Cool archaeological museum. Decent interpretive content. Admission covered by Museum Turkey pass…read more Not a huge collection but some neat stuff to see, highlighted by Artemis statue. Definitely worth checking out.

Amazing and a must see museum when visiting Selçuk. The layout is perfect, great details and…read morewritten guidance n English (and Turkish). So incredible to think just how old these artifacts are from Ephesus! Cost in October 2023 was 220t. Definitely worth it. We had a nice quiet day. No other guests so we could wander at our leisure.

Such a historic site with the marble slab walkways and ancient ruins still standing. Close your…read moreeyes and you can imagine this beautiful place filled with the hustle and bustle of people walking down the streets. Ephesus is considered one of the greatest cities of the Western world and one of the 7 churches mentioned in the Holy Bible, thus an important part of Christian history. Highlights include the Theater carved into a hill, the Temple of Hadrian, The Gates of Hercules, The house of Mary and the impressive Library of Celsus. Our private guide walked us downhill which was a more impressive route than walking uphill like others were doing. The walkways can be slick in wet conditions, so take a walking stick to help. I don't think a trip to Turkey can be considered complete unless you come here to witness this amazing city formed back in 1000bc.

Ephesus is a historic landmark in Turkiye, founded around 600 BCE. Originally an ancient Greek…read morecity, it became under Roman rule in 129 BCE. Ephesus remained the most important city of the Byzantine Empire in Asia after Constantinople in the 5th and 6th centuries. Ephesus commanded the west end of a trade route to Asia so it was an important port city in its heyday. It boasted a Temple to Artemis, a Temple to Hadrian, a Library of Celsus, the massive Oedon Theatre, the last known home of the Virgin Mary, and some of the earliest Christian churches. Mark Antony was welcomed by Ephesus when he was proconsul and in 33 BC with Cleopatra when he gathered his fleet of 800 ships before the battle of Actium with Octavius. Ephesus is an ancient city with much historical significance. When we visited with our tour group, we were given a quick overview, entered the state-of-the-art museum, and explored the grounds. The site is massive. The ancient ruins are in fairly good condition considering and it is still an active archeological site. When you visit, marvel at the expansive stone lined streets of the agora, peer up at the arches, and wonder at how far humankind has come over the centuries.

Ephesus was the 4th largest city of the ancient Greco-Roman World with a population over 25,000+…read more The center piece of the city was the Library of Celsus which in 135 AD held 12,000-16,000 manuscripts and papyrus scrolls. These were kept mainly in niche openings in the double walled library. It was the third largest library at the time after The Library of Alexandria in Egypt (500,000 manuscripts and scrolls) and the Library of Pergamum. The library began construction by Gaius Aquila for his father Gaius Julius Celsus Polemaenus, who lies in a white marble sarcophagus under the library. The Library of Celsus was completed by the Roman Emperor Hadrian in 135 AD. As an archaeological site, Ephesus is spectacular featuring many Roman ruins including an amphitheater which held 25,000 people. The entrance fee is 40 Euros at the gate. You can also book individual or group tours in Selcuk, as well.

The valley is full of the archaeological remains of the historic city of Ephesus. Of all the…read morefascinating ruins, the restored facade of the Library of Celsus is arguably the most awe inspiring. Rising 2 stories high, the imposing columns and stately statues make it a tourist favorite and photo magnet. A beautifully ornate side wall of the neighboring building also survived to the present day. It had a couple of arches leading out to a forest of crumbling columns. We were able to walk up the marble steps of the library. The steps were worn down into deep concave depressions by the sandaled feet of long-gone people. But be careful, they're slippery. My dad was clowning around and playing Samson between two columns, when his feet slipped out from under him. He went bump, bump, bump down the steps. He wasn't really hurt, but he was sore, got a bruised tailbone and suffered a little embarrassment. Ephesus is like an outdoor museum where you can actually touch and walk among all the priceless artifacts of the ancient world. If you are limited with time, the library is a definite must see.

Neat ruin site. Admission covered by museum Turkey pass. Not a ton of interpretive content on…read moresite so read background before visiting. Parking near site available. Not a destination but a nice stop if in Ephesus.

Another great place! So cool to visit where John, the beloved, was laid to rest. It's known he…read morereturned to Ephesus, after being exiled on Patmos, and that was where he passed away. So this is where his tomb is and in the 6th century, this large basilica was built over his tomb. However, earthquakes and the encroachment of the Turks resulted in the church being abandoned and relics lost. The original design of the church was laid out like a cross. Most of it is gone today, but you can still kind of see how it was set up. They have a replica of the grounds for Ephesus and the basilica so you can have an idea of what things looked like and how far apart they were. The renderings of the buildings are pretty cool. Such amazing history here!

