FOR CRUISE GUESTS / Archaeological Ephesus Tour from Kusadasi ( Ephesus ) Port

Our guide, Emma (Eda), was very friendly and knowledgeable about Turkey's history and the sites we visited. Her English was superb and we really enjoyed her presentations. Her suggestion to meet earlier (8AM) and 1st stop at Mother Mary's house was spot on. When we arrived, no one was in line so we were able to walk right in and took our time to pray. By the time we went out (10 min?) of the house, there was a line a mile long. We were very grateful for the suggestion. We visited only one archaeological site & forfeited the St. John Basilica ruin due to time. Things to know: All admission tix and extraneous fees are not included in the tour pkg. What we paid was only for the driver & the guide. We missed the fine prints and we weren't the only ones. Many other tourists have missed the same details. Other things to watch out for: Emma asked if we would like to visit a Turkish Rug government-owned manufacture and we readily agreed. The manufacture turned out to be a storefront. We got a 10-min presentations on how they are made then ushered into the salesroom. We definitely didn't expect the a full-on sale presentation by very nice but high-pressured salesmen. We ended up buying a rug out of obligation. We may have overpaid for it, too, since we didn't know we should/could have bargained down the price. Since it was billed as a "government owned" factory, we didn't want to insult them. We wasted a lot of time at the factory that costed us precious time. Next stop was the Turkish Pottery factory, which was next door. Again, another storefront with drawn out sale presentation and equally persistent salesmen, but we didn't buy anything there. Although the items were exceptionally beautiful but we weren't willing to pay 3500Euros for a vase. Lunch was mediocre and at the same rug place. Lastly, contrary to Emma's advise, the prices at the port weren't twice as much as what you could find outside. We found them to be very reasonable and you feel free to bargain. I found a vase with similar shape albeit smaller and not quite as intricate as the one at the factory for 50Euros. I'm very happy with my 50Euros vase!!! All is not lost, however. We thoroughly enjoyed the visits to Mother Mary's house and the archaeological site and wish that we could have seen more. The rest of the tour was a waste of time. We could have used the precious time to visit the Grand Bazaar next to the Port and bought similar things for fraction of the cost.

Shukru was an AMAZING ! So informative and kind! We had a full day and he was happy to do what wanted! I loved getting to go to mass at Mary’s house! He took so the pictures of our group r we wanted and took us to a lovely lunch ! Watching the carpets being made is really cool … and yes they want to sell them but up can decline politely … we bought 2 !! Enjoy ! Thank you Shukru

Our guide was excellent—very informative, friendly, and efficient. They did a great job getting us in and out of the attractions in a timely manner, and we genuinely appreciated their knowledge and professionalism throughout the tour. Our only complaint was the inclusion of three additional stops—a rug factory, leather store, and pottery shop—that involved high-pressure sales tactics. While it was interesting to learn how these items were made, we felt a lot of pressure to purchase, which was not how we wanted to spend our time. We understand that some of these stops may be part of the local tourism culture, and perhaps even required, but the aggressive sales approach really left a bad taste in our mouths and detracted from an otherwise great experience.

Spent about 6 hours visiting Ephesus. Among the best preserved ruins we have seen, with interesting background, Our guide, Goksu, was very pleasnat, very knowledgeable and answered our many questions. He also set up a great outdoor lunch for us away from the ruins.

We had a splendid day of our desired itinerary, fully complemented by a knowledgeable guide and great driver. This was exactly the experience we had desired and hoped for. Thanks!

Go early as early as you can! Oscar our guide was awesome, knowledgeable and very passionate about what he does. We had an amazing experience with him.

Great tour. Our guide was so knowledgeable and took the time to explain so much. He was full of historical facts and stories. It was very enjoyable.

Ayse was the best tour guide. She showed us around Ephesus and shared with us the Erich history of her city. I will come back again and let all my friends know who to book their tours with when they visit

We had a fantastic Ephesus tour thanks to our guide Ali (Eren) who truly made the experience unforgettable. As an archaeology major, he shared deep insights into the ancient city’s history, bringing the ruins to life with fascinating stories. Beyond the historical sites, he also introduced us to local culture and customs, adding a rich and personal touch to the tour. His cheerful and engaging personality made the whole day fun and enjoyable. Highly recommended!

We had a best day of a cruise with Ali (Eren) our very professional tour guide. He is an archeology major and gives you the very deep prospective not only to history but also into local culture. On top of it he has a perfect English and very cheerful personally. It was a really deep dive into Turkish culture.