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PRIVATE NO HIDDEN FEES Ephesus, Mary's House Guided Tour /GRP OPT

Recommended by 99% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Kusadasi, Turkey
Popular pick
Booked 10+ times last week!
  • 4 to 6 hours (approx.)
  • Pickup offered
  • Group discounts
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.9
·
· Paul_L ·
Jan 2026
Tremendous, knowledgeable guide, who added plenty of historical context. Our guide kindly added an item to our itinerary at the last minute that we wanted to see without any issue. Handled all of the tickets with the all-included tour to make it easy to focus on the sites. Terrific. Would book again and recommend
· Mary_M ·
Oct 2025
Wonderful tour by Jenc. Tour bus was very comfortable - new Mercedes van. Jenc was very understanding of our need to be back at the cruise port on time since we only had a 5 hour stop. The sites we saw were absolutely amazing. Jenc’s knowledge was in depth and thoughtful. He let us explore on our own and was available for any questions we had.

Overview

Explore the ancient wonders of Ephesus and the House of Virgin Mary on a private or mini-group tour with skip-the-line access. Walk through history as you marvel at the Grand Theater, Temple of Hadrian, and Library of Celsus, then visit the sacred home where Mary is said to have spent her final days. Upgrade your experience with a private guide and exclusive access to the Terrace Houses, once home to the city’s wealthiest residents.
  • Exclusive skip-the-line access at Ephesus
  • Professional licensed tour guide for small group or private tour
  • Air-conditioned transport and parking fees covered
  • Guaranteed on-time return to port

What's Included

  • Entrance fees (Our guide will have pre-paid tickets to skip lines )
  • Professional Licenced Tour guide
  • Air-conditioned Transportation .
  • Local Tax and Handling Fee
  • Parking Fees
  • GUARANTEED On Time Return to PORT
  • Food and drinks
  • Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

NO HIDDEN COST : ENTRANCE FEES are included in our rates ✅ When you compare our tours , please check includes and excludes carefully. ✅ Most of the Travel agents DO NOT include entrance fees to their rates The meeting time will be emailed within 24 hours following your reservation, according to your ship's arrival time. This tour is for cruise ship passengers and guests those are staying in listed 4 hotels because of narrow strreets, one way traffic, parking and pick up problems....... Enjoy this 4 or 6 hour ( Without Terrace House Option is around 4 hours and with Terrace Houses option is around 5 to 6 hours ) excursion starting at Kusadasi CRUISE TERMİNAL, and taking you to Ephesus. Private options are customizable 7/24 customer support: whats app/cell ++ 90 533 640 11 03

Arranged start time

Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.
Select your preferred tour option to see hours.

Itinerary

1

Kuşadası Port Türkiye

10 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

2

The House of the Virgin Mary

1 hour Admission Ticket Included

3

Ephesus Ancient City

2 hours Admission Ticket Included

4

Ephesus Terrace Houses

30 minutesAdmission Ticket Included

5

The Temple of Artemis

20 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

6

Kusadasi Gazi Begendi Park

5 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

7

Kuşadası Port Türkiye

5 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Infant seats available
  • Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
  • NO HIDDEN COST : ENTRANCE FEES are included in our rates
  • When you compare our rates with others, please check includes and excludes carefully.
  • This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.9
based on 2,484 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Great Ephesus Day Trip

Michael_P, Apr 2026
Great tour. Our guide Inan was awesome. He was very knowledgeable, and very easy to understand. He met us at the port as the ship docked and made sure we got back well in time for all aboard.

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Dear Michael, 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. Curio Travel Team

Tour with another company...