Our tour group stopped here for Lunch after our visit to nearby Ephesus. The buffet lunch on one of…read moretheir Terraces was fabulous, with a nice selection of delicious food, great service, and cool comfortable seating. But there's more! Aqua Fantasy is a huge holiday resort, including multiple pools, water park related stuff, a large ocean beach, lots of hotel rooms, and associated spa, dining, and entertainment services. This would seem like a perfect family holiday and would make a cool HQ to settle in or explore the surrounding sights.

This 5 star holiday resort was the best value family holiday I have had to date…read more All inclusive meals and drinks, entertainment, kids club, beach, 7+ swimming pools, spa / beauty centre and access to the Aquapark. Other options were A la carte restaurants & treatments at the Spa that were extra but not unreasonable. The rooms were cleaned everyday with new sheets and towels provided also.

What a super cool Beach bar-den! I loved everything about this location. From the colorful decor…read moreto the awkwardly friendly staff. Walk down a lush long shaded path surrounded by the tropical colors of yellow and pink and green foliage protecting you from the sun through the cabana area down past the center bar to the small, yet clean beach. Enjoy a dip in the ocean from the floating platform. The walk down to this bar-den is challenging, but not too bad. If you have a car or traffic great. But a hard walk in heels are the road is pretty steep. There was no charge to use the beach chairs. I am unsure about charges for the use of the gorgeous cabanas or plush pillows. Drinks were about 5 to 15 euros. There appeared to be food options available. I did not partake. Have fun. I'd definitely go again.

We visited Turkey in June with a friend and I fell in love with the country! The Ephesus Tour…read moreCompany team was great, super friendly and helpful and organized our itinerary based on my preferences and the result was an unforgettable trip! We first visited the beautiful Archeological site in the Ephesus area (which is the day tour I'm rating in here). Kusadasi is such a vibrant and colorful city and I wish I had more time to explore the small roads filled with little shops and stairs painted in different colors everywhere, but I'll be back for sure! The visit to the ruins was also magnificent, the guide was very helpful and knowleagable and give us the time to explore and take tons of pictures. We were very lucky with the weather as it was a sunny beautiful day but it can get very hot in June so don't forget a hat or an umbrella and bring plenty of water. Outside the attraction, there are a few bars and stands where you can buy souvenirs and I recommend you sit down in there and try the Turkish tea! I also recommend a visit to the Virgin mary's House. I'm not a religious person, but the place has a very special aura: the small church, the wall full of piece of paper with prayers, the candles.. they all gave such a serene vibe. Even more so if you are religious of course. The view from our Hotel balcony was spectacular, sunset over the sea, basically my idea of perfection! Ephesus tour company also organized the rest of our tour in Turkey and everything went smooth. From Kusadasi we went for a day trip to Pamukkale, the incredible natural pools and I asked if I could organized a very early trip (we woke up at 3 to be there very early in the morning before all the tourists arrived) and it was one of the best decisions of my life. The site was almost empty and I took beautiful pictures and footage with my GoPro, enjoying the surreal peace and the incredible turquoise (and very warm) waters of the pool. If you go to Turkey you can't miss this place but go there early in the morning, it's much better! Next stop: 2 incredible days in Cappadocia where I went for my first ride on a hot air Balloon! Again, I had to wake up at 4 but, oh my... the sunrise from the balloon was something out of this world! We also stayed in a super cool cave hotel and I recommend you take a walk to the sunset point, which is easily reachable (10 minutes walk). If you are into photography, make sure to bring your equipment with you at all times in Turkey! For the sunset in Cappadocia, I forgot my tripod and I'll regret it for the rest of my life. It looked like we were living in a fairy tale world! Last stop Istanbul, loved the Bosphorus cruise and the walk to the Gran Bazaar, too bad we only have 2 days left as Istanbul deserves at least 1 week of exploring. All in all I was amazed by how well the trip was organized, our guides were super friendly and explained to us the most interesting facts and replying to our questions. I'm still in contact with one of the guys at EphesusTourCompany and I can't recommend them enough! They welcomed us like we were part of the family and even helped me out when my memory card broke, borrowing me one of theirs so I didn't lose any precious moment of this fantastic trip. I would have loved to give them 6 stars If I could! :) Simply perfect!

