The people who walk you through Ephesus
Our licensed Ephesus tour guides
Every private tour from Kuşadası cruise port is led by one of the guides on this page, for your party alone. Here they are by name and by language, each photographed on a real day with real guests, so you can ask for the person, not just the tour.
- 22Licensed guides
- 6Tour languages
- 1 partyPer guide, per day
Our Ephesus guides, in one paragraph
Tours of Ephesus works with 22 licensed tour guides, each holding the Ministry of Culture and Tourism professional guide licence required to guide inside Ephesus. Beyond English they guide in Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Italian and French. Every private tour from Kuşadası cruise port has one guide for your party alone.
The licence is personal and the law behind it is Turkey’s Tourist Guiding Profession Law No. 6326. Our agency is registered separately with TÜRSAB under #2290, which is the part the about page explains. This page is about the people.
- Written by
- Tours of Ephesus operations team
- Last reviewed
- September 2026
Roster and languages confirmed by the owner on 23 September 2026. Every photograph is from a tour we ran, dated where the guest who sent it told us the day.
Pick by language
Every guide, by name.
22 licensed guides, every one of them working from Kuşadası cruise port.
3 August 2026: our Spanish-speaking guide Ebru Özkan, kneeling front and centre, with her whole private tour group off MSC Divina on Curetes Street, the Library of Celsus far below. Ebru Özkan
Licensed- Spanish · Español
14 August 2026: our guide İbrahim Pancar and a Silver Nova guest at the Library of Celsus, a selfie from their private Ephesus morning. İbrahim Pancar
Licensed- English
We had a great tour of Ephesus with our private guide Ibrahim. He is local to the area and very knowledgeable. He had wonderful stories and knew the history we were interested in. Volkan was very helpful setting this tour up last minute.
28 July 2026: three generations off Celebrity Infinity meeting our guide Nedret Güngör at Kuşadası port, minutes before their private tour drove out to Ephesus. Nedret Güngör
Licensed- Spanish · Español
- Italian · Italiano
- Portuguese · Português
28 July 2026: our guide Serdar Atalan with a private group at the Library of Celsus, the centrepiece of the grand day. Serdar Atalan
Licensed- English
Our guide Serdar was very thorough in explaining the sites and the history and peoples of Turkey. He was enthusiastic and open to questions. He took us to a non-tourist restaurant and helped us to enjoy the local foods.
18 July 2026: our guide Fulya Tamer with her guests at the Yedi Bilgeler wine house, a stop a private tour can add on request. Fulya Tamer
Licensed- English
A special thanks to Mrs Fulya for being a great tour guide. Our driver was also great. G&G
16 September 2026: a Mexican group ashore from Odyssey of the Seas under the Library of Celsus, midway through a private Ephesus, Virgin Mary and Artemis tour guided in Spanish by Celal Ceylan, standing on the right in the white shirt. Celal Ceylan
Licensed- Spanish · Español
- English
Celal is the best... super kind and very fun... everything you want for a wonderful tour of Ephesus, history, gastronomy, and shopping!
13 August 2026: our guide Hakan Cebeci and his private tour group off Celebrity Xcel at the library, the guide’s own selfie from the plaza. Hakan Cebeci
Licensed- Spanish · Español
- English
Hakan was a fabulous, friendly and knowledgeable guide. We learnt so much of the history and culture that we would otherwise not be aware of. The car was spotless and the driver excellent. Highly recommend!
Lunch in a garden near the ruins on a private tour, our guide Nafia Demircan at the table. Nafia Demircan
Licensed- English
Our guide Nafia Demircan was perfect, on time, well-educated and informed, loves her profession, very engaging, informative and personable.
