Ephesus Day Trip from Istanbul
About this activity
Highlights
- Explore the ancient city of Ephesus
- Visit the Temple of Artemis ruins
- See the Library of Celsus
- Discover the Great Theatre
- Enjoy a traditional Turkish lunch
Full description
Included / Excluded
- Round-trip flight from Istanbul to Ephesus
- Guided tour of Ephesus archaeological site
- Lunch at a local restaurant
- Personal expenses and gratuities
Itinerary
Upon early pick up from your hotel drive to Istanbul Airport for your 1 hour 30 min domestic flight to Izmir.
Upon arrival, you will be greeted by your driver who will drive you to Selcuk where you will join the other group participants and start your full-day tour.
Located 6km to the north of the ruins of Ephesus, a church was built from the 6C AD to the top of the foundations of a house from 1C AD and it is declared by the church to be the final house where Mary spent her last days. Also it is believed that the Assumption took place there in the 15th of August.
An Archeological treasure, The best-preserved classical city in Eastern Mediterranean. During the 1C AD Ephesus was the second-largest city on the planet after Rome with more than 250.000 citizens. It was in the center of the known world and played the role of a gateway between the East and the West. With its giant horbour it was also the center of trading in antiquity. It was not only a rich commercial city but also an impressive city that even Mark Anthony and Cleopatra spent their honeymoon in Ephesus. It is also home to one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, Temple of Artemis. Ephesus is also well preserved that, walking on the ancient streets among the beautiful monuments such as the third largest library of the ancient world or the largest roman theatre on Asia continent, gives you the feeling of a time traveler
Lunch. (Traditional lunch will be at handicraft carpet demonstration village where you can also choose to experience how Turkish rugs made by local masters.)
was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Its ancient cult dedicated to Artemis was very famous in antiquity and made Ephesus a much-visited pilgrimage place. There were totally 127 ionic columns with a height of 19m. The temple is also considered to be the earliest bank of the ancient world
Once your tour is completed you wıll be drıven back to Izmir Airport for your 1-hour 30 min domestic flight to Istanbul.
Upon arrival at Istanbul Airport, you wıll be greeted by your driver who wıll drıve you safely back to your hotel. End of our service.
Important information
Know before you book
- Tour operates on specific days; check availability before booking.
- Flights are subject to change; confirm flight times upon booking.
- Tour may be subject to weather conditions; plan accordingly.
Know before you go
- Wear comfortable walking shoes suitable for uneven terrain.
- Bring a hat and sunscreen to protect against the sun.
- Carry a refillable water bottle to stay hydrated.
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair Accessible
- Stroller Accessible
- Easy Public Transport
- Infant Seats Available
Good to know
- The tour offers INCLUDED and EXCLUDED domestic flight ticket options. Please select your preferred option during the booking process.
- Please note that we do not have an assistant service for airport transfers. The driver will drop you off at the entrance gate of İstanbul airport. Please go to the check-in desk according to the instructions the provider will share in advance. When you arrive at the destination airport, the driver will be waiting for you with a sign with your name on it.
- Baggage allowance: 15 kg checked + 8 kg hand luggage. (if the “INCLUDED flight tickets” option is selected)
- For guests who choose the EXCLUDED flight tickets option, we will inform them which flights they need to purchase.
- Entry tıckets to hıstorıcal sıtes are Excluded. The tour guide wıll have Skip-The-Line tıckets
Traveler reviews
Ephesus on a day trip from Istanbul
Ephesus is worth a visit for its historical significance. The day visit from Istanbul was well planned and seamless. The price covered round trip airfare from Istanbul to Izmir, round trip pick up from the hotel to the airport. The tour provider communicated with clear instructions and was responsive. My pickup from the hotel was early and the driver arrived on time. Our tour guide, Ogun was on time to pick us up from the airport in Izmir and the drive to Ephesus was pleasant. I enjoyed the visit to the ruins but less so the House of Mary. The later seems overrated.
Be prepared for an earlier start than that advertised!
This experience was booked on the basis that it starts at 06:00. The day before the experience (after cancellation is possible) I received a text stating that the pick up time was 04:30. This took me to the domestic terminal by 05:30 for a 7am flight. So before booking consider whether you’re ok with a much earlier time than stated. We were met at Izmir and had a short wait while other people in the experience arrived. The 50 minute drive to Ephesus was uneventful. There are obviously a lot of things outside the control of the operator; queues and crowd sizes. The itinerary was followed; the ‘house’ of the Virgin Mary (long queue) the main Ephesus site (no queue, but some areas were very busy) the temple of Artemis, lunch, carpet making demonstration. Return to airport at 16:30 for 17:55 return flight. Upon return to Istanbul - delay with taxi back. So, overall as described. A tiring day, mostly due to the lack of notice as to how early the start would be.
Ephesus
Amazing experience with Funda. She was very knowledgeable and helped us go back in time and see life in Ephesus.
To see Ephesus is amazing...
To see Ephesus is amazing as the site is pretty well preserved and they are working to restore more. This tour requires very early pickup in Istanbul. It is very well organized and we had a guide for just the two of us. Her name was Isik and she was very good. The amount of time we spent at the ruins was about 2 hours or maybe a bit longer. That is the highlight of the trip. There are other filler stops such as the Virgin Mary shrine and a local carpet store. It is along day for the amount of time at Ephesus. If you have time constraints then this is good trip to get you to Ephesus and back. I rated this 4/5 mostly because of the ratio of time at Ephesus vs the duration of the tour.
All aspects of a...
All aspects of a complicated day went seamlessly. Our guide was lively and well-informed and we had a fun day.