LAURA_D, Apr 2026
Tour with another company Basically her response was read the signs and I’ll give you time to take pictures and meet you someplace else down the line. Meanwhile, why we why we were walking through the site by ourselves other two groups guides were there giving them information

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Hello Laura, I am your tour guide and this is my 36th year as a guide. In 36 years, I have guided tens of thousands of people not only in Ephesus but all over Türkiye. Your tour was a small group tour with a total of 11 people. While the other 9 guests gave 5-star reviews about the tour, your 1-star rating saddened me greatly. We met at the harbor at 8 and returned at 13:30. We visited the House of the Virgin Mary, Ephesus, the Terrace Houses, and the Temple of Artemis. At each visit, I first gave explanations for each place and gave you free time to take photos, then gave you the next explanation point and meeting time. I told you that it would be helpful to take a photo of the sign first and then the historical site so you would remember where you were taking the photo. While our other 9 guests took their photos and came to the explanation point of the next site, you were always late. This did not change even though I gave you extra time. I provided all the necessary explanations and gave you plenty of time everywhere we went. Our tour lasted 5.5 hours as stated in the program. I wish you had booked a private tour. That way you would have had as much time as you wanted to take photos everywhere. Thank you very much for your comment. Sincerely

Virgin Mary House and Terrace Houses

Victor_F, Mar 2026
Absolutely amazing! Our guide Tez did a phenomenal job and provided us with such details of all sights visited. Great tour and would highly recommend!!

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Dear Victor, 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. Curio Travel Team

Private Ephasus and Virgin Mary House Tour

Ilona_L, Feb 2026
Our guide was extremely knowledgeable.. We thoroughly enjoyed the information and the guided tour through Ephesus. We had a nice lunch at a local restaurant recommended by our Guide. The meal was traditional , the service hospitable. We received our bill for 2100 TL as written on the bill. When we went to pay, the bill was 2500 TL plus a recommended 200 TL tip! We felt gouged and that we were taken advantage of!

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Dear Ilona, 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 her/him. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Curio Travel Team

Tremendous and...

Paul_L, Jan 2026
Tremendous, knowledgeable guide, who added plenty of historical context. Our guide kindly added an item to our itinerary at the last minute that we wanted to see without any issue. Handled all of the tickets with the all-included tour to make it easy to focus on the sites. Terrific. Would book again and recommend

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Dear Paul, 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 her/him. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Curio Travel Team

Highly Recommend!

Rob_M, Nov 2025
Great experience and great guide. We had a great time and learned so much about the history! We highly recommend this tour.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Dear Rob, 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. Curio Travel Team

History, Culture, and a Tailored Experience in Ephesus

Kristin_k, Nov 2025
Ephesus was absolutely incredible! The ruins are breathtaking, and the history came alive thanks to our tour guide. She was extremely knowledgeable, engaging, and made the experience unforgettable. I especially loved that our guide was a woman—it added a unique and inspiring perspective to the journey. We visited the Virgin Mary House, Ephesus itself, and the Temple of Artemis, which were all amazing highlights. We also stopped at a carpet shop, but there was no high pressure to buy, which made it enjoyable. She really tailored the tour to what we wanted to see, making the whole day feel personal and special.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Dear Kristin, 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 her. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Curio Travel Team

Ephesus & Mary's House Tour

Joseph_K, Nov 2025
Our guide - and the driver - were great. Very knowledgeable and friendly. Wonderful places to see. Ephesus is amazing!

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Dear Joseph, 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 her/him. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Curio Travel Team

We had a great tour with...

Stephanie_R, Nov 2025
We had a great tour with just the four of us. Our guide was very good and answered random questions about Turkey that our group asked. I have booked with Curio Travel before and would do so again!!

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Dear Stephanie, 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. Curio Travel Team

Our tour guide Ilknur is...

Betty_T, Oct 2025
Our tour guide Ilknur is knowledge, friendly. She is organized, and we have a great time. Thank you Ilknur.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Dear Betty, 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. Curio Travel Team

Great tour

Mary_M, Oct 2025
Wonderful tour by Jenc. Tour bus was very comfortable - new Mercedes van. Jenc was very understanding of our need to be back at the cruise port on time since we only had a 5 hour stop. The sites we saw were absolutely amazing. Jenc’s knowledge was in depth and thoughtful. He let us explore on our own and was available for any questions we had.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Dear Mary, 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 her. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderfull country again. Curio Travel Team

Great tour by Alex!

extonpb, Oct 2025
Alex was great! Very knowledgeable, very friendly and very professional! He showed us all the best sites and got us in them very quickly . Lunch was fantastic too! Private tour is so much better than a big group. More personal than a big bus tours and you can customize where you go . So mix fun!

