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All inclusive VIP Shore Excursion Customizable Ephesus with Lunch

Badge of ExcellenceKusadasi, Turkey

Kusadasi Shore Excursion Customizable Ephesus Tour

3 to 8 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

When your cruise ship docks in Kusadasi, take a private tour of regional highlights such as the old Roman city of Ephesus. Possible stops include the Temple of Artemis, the Terrace Houses, the House of Virgin Mary, St. John Basilica, the Ephesus Archaeological Museum in Selcuk , and Sirince village. Includes lunch, entrance fees, private guide and vehicle, and port pickup and drop-off.

Private shore excursion to Ephesus and other highlights, from Kusadasi
Visit Ephesus, Sirince, and other landmarks in the region
Customize your itinerary to suit your preferences
Includes lunch, all entrance fees, private guide and vehicle, and port pickup and drop-off

What's Included

Entrance Fees ( Our guide will have pre-paid tickets to skip the line )
Professional Licensed private tour guide
Traditional Turkish Lunch
Private transportation By private A/C Mercedes Minibus
Port or hotel pickup and drop-off
Parking Fees

Drinks
Graditutes

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

ALL INCLUSIVE . No Hidden Costs Pick up from Your Hotel and Kusadasi Cruise Terminal for cruise guests. Suggested pick up time will be given on your confirmation message. This tour is customized to your personal preferences. Meeting will be at Kusadasi Cruise terminal or at your hotel lobby. Your guide will meet you at pre-arranged time You may decide with your guide which places you wish to see when you get in your vehicle. Your guide will explain you the area first, and give you suggestions about the must see attractions. You can have your private service until your boarding which is an hour before departure . You may use our service from 3 to 8 hours * Private Tour for your family and friends • You will decide on departure time • Our tour guide will meet you at the Port/Hotel with your name sign, • Our professional tour guide will be with you from arrival till departure, • You will have flexibilty to spend how much time you want in each site and customize the itinerary, • You do not have to wait for other group members • You may stop to have pictures during your tour.

What To Expect

When your cruise arrives in the Kusadasi port, your private guide meets you at the port for your tour.

Discuss the options for your day with your guide, including one of the region's top attractions. Ephesus is considered one of the best examples of an ancient Roman city, and the well-preserved ruins give you a glimpse of an important commercial center for western Anatolia.

The Terrace Houses housed the wealthy people of Ephesus, and you can see their mosaics, frescoes, and early central heating systems.

Located near Ephesus, the ruins of the Temple of Artemis represent one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Basilica of St John is the site where the early Christian saint may have been entombed. The Ephesus Archaeological Museum in Selcuk contains finds from the Ephesus excavations.

If you'd like to see a picturesque hillside village, head to Sirince to walk through cobblestone streets, shop for local handicrafts, taste the locally made fruit wines, and enjoy the scenery.

Your tour includes stops for a traditional Turkish lunch, shopping, and sightseeing. Have up to 10 hours to explore before your guide returns you to the Kusadasi port at least one hour before your cruise departs.

Ege Ports

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Okuz Mehmet Pasa KervansarayI (Pass By)

Selcuk

6 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Kusadasi

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Infant seats available
Most travelers can participate

At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
No Hidden Cost. All inclusive tour with Guide, Lunch and Entrance Fees ( Our guide will have pre-paid tickets to skip the line )
Private Tour for your family and Friends
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

122 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 122 reviews

Great Tour of Ephesus with Thoughtful, Experienced Guide

Diana_D, Apr 2024

Booked this Viator tour as the excursion offered by our cruise line was not what we wanted. So much to see in Ephesus. Our guide and driver were excellent. Highly recommend. Guide answered our questions and was very patient with us as we walked through Ephesus ruins. Lunch was excellent and accommodated my dietary restrictions (gluten free). We saw site of Temple of Artemis, House of Mary, St John's Basilica and Ephesus town. A very enjoyable day!

Great Day in Ephesus

Josianne_Z, Apr 2024

We were cruising in Kusadasi and we took this private tour. Ephesus is one of the best archaeological site I have ever visited. The lunch was delicious and lots of variety. Our Guide Ozzy together with Sergio the driver did the best to make our day unforgettable. It was my first time visiting Turkey but it will not be my last for sure. I highly recommend this tour.

great shore excursion for a reasonable price.

Jeroen_H, Apr 2024

very friendly tourguide with a lot of knowledge. The visis of ephesus was fantastic. My mother in law is 86 and need a wheelchair. I drive her around most of the time but on the harder parts the guide did not care to help mee. Ephesus is fantatsic and we also visited a real nice village for tea and coffee. Be carefull when you book a tour. This one included everything incl. the entrance fees. the cheaper tours do not include that. I thought it was great value for money.

