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

based on 21 reviews

Duration:5 hours to 7 hours (approx.)
Location: Kusadasi, Turkish Riviera

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All in one Private Ephesus Tour is a special concept that is created for travelers who are deeply interested in mythological, and historical aspects of Ephesus and surrounding historical sights. Lectures given by tour guides are concentrated on this specific concept. Unlike other Ephesus tour options, Terrace Houses and Ephesus Museum are included in the itinerary. By joining this tour, you’ll have interesting information on topics such as Roman engineering and architecture, civil and public buildings, daily life in Ephesus, Roman mosaics, frescoes and statues, stories behind the mythological figures found in Ephesus, rituals, and practices of pagan worship, imperial cult and so on…

This tour is guaranteed Skip-The-Line with pre-purchased tickets.
You can always customize your tour with your private guide.
The duration of this tour is about 5-7 hours including traveling time and delicious local lunch.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

WHAT TO EXPECT

1. Meryemana (The Virgin Mary's House)
Visit the House of Virgin Mary.
2. Ancient City of Ephesus
Harbour Street, theatre, the Marble Street, Celcius Library, the gate of Mihridates and Mazues, Commercial Agora, latrina, Hadrian Temple, the Scolastica Baths, Trajan Fountain, Curetes Street, Polio Fountain, Memnius Monument, the Temple of Domitian, the Prytaneion, Odeon and the State Agora are visited.
3. State Agora
The agora on the southern part of the Basilica is the State Agora and was built in the Roman Period in the first century B.C. This agora was used not for commerce but for business, it played an important role as a meeting place for governmental discussions. During the excavations in the northeast corner of the Agora were found a great number of graves from the 7th-6th centuries B.C and a stone-paved road, and an archaic sarcophagus of terra cotta. From this, it is understood that in the archaic period this part of the Agora was used as the necropolis of Ephesus. There is a water reservoir at the corner of the Agora, which played an important role in Ephesus. Its water was brought to the city through the Pollio Aqueduct, the remains of the Pollio Aqueduct can be seen 5 kilometers away, along the Selçuk-Aydin highway.
4. The Odeion
This building has the shape of a small theatre with the stage building, seating places, and the orchestra. It had a double function in use. First, it was used as a Bouleuterion for the meetings of the Boules or the Senate. The second function was the Odeum as a concert hall for the performances. It was constructed in the 2nd century A.D by the order of Publius Vedius Antonius and his wife Flavia Paiana, two wealthy citizens in Ephesus. It had a capacity of 1500 spectators. It had 3 doors opening from the stage to the podium. The podium was narrow and one meter higher than the orchestra section. The stage building was two-storeyed and embellished with columns. The podium in front of the stage building and some parts of the seating were restored. The Odeon used to be enclosed with a wooden roof. Two councils administrated Ephesus. These were Demos or the parliament which was open to the public was taken place in the great theatre and the Bouleia which gathered in this small theatre.
5. Temple of Domitian
Located at the south end of Domitian Street, it is the first structure in Ephesus known to be dedicated to an emperor. It was built on a high and wide terrace set by 50x100 meters in size, on vaulted foundations. The northern side of the terrace seems to be two-stories high, reached by stairs. The stairs are still visible today. The temple, built in the pro-style plan, had eight columns on the short side and thirteen columns on the long side, and four additional columns in front of the cella. On the northern side, there was an u-shaped altar, which is now displayed in the Izmir Museum. It was in the reign of Domitian that an emperor gave permission to build an Emperor Temple; that is the permission to be the 'neocoros' for the first time, which was a great honor for a city. It was in the reign of Domitian that an emperor gave permission to build an Emperor Temple; that is the permission to be the 'neocoros' for the first time, which was a great honor for a city.
6. Hercules Gate
Hercules Gate is located towards the end of Curetes Street, it was called the Hercules gate because of the relief of Hercules on it. It was brought from another place in the fourth century AD to its current place, but the relief on it dates back to the second century AD. Only the two sides of the columns remain today and the other parts of it have not been found. The relief of the flying Nike in the Domitian Square is thought to also be a part of this gate. The Heracles Gate narrowed the access to the street, preventing the passage of vehicles. We can understand that from the Fourth Century, the street had become a pedestrian area.
7. Temple of Hadrian
Temple of Hadrian is one of the best-preserved and most beautiful structures on Curetes Street. It was built before 138 A.D by P. Quintilius and was dedicated to Emperor Hadrian, who came to visit the city from Athens in 128 A.D The facade of the temple has four Corinthian columns supporting a curved arch, in the middle of which contains a relief of Tyche, goddess of victory. The side columns are square. The pedestal with inscriptions in front of the temple is the bases for the statues of the emperors between 293-305 CE, Diocletian, Maximian, Constantius I, and Galerius; the originals of the statues have not been found yet.
8. Ephesus Terrace Houses
Ephesus terrace houses are located on the hill, opposite the Hadrian Temple. Also called "the houses of wealthy Romans", important for the reason give us information about family life during the Roman period. They were built according to the Hippodamian plan of the city in which roads transected each other at the right angles. There are six residential units on three terraces at the lower end of the slope of the Bulbul Mountain. The oldest building dates back to 1C BC and continued in use as a residence until 7C AD. Ephesus terrace houses are covered with protective roofing which resembles Roman houses. The mosaics on the floor and the frescos have been consolidated and two houses have been opened to the public as a museum.
9.
Celsus Library is one of the most beautiful structures in Ephesus. Celcius Library was built in 117 A.D. Celsus Library was a monumental tomb for Gaius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, the governor of the province of Asia; from his son Galius Julius Aquila. The grave of Celsus was beneath the ground floor, across the entrance and there was a statue of Athena over it. Because Athena was the goddess of wisdom. The scrolls of the manuscripts were kept in cupboards in niches on the walls. There were double walls behind the bookcases to prevent them from the extremes of temperature and humidity. The capacity of the library was more than 12,000 scrolls. It was the third richest library in ancient times after the Alexandra and Pergamum.
10.
Ephesus theatre is the most magnificent structure in the Ephesus ancient city. The Ephesus Great Theatre is located on the slope of Panayir Hill, opposite Harbor Street, and is easily seen when entering from the south entrance to Ephesus. It was first constructed in the Hellenistic Period, in the third century BC during the reign of Lysimachos, but then during the Roman Period, it was enlarged and formed its current style that is seen today. t is the largest in Anatolia and has a capacity of 25,000 seats. The cavea has sixty-six rows of seats, divided by two diazoma (walkway between seats) into three horizontal sections. There are three sections of seats. In the lower section, Marble pieces, used for restoration, and the Emperor's Box were found. The Ephesus theatre was used not only for concerts and plays but also for religious, political, and philosophical discussions and for gladiator and animal fights.
11. The Temple of Artemis
The Temple of Artemis is known as one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. It has been built in the areas of Ephesus on a flat area that has over the centuries turned into a swamp. If you visit Ephesus today, you can only see the ruins of the foundations of this marvelous construction of the Hellenistic Age, entirely made of marble and full of sculptured columns' capitals and shafts. The most beautiful remains of this temple are today exhibited in the London British Museum.
12. The Basilica of Saint John
It is believed that the evangelist St. John had spent his last years in the region around Ephesus and was buried on the southern slope of Ayosolug Hill. Three hundred years after the death of St. John, a small chapel was constructed over the grave in the 4th century. The church of St John was changed into a marvelous basilica during the region of Emperor Justinian (527 -565 AD). The second half of the first century was full of persecution for the early Christians. Apostle James and Stephen were killed in Jerusalem. Paul was sent to Rome and executed. According to tradition John took The Mother Mary and came to Ephesus. He wrote his Gospel in Ephesus and the Revelation on Greece Island, Patmos in 96AD.

