Private Ephesus &The Mary's House Tour for Cruisers(skip theline)

Recommended by 97% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Kusadasi, Turkey

4 to 5 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Exploring Ephesus independently can be difficult to organize, especially when arriving by cruise. This private tour offers a seamless way to visit the region’s key sites with pickup from Kusadasi Port and hotels. Discover Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary, and the Temple of Artemis while your guide shares the history behind each landmark.

Enjoy a seamless experience with pickup from Kusadasi Port and hotels
Benefit from the undivided attention of your guide on this private tour
Beat the heat as you relax onboard an air-conditioned vehicle
Check off multiple historic sites in one hassle-free shore excursion;

What's Included

Lunch
Air-conditioned vehicle
Licensed Guide
Private transportation

entrance fees
Gratuities
tips

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

We do pick up from all kusadasi hotels and port. From Adnan menders airport transfer is not included.!

Meeting point

Kuşadası Port Türkiye
Camikebir, Feribot Limanı, 09400 Kuşadası/Aydın, Türkiye

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Ephesus Ancient City

2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

The Temple of Artemis

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

The House of the Virgin Mary

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation

Infants must sit on laps
Infant seats available
Most travelers can participate
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)

Featured review

Doug_D

"fortune" was an excellent tour guide. He was knowledgeable of all relevant areas while visiting house of virgin Mary, ruins of Ephesus, ruins of Artemis. Turkey is a beautiful country with wonderful people. I recommend other travelers book with this tour.

Reviews

4.9

based on 69 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Great tour.

John_G, Oct 2024

Ephesus is a special place and this tour was, for us, the best way to see it. Our guide, Umut, gave us an excellent tour and was warm and friendly, very knowledgeable ,and enjoyable to be with. Highly recommended.

Fonseca family tour!!

Geana_F, Oct 2024

It’s a very well done experience. Yesra our tour guide was very helpful and we learned a lot. The food was the best. We can’t asked for more. Viator was well organized and I’m impressed of their service. Very much recommended 👍😊

Very informative highly recommendEd

Crissie_B, Oct 2024

The tour was amazing and very informative. Our tour guide gave us so much history and stories that made it so alive. I think the only thing I would’ve done different was omit going to the ceramic store and the rug store because it took so much of our time up.

Great Tour, Minus the Unwanted Store Visit

Erika_F, Oct 2024

Our guide was fantastic! He explained everything clearly, and we had an amazing lunch where we got to try traditional local food. We also had the chance to see how carpets are made from scratch and appreciate the craftsmanship involved. The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because, without prior notice, we were taken to a leather store for tourists, where they gave us a “catwalk” showcasing all their products. I didn’t enjoy this at all! As this was a private tour, I found it especially disappointing that we were taken to a store without being informed ahead of time. I would have preferred to spend that extra time exploring more of the area, walking the streets, and seeing more of Kudashi instead of being inside a store watching models present leather jackets. I was disappointed that this stop wasn’t specified as part of the itinerary beforehand.

Interesting

Jennifer_S, Jun 2024

We booked “Private Ephesus Tour for Cruisers (skip the line)” and our tour guide was Davryon. We received a notification the evening prior to our excursion that it was beginning an hour earlier. This was fine, especially due to the extreme temperatures in Kusadasi. The tour was interesting and our guide was very knowledgeable. The only snafu we hit was that our guide seemed to want to push the tour longer than for what it was scheduled.

Great tour!

Kenneth_K, Mar 2024

Very knowledgeable tour guide. Had a great time. Too much food at the end 👍. No issues at all - well worth it!

Excellent

Camilla_F, Mar 2024

Excellent guide. Very knowledgeable and helpful, he put up with us two old dears and made sure we saw everything we needed to see and looking forward to when we next go to Turkey we shall use him again, 6 stars.

Excel tour guide & worth the experience!

Carlton_L, Oct 2023

Our fantastic guide Atta had expert knowledge of our tour to Ephesus. He always kept an eye out for all of us, especially when the crowds came en mass. We all got great pictures. After we went to Virgin Mary’s House, you would appreciate this holy place if Catholic. At the end, we had a huge lunch, then got to see where beautiful carpets were made if you are interested in buying one.

A perfect day in Turkey!

Erica_T, Aug 2023

We had the best day and the best guide! Yesra was full of knowledge about the area, she answered all of our questions and made it such a fun day. We had a few places that we specifically wanted to see and she was great about making sure that we got to see those. We did have to do the carpet weaving school, which was very interesting until the hard sell. It was worth it though to get to the Turkish BBQ lunch that followed. The food was DELICIOUS, and it was fun to sit out in the shade and enjoy some down time. Just a heads up - the red stuff is spicy - so don't overload your bread like I did :-) After lunch we hit one more of the places we wanted to see and learned a great deal about it from Yesra. The view from up there was amazing & she gave us some great information about the landscape and agriculture of the area. After that tour, she offered to take us to a couple other places - factories, demonstrations but she was fine when we declined. We got back to the port a little early, but it was perfect a perfect day. I would be remiss if I didn't mention our van driver as well - he was fabulous as well! The whole day we felt safe and we learned so much about an area we had never been to, but have always heard about. As Christians, it was amazing to walk where Paul & John both walked and to learn even more about those locations. I cannot recommend this tour enough. And if you are lucky enough to get Yesra as your guide, you are in for a great day!

Comfortable van and nice...

Tami_T, Jul 2023

Comfortable van and nice tour. Enjoyed seeing the carpet making but didn't like being brought into the back room and pressured to buy.

