Private Tours of Ephesus, House of Virgin Mary & Artemis Temple

Shore Excursion from Kusadasi, you will receive a private guided sightseeing tour with air-conditioned private transport. Your guide will meet you at the arrival’s gate of Kusadasi port with a sign your name is written on, then be driven to the sites. You will welcome to an air-conditioned minivan with a private driver. Your guide will keep on giving you information about the area and the ancient places during the tour. After driving 25 minutes you will be entering to Virgin Mary House. Your guide will inform you about the Virgin Mary’s House. You are going to visit the holy site where Pope Paul VI visited and Pope Benedict XVI celebrated mass. You will have your free time of 30 or 45minutes in the area. That is just an amazing place where you could feel peace and something holy is around you. If you wish you could pray in the house, light a candle and drink holy water. If you would like to carry some holy water back home you could either fill the bottle you brought or buy a bottle of holy water.

You will meet our coach in the exit and after 5 minutes driving you will enter Ephesus from the upper gate (which is on the top of the hill) with the leading of your private guide. Your guide will begin to inform you about the city and you will start to walk slightly down words to the lower gate where our coach is waiting for you. The first stop will be in front of the plan of Ephesus where you are going to be informed about the history and the location of this magnificent historical site. You could easily feel yourself as a Roman Aristocrat during your walk in the second biggest Roman city. You will see and informed about the Upper Roman Bath, Gymnasium complex, State Agora, Archaic Cemetery and small theatre with the capacity of 1400 people also called as Odeon but actually was Bouleterion. By walking down words going through the sacred ramp you will reach to the Domitian Square and Memmiuss Monument. Via to Hercules gateway you arrive to the Centrum, to the high life of Ephesians. The street as entitled as Curetes,Trajan’s Fountain, Terrace Houses (are not include in this tour), Verious Bath. The fabulous reconstruction of the Temple of Hadrian will be one of your best stops. You will have some fun at Latrine, public toilets where 48 Romans could seat together.

The third biggest library in the antiquity called as Celsus Library, the masterpiece of Ephesus will be our break point where you may have your best shots. After the break time you will walk to the theater on the marble street which was designed for wheeled vehicles and chariots. Magnificent Ephesus Theatre with the capacity of 24.000 people where Saint Paul preached can be seen. At least you are going to final this unforgettable excursion walking on the Arcadian or Harbor Street which was reaching to the port once (now 5 miles away) was illuminated by 50 torches or oil lambs is located in front of the theater. You will have your lunch in a small charming weaving village where you will see carpet dying, spinning and weaving. You will have the chance to meet with the Turkish villagers and learn more about the Turkish culture and the hospitality. After lunch you will with 5minutes driving you will enter Artemis Temple with the leading of your private guide.

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 which has over the centuries turned into a swamp. Today one 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. After driving 5minutes from The Temple of Artemis you will visit Basalica of St. John with the leading of your guide. The cross shaped basilica was built by the Emperor Justinian over the tomb of St. John the Apostle, the Basilica, now in ruins, once rivaled St. Sophia in size. See the remaining graceful columns and mosaics of the Basilica as you take in the panorama of the rural Selcuk countryside and the ruins of the Temple of Artemis. Visiting Turkish handicraft center where you will learn local culture and you can see the hospitality of the country. You will be back to the Kusadasi port within 6 hours from the beginning of the tour.

If you would like to visit Terrace Houses in Ephesus there will be an extra entrance fee of 15$ which you may pay in the entrance of Terrace Houses. Terrace Houses located behind the shops on the south side of Curetes Street near the Library of Celsus. These are luxurious private houses, known as the Slope Houses for their location on the slopes of Mt. Coressus (Bulbuldag). Occupied from the 1st century to 7th century AD, the Slope Houses have been compared to the 1st century villas of Pompeii in importance. The Terrace Houses are also known as the Slope Houses and Hanghausen (in German, because the archaeologists are Austrian). After your tour your guide will escort you to your cruise port. As we are a local tour operator we have all the cruise schedule, You will be met at the port by an Ada Vegas tour guide.