25% offFree cancellation
Ephesus Small Group Day Tour from Selcuk
- 8 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- 2 languages
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
Step back thousands of years on this small-group guided tour of Ephesus from Selcuk. Start off in Selcuk, exploring the many ancient archeological sites, and then move on to Ephesus, once one of the most important cities in Asia Minor. Stroll among the millennia-old ruins, many of which have only been excavated in the last century. See the remains of the Temple of Artemis and visit the supposed house of the Virgin Mary before stopping by a famous 14th-century mosque.
Inclusions
What's included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Professional guide
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
- Lunch
- Fuel surcharge
- Transport by air-conditioned minivan
What's not
- Drinks
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
- Gratuities
Itinerary
The House of the Virgin Mary (or Meryem Ana Evi in Turkish) is a place where, according to the beliefs of many people Mary, the mother of Jesus, spent the last years of her life. She was supposed to arrive at Ephesus together with St. John and lived there in the years 37-45 CE until her Assumption (according to Catholic doctrine) or Dormition (according to Orthodox belief).
Of Turkey's hundreds of ancient cities and classical ruins, Ephesus is the grandest and best preserved. Indeed, it's the best place on the Mediterranean to get a feel for what life was like in ancient times. Ancient Ephesus was a great trading city and a centre for the cult of Cybele, the Anatolian fertility goddess.
The Odeion of Ancient Ephesus is a small, semi-circular theater originally constructed in the 2nd century A.D and financed by PubliusVedius Antonius and his wife FlaviaPaiana. The building would have served as a space for political meetings, social events, concerts and theatrical performances.
This temple dedicated to the Emperor Hadrian is considered one of the best preserved and most beautiful structures on Curetes Street. It was constructed in the beginning of the 2nd century AD by P. Quintilius to celebrate Hadrian visiting the city from Athens.
Bibliotheque de Celsus, Selcuk, Turkey This magnificent library dating from the early 2nd century AD, the best-known monument in Ephesus, has been extensively restored. Originally built as part of a complex, the library looks bigger than it actually is: the convex facade base heightens the central elements, while the middle columns and capitals are larger than those at the ends. Facade niches hold replica statues of the Four Virtues. From left to right, they are Sophia (Wisdom), Arete (Goodness), Ennoia (Thought) and Episteme (Knowledge).
The great theater of Ephesus is a splendidly preserved and very impressive building. This structure, built of marble, has a width of 145 meters, and its audience once reached up to 30 meters. In its heyday, it could accommodate up to 24,000 spectators. The construction of the theater began in Hellenistic times.
Temple of Artemis (or Artemision), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. In an empty field to the west of the centre, this lone reconstructed pillar is all that remains of the massive Temple of Artemis (or Artemision) At its zenith, the temple counted 127 columns.
Isabey mosque was built in a post-Seljuk/pre-Ottoman transitional style, when Selcuk was capital of the Aydin Emirate. An inscription in Arabic above the main entrance states that it was built in 1375.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.7
- 540
- 44
- 30
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- 12
Ratings come from 46 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Showing reviews written in English.
5Great tour and tour guide. A+++
Fantastic tour with Nizam ! Informative and funny guy. Made the tour extremely enjoyable. Much recommended
5Excellent
Our guide Octavio was amazing and was very knowledgeable . He knew everything about every single site !! I would choose him again.
5An informative tour of an amazing historical site
Our guide, Faiz, was energetic and able to communicate well with our group of 10 or so, spanning young children to older adults. I appreciated the balance between listening to information about the different sites and having time to explore on our own. The later demonstration of silk making and carpet weaving was very interesting.
5Knowledgeable Guide
Faisal has a lot of knowledge about pagan gods and symbols, as well as historical facts about Ephesus and surrounding sites that made this an enjoyable and educational tour. A good alternative to a private tour at half the price. Of course, the usual shopping component was included (carpet school, leather jackets) but that is the norm, and was somewhat educational in this case.
1Just a shopping trip
Three mentioned stops: St Mary's house, Ancient City of Efes, temple of Artemis (most sites mentioned at the description are just stops along the course of visit of the main archaeological site) and two unmentioned LONG stops at shops (a carpet weaving "school" and a leather goods store, complete with a catwalk fashion show just for our small group). Guide was average, with many sensational narratives unrelated to the sights. The "homemade" lunch was offered in one of the shops, a place no locals would ever visit for lunch.
5Great guide for your visit to Turkey
Brings the ancient city of Ephesus to life. Knowledgeable but not boring. Good judge of the needs and interests of the group. Highly recommend
Know before you go
- Pickup
- Pickup is included for everyone.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 15 travellers
- Operated by
- Alaturca Ephesus
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
- Infant meals not included
How it compares in Selçuk
- Its from-price is 32% above the median of the 215 experiences we list in Selçuk.
- It is longer than most of them.
- By number of reviews it ranks 22 of 215.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Selçuk
Selçuk is a small Aegean town beside ancient Ephesus, with a hilltop fortress, a lone column of the Temple of Artemis and a hill village nearby.
Selçuk is a small town in İzmir Province, about three kilometres from the ruins of Ephesus, one of the great cities of the Roman east, with the Library of Celsus, a huge theatre and streets lined with columns. In Selçuk itself a single column marks the site of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. The Basilica of St John stands on Ayasuluk Hill below a Byzantine fortress, and the İsa Bey Mosque dates from 1375.
Top-ranked sights in Selçuk: Ephesus (Efes), Temple of Artemis (Artemision), House of the Virgin Mary (Meryem Ana Evi).
Special offers in Selçuk
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
10% offFree cancellation
