Kusadasi Shore Excursion: Private Tour to Ephesus and the House of Virgin Mary

Kusadasi, Turkey

When your cruise docks in the Kusadasi port, head to Ephesus on a private tour! On this shore excursion, a private guide will ensure you make the most of your time in port as you visit Ephesus' major historical sites and learn important bits of the ancient city's history. You’ll also visit the House of the Virgin Mary, where Mary spent the last days of her life.

When you arrive in the Kusadasi port, your private guide will meet you and take you on a private shore excursion to see the best sights and monuments of Ephesus, a former Roman capital. As you arrive in Ephesus, you will first see the Magnesia Gate, a marvelous example of ancient architecture that once stood tall as an entrance to the city.

Begin a downhill walk with your guide into the city's ruins. The route will take you past the Odeon, the Celsus Library, the Temple of Hadrian, the Fountain of Trajan and the Great Theater. The theater, one of the city’s best-preserved monuments, it is still used today for the local spring festival. It once had seating space for 24,000 people, and it is believed to be the site where St Paul preached to the Ephesians.

Then you will head to the House of Virgin Mary in the Solmissos Mountains. A place of great importance to Christians, the House of the Virgin Mary is where she spent her final days. A small shrine dedicated to St Mary was found here when the ruins of the house were first discovered.

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.

USD $72.00

Traveler Reviews

Review by:   John J,    June 2015
We had a great private tour. Met right on time. Comfortable air conditioned van . Because so many ships were in port our guide took us to the House of the Virgin Mary first to beat the traffic. Very emotional experience. Remember to bring some paper or a piece of fabric to write a message for the wall outside the house.

Review by:   Lisa H,    June 2015
This is the best thing we did on our 12 day cruise! Our tour guide was waiting with a sign bearing our name, spoke perfect English and made us feel welcome as he walked us to our beautiful, clean air-conditioned van complete we driver. Our first stop was the House of the Virgin Mary and during the 30 minute drive, he explained the Turkish culture and history while pointing out landmarks and sights along the way. The driver drove at a non-scary pace up the mountain. The second stop was the ruins at Ephesus and again our guide blew us away with his knowledge. It was such a hot day, that it was great to be able to tailor our 60 minute walk down the ruins to our needs while finding shady spots to talk - with a large group we would have not had that luxury. It was the highlight of our trip to stand in the house of the Virgin Mary, and walk on pavement where Anthony and Cleopatra once walked. _br/_ Then he explained that even though we paid for a few hours, that as a Turkish ambassador he wanted to take us to other places if we were interested. We could visit all or any of leather shop, rug shop, ceramic shop. So picked the rug shop and wow was that amazing! The guide there showed us every step from the silk work, how to get the thread from the caccoon onto the spinning wheel, meaning behind the rugs and certain knots, and I even got to sit down and tie a know with a Turkish woman._br/_ This was the best return on our on the trip. Thank you so much!

Review by:   Catherine D,    January 2015
We had a fantastic guide on this tour. He was very knowledgeable and was able to tell us some interesting information about his country. Ephesus was amazing. We had some extra time on this tour so our guide took us to a couple of other places that we were interested in. This was a great day and I would highly recommend the tour. It was a highlight of our trip.

Review by:   Kristen M,    October 2014
Guide was so knowledgeable! Ephesus was amazing!

Review by:   Heidi Heutel B,    August 2014
Emre, our guide, did a fantastic job while escorting us through the House of Virgin Mary and Ephesus. We had a wonderful time and appreciated the personalized service Emre offered to us.

Review by:   Bob,    August 2014
No issues whatsoever. Friendly guide.

Review by:   Keri S,    July 2013
Our tour guide Amray loves his country and was very excited to show it to us. Very professional and friendly!

Review by:   pitti,    July 2013
Our guide was fantastic, I can not imagine doing this tour without a guide, there is so much to know and he was full of such great information, he really made the place come to life and

Review by:   Jann P,    June 2012
Great tour, Ephesus is amazing and a must see! I would also recommend seeing the Terrace Houses.

All Traveler Reviews...