Top Turkey Private Sightseeing Tours

The route was well planned with the tour guide Onder checking the venues for crowds. We had sufficient time at Mother Mary’s Church, the stop at Ephesus was perfect as the guide walked a route that highlighted the importance of the city’s structure. His explanation of areas was excellent. He also planned lots of time for our group to take our photos. The “3-D” experience reinforced Onder’s explanations. The last stop Artemis temple was planned to end as there is not much left. Overall a well planned tour lasting over 5 hours.

Our guide was Aras. He was absolutely amazing. He took the time to tell us everything we should know. He was very friendly and funny. He took us to amazing parts of Turkey that really made me feel immersed into the culture. He was very thoughtful and always asked us if we were hungry or if we wanted to see something or skip something, so he worked around our schedule. Very reliable and very communicative. I would HIGHLY recommend this tour. He was very honest with everything as well. My family typically is not huge with history but this tour and Asma were amazing. They can go in as much detail as you want. This was truly the best tour I’ve ever done. The driver was also great because whenever we were done, we didn’t have to wait long to get back on the bus. Everything was a 10/10 experience.

Our cruise line cancelled our excursion at the last minute, so I was scrambling to find something for my family to do while we were in the port of Kusadasi. I’m so glad I found this tour because it ended up being a great experience and, honestly, better than what our cruise line had originally offered. Communication was great leading up to the tour, and everything was easy to coordinate. When we arrived that morning, we met our guide, Nagehan. We took a short walk outside of the port to meet our driver and then headed to our first destination, the ancient city of Ephesus. Nagehan did a great job walking us through the history of Ephesus and explaining what we were seeing along the way. She was also happy to help us take some great family photos, which was appreciated. We were able to see most of the ruins within about an hour before heading to the interactive Ephesus exhibit. The exhibit was about 20 minutes and provided a more immersive experience of what life was like in ancient Ephesus. I thought it was a nice addition to the tour. Our second stop was a Turkish rug workshop, which ended up being one of the highlights of the day. We learned about the history of Turkish rugs and got to see how they are made. It was fascinating learning about the process and the different materials used to create the rugs. We also got to see a demonstration of how raw silk is processed into thread. After that, we were taken into the showroom for another demonstration of the completed rugs. They have some really beautiful pieces. There is no pressure to purchase a rug if you don’t want one, although they will certainly show you some beautiful options. After the demonstrations, we had lunch at the onsite restaurant at the rug workshop. The food was fresh and delicious. We started with fresh salads, dips, and freshly baked bread, followed by rice, grilled chicken, and beef meatballs. Turkish tea and fresh fruit were served for dessert. It was a great meal and a nice break in the middle of the day. Our third stop was a chance to visit both a leather shop and a pottery studio. If you have to choose between the two, I would recommend the pottery studio. The family who runs it was incredibly kind, and it was really interesting to see their work and the variety of pottery they create. At the end of the day, our driver brought us back to the port, which made getting back to our cruise very easy. I can’t thank Nagehan and our driver enough for such a lovely day. We really enjoyed the variety of stops, learning about the history and culture of the area, and not having to worry about transportation while we were in port. What started as a last-minute change of plans ended up being a really memorable day for our family. I would definitely recommend this tour if you’re visiting Kusadasi.