Response from Host, Mar 2026

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. Curio Travel Team

We had a great guide who...

Katherine_G, Oct 2025
We had a great guide who took us through Ephesus and the house of the Virgin Mary. It was very cool seeing these historical sites. The terrace houses were the best part so make sure to add that on. The only thing I didn’t like was that they took us to a leather factory where we had to watch a fashion show and tried to get us to shop which none of our group was interested in. Felt kinda sleazy.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Dear Katherine, 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. Curio Travel Team

Best tour guide!

Lindsey_G, Oct 2025
This is a must do tour! We HIGHLY recommend our guide, Cengiz. He was friendly, knowledgeable, accommodating to requests, and really went out of his way to make sure our small group had the best experience.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Dear Lindsey, 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. Curio Travel Team

Kusadasi was fun

Anthony_M, Oct 2025
Had a great day in Kusadasi even though the place was packed. Our guide did a wonderful job for us. Wear great shoes and rest up because there's a lot to see

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Dear Anthony, 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. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderfull country again. Curio Travel Team

Personalized experience

Cynthia_S, Oct 2025
Tez was a fantastic guide. He catered to our families needs and what we wanted to do. Would highly recommend.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Dear Cynthia, 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. Curio Travel Team

Alex from Ephesus

DIANA_M, Oct 2025
Fantastic tour from pick-up to drop off. Our guide, Alex, was a wealth of information, delivered in excellent English with a warm and welcoming attitude. He was flexible with the restrictions my mother faced physically, and accommodated us to see things that were easier to traverse. In fact, he was the best tour guide of our entire trip, even better than the guides that were included on our cruise.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Dear Diana, 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 wonderful country again. Curio Travel Team

Best tour of Ephesus, terrace houses, and temple of Artemis

David_K, Oct 2025
Our guide Ogne was wonderful, she was very informative and we learned so much about Türkiye! We had plenty of time at Ephesus and visited the terrace houses, highly recommend doing this! We also saw the home of the Virgin Mary, temple of Artemis ruins and a carpet making tour

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Dear David, 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 her. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Curio Travel Team

Ephesus is a must see, the rest, not so much

cposgay, Oct 2025
It was nice being in a small van and having it all to ourselves. We first stopped at House of the Virgin Mary. It was pointless, in that we walked in and out within a few seconds. Unless this holds a special meaning to you, I’d skip it. Then on to Ephesus. We had toured it once before ten years ago. Our guide back then was extremely knowledgeable and talked the entire time from start to finish. We were a bit disappointed this time. Our guide was friendly, but we felt like he didn’t present a lot as far as the history and background. But instead just pointed out things. The new Visual IMAX style attraction about Artemis was very cool though. After our tour we enjoyed a lovely alfresco lunch at a local rug making business, (At extra cost) which was not on the original itinerary, but our choice to go. Then we were also offered a stop at a ceramics factory, also not on original description that I recall, but we passed on that.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

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. Curio Travel Team

Incredible guide, great...

Nhuanh_P, Oct 2025
Incredible guide, great use of time, clean and convenient shuttle. Highly recommended! No pressure to see the leather manufacturer, just simply said no thanks, and was on our way back to port.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Hello, 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 her/him. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Curio Travel Team

Amazing tour of Ephesus

Sally_T, Oct 2025
Today we had a wonderful visit to Ephesus with our personal tour guide Nilay. The pick up was on time and the vehicle was a magnificent, well appointed Mercedes minibus. Nilay is an exceptional guide. She is very knowledgeable, enthusiastic and her English is very good. She was also very adaptable to our needs. We were extremely pleased with the tour and our guide. Highly recommended.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Dear Sally, 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 her. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Curio Travel Team

