Ephesus Full-Day Tour from Kusadasi: Small Group with Guide

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/8

Duration5h 30m

GroupUp to 15

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Walk through two millennia of Mediterranean trade and faith in a single day

A full-day guided tour of Ephesus from Kusadasi with a maximum of 10–12 travelers, including hotel or port pickup, air-conditioned transport and an English-speaking guide. The itinerary covers the major ruins of the ancient city—the Celsus Library, Great Theatre, Temple of Artemis and Roman Baths among them—then climbs to the House of the Virgin Mary, a shrine 9 km inland where Mary is believed to have spent her final years. The tour runs 5.5 hours and suits all fitness levels; entrance fees are separate.

5h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Ephesus and Virgin Mary House

Meet guide at pick up point
Visit Ephesus ancient ruins
See The Odeon and Bouleterion
Explore Fountains, Temples, Brothel
Visit Celsus Library and Agoras
See Great Theatre and Roman Baths
Explore Gymnasiums and Temple of Artemis ruins
Visit House of the Virgin Mary
Return to departure point

The Experience

Ephesus was once the most important Greek city and trading center in the Mediterranean, and the ruins that remain are extensive enough to fill an entire day. Your guide meets you at your hotel or port in Kusadasi and drives you to the site in an air-conditioned Mercedes van. The tour takes in the Odeon, Bouleterion, Temples, Brothel, Celsus Library, Agoras, Great Theatre, Roman Baths and Gymnasiums—each one a piece of the city's layered history. The Celsus Library alone, with its two-story facade, gives a sense of the wealth and ambition that once filled this place.

The Temple of Artemis is one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, though what remains now are the foundations and a few standing columns in the fields outside the city proper. You walk among them to understand the scale of what was built there in the Hellenistic Age. After the ruins, the route climbs to the House of the Virgin Mary, a small shrine nestled on a hillside 9 km from Ephesus. The site is quiet and set among trees, and it marks the place where Mary is believed to have lived out her final days. The contrast between the grand public monuments below and this intimate, remote sanctuary shapes the arc of the day.

The group stays small—no more than 10 to 12 people—which means the guide can move at a pace that lets you linger at the stops that hold your attention. Parking fees and transport are included; entrance fees to the sites are paid separately at each stop. The van is non-smoking and the driver handles all navigation, so the only planning you do is arranging to meet at your hotel or port at the start.

What’s included

Hotel or port pickup and drop-off in Kusadasi.
air-conditioned Mercedes van transport.
parking fees.
professional English-speaking guide.
access to both Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by BB Tour

Is this one for you?The guide speaks English, so you follow the commentary without translation or a separate audio device. Small groups under a dozen people move at a conversational pace, which suits anyone who wants to ask questions and linger at the major sites without feeling rushed through the day.