private guided tour of Ephesus, Temple of Artemis, The House of Virgin Mary with lunch. Entrance fees, A/C transportation,and lunch are included in the price.
- Terrace houses can be added into the program (additional cost)
Location
Izmir
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
(45 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Rogerf354
Jan 26, 2026
Take good footwear and a walking stick as it can be a bit slick when wet. - Such a historic site with the marble slab walkways and ancient ruins still standing. Close your eyes and you can imagine this beautiful place filled with the hustle and bustle of people walking down the streets.
Ephesus is a must do in Turkey for any traveler and having Melih as our guide was what we needed to fully appreciate this experience. Melih modified the route and timing of the journey to allow the huge rain storm to pass us by. This gave us the opportunity to fully enjoy our excursion without having to navigate the already slippery terrain.
I highly recommend this tour and if you can swing it, make it a private tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Travelaeg
Jan 26, 2026
Good day trip to Ephesus - Good day in Ephesus. We were picked up from our hotel in Izmir by our guide and driver in a comfortable van. The ancient city of Ephesus is well preserved and impressive. Definitely worth the trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Amy_g
Jan 15, 2026
Wonderful Day Trip to Ephesus - Great day either with Ozgur. The pick up from our hotel was smooth. There were three of us in a large van, so very comfortable.
It was a private tour, so Ozgur was open to any suggestions, and we had good conversation throughout the day. Visiting Ephesus is an amazing experience. Don’t miss it if you are in Izmir.
Review provided by Viator
Campleader66
Jan 11, 2026
Fantastic value for money one on one tour - This is a fantastic tour. Our guide was so awesome. His knowledge was indepth and so interesting and he took carew of everyting we needed and tailored the day to our needs. The food was delicious! We would absolutely recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kirsten_c
Jan 9, 2026
Emre was such an amazing... - Emre was such an amazing guide and made our experience for the day! We opted to take a day trip from Istanbul and were so happy that we did! We arranged our flights for the early morning and gave ourselves enough time afterward (though you might contact them if you haven't booked flights to see what they recommend as we were in the airport with hours to spare).
We loved visiting the sites and Emre made sure that we saw the most important things and explaining why and their significance. If you are a Christian, this is an absolute pilgrimage and so worth going. Turkey is super underrated and I can't wait to go back. We had a lovely lunch at a local rug factor and I would genuinely be interested as they had decent prices in December but we just bought our flat and didn't know what we needed.
I'm so happy that we did this day trip and it was such a good value for the guide and the driver. Ephesus was also something I will never forget! It was great learning about its history, what they are currently working on to unveil the site, and its importance in history.
Review provided by Viator
Anjali_j
Dec 26, 2025
Highlights of Izmir - Extremely informative guide , knowledgeable in history and the sites we visited. Well articulated and patient in answering questions and super friendly! The timing of the tour was just nice to not feel over crowded or too overwhelmed.
Review provided by Viator
Clinton_h
Dec 16, 2025
Sensational day out - What a sensational day from start to finish. Pick up wad seemless from the cruise port in a late model VW van. Very cofy. Melih was a wonderful guide. Making sure we went where we wanted. His knowledge is fantastic. Our main thing was to visit Ephesis. We learned so much. We were not rushed and had plenty of time to explore. We aso bisted the Virgin mary house. We had options to go to leather, carpet and ceramic makers. We went to the carpet. So awesome. Absolutely no push to buy. The lunch was delicious. We got back to the ship with plenty of time to spare. Absolutely recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Dennis
Nov 8, 2025
The tours was excellent. The was informative and so helpful. Lunch was very and the whole experience was great Great tour. Great - We had a wonderful day touring Ephesus. The tour guide was excellent and our experience viewing the ancient city was one we will not forget
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pioneer56145374050
Oct 15, 2025
Absolutely fabulous! - This tour exceeded our expectations. Our guide Gürkan was a wealth of information and very knowledgeable. He is a wonderful conversationalist and always had an answer for any question. Even though we are familiar with the history, we learned much more. This tour was excellent from the pick-up till the end. Highly recommend. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Silvia
Oct 8, 2025
Ephesus and Virgin Mary’s house!! Private tour is a good choice!! This agency good also!! - Our guide Emre Dasdemir and the Driver made sure we were able to see Virgins Marys house with out getting went since it was pouring when we got there!! They made the good decision of starting there so by the time we got to Ephesus the rain had subsided and we were able to do the walk in the city!! It was a perfect tour in spite the weather conditions… I would recommend this tour and of course the knowledgeable guide Emre!! Good job!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