Dark Cloud with a Silver Lining

MichelleS, Oct 2025
Our story started as every third party cruise excursion in Turkey does. We were to see the Virgin Mary’s home and ruins of Euphrates. Our guide Gonća (Rosie)was the most pleasant, well spoken and intelligent lady. She started the tour by giving us the option to adjust the order of the daily events to beat the crowds and make the most of our day. She paid attention to what we wanted or needed and adjusted the tour to accommodate. When we were hungry she suggested a restaurant and once there she ordered for us. Everything was fantastic. Then the unthinkable happened. My wife/mother looking for the bathroom missed the step and fell down about 12 marble steps to a marble landing. It was scary. But that was when we really found out how special our tour guide and tour company were. She translated and notified EMS and she stayed with her to the hospital. Meantime the bus driver got the rest of us to the local hospital. There Gonća stayed with us running back and forth translating and keeping the 5 of us updated. Soon the company owner showed up and assured me that a driver and bus would be available to move us wherever we needed to go right up to the ships departure. He assigned a bi- lingual driver to stay with us. Gonća stayed with us as well. Including anther move to an urgent care center for more treatment before finally being released to go back to the ship. Gonća called ahead for a wheelchair to meet us at the port. She walked with us right up to the cruise dock as far as she could go. With hugs we said a tearful THANK YOU and goodbye. This lady became family that day. We will never forget her kindness. Then on top of all that the company refunded the excursion cost. Absolutely did not have to do that. They are an amazing company with the absolutely most amazing tour guide. God bless all of you. Nick & Michelle Salfi, Samantha, Johnny, Nicky and Cordelia

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Dear Michelle, 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 her. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Curio Travel Team

Beware of schedule changes for shopping!

Pauline_C, Oct 2025
Really enjoyed the terrace houses and the Ephesus site. Didn’t appreciate been taken off schedule to a leather fashion show and sales room. However beautiful the items were it wasn’t what we wanted to do with our short time in port.

Mary’s house?

Susan_R, Oct 2025
Interesting, but everything costs a bit extra, even a candle to light is expensive. Hard to imagine Mary was actually here as she’s buried in Jerusalem…

Selim was amazing . His...

Aaron_D, Oct 2025
Selim was amazing . His knowledge and patience to details was amazing .. took good care of us and gave us his 100 percent

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Dear Aaron, 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. Thank you on behalf of him. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Curio Travel Team

Friends in Kusadasi

Martha_B, Oct 2025
A wonderful day that exceeded all expectations! We had great weather. Pinar found us right at our ship and we seems to beat all the crowds all day. PInar was knowledgeable and also fun- she “read the room” and handled our group accordingly!

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Dear Martha, 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. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Curio Travel Team

100% recommended.

Kevin_U, Oct 2025
We were 30 minutes early and the guide was still there waiting on us. Our guide was English speaking and very knowledgeable. The guide was constantly informing us of the history of the area from the port and back. We were professionally guide through Ephesus at our own speed. On the way back to the port, we stopped for a tasty and affordable Turkey style lunch. This excursion was the best part of out cruise.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Dear Kevin, 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. Thank you on behalf of her/him. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Curio Travel Team

Tour of Ephesus and house of Mary

Kevin_B, Oct 2025
We only had a short time in port so we were a bit worried about schedule. This tour worked perfectly giving us plenty of time for tours while adding depth and knowledge about Turkey. Inan, our tour guide was great.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Dear Kevin, 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 wonderful country again. Curio Travel Team

Downside of tour.

Kristin_Z, Oct 2025
Contrary to what the guide tells you once you agree to visit a rug making demonstration you are pressured to buy.

Family tour

Sanna_H, Oct 2025
The guide -Dudu operated the tour as average standard, but I did not like being taken to a leather jacket shop, watching the fashion show with their overpriced jackets and designed brand products (??)🧐 on sale at high price 😱 completely wasted our time. I did not mind if we spent time in market, at least we have chance to shop for souvenirs.

From $99.00

per person

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

Book ahead!
On average, this is booked 60 days in advance.

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