Home > Kusadasi > Kusadasi Shore Excursion: Ephesus Sightseeing Tour
USD $80.00
Kusadasi Shore Excursion: Ephesus Sightseeing Tour
Kusadasi, Turkey
Explore Ephesus, the best-preserved ancient city in Turkey, on this shore excursion from Kusadasi. A commercial, religious and social center during ancient Greek and Roman times, Ephesus is full of spectacular ruins. While your ship waits in the Kusadasi port, you can discover ancient sights like the Fountains of Trajan, the Temple of Hadrian, the Library of Celsius and the Great Theater.
Ephesus is the highlight of any visit in Turkey, and you can see its top sights on this shore excursion from Kusadasi. With so many mythological stories and spectacular ruins, Ephesus will make you feel like you've gone back to the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans.
See the famous Fountains of Trajan, built to honor the emperor of the same name, and the Polio Fountain, located opposite the Domitian Temple. Visit the Temple of Hadrian, the Private House (a brothel which was part of the scholastic baths), the Library of Celsius and the bouleuterion (a small theater used for the meetings of the Senate). Admire the Great Theater, which was completed by the Romans in 117 AD and has a capacity for 24,000 spectators.
After enjoying a lunch of Turkish cuisine (included), you will visit the House of Virgin Mary, where she spent the last days of her life. Next, see the graceful columns and mosaics that remain of the Basilica of St John, built by the Emperor Justinian over the tomb of St John the Apostle, before returning to your ship at the Kusadasi port, where you tour concludes.
Worry-free Shore Excursion: We will ensure your timely return to the Kusadasi port for this activity. In the rare event your ship has departed, we will arrange for transportation to the next port-of-call. If your ship is delayed and you are unable to attend this activity, your money will be refunded. See our terms and conditions for full details.
Fantastic tour! Very informative and thorough. Highly recommended.
Review by: CindyVan, November 2016
Awesome tour. I have actually done it twice--on two different trips--and loved it both times. Highly recommend this!
Review by: gailsapple7, November 2016
Cigdem is an excellent tour guide. She was easy to find getting off the ship and arrived early. Cigdem was very good at explaining a lot of information and was very warm and nice to everyone. I really had a good time on this tour. Her English was clear and easy to understand. The lunch was amazing as well._br/_ Thank you Cigdem for a wonderful day!
Review by: Bruce K, November 2016
Knowledgeable guide. Great experience
Review by: janetschwartz186, October 2016
We were assigned to Neon tours. Our tour was excellent as was our guide. The included lunch was superb and an excellent representation of the country's food. This tour was a pleasant surprise because we almost skipped leaving the ship n Turkey. We are so glad we did not. A do not miss!!
Review by: Don S, September 2016
The woman who was our guide was excellent...unfortunately we have lost her name. She made the entire tour an incredible success. She was with Neon Tours and just made it a wonderful experience. We are trying to find her name so that we can also add to Trip Advisor etc.
Review by: Theresa, August 2016
Lovely experience- great driver and guide. The political situation in Turkey is so sad- they would not discuss this situation but were so thankful that we visited. Other passengers were late due to a connection issue- but started our tour- then joined group- redid the first part of the tour for the second group and got us other transportation back to the port. GREAT SERVICE- I want to go back to TURKEY
Review by: TerriT, July 2016
We enjoyed the tour. Ephesus is amazing. I recommend taking a small umbrella for shade if the weather is hot and sunny. Dress in light clothing. We visited places where rugs and are made and sold. I enjoyed it but some tour members were not interested in buying and did not like this part of the tour
Review by: P D W, July 2016
Ephesus was a surprisingly wonderful archeological site. Ismail, our guide, is an archeologist made it even better!!! We were also fortunate to have a private tour. So much more personal. Virgin Mary and #39;s house was a spiritual experience. We had a delicious lunch at Turkmen carpets and a demo.
Review by: Jacquelyn W, July 2016
Tour group of eight which was excellent, and Top our tour guide was terrific, throughly enjoyed the day
Review by: Peggy D, June 2016
This was my favorite tour on my cruise! Best carpet demonstration, small fashion show, huge sights, and the best tour guide, Ali!
Review by: Anthony R, June 2016
Exceptional tour. Highly recommend. Our guide was amazing and so informative. His knowledge of the places he took us and the area generally was outstanding! *****
Review by: Grannywendy02, June 2016
This was by far the best tour we took during our 24 day cruise on the Mediterranean. Mustafi met us at the port and we literally had a private tour of the sites. Thank you aviator ... And mustard for the most memorable day of our trip! BIll and Wendy
Review by: Stephanie S, June 2016
The tour was very interesting and the guide was very knowledgeable but being forced to go to a rug factory and not being able to escape a hard sell was annoying at best and should not be included on this tour. Also could have lived without the leather store too. Tour details did not include these stops.
Review by: Steve, June 2016
Pros: _br/_ - Personable, knowledgeable guide. _br/_ - Excellent lunch at carpet school._br/_ - lunch and admission tix included in price.
