NEW: Private The Most Detailed Ephesus Shore Excursion / with Lunch

Recommended by 99% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Kusadasi, Turkey

Great choice

5+ bookings last month.

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

Why travelers loved this

4.9

· Mary_O ·

Jun 2025

Devon- where to start!? Brilliant. Thoughtful. Interesting. Knowledgeable. Everything from pick up to lunch was individualized and special. He was so familiar with the landscape and provided an excellent tour of Mary’s home and the ruins. It was an exceptional day. He’s amazing!

· Warryn_H ·

May 2025

My guide Özgür (Oscar) made this an unforgettable experience! Incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, he personalized the tour perfectly to match my interests. Ephesus was awe inspiring, and visiting the Terrace houses was worth the stairs (so many stairs). Lunch was delicious, and I’m still thinking about the olive oil and pomegranate juice salad dressing. Definitely ask for Özgür!

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Overview

Dive deeper into the history of Ephesus, one of Turkey’s most impressive ancient cities and an important pilgrimage site, with this private tour. Enjoy a comprehensive visit that takes in all the highlights, as well as the Terrace Houses, the Ephesus Museum, the House of the Virgin Mary, and Saint John’s Basilica. This tour aims to go deeper into topics of history, Roman engineering and architecture, religion, and daily life, giving you a greater insight into the importance of Ephesus.

Visit Ephesus sites and explore topics most tours don’t cover
Tuck into a delicious Turkish lunch at a local restaurant
Round-trip transport by luxury air-conditioned vehicle
Private tour, customized to your preferences

What's Included

English Speaking Professional Licenced Tour Guide
Pick Up and Drop Off service
Guaranteed to skip the long lines
Air-conditioned vehicle

Mercedes Van
Parking Fees
Lunch

Admission Fee - Ephesus Ancient City

€40.00 per person
Drinks at the Lunch
Admission Fee - Virgin Mary House

€18.00 per person
Admission Fee - Terrace Houses

€15.00 per person
Admission Fee - St John Basilica

€6.00 per person

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

FOR CRUISE PASSENGERS; WE MEET GUESTS AT THE EXIT GATE OF THE IMMIGRATION TERMINAL OF THE CRUISE PORT WITH A BOARD WITH OTTI TRAVEL SIGN ON IT. FOR PICK UP FROM HOTELS, WE MEET GUEST BY THE HOTEL RECEPTION. FOR AIRPORT PICK UP, WE MEET GUEST AT THE EXIT GATE OF THE DOMESTIC TERMINAL WITH A BOARD WITH OTTI TRAVEL SIGN ON IT.

Itinerary

The House of the Virgin Mary

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Ephesus Ancient City

2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

State Agora

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

The Odeion

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Temple of Domitian

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Hercules Gate

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Temple of Hadrian

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Ephesus Terrace Houses

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Library of Celsus

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Ephesus Ancient Greek Theatre

25 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

The Temple of Artemis

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Basilica of St. John

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Infant seats available

Transportation is wheelchair accessible
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
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.

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 71 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Amazing tour to Ancient Ephesus!

kimjnicol, Oct 2025

We had a great time on our tour to Ephesus and our guide, Selin was amazing and incredibly knowledgeable.

Ephesus Tour with Lunch and Shopping

Joanne_M, Oct 2025

Our guide Selin was fantastic. One of the best tour guides we’ve ever had. The history is overwhelming and Selin really makes it special and answered our many questions. She happily adjusted the itinerary to accommodate our interests and needs. The shopping experience was interesting but we felt a little pressure by the shop employees as they hover and nag you a bit. But they are polite in the end. Highly recommend

Nesli was great!

Vincent_W, Oct 2025

Our tour guide Nesli was excellent! She was very knowledgeable about all of the places we visited on our private tour. If you should get a chance to request a particular tour guide, I would highly recommend Nesli!

A day in Ephesus

ANASARAH_F, Oct 2025

We had a wonderful day on the small group tour that actually was more like a private tour with my family. Our guide Mehmet was very nice and knowledgeable. Our driver was definitely a safe driver and we felt safe at all times even on the later part of our tour when the Gods decided to open the heavenly water gates. The entrance fees were not included, however our guide had already purchased the entry tickets. Hence, we did not have to make any queues and at the end of our tour we settled the fees. The lunch was good and plentiful. Our guide bought local figs for us to try and as we exited the ancient city, we drank fresh squeezed pomegranate juice. All in all a great tour for all the senses.

Ask for Ahmet and be Spoiled

Lindsay_B, Sep 2025

This tour from otti travel thru Viator was one of the best we have had Our guide Ahmet was simply brillant We hv met many tour guides but Ahmet was by far the most helpful courteous and friendly we hv had He was brilliant If U book this tour ask for him The van was spotless Air con fine and driver no problems We had lunch included Again a really nice lunch and re order as much as u want The visit to the Carpet weaving no big deal but the rest just great Thankyou Otti travel and Ahmet for making our visit so special

Our tour guide Tas made ...

John_D, Jul 2025

Our tour guide Tas made the experience amazing Best tour guide we ever had. He was great for us as adults and fantastic with our two kids 13 and 7

Our guide was Asli who...

Robert_B, Jul 2025

Our guide was Asli who was very knowledgeable and made our day very memorable! The tour to Ephesus was informative and we felt like a friend was showing us around! The lunch was very good, followed by a rug making factory tour. After showing us how the rugs are made (lot of time/detailed work), They started rolling out a lot of rugs to show us and try and sell. We weren't really looking to buy and there was an interesting balance of pressure/no pressure. They are very proud of what they do (understandably) and a lot goes into each one, but they are not cheap. You can tell they would like to sell harder but are aware of not leaving a bad impression on the tour. I would definitely recommend it when going to Kudasai!

Devon. Definitely!

Mary_O, Jun 2025

Amazing experience, highly recommend this tour

Warryn_H, May 2025

Nesli is the very best…tour guide.

Julia_P, Feb 2025

This is the best Viator tour we have ever had! Nesli was knowledgeable beyond measure and such fun to be with.

Awful

Carolyn_A, Oct 2024

This was a horrible experience. You have to pay for each entry and it is $200.00 the merchant was horrible. Viator was horrible. Do not purchase

Watch your on time

Leslie_S, Sep 2024

The tour was great but the guide must have lost track of time so, we were very late returning to the SHIP! Fortunately, Norwegian Cruise lines was gracious enough to delay sail time for 30 minutes so we would not have to find our way from Izmir to Instanbul on our own buy we did get a big ovation from other passengers as we boarded the ship!

Fun!

Ragen_C, Jul 2023

Ali was amazing very informative. Could have done without the rug sales pitch. Neat to learn about the rugs and how they are made though.

Must see

jana_c, Mar 2023

This was an amazing site. We were the only ones so we had a private tour and thr your guide adjusted the tour based upon our preferences. Guide was very knowledgeable and personable. We had a great time.

Do this tour! You will LOVE it. Ask for Mary.

Heather_M, Oct 2022

This was literally the highlight of the entire trip. The care we got from our tour guide Mary was amazing. She customized our trip and was so informative in a fun and interesting way. We have teenagers and everyone enjoyed the trip. Amazing day. Amazing fun.