Ephesus Tour from Kusadasi: Temple of Artemis & Virgin Mary's House

Walk through a marble city that once rivaled Rome

A small group tour of Ephesus departing from Kusadasi hotels with pickup and dropoff, a professional English-speaking guide, and lunch included. You explore the ancient city's best-preserved ruins (the Library of Celsus, the amphitheater, the Marble Street), then visit the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the House of the Virgin Mary. The tour runs 6 to 8 hours and returns you to your hotel on time. Entrance fees to Ephesus and the Virgin Mary's House are paid separately to the guide. Skip-the-line tickets are available at checkout.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Ephesus2h
2. House of the Virgin Mary45m
3. Temple of Artemis30m
4. Isa Bey Mosque30m

Explore Ephesus and nearby sites

• Pick up from hotel
• Visit ancient city of Ephesus ruins
• See Temple of Artemis
• Tour House of the Virgin Mary
• Visit Isa Bey Mosque in Selcuk
• Return to hotel

The experience

Ephesus was the second-largest city in the Roman Empire, home to over 250,000 people in the 1st century BC and built almost entirely of marble. Your guide walks you through the Library of Celsus, the third-largest library of the ancient world, then the amphitheater that once held 25,000 seats. You'll see the Marble Street where merchants once traded, the Harbour Street, the Hadrian Gate, and a local pharmacy preserved from centuries ago. The scale of what remains (and what the ruins tell about daily life in an empire) is the draw here.

The Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, stands near Ephesus. Your guide explains its significance to the city and the goddess it honored. Afterward, you visit the House of the Virgin Mary, believed to be where Mary, the mother of Jesus, spent her final years after arriving in Ephesus with St. John around 37 CE. The site includes gardens and grounds. The guide provides context on its religious and historical importance.

Hotel pickup and dropoff are included, as is lunch during the tour. A professional licensed guide leads the group in English. Entrance to Ephesus costs 40 euros and entrance to the Virgin Mary's House costs 500 Turkish lira. You pay these directly to the guide, who can arrange skip-the-line tickets if you choose. The tour is guaranteed to return you to your hotel on time, a detail that matters if you're sailing from Kusadasi port.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and dropoff in Kusadasi.
• lunch during the tour.
• a professional licensed guide speaking English.
• entrance to the ancient city of Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary (paid to the guide on the day, with skip-the-line tickets available at booking).

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day15 departure times: the first at 08:00, the last at 15:00

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (9 and older) · Child (5 to 8 years) · Infant (under 5): free

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Paid on siteUS$ 55

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Peron Tour Kusadasi/Turkey

Is this one for you?The guide speaks English, so you follow the commentary comfortably without translation. If you speak another language or prefer a guide in a different tongue, check availability at checkout, as this tour is listed with an English-speaking guide.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 8 years); Infant (under 5): free.

What's the difference between the Temple of Artemis and the House of the Virgin Mary?

The Temple of Artemis is an ancient Greek temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis and ranked among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It stands as ruins near Ephesus. The House of the Virgin Mary is a much later Christian pilgrimage site where tradition holds that Mary spent her final years, with gardens and a small chapel on the grounds.

How much time do I spend walking around the ancient city itself?

The tour covers the main sites within Ephesus (the Library of Celsus, the amphitheater, the Marble Street, the Harbour Street and the Hadrian Gate) over the course of the 6 to 8 hour tour, though the exact time spent at each stop varies by group pace and guide commentary.

Will I have time to visit the carpet village and leather factory mentioned?

The tour description lists a Carpet Village and Leather Factory as stores to visit, though the itinerary does not detail how much time is spent at each or whether they are optional stops. Confirm the schedule with the operator when you book.

What happens if I'm on a cruise ship? Will the tour get me back to the port on time?

The tour is guaranteed to return you on time to your Kusadasi hotel or port. If you're sailing, mention your ship's departure time when you book so the operator can confirm the schedule works for your itinerary.

Do I need to pay the entrance fees upfront, or can I pay the guide on the day?

Ephesus entrance is 40 euros and the Virgin Mary's House entrance is 500 Turkish lira. You pay these fees to the guide on the day of the tour. Skip-the-line tickets are available if you arrange them at checkout.