Privata Efesos, Jungfru Marias hus, St John Basilica & Lunch

We had a very specific itinerary. We wanted to go to Sunday Mass at Virgin Mary’s House at 10:30. Then see a bit of Ephesus and then see St John’s tomb. The day went without a hitch up until the lunch provided. Lunch was lovely, delicious and very Turkish. Then we were basically “strong-armed” to watch how Turkish carpet is made with the promise we wouldn’t be “sold”. Well that part was a lie. The Greasy Piece of Bacon owner did everything to coerce us to buy his crappy carpets. It felt unnecessarily uncomfortable. That part put a damper on our whole day. However. Adnan our Guide as kind and professional. I recommend you book… but if being hounded and pushed to buy carpeting isn’t your thing… speak up. I wish we did

This tour includes mandatory, high-pressure stops at carpet and leather showrooms designed to generate massive kickbacks for guides. Expect coercive sales tactics, inflated prices, and hours lost in commercial showrooms rather than sightseeing.

Goksel was a wonderful and knowledgeable guide. He gave lots of info/history on each attraction. We had a great time visiting Ephesus!

With only half a day to visit Kusadasi we wanted to visit Ephesus. Air conditioned van met us at the cruise terminal and away we went! Local history as we visited the House of Mary before the crowds. Our guide Inan navigated our stops to meet our interests in biblical history and archeology as well as leather and rugs. He even arranged for us to visit a local family who makes ceramics! Comfortable, clean and safe.

We loved our tour and our guide! Extremely knowledgeable! Car was clean and he always had water for us! Everything was very well planned out but also very flexible based on what we wanted to do!

They try to sell you carpets, jewelry and hide some of the costs of the trip. Very shady operation, be careful

Aleyna was an amazing guide. Very knowledgeable about so much more than just the places we were visiting! With just the 2 of us and Aleyna plus our amazing driver, we had a fantastic experience in Ephesus. We went to House of Mary first off to beat the crowds and from there we did old town Ephesus then down to Library of Celsius. Had a phenomenal authentic Turkish lunch with her as well. I took pictures because we’d love to go back someday. It was the best day of our 12 day trip!

+4

Our private tour of Santorini was one of the absolute highlights of our trip! From the moment we met Christos, we felt like family. He was warm, welcoming, entertaining, and incredibly knowledgeable about Santorini, its history, culture, and beautiful villages. Christos gave us an amazing private tour that allowed us to see so much of the island. We enjoyed it so much that we extended our tour by an additional hour, and we are so glad we did! The extra time allowed us to explore even more of this spectacular destination and truly experience everything Santorini has to offer. One of our favorite stops was Santos Winery, where we relaxed with delicious local wines and a wonderful charcuterie board while taking in the breathtaking views of the caldera and sparkling water below. It was an unforgettable experience. Christos made this tour incredibly special, and his passion for Santorini was evident throughout the day. We cannot wait to return! We highly recommend booking a private tour when visiting Santorini. The extra cost is absolutely worth it—you get a much more personalized experience, your group stays together, and you can customize the day to your interests. Thank you to Kivotos of Aegean Travel for arranging such a fantastic experience and to Christos of Marryposa Royal Services for creating memories that will last a lifetime. Highly recommended!

First off the communication for pick up and details of what to expect were superb. We were met at the port and walked a couple of minutes outside of the port to our awaiting Mercedes van. It was very clean and stocked with water for our day. Our guide and driver headed straight for the House of Mary to beat the crowds and the mega buses. Thank goodness for that as we had no line at all! Aleyna gave us so much rich history of not only the land but also about Mary’s house and John the beloved disciple who brought her there. From there we went into ancient Ephesus through the upper gate. I totally suggest this as if you enter through the lower gate you miss all the history of the government area and latrines! She pointed out the perfect picture points and took them of us too. She already had our tickets so that we skipped the long lines for the city of Ephesus area as well. We paid her for that at the end as well as basilica of St John entrance fees. She explained different options for the day and any additional fees when we had entered the van. After an incredible lunch at Agora cafe we traveled to our last stop, the basilica of St John. Aleyna also gives biblical tours so we got a mix of both as we told her we were Christians and were very interested in what she could tell us. She almost felt like our daughter by days end and got her info for our friends who are traveling as well. Her English was perfect as she explained thousands of years of history and culture to us!!! There is no way we could have experienced Ephesus and enjoyed it without Aleyna’s expertise.

We had one day docked in Kusadasi on our cruise ship, and we wanted to see just about everything in Ephesus. This tour was the one of the very few on Viator that allowed total flexibility in scheduling the day's activities, without paying an exorbitant price. We spent the morning in Ephesus, including the Terrace Houses, with a stop at Mary's Church; then had a very good, included lunch; and in the afternoon visited the Ephesus Museum, the Basilica of St. John, and the site of the Temple of Artemis. The tour began with pickup from the cruise terminal at 8am, concluding with a drop-off at 3:30. The tour guide, Cenkis, was thoroughly knowledgeable of the history of Ephesus and the wider region. Though a Muslim himself, he also had a deep knowledge of the Christian history that took place in the area. He was a joy to spend the day with. Our driver, Ali, was professional and courteous; and the vehicle itself was quite comfortable and conducive to touring. All in all, this was a great way to see as much of Ephesus as possible in a day, and is highly recommended.