Great tour, great guide

Christine_A, May 2023

great tour, great guide. wonderful day. Guide was wonderful. I didn't enjoy the stops at the sales places. but the guide was great and driver was safe and friendly. took me everywhere I wanted to go and some I didn't but I understand this is what happens in Turkey on tours. I would do this tour again in a heartbeat.

Amazing 1-Day Experience in Ephesus!

Gillian_R, May 2023

Nico did an amazing job! We started the day with learning about authentic Turkish pottery. The people were so sweet and we even got to try Turkish coffee/tea. We then proceeded to House of Mary and then to Ephesus where Nico guided through the ruins and gave a thorough history. We preceded to have a refreshing lunch and learned about carpet making and the weaving process. This is a great experience that is perfect for people trying to make the most out of their time in Kusadasi!

Response from Host, May 2023

Thank you very much Dear Gillian. ıt was my pleasure to guide you here in Ephesus and hope to see you again. Thank you 🙏

Wonderful day in Ephesus, Turkey

Patricia_P, Feb 2023

Nafia was our guide - she was knowledgeable and helped us make the most of out single day in Turkey. the place she chose for lunch was fabulous, as was the stop in the leather shop. Her knowledge. of the area was helpful and informative. Highly Recommend this. Thank you Nafia for the great day !!!

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Thank you very much Dear Patricia , It was our pleasure. We would like to see you again.

Best tour and guide we have ever had!

Michaela_G, Nov 2022

Nestle, sp?, brought the history of her country to life for us! We were able to connect to the people of Turkey through talking to her, not only about the sites but daily life. The food was great and way more than we could eat or drink. We were not interested in rugs or jewelry but she realized I love sweets and took us to a shop where we enjoyed learning about the process and history of Turkish candies. So much more but you get the picture. Specially attentive to my husband who is very hard of hearing and has difficulty with walking up steps. He felt she truly cared and made this tour his best ever!

VIATOR Ephesus Turkey the great

Ngoc_D, Nov 2022

Thank you very much VIATOR for your awesome service. Many thank to tour guide Mr. ATA . He is wonderful,

Unbelievable Necdet

David_C, Oct 2022

The tour was amazing, our guide, new just about all there was to know about Ephesus, taking us back 6,000 yrs and then bringing us to the ruins and making it all come to life. Absolutely worth the money and compared to the cruise ship guides, well there simply was no comparison. Unfortunately After lunch we were taken to a carpet manufacturer who tried to sell us a carpet for £17,200, I’m afraid this has to stop as it is unprofessional and is not relevant to the tour in anyway, but would still highly recommend if you buy your own lunch.

wonderful experience

Doug_D, Jul 2022

Excellent Guide and Driver

keith_u, Jun 2022

We have taken many tours in many places and this one is top quality. Yesra our guide was knowledgeable, was friendly, was able to explain everything and gave history. She speaks good English and was accommodating. Yavuz was the driver and he was also friendly and spoke good English. Most importantly he was safe and always prompt. We highly recommend.

Response from Host, Jun 2022

Thank you very much for your review. we are happy to know you. ıt was our pleasure.

Fantastic Ephesus tour!!!

Craig_K, May 2022

Our tour guide was incredible! She provided all sorts of information about the history of Ephesus, Turkey and the Turkish culture. There wasn't a question she couldn't answer. The Ephesus ruins were spectacular! And our guide gave us great insight about the history and culture of this great ancient city. The provided transport van was new, clean and spacious for our small group. The driver was there at the other end of the ruins to pick us up, so we didn't have to backtrack all the way through the site. Would highly recommend this company to all!!

Ephesus Tour

Namy, Mar 2020

Such a hands on tour operator and knowledgeable tour guide. What an absolute saint! With a great and best rate. Honestly, I cannot think of a way this trip could have been better. I am so well cared for and it is definitely an organized private tour.

Interesante sin comida

Jesus_L, May 2023

El guía muy bueno y con buen conocimiento de la historia de Efeso. El conductor bueno con experiencia y buen nivel de seguridad. Visita a fábrica de piel no entiendo si no estaba programada. El restaurante y la comida buffet DECEPCIONANTE mejor quitarla del tour. Mala calidad en general.

Response from Host, May 2023

Lamentamos sinceramente cualquier inconveniente que haya tenido con nuestro servicio. Siempre hacemos nuestro mejor esfuerzo de acuerdo a las necesidades de nuestros grupos. Además de completar todos los lugares en nuestros programas, siempre OFRECEMOS estas visitas OPCIONALES ya que nos sentimos responsables de presentar productos famosos, artesanías, artes, etc. del área. Nunca hemos sido insistentes con estas opciones, especialmente en un recorrido privado. Podrías haberte negado a ir al cuero, como te negaste a ir a los demás. Pero otros miembros de su grupo estaban interesados y una vez que no teníamos ningún rechazo fuimos allí. Es un restaurante local con mucha diversidad de comida turca y lamentamos que no haya sido de su agrado. Como no se menciona mucho sobre este asunto, es posible que no sepamos qué fue lo que lo decepcionó. Al final, lamentamos cualquier disgusto que haya experimentado en nuestro tour y esperamos tener la oportunidad de compensarlo en el futuro.

Excelente tour con Have a travel Turkey

Mara_L, Jun 2022

Maravilloso tour de Efeso con Necdet, excelente guía que sabe mucho de la historia, además que nos llevó a sitios de cerámica, cueros y alfombras muy lindos y de buenos precios.

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