Review by: Russell M, June 2016
Excellent guide . Well versed in the area history . Glad we wore good walking shoes. Went to a rug factory , and had a good meal included. learned a lot about rug making . Not pushed into buying .We really enjoyed the tour , lot of exercise that the guide at a slower pace to allow for the age of some of the people in the tour.
Review by: Lori, May 2016
Awesome place, awesome excursion. Our tour guide was very knowledgable and personable.
Review by: paul, November 2015
This tour was better than we could have ever expected. It ended up being a private tour with the guide and the two of us in a new Mercedes minibus. Our guide actually studied archaeology in college and worked for several years as an archaeologist at the Ephesus site. In addition to being a really nice guy he was obviously very knowledgeable about the site. We had a nice free lunch at an open air restaurant and then visited a carpet weaving site. It was very intereswting and they gave us no pressure to buy anything. This was the absolute best tour!
Review by: Susan J, November 2015
Excellent in all aspects. the guide, Al, was incredible - his knowledge was first class and his approach very professional. The itinerary was perfectly planned - St John's Basilica, Ephesus and Mary's house - enough time in each without overstretching it. Lunch was provided and was a delicious classic Turkish meal. We were dreading the carpet factory but it was different to the rest we've been to - no pressure, full of interesting information and time to browse. Would definitely use again.
Review by: mchatty17, November 2015
Awesome!
Review by: Cheryl D, November 2015
Our small group experience was enhanced by our excellent guide and driver. Our vehicle was immaculate and well-maintained, with air conditioning adjusted immediately at our request. The historical/archaelogical sites were interesting and well-explained. Lunch at the Rug Factory was delicious and the introduction to Turkish rug history and production was entertaining. While we were urged to consider making a purchase, there were no uncomfortable, high pressure sales tactics. I recommend without reservation.
Review by: George J. F, November 2015
Learned history of Ephesus from interesting knowledgeable tour guide. Enjoyed excursion was worth it.
Review by: William S, November 2015
Our tour guy did a great job. Would recommend her to others.
Review by: Cathy A, October 2015
Guler was terrific! As it turned out, there were only 6 of us in our tour group, so we had a VERY personal tour with her. We appreciated so much her willingness to be upfront with us about the political situation in Turkey, and in fact, she shared her own personal opinions, which made the tour even more meaningful to us as Americans. We enjoyed everything about the tour - Guler was very knowledgeable about all that we saw and did And Ephesus is not to be missed - a highlight of our Med cruise, for sure.
Review by: Keith L, September 2015
Excursion was my favorite of the trip! Our guide was terrific, knowledgeable and adaptable to some of our limitations finding shade, etc. Lunch was amazing, outside at a large table where they kept bringing food which was terrific. Highly recommend.
Review by: stormco, September 2015
I just love booking my trips with Viator . 99 of the time, service is great, and tours are great !_br/_ Our ship, Celebrity Constellation arrived at the port past the tours pick up time. I was the one that made a mistake in the time I e-mailed the company a day before and they said... no problem. They actually waited for us, THANK YOU to the tour company! Since we where only six in the group, it felt like a private tour.
Review by: Michele B, August 2015
Our tour guide was very knowledgable.
Review by: Michele B, August 2015
Our tour guide was very knowledgable.
Review by: maureen n, July 2015
Our guide was excellent. I didn't like the forced carpet demonstration and the stop at the leather goods store. Otherwise she covered the itinerary well and took advantage of best times at the three sites. Lunch was very good also.
Review by: , July 2015
Tour guide was not engaged with the group. Spent more time with humor then on information that would help with the historical nature of the tour and general information about the country/area. Was good to adjust when site was crowded or not accessible. Good lunch. Not impressed with the high pressure selling at the carpet making stop
Review by: Nate D, July 2015
Excellent small group tour. There were 8 of us on the tour and the guide was very good. He gave us much of history as a group, but plenty of time to walk around on our own for pictures. The lunch was good. The carpet tour was very interesting and eventually turned into a sales pitch, but they were not real pushy. It did not detract from the tour.
Review by: Susan Joan S, July 2015
Our guide was really excellent. Our group enjoyed the tour greatly. The lunch was good and the location charming. The rug sales pitch was a bit much but the demonstration was very interesting.
Review by: Veronica D, June 2015
Our guide was very knowledgeable and patient with our large group. Lunch was a delicious sampling of Turkish food. Seeing the women weave the rugs was fascinating but the sales people were a little aggressive. Overall I would recommend this tour.
Review by: Elois A, June 2015
The tour guide was very knowledgeable and kept us on time. I would definitely recommend this tour with this tour guide.