21 September 2026: guests ashore from the Ritz-Carlton Evrima at the Library of Celsus with their guide Mehmet Tunalı, who works in English and Russian, on a private Ephesus and Temple of Artemis tour from Kuşadası cruise port guided in English. Mehmet Tunalı
Licensed- English
- Russian · Русский
9 September 2026: seven Celebrity Xcel guests on a private tour with our guide Zafer Korkmaz on the Celsus plaza, before the short drive to the Artemis site. Zafer Korkmaz
Licensed- English
Taken by Gökhan9 September 2026: four Celebrity Xcel guests at the Library of Celsus on a private tour, photographed by their guide Gökhan Günaydın. Gökhan Günaydın
Licensed- English
5 September 2026: an Enchanted Princess family on a private tour with our guide Ferah Pekdemir at the Library of Celsus, the two youngest riding the stroller. Ferah Pekdemir
Licensed- Spanish · Español
21 September 2026: eleven guests off MSC Divina on the tiers of the Odeon, the small council theatre at the top of Ephesus, on a private Ephesus, Virgin Mary and Artemis tour from Kuşadası cruise port guided in Russian by Cihan Yaşkaya, seated in front. Cihan Yaşkaya
Licensed- Russian · Русский
Our guide Ceyda Baydur and her private tour guest at the library, a selfie from the plaza with the Gate of Augustus behind. Ceyda Baydur
Licensed- English
Our guide Selçuk Uras reading the colonnaded street with his guest, column by column, on a private tour. Selçuk Uras
Licensed- English
13 September 2026: a French-speaking group off Celebrity Infinity on a private tour at the Library of Celsus with our guide Eli Halegua, before the short drive out to the Temple of Artemis. Eli Halegua
Licensed- French · Français
20 August 2026: our guide Cem Yumuk and four Sun Princess guests at the Library of Celsus, on a fully private Ephesus day from Kuşadası port. Cem Yumuk
Licensed- English
Taken by Orkun1 August 2026: a family of four off Norwegian Viva on a private tour at the library, before the run out to the Temple of Artemis. Their guide Orkun Kamit took the photograph. Orkun Kamit
Licensed- Spanish · Español
July 2026: our guide Gökhan Özden with his whole private tour group back at the harbour, the dove sculpture and their ships behind. Gökhan Özden
Licensed- Spanish · Español
- Portuguese · Português
27 July 2026: our guide Ebru Ergün Tek with her private tour group off MSC Divina where Curetes Street ends and the library comes into full view. Ebru Ergün Tek
Licensed- English
Cihan Ünlü, our licensed guide for private Ephesus tours in Spanish and Portuguese from Kuşadası cruise port, with his guide badge on its lanyard. Cihan Ünlü
Licensed- Spanish · Español
- Portuguese · Português
Named in 3 guest reviews
No tour photograph of Ozan yet
Ozan Sayın
Licensed- English
Ozan Sayin was a fabulous guide, his wealth of knowledge and willingness to adapt to his group was amazing. He was friendly and lead the tour on our pace and as we needed. He’s been the best guide of our 2 week trip around Italy/Greece.
Two licences, not one
What a licensed Ephesus guide actually holds.
| Who | What they hold | Issued under | How you can check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your guide | A personal professional tourist guide licence from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism | Tourist Guiding Profession Law No. 6326 | Worn as a badge and checked at the site; required to guide inside Ephesus |
| Our agency | Registration of Tayf Tours DMC as a travel agency, number 2290 | TÜRSAB, the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies | Listed in the public TÜRSAB registry, verifiable from our footer badge |
The law is published in full on the official legislation portal, guides are organised nationally through TUREB, and agencies through TÜRSAB. The site itself, listed as a World Heritage property by UNESCO, is run by the Ministry, which is why the licence is checked at its gates.
What your guide does all day
A private Ephesus guide works to your ship’s clock.
Step 1
At the pier before you are
Your guide meets you at Kuşadası cruise port with your name on a sign, a two-minute walk from the gangway. The vehicle and driver are already there, and they stay with your party all day.
Step 2
Planned backwards from all-aboard
The programme starts from your ship’s all-aboard time and works back. Ephesus is 20 to 25 minutes from the berth, and your guide times the gate to have you through it before the main coach wave.
Step 3
Tickets already in hand
Every entrance on your route is bought before you dock. Your guide carries the QR codes, so nobody in your party stands at a ticket window.
Step 4
Paid a salary, not commission
Our guides are salaried by the month, not paid per tour and not paid on what you buy. There is no shopping stop on the route unless you ask for one.
How we watch your ship on the morning itself is written up in how we track your cruise ship, what the pre-bought ticket does and does not buy is on skip the line at Ephesus, and the hour-by-hour shape of 3, 5 and 7 hours ashore is in the Kuşadası port day itinerary.
16 September 2026, the road from the port
The tour starts before the ruins. It starts in the van, in your language.
Booking a guide in your language
Spanish, Russian, Portuguese: ask when you book.
- Private Ephesus tours in Spanish8 guides
- Ebru Özkan, Nedret Güngör, Celal Ceylan, Hakan Cebeci, Ferah Pekdemir, Orkun Kamit, Gökhan Özden and Cihan Ünlü.
- Private Ephesus tours in Portuguese3 guides
- Nedret Güngör, Gökhan Özden and Cihan Ünlü.
- Private Ephesus tours in Russian2 guides
- Mehmet Tunalı and Cihan Yaşkaya.
