Private Ephesus Tour from Izmir

Discover the extraordinary ancient city of Ephesus, once a thriving Roman port city and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. My husband and I highly recommend making this private, full-day Biblical tour by Felicity Travel part of your itinerary. Our experience began with a convenient hotel pickup in a spacious, air-conditioned van, accompanied by a dedicated driver and plenty of chilled water. Entrance fees were included, as was a delicious and plentiful Turkish lunch at a wonderful family-run restaurant. But what truly made this tour exceptional was Umut, a local resident, certified guide, and scholar with comprehensive knowledgeable of the biblical history of one of Turkey’s most significant sites of early Christian history. During our tour, we asked countless questions—and not one went unanswered. Umut’s ability to connect historical events to specific biblical passages made for a fascinating and deeply meaningful experience. Two of the many highlights of this tour were the extraordinarily beautiful House of the Virgin Mary, a small, peaceful chapel and important destination for Christian pilgrims, where tradition holds that Mary lived with St. John following the death of her Son on the cross; and Ayasuluk (Ayaslur) Hill, where St. John is believed to have written his Gospel. We also explored the ruins of the once-impressive Basilica of St. John, where the Saint is traditionally believed to have been buried. This tour was much more than a simple day of sightseeing. Umut’s remarkable knowledge, enthusiasm, and ability to connect the history, archaeology, and biblical accounts of Ephesus transformed the day into an unforgettable and deeply moving experience. One last note: our sincere thanks to Maria Ecir, Founder & Lead Travel Designer at Felicity Travel. She was a delight to work with—thorough, responsive, and prompt in answering every email. We highly recommend Felicity Travel for anyone interested in delving into the many important events in Christian history that occurred in Turkey, from St. Paul’s missionary journeys and the letters to the Ephesians to The Seven Churches of Revelation, and so much more.

Wonderful day in Ephesus and surrounding sites!

We had an excellent experience from beginning to end. The entire process was handled professionally, including the easy booking process, informative WhatsApp communication and convenient payment arrangements. All of this made organising the tour so much easier. Our driver was excellent, professional and courteous. The vehicle was perfectly clean, comfortable and well maintained. Our English-speaking guide, Mehmet, was extremely knowledgeable, kind and patient. He explained the fascinating history of Ephesus in a clear and engaging way, answered all our questions and made the entire visit both interesting and enjoyable. Mehmet’s professionalism and extensive knowledge added enormous value to our tour. We truly recommend this company to anyone looking for a first-class experience in Turkey and will certainly use their services again when we return.

Wonderful tour. Mehmet our tour guy was great. He was also very patient as my sister is 81 years old and needs to take her time. Also great driver and very comfortable car. We enjoyed our tour. A must see experience. Mehmet is very reliable and punctual.

We had a wonderful tour with Etrunga. Very good communication from start to finish. A pick up in Izmir, then a fact filled tour or Ephesus and Virgin Mary's house. We had 8 people, and used the private van. An excellent day, and I highly recommend Ertunga for his knowledgeable and interesting commentary.

We went to Ephesus from Izmir and stay 2 nights at Kusadasi. One day tour to Ephesus dan one day tour to Laodecia and Pamukkale. We enjoyed all destinations, nice car, good driver, and the tour guide is amazing. He could explain both side from archeology and biblical perspective. The time arrangement was perfect, we have enough time for each destinations. It was fruitful trip for us.

Umut is as great as a person and tourist guide, he gave us the best explanations of every single thing we saw and of everything we asked. He has a great attitude and a really big love and passion for his job that you can tell instantly. He gave is great formation about everything and really good tips for future trips.

Umut was our guide, he was always very friendly and attentive. He explained everything we saw in a unique way, you can tell he is a person who knows a lot about culture. He took us to eat at a very rich local Turkish restaurant. It helped us to make the coin conversation at all times without taking advantage. I recommend it 100%.

+9

Umut is an awesome guide, he explain every detail really well, he take us to beautiful places to take pictures, learn and eat. He explain to us all the admission fee we payed, and help us to convert the currency in the best way. He let us take all the we wanted to take photos and see the ruins. He’s great!! One of the best.

+5

Umut is very friendly, with great disposition and excellent guide. He took us to all the archaeological sites we wanted and to eat in a very rich local place. Great experience!

+3