We booked our ephesus shore excursion with ada vegas travel. There were 12 of us on a private tour…read moreof ephesus. I arranged everything online and reconfirmed 3 months before our cruise departed. We were greeted exactly like promised in a private A/C late model van. Our Tour guide Mr Metin was a fantastic guide, he is very easy to talk to. We visited St john's basilica, terrace house and Ephesus ruins We had a delicious Turkish lunch in a art tribal Center then return ride back to cruise port. We loved our Tour and We Will book with them again! The Best tour company in Turkey! Highly recommended

Our guide insisted Ephesus would be the highlight of our trip, and truly, it's quite the impressive…read morebeauty spot. Since the history of Ephesus may be read anywhere, I'll concentrate more on personal experience. It gets pretty crowded, especially with everyone wanting to see the communal toilets and the Celsus Library (someone carved "Metallica" into one of the library's columns). Seriously, way more people were shoving to see the commode than anything else. Back in the day a stream used to run beneath them, but more than that with how the holes are all positioned beside one another with no privacy, it's believed the public toilets were a place where people socialized while doing their business. At Ephesus, there are cats EVERYWHERE, and they don't mind all the attention from the tourists. They just nap all over the ruins, and strut about on the mosaic floors roped off from anyone else walking on them. Occasionally you'll find a pile of kibble left on a column stump with some kitties munching at it happily. Not far from the Celsus Library is a re-enactment of sorts, which our guide insisted was just for tourists. From what I gathered it was pretty much an exhibition of gladiatorial fighting for a couple who were meant to be Julius Caesar and Cleopatra whilst music from "Ben Hur" and the theme song for the Olympics was played. While this was pretty cheesy, Spartacus, himself, was from Thrace, which encompassed part of Turkey. After that our guide pointed to a building in the hills saying it was where St. Paul had been imprisoned. Getting to walk in the ruins was pretty wonderful, and with all the tourists it gives the appearance that the city is full of life again.

My friend and I took the train from Izmir to Selcuk ( about an hour and 45 minutes) for about 4.75…read moreTL ( that's $2.40 for about 80km!). In the morning, there are seats galore, so do not worry about not having space ( on the way back though, be prepared to stand up). You pay 25 TL to enter the site. At first I was jealous of all the other foreigners who had tour guides. But really, you can do this yourself if you remember to read up on the site before hand and ask locals down in Selcuk what to do ( we had an amazingly hospitable and kind hearted travel agency person lend us a tour book and give us pointers, no money asked. Even added in tea. Now that's priceless, memorable Turkish care and hospitality). Enter always from the top entrance, and try to come before the sun comes up ( this way you walk downhill, rather than uphill). It gets very hot ( this was in July). And stock up on water before coming here, because water is very hard to find once you're inside ( we essentially took some water from the Austrian archeological water tank, which was actually an old ceramic water jug millenia ago. Kinda cool. Even cooler is how the archeaologists left their books and tools under temporary tarps, so this is legit a current excavation). Wear a hat, long sleeves so you don't roast alive, come with extra batteries, bananas or some other power food, and good walking shoes. WALKING SHOES ( and sunblock). These archeological sites will take a greater portion of your day, so be ready for it. Read the signs up in the top entrance if you want a background, but don't waste your time there. There are greater things to see as you walk down. Don't get fooled by the mini amphitheater you immediately see and think "YES! Photo Session!" It is indeed a great photo spot, but the bigger coliseum comes after Celsus Library. When you walk past the ancient marina, walk on the beaten path to the ruins of the Church of Mary,where the 3rd ecumenical council met. There are a lot of other ruins around this area, but remember, it is a far walk off the normal path. These ruins are in ruin, but the amount of history in this spot alone is mind boggling ( as is with the entire area, of course). After you leave the Celsus Library area and walk toward the large ampitheter/colisuem, don't jog past the short building to the right. Inside the gated off building are artifacts that were once housed in museums ( but I think are being temporarily stored in the current location because of restoration? Funnily enough, it is in an area fenced off for "the visually impaired" but no one can get to it really). For example you will see the Lady of Ephesus, and other artifacts commonly seen in history textbooks. When you exit from the lower entrance/exit, you will see lots of cafes. Of course, its over priced, but this is the last time you'll see food for a bit if you're not in a tour group. Definitely replenish yourself, and then walk out through the parking lot to the lone tree, which serves as a minibus stop. It will take you in the general direction of the Temple of Artemis. If you are in the Aegean Sea region or in neighboring provinces, you must come to Ephesus.It is not hard to get to at all. This will change your life, and your perception of ancient history. I guess it's fitting that Ephesus is visited by a huge variety of tourists. Hearing Russian, Turkish, English, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin all in the walkway going towards the Celsus Library on Curetes Street is one of the audible memories that transported me to what Ephesus must have been like during its heyday. It is a memory that I will never forget.