A great day visiting and learning about Ephesus

Andy_A, Apr 2024

We were very surprised to learn this was a private tour with just my wife and me. Tezcan was fantastic as a guide, and helped customize the tour for us. Ephesus was fantastic, as was the the visit to the Virgin Mary's house and lunch. Tezcan also took my wife to a small community that makes beautiful ceramic work, since my wife said she was interested in stopping there. The tour led by Tezcan far surpassed our expectations.

Don't miss this tour!

nthompson02, Dec 2023

This tour was so good! We felt so well taken care of on our cruise stop in Turkey. Emre, our guide, was extremely knowledgeable. He made the old City of Ephesus come alive with his descriptions of the people and buildings in the 2nd largest City in the world over 2000 years ago!. We loved hearing about the disciples who were there. The Turkish lunch was very good. We got to see a lady making a Turkish rug and some truly beautiful ones! A lady was there preparing silk worms and she spun some silk for us. We went to a leather factory and saw a fashion show. We'd never seen such beautiful jackets. The visit to the site of where Mary was thought to have been had such wonderful energy and was amazing too!

Great private tour customized to our needs, excelent guide and driver.

MARIAA_Z, Dec 2023

It was great to visit the house of Virgin Mary, our guide customized the trip and we were able to visit Ephesus and Saint John Chapel. I recommend this private tour.

Great tour with Emre

Brent_K, Nov 2023

Emre very nice tour guide we had a great day. He helped cater to our varied group with small children up to their grandparents. Tried to help us beat crowds and heat.

Very informative and fun tour of Ephesus

Robert_A, Oct 2023

Our guide Nil was the best part of the excursion....She was knowledgeable, energetic, and her love of Turkish history was inf curious! We recommend the terrace houses addition to the tour... Everything was great

Very memorable

Michelle_D, Oct 2023

Orlando was by far the best tour guide we have ever had. He was kind, attentive, and so knowledgeable. We didn’t want to be on the big tour crowds and he took us away from the crowds. He took us to a local restaurant that he likes to eat at and we go a traditional Turkish lunch. He asked us if there was anything we wanted to do since we had extra time and I asked to go to a Turkish candy store and he took us. It was wonderful. If I were to come back to Turkey and do a tour I would recommend him for my tour. It was truly a wonderful day with him.

Best day ever!

Jennifer_M, Oct 2023

Our tour guide was amazing! He was friendly and helpful. We had a great time visiting Ephesus, had an amazing lunch and a personalized tour to see how Turkish hand-made rugs are made as well as some amazing Turkish pottery. Could not have asked for a better guide.

Great tour to Ephesus!

Kimberly_P, Oct 2023

Taz was a great tour guide. We did not have much time in port but he was able to make the most of it. We beat the lines at the House of the Virgin Mary and Ephesus. We enjoyed a quick Turkish lunch before we returned to the ship.

Guide took advantage of us costed me $55 usd more

Deborah_S, Oct 2023

What should have been a 10 star is now a negative-5. The actual tour and driver were awesome but our special “Tour Guide/Archeologist” who was a 10 star at the ruins, very passionate about the excavation site fed us to the wolves at the end. He totally took advantage of us and brought us only to stores that he was getting commission from. I told him what we were looking for and asked for him to point us to the cheaper shops. He told us most shops were bad and would rip us off then took us to shops that overcharged us almost double what I should have paid. It was extremely upsetting and we were totally taken advantage of. He personally cost me over $55 usd more for the lamps I bought. Every shop we pasted after we escaped him was way cheaper. It makes me sick knowing every time I look at the lamps I will feel disgusted and taken advantage of. He pushed over priced leather coats at a special leather factory and rugs at a carpet store. He literally paraded us into certain stores to show our faces to the owners probably to make sure he got his kick backs from them. Disgusting behavior that should never be rewarded. Sadly I bought 2 lamps for my bedroom that will forever make me feel abused. Turkey shopping is very aggressive and I would actually recommend saving your money and stay on the ship.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Dear Dobarah, Thank you very much for your detailed review. As far as understand from your review, his English, His knowledge, his guiding and transportation were 10 star until you asked for his suggestions for cheap places. The meaning of Cheap can be different for you, for him and for everyone. There are a few shops close to port where very cheap souvenirs imported from China are sold. These shops can be a cheap place for some people but they may not be a place to shop for some people. When you can see a lamp for 500-USD in one of the shop, you can see the similar one for 250-USD in an another shop . You may see the similar one for 100-USD in an another one. Which one is cheap ? Which one is INEXPENSIVE ? You booked your tour for 7 guests. You said that 3 of group members got ill and you asked for refund . You did not ask for refund for 3 guests. You asked for % 50 refund. We refunded % 50 which is 173-USD without asking any DOCTOR REPORT. Hoping to se you in our wonderfull counrty again. Best Regards, Fevzi Turhan

We greatly enjoyed our Ephesus experience!

