Kusadasi Shore Excursion: Ephesus Tour for Cruisers from Kusadasi Port

Recommended by 95% of travelers

Kusadasi, Turkey

5 to 7 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Ideally suited for cruise ship passengers, this exclusive private tour takes you on an enriching off-shore excursion to some of the world’s most famous ruins. Explore the ancient city of Ephesus, the world’s best-preserved Greco-Roman site, and visit locations considered sacred in Christianity, like the House of the Virgin Mary and St. John Basilica. Tours include dock-side pickup, and you’ll travel between stops in a luxury Mercedes.

An off-shore private trip to Ephesus, House of Virgin Mary, St. John Basilica, and more
Visit some of the most famous historical locations in Turkey during a single scenic outing
Travel like a VIP, with dock-side pickup in a private Mercedes vehicle
Upgrade to include lunch, and enjoy a personalized experience with a private guide

What's Included

100 % Satisfaction
Professional Licensed Local Tour Guide
Fully Air-conditioned Brand new vehicle with Separate Driver
Port / Hotel pickup and drop-off
Private tour
All Taxes
All Parking fees

Entrance fees ( We will arrange the tickets in advance, so you will skip long ticket lines
Food and drinks
Gratuities are appreciated

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

We highly recommend you to meet at port after 30 / 45 minutes your ship docked to port in order beat crowds / school buses and hot weather in the afternoon. It is better to meet early to have a better tour in Ephesus before the crowds. THIS TOUR IS ONLY FOR CRUISE GUESTS. IF YOU ARE NOT FROM A CRUISE SHIP, PLEASE DO NOT BOOK THIS TOUR

Arranged start time

Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.

12/20/2017 - 08/16/2027
Monday - Sunday : 6:30 AM - 3:00 PM

Itinerary

Ephesus Port Tours

6 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Ephesus Ancient City

3 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Ephesus Terrace Houses

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

The House of the Virgin Mary

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

The Temple of Artemis

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Okuz Mehmet Pasa KervansarayI (Pass By)

Kusadasi Market (Pass By)

Kusadasi (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Transportation is wheelchair accessible

Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
No dress code
WE DO NOT GIVE TOURS IN SPANISH, OUR TOURS ARE ONLY IN ENGLISH.
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

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

Reviews

4.8

based on 20 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Sort by: Most insightful

This was an exceptional...

lars_h, Jul 2026

This was an exceptional private tour with Bilgesu, an amazing tour guide, and our great driver Ömer!! Bilgesu was super knowledgable and sweet. Great English. She gave us all the options to make it our own personalized day, including Ephesus and Mother Mary’s house. Look her up if you’re in Kusadasi, more than worth the money.

Our guide and driver were...

Andrew_A, Apr 2026

Our guide and driver were very gracious, helpful and knowledgeable. We highly recommend the tour. Every stop was at family businesses who also were so kind and informative. We learned alot about Turkey, the culture, history and people's. Would definitely recommend this day tour for anyone short on time.

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Thank you so much for your kind feedback. We truly appreciate it and hope to see you again.

Excellent tour for short port stop.

Forrest_D, Aug 2025

Very good guide and driver, took us to all the great places and very informative. Highly recommend. Carpet shop and pottery shop were amazing.

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Thank you so much for your kind feedback. We truly appreciate it and hope to see you again.

Knowledge and Flexibility

Glen_E, Apr 2025

The private Ephesus tour arranged through Viator went very smoothly. The pickup was as scheduled and transportation was in a new Mercedes van. Although the Ephesus tour with the Terrace Houses was the major stop, other stops were included, and we added a local lunch. Very flexible and entertaining working with the our knowledgeable guide Hakan.

Response from Host, Apr 2025

Thank you so much for your kind feedback. We truly appreciate it and hope to see you again.

The best tour of a lifetime

Cynthia_B, Oct 2024

One of the best tours we have ever had. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. He made our tour an extraordinary experience. We cannot recommend him or Viator highly enough!!!

Awesome Private Tour of Ephesus, Virgin Mary House and more!

Scott_H, Aug 2024

Had the best tour on our trip today with Ephesus Port Tours. The lovely Ozge was our tour guide and she was awesome all around, knowledgeable, English was great, stopped at all key place and gave us time to explore. Great lunch in the middle gave needed break from the heat. This is a tour you should not miss, and highly recommend you request Ozge as your guide for the day.

Became Uncomfortable

Dave_B, Jul 2024

Becareful. Our car had a driver and a tour guide. We went to a museum which was good. But then, they took us to a carpet store and olive store and in each one we were backed into an area and they tried to sell us things. After two tries of this, we had them return us to the ship as we felt uncomfortable.

Ephesus private tour

Norman_E, May 2024

The Ephesus site is absolutely worth visiting. The experience is largely determined by the guide. The history was brought to life by our guide Matthew . He is extremely knowledgeable and provided us with a thorough overview of the site with a friendly and pleasant demeanor. We also visited the House of the Virgin Mary and the Basilica of St John topped off by a delicious lunch. Transportation was very comfortable in a new Mercedes limousine with separate driver.

Great tour, highly recommended!!

JeffreyG_S, Nov 2023

This tour was much more than I expected. Since it was private, Fatih, the guide was very flexible and accommodating. He really knew his history and was great at explaining everything. The ancient city of Ephesus was just stunning. I highly recommend this tour and Fatih as your guide. Just the right amount of walking in combo with the comfortable car we had. 5 stars - A+++++ all the way. Thanks Fatih for a very memorable experience.

Private Trip to Ephesus

Elizabeth_C, Oct 2023

Our guide was excellent. Very knowledgeable and adapted our tour to our needs. Was lovely to see carpets being made and hand painted pottery with a traditional lunch. Was more than we expected.

if your rug shopping go. If not be prepared to be hounded

W_J, Aug 2023

Very knowledgeable guide. The only draw back was taking us to a rug factory when we did not ask and we got bombarded for well over an hour to buy something.

Amazing service by driver and Guide.

Yadwinder_D, Jul 2023

We took Private tour with English Guide . Our Guide had full knowledge of the city and she covered almost everything in this City in our time. She was so easy to work with. We got brand new Mercedez van ,Very clean and tidy. Driver was also very cooperative. We would highly recommend this tour to be taken.

Best stop of our trip

Lori_G, Nov 2022

Our visit to Kusadasi was very good. Our guide Isik was great. She was very informative and didn't inundate us with too much information - which is key. So many tours like this (rich in history) can become overwhelming to visitors (us) - when made to understand the historical relevance to the site. She was very aware (intuitive) of our absorption level and tailored her information delivery to keep us engaged. The visit to the ruins was nice, followed by a nice lunch and visit to a rug shop where we were able to see how quality rugs are made. Overall, it was one of my favorite stops of our trip, likely because of our experience with Isik. It is nice not to feel overwhelmed.