Ephesus was one of the largest and most important cities of the Roman world, a port, a religious centre, an Ionian trading hub, and one of the cities of the apostle Paul. Today it is the most-walked archaeological site in Türkiye, a UNESCO-listed open-air museum twenty kilometres inland from the Kuşadası cruise port.
The standard guided route runs downhill from the Upper Gate to the Lower Gate. You enter through the Magnesia Gate, pass the Odeon and the State Agora, descend through the Hercules Gate onto Curetes Street, and pass the Trajan Fountain, the Temple of Hadrian, and the entrance to the Terrace Houses. The Curetes Street ends in the postcard view of the Library of Celsus, the most photographed Roman façade in the country. From there the Marble Street leads to the Great Theatre, which once seated twenty-five thousand spectators, and the Harbour Street ends at the Lower Gate where your private vehicle is waiting.
The walk is roughly 1.5 kilometres on uneven marble. The grade is gentle but the descent is real; comfortable shoes are essential. Allow two to three hours at a relaxed pace, more if you add the Terrace Houses.
