Private Ephesus & Virgin Mary Tours for Cruisers with grp. option
Description
Private and Mini group Options You can choose private option to travel with your family and friends You can include Terrace Houses into your program by choosing with Terrace Houses option. Professional licenced English speaking guide , Parking fees, A/C Transportation are included.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our guide will meet you at Kusadasi Port / Hotel with EPHESUS SHUTTLE sign. Meeting times are differ for each cruise line. Meeting time will be given during your confirmation.
We will have 30 min. drive to The House of Virgin Mary is located on the Aladag Mountains 5 miles away from Ephesus. At the third Ecumenical Council on 431 AD in Ephesus, it was claimed that Mary came to Ephesus with St. John in 37 A.D. and lived there until her death in 48 A.D. After the discovery of the house, the Archbishop of Izmir declared there as a place of pilgrimage in 1892. On July 26, 1967, Pope Paul VI visited this place and prayed there.
We will have 10 mins drive to Ephesus from The House of Virgin Mary. We will start visiting one of the main highlights in Turkey, Ephesus, one of the 12 cities of Ionian League (an ancient Greek district on the western coast of Asia Minor) is located near Izmir. As a port city it was a major departure point for trade routes into Asia Minor. Walk through history along marble streets lined with wonderful public buildings, among them the Baths of Scholastica, the Library of Celsus; it was built in the beginning of the 2nd century A.D. by Gaius Julius Aquila to be a memorial to his father Gaius Julius Celsus Polemanus, the proconsul of Province of Asia. , the Temple of Hadrian and The Grand Theater are two of the most impressive buildings in Ephesus. Grand theatre was built in 3rd century B.C and it was later expanded to 24.000 spectators by the Romans in the 1st century A.D.
Terrace houses included in " with Terrace Houses options " only. Not included in other options. Terrace Houses is located on skirt of Pion Mountain. There are 6 residential units which were built on three man-made terraces. These houses were settled by wealty citizens of Ephesus. These houses were very fancy decorated with wall frescoes and floor mosaics. There are many steps to ascend from bottom to top. Not recommended for people who has walking difficulties and acro-phobia (fear of heights).
We will stop at Artemission Temple where used to be one of the seven wonders of the ancient world as our last stop before drive back to your hotel / Kusadasi town center and port.
Drive to Port through Kusadasi Marina. Arrival and the end of services
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
The meeting time at Kusadasi port varies for each ship. Generally, the meeting time is 45-60 minutes after your ship arrives. The Kusadasi Port meeting time will be sent via email. Small group tour. Professional licenced Tour guide , Parking fees, A/C Transportation are included. You can choose private option for your family and friends You can include Terrace Houses into your program by choosing with Terrace Houses option bu paying the extra entrance fee. Pick Up Points : Cruise guests from Kusadasi Cruise Terminal / Listed Hotel guests from their hotel lobby Entrance fees are not included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Professional licenced English speaking guide , Parking fees, A/C Transportation are included.
- You can choose private option to travel with your family and friends
Reviews(179)
Great itinerary and interesting cultural centres were visited! Very knowledgeable and friendly young man! Do recommend! Sincerely, Syl & Syl 👍👍
This tour was excellent! So informative and flexible. Picked us up right at the port and had us back in time. Pilar was so knowledgeable and accommodating!!
Hello, Once again, we deeply appreciate your long-standing loyalty and the detailed feedback you’ve provided. We look forward to welcoming you back soon. We will share your kind message and opinions with your guide. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderfull country again. Ephesus Shuttle Turkey Team
Selda, our tour guide, was wonderful. We had a great experience. We enjoyed touring the ancient ruins and terrace houses. The ceramic demonstration was great and the rug demonstration was fascinating! Learned how they spin silk. Seeing the house of the Virgin Mary was a highlight. Selda had good timing for all of our activities.
