Istanbul to Ephesus Private Day Trip: Ruins & Virgin Mary

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/8

Duration12h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · JA +1

PickupAt your hotel

A downhill walk through one of antiquity's largest cities, with a guide who knows where to stand.

A private day trip from Istanbul to Ephesus includes domestic flight, hotel pickup, and a professional guide in English, Spanish or Japanese. You enter through the Magnesia Gate and descend into the ruins of a Roman provincial capital, passing the Odeum, Celsus Library, Temple of Hadrian, Fountain of Trajan and Great Theater, then visit the Temple of Artemis and the House of the Virgin Mary. The 12-hour itinerary is built around a private vehicle and guide, so the pace and stops stay yours alone.

12h

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit Ephesus and Virgin Mary House

Enter Magnesia Gate
Walk downhill through Ephesus ruins
See Odeum, Celsus Library, Temple of Hadrian
Visit Fountain of Trajan and Great Theater
Visit Temple of Artemis
Visit House of the Virgin Mary
See Basilica of St. John

The Experience

The day starts with pickup from your Istanbul hotel and a domestic flight to Izmir, where your private guide and Mercedes-Benz vehicle are waiting. From there, the drive to Ephesus takes about an hour. Once you arrive at the site, you enter through the Magnesia Gate and begin a slow, downhill walk into the ruins. The route itself is the geography: you pass the Odeum, the Celsus Library, the Temple of Hadrian, the Fountain of Trajan and the Great Theater as you descend. The Temple of Artemis, known as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, is part of the same visit.

The House of the Virgin Mary comes next, a pilgrimage site where Mary is believed to have spent her last days. Nearby stands the Basilica of St. John, where the evangelist is thought to have spent his final years in the Ephesus region and was buried on the southern slope of Ayosolug Hill. Your guide handles the route and the timing; you move at the pace that lets you actually see what you're standing in front of.

The whole day runs 12 hours from pickup to drop-off. Because the tour is private—not a shared group—your guide adjusts the stops and the time spent at each one. Hotel pickup and drop-off in Istanbul are included, as is the domestic flight and private transport in Izmir. You'll need a valid passport for the flight, and moderate physical fitness helps with the downhill walk through the ruins.

What’s included

Domestic flight tickets from Istanbul to Izmir.
hotel pickup and drop-off in Istanbul.
private vehicle transport in Izmir.
professional guide in English, Spanish or Japanese.
access to the Ephesus ruins, Temple of Artemis and House of the Virgin Mary.

Good to know

Moderate physical level

Operated by City of Sultans

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to see both the archaeological ruins of Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary in a single day without coordinating flights, transport or a shared group schedule—the private guide and vehicle let you move at your own pace through the sites.