Ephesus Terrace Houses Tour

I chose this tour to avoid the mandatory rug demonstration that many tours list. I booked a previous tour that did not list a rug demonstration but during the confirmation, they said they would take us to one anyone even though I did not want to. They said they were subsidized by the government so we did not have a choice. This was a private tour too so I cancelled and booked this tour. Our guide, Eda, was great with the private tour. Very informative and took into consideration the heat for our party as my husband was wilting in the heat. Enjoyed all the details of Ephesus and Terrace Houses. So cool to still see all the little details she pointed out. The 18 minute video was amazing to reflect how Ephesus was initially and visually stunning. We did go to a tile demonstration which we did buy some pieces. The leather demo was just ok as the fashion show was a bit weird and awkward but they were all very nice. The actual tour of what was listed was great overall.

Let's start with the positives of this tour... 1. It was easy to find the company at the cruise ship terminal 2. The van was comfortable and had good air conditioning. I signed up for the public tour which included the option of adding the Terrace Houses which I did for an extra fee since so many people told me this was the highlight of the tour for them. I also chose this tour because it was the shortest one which included a guided tour of Ephesus as well as visiting the Terrace Houses without adding on Mary's House or something I didn't want to do like shopping or lunch. I was a cruise excursion and short on time so I wanted to get the best use of my time. I was the only one on the tour to pay for the Terrace Houses which was surprising and the guide asked me aside if I really wanted to go to the Terrace Houses (paid advance already to see it!) especially since no one else wanted to go. It caught me off guard and was kind of a weasley thing to do. It seemed like there were 2 or 3 different tours going on at the same time and that they do this to not have to have different vans or guides. I said yes I still want to see it. Guide gave a tour of Ephesus but that's it. Not the library, not the Terrace Houses, and not the Temple of Apollo. She said her approach was just for her not to bore us and that we can just ask her questions. What was the point of booking a guided tour then??? This is where it really went downhill. She dropped me off at the Terrace Houses not giving me ANY background on what I would be seeing. There was zero tour of it from her or anyone and I was given extremely limited time because the group would be waiting for me (despite the itinerary on Viator clearly saying I get 30 minutes for it). I basically brisked through this section because I was so afraid of her leaving me behind. When I then saw her and the group, she gave me a few minutes to look around the library. Again, no guided tour and given just a few minutes. After that, the rest of the time was spent for people to go to the bathroom (for a long time) and go shopping next to the bathroom.... Based off the itinerary you would think then we would get dropped off at the port, but we went to some carpet store where we spent a lot of time in. NO MENTION OF SOME CARPET STORE ON VIATOR!! This man gave some demonstration of Turkish rugs (I have zero interest in this and I had I known this was going to be on the itinerary, I wouldn't have booked this company), and then the salesmen aggressively pull tourists aside to try to convince you to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on their rugs. It was like a timeshare presentation but with Turkish men and carpet who kept pushing you after you said no. I saw in this other tour groups do this. It was clear this tour group has some deal going on with this store. I figure if there's a group of 10 where 1 person buys, they make $$$. Me and other people in my group kept waiting and waiting and waiting to leave but had to wait awhile since some couple showed interest in buying. Eventually we were able to tell our guide that we needed to go as she stalled saying something that the driver wasn't there yet but then somehow the driver appeared.... AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL!!! This was the only day I have ever spent in Turkey and it just left me with a bad taste.

Very interesting visit, the site is really well restored. The guide JONCA was excellent, the pickup was easy right at the port exit, a small group of 8 made the visit easier, the van was clean, and the driver drove well. You absolutely must take the tour of the terraced houses, which are the highlight of the visit.

We had a fantastic tour of Ephesus and visited the Temple of Artemis with Dilek. She was incredibly knowledgeable and shared many fascinating facts and stories that brought the ancient sites to life. Dilek was friendly, fun, and engaging throughout the day, making the experience both informative and enjoyable. She also looked after our group exceptionally well, ensuring everyone was comfortable and included. Her passion for the history and culture really shone through. We would highly recommend Dilek to anyone visiting Ephesus. Ask about the Baklava!

Mediha was a great guide. Super impressed by Ephesus archeological site. A must see. The most extensive site I have visited.