Review by: Carlos A, June 2015
excellent tour all around. The sights in Ephesus are impressive and our guide was very informative and patient, made sure we cover the entire grounds. The lunch was of local food and was superb._br/_
The Virgin Mary and St Johns Cathedral ruins were also spectacular._br/_
Very highly recommend this tour
Review by: Alan M, June 2015
If you would like to spend two or more hours being held captive while people try to sell you overpriced carpets and then overpriced leather coats then this is the tour for you. My wife and I booked this tour because she was interested in seeing the biblical sites in Ephesus, namely saint johns church and burial place, ancient Ephesus and the last home of the virgin Mary. At least two hours of this tour included being taken to place to see a demonstration on how rugs are made, followed by being shown their rug collections and then the door open as at least a dozen high pressure salesman entered trying to sell us overpriced, expensive rugs. Latter on during this tour we were all taken to, what appeared to be, a high end clothing store to watch a fashion show where models displayed expensive leather coats. Many of us in the group protested being taken there but we were told we were going anyway. Once again high pressure salesmen tried to sell us very expensive, over priced leather coats. Most of us in this tour were outraged. We did not pay good money to be forced to experience high pressure sales demonstrations. Take my advice and skip this tour. Try to find a private tour that will exclude all of these sales scams.
Review by: jengsf, June 2015
This tour is a MUST - we only had 6 people on our tour! Our guide was fantastic - she paid attention to the heat and uneven pavement for a person in the group who had a cane but did not hold the rest of us up. Extremely knowledgeable. The lunch was fantastic - taking us to a school that teaches rug making and only accommodates small tours.
Review by: TINA M, June 2015
A great tour.. you can get the chance to see several historic sights, and our guide was really passionate about explaining what we were seeing and why it was important. _br/_
I'm glad we had the opportunity to end the day at a rug factory, where we could learn about the process of rug making. I had been warned about the hard sell you get in Turkey, so it wasn't unexpected when there was pressure to buy. But after such a long day of sightseeing, I wish we didn't have to wait for everyone on our tour to make their decisions before we could leave. It would have been fine if we were in a smaller group, but it was tiresome with such a large number of people.
Review by: Crystal B, June 2015
This tour was the highlight of our cruise. Ephesus is an amazing place to visit. Gokce, our guide, spoke perfect English and gave us great information about all of the sites. We were the only 2 people on the tour. The lunch provided was delicious. I definately recommend this tour over the ship's your.
Review by: Lauren C, June 2015
What an amazing place - it was like going back in a time machine to see so much well preserved Roman ruins! Our guide Sky was excellent - really knew her stuff and was passionate about Turkey! Even the tour and lunch at the carpet factory was fun! Viator - the best guides!
Review by: Bede, June 2015
This tour was amazing. The sights and history of Ephesus make this a must do tour.
Review by: Eric, June 2015
This was an awesome tour! Our guide was great! Ephesus was an incredible highlight of our adventure
Review by: Valerie M, June 2015
We were met as arranged when we got off our ship and transferred to to small van maybe about 12 of us. Our guide Ali was excellent. Driving along he told us some of the history and facts and figures about Turkey pointing out certain things on an overhead map displayed on a video screen at the front of the bus. The tour itself around Ephesus was was good very informative and, as mentioned before, our guide was realy good very knoweldgeable.
Review by: Elizabeth Gwen H, May 2015
This tour was really good. Our guide was extremely nice and informative. I was really impressed with the Ancient city of Ephesus. As a Catholic I was extremely moved by the House of Mary! It was my absolute favorite site in our 15 day trip to Europe.
Review by: mchoi123, May 2015
The tour was good and the guide was very nice and knowledgeable. We had a very nice time._br/_
Our cruise required us to board the boat at 4:30 pm the latest so we did not have a long day for the tour. Unfortunately, 4 guests in our group did not show up but our guide kept waiting for them. The tour was supposed to beginning at 9 am and we were at the waiting place at 8:30 am. The rest of the group was there before 8:45 am as recommended. We left the pier at nearly 9:30 am. I think because of the delayed start and the short day allowed, our guide had to hurry us along at Ephesus to make up the time. I think we were not allow as much free time there as other tour groups did. _br/_
At the settlement where we had lunch and carpet demonstration, we had to wait for people who want to buy carpets so we ended up having no time to explore the shops at the port area which we very much wanted to do.
Review by: terry d, May 2015
Tour was well planned guide was great attentive to our needs. Well paced excellent commentary we were delivered back to ship on time as agreed. No large bus just a small mini bus excellent value
Review by: casperann, April 2015
This was the best guide we had for the entire trip. He did a great job and was so helpful and knowlegable. We would do this one again.
Review by: Peadar F, April 2015
A well organised and very well led tour only problem was we no time or name or tour company. The guy was a bit late so we had to ask every other company who we should be with.
Review by: bubba11, April 2015
Very good in all regards.
Review by: Julie C B, February 2015
Most of this excursion was a good experience, with a very informative guide and loads of information about the sites. Ephesus is truly an amazing place and a must see in Turkey. We found this tour to be very good value for the money and lunch in a local café was delicious. We had a tour of a rug shop and it was interesting and not as pressured as expected. Our only criticism would be that we had to wait with the guide for quite a long time for others in the group who showed up late or not at all. It was about 45 minutes between us arriving at the meeting point and actually leaving.
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