Charles_K, Oct 2023

Seeing the ancient city of Ephesus was amazing! The history, the sites, and our guide Oğuz was extraordinary!!! It was the most private and personal excursion we have ever been on! 10 out of 10!! Picked up at the cruise terminal, dropped of at the cruise terminal with plenty of time for shopping before sailaway! It was exceptional!!

Amazing day

Kathleen_C, Sep 2023

Onder or Andrew as we called him was the most amazing guide. He answered all our questions and gave us so much information that the history came to life. I would highly recommend this tour and guide.

The Best Ephesus Tour

James_G, Sep 2023

Superb experience. Our guide Milihe (sp?) was exceptional. Probably the best guide I’ve ever had…and I’ve had many! His knowledge and presentation was impressive. He also did a great job of overall management of the day. The driver was great too. I’d give them 10 stars if I could.

Great Trip

Craig_C, Aug 2023

Our guide was terrific. He was a great historian and took us where we wanted to go. I highly recommend it for families, even with kids.

Things you didn’t know about Turkey

Yvette_W, Aug 2023

Seeing the biblical and historical parts of Turkey. Inan was very knowledgeable and offered great insight to the culture and history.

A great tour and a great day in Turkey.

Sonjamaresca, Aug 2023

A great tour. Our guide Ozzie picked us up at our cruise port and brought us to the House of the Virgin Mary and guided us through ancient Ephesus providing us with both historic information and myths. We were given a demonstration on the creation of handmade Turkish carpets and treated to a quiet outdoor lunch. We wanted to experience a Turkish bath, and Ozzie made it happen. He even arranged for someone to deliver Turkish baklava at our drop off point before we headed back to the ship.

Your experience is only...

Janet_R, Aug 2023

Your experience is only as good as the guide’s ability to connect and communicate. Ours did not. We cut our tour short and asked to be returned to our ship.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Hello Janet, Thank you very much for your message. We are very sorry to hear that you were not happy with our guide Melis ( Melissa ). She has been guiding our groups since 2013 . This is the first negative review we received about her guiding. I am sharing just last 4 reviews we received after her tours. These are just 4 of more than 100 reviews about her guiding. She has Ephesus expert Certificate too. Only 45 guides have this certificate all over Turkey. Review 1 Our customized tour was better than we could have imagined. Our guide took us to places that she felt would interest us. melis made us feel like family and asked us about our interests and made suggestions based on our interests. She was very knowledgeable and made the trip extremely fun. Highly recommend. Review 2 Ephesus was amazing. We've done Pompeii, Knossos.. but this one was the best. Or guide Melis was great. Very informative, friendly and easy to understand. Would certainly recommend if you're visiting Kusadasi! Review 3 After enjoying a 2 day tour of Istanbul with this tour company, and being VERY fortunate to have Melis as our tour guide again, we spent a day exploring the area and learning about the culture and history of the city. We loved every minute and would highly recommend this tour! The pace was well planned and Melis was very accommodating with our small group. This experience was a highlight of our trip! Excellent tour! Review 4 We had a wonderful full day tour with Melis and our driver Sado. Although it was a very hot day, we were able to find moments of shade were we could rest a bit. It was amazing to know you were walking on the same paths that thousands of people have walked over thousands of years. Highlights were the House of the Virgin Mary, the library in Ephesus and an amazing authentic Turkish lunch. Great tour I just wanted to inform you that We refunded the entrance fees you have not used althought we have already pre-paid them to museums. We refunded the lunch you have not had. We are hoping to see you in our wonderfull country in the future. Best Regards, Fevzi

Terrific Family Day in Turkey!

Liz_B, Aug 2023

What a wonderful time we had. From the time we were picked up to the time we were dropped off, it was amazing. Our guide Alex was phenomenal, informative and most importantly fun! It was my husband's 60th birthday which I mentioned in passing and when we got to our included lunch, there was a beautiful and delicious cake and bottle of wine waiting as a surprise for him. Definitely went above and beyond to make our day memorable. Loved having a private tour as were able to go at our own pace and Alex made sure we were back in time for our ship. Totally recommend Curio Travel and cannot wait until we go back for another visit!!

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