I would highly recommend booking with Ephesus Shuttle. Our family (2 adults, 3 children ages 9-15) booked a mini group tour with them to see the ruins at Ephesus, the terrace houses, and the House of the Virgin Mary tour while on a cruise. Doing this mini group tour was more cost effective than doing the cruise excursion and we got to see so much more! We were on the tour with just two other groups. Our tour guide (shout out to Ozer) was great. He was very knowledgeable and great in terms of keeping us together as a group, but also giving us some time to wander and take photos on our own. I'd recommend adding the terrace houses to the Ephesus tour. Those ruins are spectacular and it's cooler in that space which gives you a bit of a respite from the heat. We also stopped to see a local artisan where they gave a demonstration of a technique their family has used for years and you could browse their store. It was interesting to learn about and we wound up purchasing a very unique and beautiful piece of artwork. It is definitely a special remembrance and not something that you'd find by the port in Kusadasi. Again, I would highly recommend. The customer service was great (all my emails were answered promptly and responses were clear and helpful) and the tour guide was fantastic. It was more cost effective than the cruise excursions and we got to see a lot more without feeling rushed.
Dear Larissa, We don't know how to thank you enough for your comment. Your feedback is precious and has been proudly share with the entire team. Our colleagues' dedication to our guests is fully rewarded when we received such wonderful comments. We will share your kind message and opinions with your guide. Thank you on behalf of him. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Ephesus Shuttle Turkey Team
Our guide Inan, a history major, blended beauty, fun and History. The time of year (no crowds and cool weather) made the trip perfect. The visits to Our Blessed Mother's house was peaceful, the Ephesian archeological site beautiful and educational, a family of ceramic makers (UNESCO Heritage) warm, and stunning; the port restaurant and Turkish Delight recommendations very good. Inan was brilliant at balancing the short time we had, using his historical insights, and local knowledge.
Hello, Please rest assured that your kind words have been passed on to the entire Team. We look forward to welcoming you back for more memorable moments. We will share your kind message and opinions with your guide. Thank you on behalf of him. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderfull country again. Ephesus Shuttle Turkey Team
Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. Answered all our questions and even encouraged us to try fresh figs being sold by vendor. Enjoyed the tour! So will you!
Dear David, Your kind words will be shared with our entire team, who will be thrilled to know they helped create this memorable experience. We will share your kind message and opinions with your guide. Thank you on behalf of her/him. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Ephesus Shuttle Turkey Team
Excellent tour with knowledgeable guide. Selma was a great guide who was very knowledgeable and gave us lots of very interesting information. Our driver was very good and safe also. We all thoroughly enjoyed our tour.
Hello, We don't know how to thank you enough for your comment. Your feedback is precious and has been proudly share with the entire team. Our colleagues' dedication to our guests is fully rewarded when we received such wonderful comments. We will share your kind message and opinions with your guide. Thank you on behalf of her. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Ephesus Shuttle Turkey Team
Cengiz was a splendid guide. Very knowledgeable and his English was excellent. He even phoned ahead to check how busy the Virgin Mary's house was in order to plan the trip better and save time. Thanks to Cengiz, even though it was a special holy day, we arrived to a very short queue. This made our day a lot less laborious than it could have been. Highly recommended.
Hello, Please rest assured that your kind words have been passed on to the entire Team. We look forward to welcoming you back for more memorable moments. We will share your kind message and opinions with your guide. Thank you on behalf of him. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Ephesus Shuttle Turkey Team
Cem (pronounced Jem) was great! He gave us a lot of history, and current event and cultural information. He was flexible on the timing and location of different places as it made sense with crowds and other factors. We all enjoyed the tour, and my smaller children actually thought it was one of the best things we did which surprised me, though I think part of it was the cats at Ephesus.
Dear Michael, Thank you very much for taking the time to share your kind words. We are delighted to hear that your experience with us exceeded your expectations, and your compliments have been shared with our team with great pleasure. We will share your kind message and opinions with your guide. Thank you on behalf of him. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Ephesus Shuttle Turkey Team
The tour was a complete success, as it was stopped at several interesting places. The guide gave us a lot of information. Our thanks also go to the driver. We recommend the organizer.
Dear Bernd, Thank you again for your loyalty and thoughtful insights. We look forward to welcoming you back on your next trip to Ephesus and will do everything we can to ensure another wonderful travel. We will share your kind message and opinions with your guide. Thank you on behalf of him. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Ephesus Shuttle Turkey Team
