Ephesus Day Trip from Istanbul: Plane, Ancient Ruins & Wine Village

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Free cancellation

1/8

Duration12h

GroupUp to 15

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

Ancient Ephesus in a Day: Fly from Istanbul, Walk Marble Streets, Taste Mountain Wine

You fly from Istanbul to Ephesus, walk through the Library of Celsus and Temple of Artemis ruins with a guide who explains the marble streets and mosaics, visit the House of the Virgin Mary and İsa Bey Mosque, taste local fruit wines in Şirince village, and return to Istanbul the same day with all flights, transfers, meals and entry fees handled.

12h

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Ephesus and nearby sites

Visit Ephesus Ancient City
Tour House of Virgin Mary
See Temple of Artemis ruins
Explore İsa Bey Mosque
Walk around Şirince Village

The Experience

The marble columns catch the light before you see them whole—pale stone rising from the earth in fragments, arranged as if the city just paused mid-breath two thousand years ago. That's Ephesus, and you're standing in it after a short flight from Istanbul, with a guide who knows which stones to stop at and why. The Library of Celsus dominates the main street, its facade still ornate enough to make you squint at the detail work, and the Temple of Artemis—one of the Seven Wonders—is reduced now to a single standing column, but that one column tells you everything about the scale of what was here. You walk the ancient streets with a small group, not a crowd, and the guide points out the mosaics worn into the pavement, the grooves where carts ran, the way the city was built for people who believed it would last forever.

After the ruins, you stop at the House of the Virgin Mary on the slopes above Selçuk, a small stone structure believed to be where Mary spent her final years—pilgrims light candles here, and the quiet is real. Then the İsa Bey Mosque, a 14th-century Seljuk building with asymmetrical domes and marble work that shows you how Islamic and Byzantine styles bled into each other. Lunch happens somewhere in the middle of the day, included with the tour, and it's not a rushed thing. The pace lets you breathe between sites instead of checking them off.

The last stop is Şirince village, perched on a hill with whitewashed houses and narrow cobblestone streets that narrow further as you climb. This is where you taste the local fruit wines—peach, mulberry, cherry—made in small wineries run by families who've been doing it for generations. The village is quiet compared to the archaeological sites, and the views back down toward the countryside give you a reason to linger with a glass in hand before the drive back to the airport.

Your day starts early—you're picked up from your Istanbul hotel, flown to Ephesus, and returned to Istanbul by evening. The flights are included, the transfers are included, the guide is included, lunch is included, and every entrance fee is paid. You don't arrange anything once you land in Selçuk; the local driver meets you at the airport and the guide takes it from there.

What’s included

Your day includes round-trip private hotel pickup and drop-off in Istanbul, round-trip flight tickets with all taxes, airport transfers in Ephesus, a small group guided tour of Ephesus Ancient City with visits to the Library of Celsus, Temple of Artemis, House of the Virgin Mary, İsa Bey Mosque, and Şirince village, lunch, and all entrance fees to the archaeological sites and attractions.

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats availablePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Travel Store Turkey

Is this one for you?A good fit if you're based in Istanbul and want to see Ephesus without arranging flights, transfers, or a guide yourself—the all-in-one package means you show up at your hotel ready to go. Plan for a full day out, roughly 12 hours from pickup to drop-off, which is what makes the flight and all four main stops possible in one trip.