Private Ephesus and House of Virgin Mary Tours
Places to see “Duration : 4 hours (approx.) “ View similar tours & things to do
Highlights
- Take a half day trip to the ruins of Ancient city of Ephesus the great cities & home to the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
- Visit the House of Virgin Mary, where she spent last days of her life.
- Enjoy authentic Turkish cuisine.
- Transport by Private De-Luxe Cars.
- Private Local Licensed Guide.
- No shopping stops along the way ! “ Without the hassle of being taken to various factory outlets or shopping “.
Schedule details
When you arrive in the port of Kusadasi, your private guide will be waiting to lead you to your own luxury vehicle, during a 20 minute ride to Ephesus, your guide gives you a brief info about the area and about the country.
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.
This tour includes a visit to the House of Virgin Mary, where she spent last days of her life. House of Mary discovered in a vision by a bedridden German nun in 1812, this stone building is believed by many Catholics and Muslims to be where the Virgin Mary lived her last years. There is also a healing fountain.
After enjoying authentic Turkish cuisine at lunch, returning to port of Kusadasi where you tour concludes.
Inclusions
Price Chart
Payment
Additional information
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 7 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability.
- At time of booking, Cruise Ship passengers must provide the following details under Special Requirements: Ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time.
- Children 6-18 years must be accompanied by an adult
- Please enter your preferred pickup time in the Special Requirements box at the time of booking, and reconfirm 48 hours prior to the tour’s departure time.
- Ephesus requires walking long distances over uneven surfaces, comfortable clothing and closed toe, sensible walking shoes are recommended. Sunglasses and sunscreen are suggested.
- We will ensure your timely return to the Kusadasi or Izmir port for this activity. If you are not returned to the ship in time to board, we will arrange for transportation to the next port-of-call.
It is hard to describe the atmosphere in this holy place. Beautiful surroundings and vegetation leading up to Mary's House. Be aware there are no pictures allowed in the house.
We spent a good amount of time at ancient ephesus and house of terraces and I can tell you, a private tour is the way to go. There were many group tours that would crowd around their guide to get a glimpse of what he/she was pointing out. With a private tour, you are able to set the pace with your guide and skip what you aren’t that interested in. We also visited the House of the St Mary, Temple of Artemis. It was a full day that did not disappoint and well worth the expense.
I was very glad we choose private tour to ephesus. Thanks
This location is more a testament of the ability of people to build souvenir stores then the faith in the Virgin Mary. The provenience of this location is suspect at best and the location is more attributable to the worship of a female pantheon of gods than to last location of the Virgin Mary. Go to Ephesus it is extraordinary….
I made the drive out here to kill some time so I wasn't hitting Ephesus while it was still packed.
The place had a surprising amount of people at it considering there's not all that much to see. If you have some extra time in the Selcuk area and a rental car, it's probably worth a stop.
The tour of the ruins was quite spectacular and extensive, with a re-enactment of the gladiators at the end of the tour. The ruins were up-close, not roped off, and you could actually touch them! I was especially enamored with the library ruins.
It felt like we were in a special place and easy to explore the garden surrounds
I don’t think I could have made a better choice. We had a great time!
This tour was less than the cruise tour. we had a fab..time. thx
Ephesus tours was fantastic. they picked us up at the ship and we began a day of absolute perfection. we had toured Ephesus before on a prior cruise and used the tour from the cruise line. This time around wanted a more personal feel to our tour. There were specific places we wanted to visit and places we wanted to go back too.
I would go back and do the same tour all over again. the amount of history, customs and real life experiences we recieved made it a very special day.