- Private Ephesus tours in Italian1 guide
- Nedret Güngör.
- Private Ephesus tours in French1 guide
- Eli Halegua.
With a guide or without
What a private guide changes at Ephesus.
| With a private guide | On your own | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting in | Tickets bought before you dock, QR codes in your guide’s hand | Ticket window on the day, in the cruise-morning queue |
| The route | Upper Gate to Lower Gate, 1.5 km downhill, vehicle waiting at the bottom | Usually in and out of one gate, walking back uphill |
| What you read | The city explained stone by stone, in your language | The information boards at the main monuments |
| The clock | Planned backwards from all-aboard by someone who does it daily | Your own watch and the taxi rank |
| Group | Your party only | Your party, among everyone else |
If you are weighing the ship’s own excursion rather than going alone, that comparison is its own article: cruise ship excursion or private Ephesus tour. What the whole day costs, fees included, is in the Ephesus tour cost guide.
Asked about our guides
Ephesus tour guides, answered straight.
No, Ephesus can be visited without one and the site is well signed at its main monuments. A licensed guide changes what you understand rather than whether you get in: the city is 1.5 km of streets, houses and public buildings whose meaning is not written on them. On a cruise day a private guide also handles the tickets, the route from the Upper Gate to the Lower Gate, and the timing back to your ship.
Yes. All 22 guides on this page hold a personal professional tourist guide licence from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, issued under the Tourist Guiding Profession Law No. 6326. That licence is required to guide inside Ephesus. It is separate from our agency registration with TÜRSAB, number 2290.
Yes. Our guides for private Ephesus tours in Spanish are Ebru Özkan, Nedret Güngör, Celal Ceylan, Hakan Cebeci, Ferah Pekdemir, Orkun Kamit, Gökhan Özden and Cihan Ünlü. Ask for Spanish in your first message, because on mornings when several ships dock at once these guides are booked first.
Yes. Mehmet Tunalı and Cihan Yaşkaya guide private Ephesus tours in Russian from Kuşadası cruise port. Cihan Yaşkaya guided a group of eleven MSC Divina guests in Russian on 21 September 2026, photographed on this page at the Odeon.
Yes. In Portuguese: Nedret Güngör, Gökhan Özden and Cihan Ünlü. In Italian: Nedret Güngör. In French: Eli Halegua. These are the languages with the fewest guides, so they are the ones to request earliest.
You can ask for a guide by name when you book. Each guide takes one party per day, so it comes down to whether they are free on your date, and we tell you who is guiding you when we confirm it.
Yes. The guide assigned to your party meets you at Kuşadası cruise port, stays with you through every stop, and brings you back to the ship. Nobody else joins, and the guide is not shared with another group that day.
Our guides are salaried by the month. They are not paid per tour and not paid commission on anything you buy, which is why there is no shopping stop on the route unless you ask for one.
We confirm the guide when we confirm your date, and your e-ticket carries the meeting point and the all-aboard time the day is planned back from. If you asked for a language, the confirmation tells you which guide is covering it.
TÜRSAB registers travel agencies; it does not license guides. A guide holds a personal licence from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism under Law No. 6326. A listing that says "TÜRSAB-licensed guide" is mixing the two. Ours is a TÜRSAB-registered agency, number 2290, working with Ministry-licensed guides.
Questions about booking, payment and the tours themselves are on the main FAQ.
Written by the Tours of Ephesus operations team. The roster, the languages and the licences were confirmed by the owner on 23 September 2026; every photograph comes from a tour we ran. No text on this page is taken from another operator or from a general travel source.
Top tours our guides lead
Top private Ephesus tours, one guide each.
Shortest tourPrivate Ephesus Ancient City Tour
Ephesus
- Approx. 3 hours
- Private · sized to your party
- Starbucks at Kuşadası cruise plaza
Most requestedPrivate Ephesus Tour with House of the Virgin Mary & Temple of Artemis
Ephesus · Virgin Mary · Temple of Artemis
- Approx. 4 hours
- Private · sized to your party
- Starbucks at Kuşadası cruise plaza
Private Ephesus & Temple of Artemis Tour
Ephesus · Temple of Artemis
- Approx. 3.5 hours
- Private · sized to your party
- Starbucks at Kuşadası cruise plaza
One guide · one party · TÜRSAB #2290
Tell us your ship. We will tell you who is guiding you.
Send your date, your ship and the language you would like. When we confirm, the guide is assigned to your party and to nobody else, and you pay at the end of the tour, never before.