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(196)
We had an absolutely amazing day exploring Ephesus, and a huge part of that was thanks to our fantastic tour guide, Fuson, and our incredible driver, Ibo. Meeting up with them couldn't have been easier. Ibo took us to our first stop, the House of the Virgin Mary. We arrived right as they were getting ready to open just after 8:00 AM, which turned out to be perfect timing. It was so peaceful and tranquil to take in before any crowds arrived, and Fuson gave us wonderful context that made the visit feel truly special. From there, we headed to Ephesus, it was completely stunning. Fuson guided us on the top-down route, taking us through the Terrace Houses and the Experience Museum. Spending three hours walking through it all was a real highlight. We wrapped up with a stop at the Temple of Artemis before Ibo brought us back to the ship. If you are heading to Kusadasi, you could not ask for a better team than Fuson and Ibo. Warm, efficient, and thoroughly knowledgeable—they made our entire day effortless and truly memorable!
Gengiz our guide was very informative and helpful through each venue visited.
Very knowledgable and friendly guide!
Excellent private tour with a fantastic guide We had a thoroughly enjoyable private tour of Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary and the Temple of Artemis. Our guide, Ugurcan, was excellent throughout. He was friendly, helpful, extremely knowledgeable and very considerate. He made sure everything ran smoothly and was particularly thoughtful about the fact that one member of our party was only seven years old, adapting the experience so that it worked well for all of us. Ugurcan answered every question we asked with impressive knowledge and context, which really added to our understanding and enjoyment of the sites. He also took photographs for us throughout the day and did such an exceptional job that we genuinely suggested he should consider specialising in photography-focused tours. We came away with some wonderful family photographs as well as great memories of the day. The tour also included visits to a carpet and rug manufacturer and a leather goods manufacturer. We found both interesting and, importantly, there was little to no pressure to buy anything. Overall, this was a very enjoyable, well-organised and personal experience. Ugurcan was a superb guide and we would happily recommend this tour to others visiting Kuşadası and Ephesus.
Great tour and guide. Very informative and professional.
Hello, Thank you so much for sharing your experience and giving us such a good note! We hope to have the occasion to welcome you back soon. Thank you for taking the time to share such a lovely review. 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
Brilliant tour with Gurken his passion for The history of Ephesus was amazing and very informative. The pick up was easy and the whole tour was really enjoyable. The tour was efficient and plenty of stops in shade and for photographs. Great driver Benke too. Highly recommend and would use again.
Hello, I 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 wonderfull country again. Ephesus Shuttle Turkey Team
We did a small‑group tour of Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary, and it was outstanding. Our guide, Gurkhan, was exceptional — incredibly knowledgeable, engaging, and always checking in with the group to make sure the pace suited everyone. The experience felt personal and relaxed, so much better than a large group tour. Our driver was also fantastic, and the air‑conditioned minibus was spacious and comfortable. A tip for future visitors: bring an umbrella or hat for shade at the ruins. It gets very hot and there’s limited cover, though our guide did a great job finding shade whenever possible. Highly recommended. • Perfect for history lovers — Gurkhan brings the site to life with detail and storytelling. • Smooth logistics — no waiting around, no crowds, just easy movement through the site. • Comfortable transport — makes a huge difference in the August
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
Emma gave us an amazing tour of Ephesus. Learned so much about the history that we would not have appreciated on our own.
Hello, I 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 wonderfull country again. Ephesus Shuttle Turkey Team
We had an unbelievably good tour with Cenk. We were on a cruise and we have never booked independently before but after doing some searching on gemini, this tour operator was suggested and we booked despite being someone hesitant historically to book outside of the cruise. It was super awesome, safe, luxurious travel, and extremely knowledgeable tour guide. Highly recommend!!!
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
Yavuz was an amazing guide! He customized our day to what we were interested in learning/hearing about. He was very personable and was great with the kids (6 y.o. and 8y.o.) in our family. He gave us the option to do the one hour Ephasus ruins tour or the two hour tour. We chose the one hour tour due to the heat but the two hour tour looked and sounded really cool (a little bummed we missed out on that)! Yavuz filled the additional time with a lunch at a really good restaurant (I don’t think we would have gotten lunch if we did the two hour tour), and we got to see how the Turkish rugs are hand made. This was a really neat lesson but when the lesson was done, the employees were pretty insistent on getting us to buy one. It’s their job, I know but they really did not want to us to walk away without buying something. Overall, this was a great trip and Yavuz was an incredible guide! If you are taking this trip, try to get him for your guide. I definitely recommend this if you’re looking for something to do while in Kuşadasi/Ephesus!
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. Thank you on behalf of him. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderfull country again. Ephesus Shuttle Turkey Team
