In a nutshell

Accompanied by a guide, you'll visit the most important archaeological site in Turkey. Traveling from the house of the Virgin Mary to the Greek and Roman city of Ephesus: from the Temple of Hadrian to the Terrace houses, from the Celsus Library to both the grand and the small theaters. To end the tour on a high, we'll serve you a Turkish lunch in a restaurant in Kuşadasi.

Main stops

House of the Virgin Mary.
Greek and Roman Ephesus Temple of Hadrian, Terrace houses, Celsus Library, Grand Theater, Odeon, Basilica of St. John.
Typical lunch in the Oksa restaurant in Kuşadasi.

The programme

Ephesus amazes you from the moment you step off the bus, with panoramic views of the Selçuk fortress and the Temple of Artemis. First stop, the house of the Virgin Mary: the water from the spring in the garden is said to be miraculous.
Follow the guide into ancient Ephesus. On Curetes Street you'll find the Temple of Hadrian: look for the medusa among the decorations in the pronaos. Not far from here you'll see the Terrace houses of 'well-to-do Ephesus', with perfectly preserved frescoes and mosaics.
The Odeon was once roofed, while the theater was the biggest in Asia Minor and could seat up to 24,000 spectators: it hosted gladiator fights and its fabulous acoustics are stii intact to this day. Close to the agora is the Celsus Library, which in its time was the third largest in the world after Alexandria and Pergamum.
The Basilica of St. John dates back to the days of Justinian and is thought to stand on the tomb of the apostle.
For lunch, Turkish specialties await you in a restaurant in Kuşadasi, including “Zeytinyağlı Biber Dolma”, stuffed bell peppers, “Sigara Böreği”, filo pastry rolls stuffed with cheese - so called because they resemble cigars - or “Şekerpare”, little balls of almond paste in a lemon-flavored sugar syrup.

Good to know

Before booking the excursion or once on board, contact the excursion office to check the availability of vegetarian or gluten-free dishes and to report any food intolerances.
This is one of the most popular excursions so book early.