ADDITIONAL INFO

CANCELLATION POLICY

Posted By : 400mitchellw
Great experience! The entire tour was very informative and extremely fun. The tour guide Taylan was amazing and was very knowledgeable. Great tour and guide!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-29 09:19:22

Posted By : Z8598STpeggyh
Tas was wonderful and knowledgeable and adapted our tour to our preferences. Ephesus was so much more than we'd imagined!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-24 09:12:52

Posted By : FOMO_0209
Tas was the most amazing Tour Guide we have ever experienced. He was knowledgeable, spoke excellent English, and was a lot of fun. He easily tailored the tour to what we wanted to see and helped us make decisions about our next steps. I can’t say enough about the tour and about Tas. Of all the tours we have done while on this cruise, he by far exceeded all of them. Highly recommended if you are ever in Turkey.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-15 12:32:06

Posted By : C6504NQmartinl
Great experience Tas was very friendly and accommodating. Took us to all the sites that we wanted to see. Was very friendly and enthusiastic. Food was lovely. Have the dessert next time Tas tomorrow's another day 😂
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-04-23 08:10:30

Posted By : stevemN9761TX
We loved the wonderful knowledge that our guide Nur shared at each of our destinations. She was energetic and genuinely happy to explain the highlights without being boring.

Our tour lasted 7 hours, including a wonderful local lunch and a rug weaving demonstration. We had an opportunity to purchase Turkish rugs, and the vendors weren’t aggressive and gracious. The tour vehicle was very comfortable and modern.

We definitely feel we got more than expected for our money, and would highly recommend this tour. Ask for Nur!!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-03-03 07:28:56

Posted By : 610husaink
Nagehan was very helpful patient and cooperative with us
We really liked her company, she was quite knowledgeable too
The car driver was kind as well and on time

They took our special request of getting a sim card too
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-02-14 10:56:34

Posted By : roneldirk
We felt welcomed and with such a friendly atmosphere we had a fantastic start! The guide and tour was extremely good, very flexible (appreciate this!) and for that she deserves a special thanks. We had a wonderful day in Ephesus , which obviously also added up to the experience.

Nagehan is such a warm personality and highly motivated guide (recommendable!). We truly enjoyed walking the two of us through the area. The scenery was beautiful and it was a relieve to walk in such a quiet and peaceful environment. Nagehan shares a wealth of information with us regarding the area and its history.

The atmosphere is so special that it really felt like holy to us. All respect for Nagehan who does a great job, a true sample of excellent tour guide! We also share laughs and family stories

Many thanks again and we recommend Nagehan to everyone!
Dirk & Ronel Verbeek
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-01-07 09:09:48

Posted By : jazzhearted
Great service. Our Van was very comfortable and the guide was very knowledgeable. Me and my wife loved Ephesus.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-01-04 19:35:09

Posted By : pickeralfish
Nagehan Kiziltug is our tour guide. She is very pleasant & professional. The day was very sunny & hot, she is very patient with this old lady who has difficulty to walk fast. She even shaded me with her umbellar as my hands are holding my walking sticks. We have a great time to listen to her explanation with each site we are at. She also listened to my questions and needs. The whole experience of this tour is amazing. Highly recommended.
The driver is also very professional and drive safely.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-09-27 09:16:45

Posted By : Ragen_C
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.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-07-11 02:09:37