Enjoy Roman Ephesus & Its Christian Heritage

Your private Ephesus tour guide will welcome you at Kusadasi Port or your hotel. Then you will meet your private driver and get into a luxurious, air-conditioned, and comfortable vehicle. After a 20-minute drive, you will arrive at the House of the Virgin Mary, located in a beautiful nature park between Ephesus and Selcuk. The House of the Virgin Mary is believed to be the last residence of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. This peaceful site is sacred to both Christians and Muslims and is visited by many tourists and pilgrims. The house was later visited by Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II, who recognized it as an important place of pilgrimage. On November 29, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass here. Next, you will visit Ancient Ephesus. Your Ephesus tour guide will have the entrance tickets ready for you, so you can skip the lines and save time. Your Ephesus tour will start at the upper gate and finish at the lower gate of Ancient Ephesus. You will enjoy an extensive tour of this incredible ancient city, where you will see the Temples of Domitian, Trajan, and Hadrian, the huge Roman Baths, Harbor Street, Marble Street, the Gates of Mithridates and Mazues, the Commercial Agora, the Latrines, the Scholastica Baths, Curetes Street, the Pollio Fountain, the Memmius Monument, the Prytaneion, the Odeon, the State Agora, the Celsus Library, and the Great Theater, one of the largest ancient theaters in Turkey. You will have a traditional Turkish lunch at a peaceful, local restaurant away from the tourist crowds near Ephesus. After lunch, you will visit the Basilica of St. John, a great church built by Emperor Justinian in the 6th century. From the hill where the basilica stands, you will enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of the Ephesus Valley. Finally, you will visit the ruins of the Temple of Artemis, also known as the Artemision, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. At the end of the tour, your private guide and driver will take you back to Kusadasi Port or Izmir Port on time..