Private Ephesus, Temple of Artemis & Basilica of St. John Tour
Ephesus · Temple of Artemis · St John Basilica
- Approx. 4 hours
- Private · sized to your party
- Starbucks at Kuşadası cruise plaza
From$99/ person
View tourCruise excursion
Private Ephesus, Virgin Mary, Artemis & Basilica of St. John Tour
Every major site of the Ephesus region in one five-hour circuit: the ancient city, the House of the Virgin Mary, the Temple of Artemis and the Basilica of St. John, with a traditional Turkish lunch included.
- Approx. 5 hours, lunch included
- Starbucks at Kuşadası cruise plaza
No upfront paymentPay in cash or by card at the end of your tour.Risk-free booking · TÜRSAB #2290
TÜRSAB #2290Pay after your tourTripadvisor 4.7Google 4.9Guaranteed return to shipQR-coded skip-the-line tickets
Why cruise guests choose us
Why Cruise Guests Recommend Us
We are not the cheapest Ephesus tour, we are the calmest and most reliable one. Everything below is standard on every private tour, never an upsell.
- Pay after the tourNo deposit, no prepayment. You settle up at the end, in cash or by card.
- Private tour onlyYour party only, from two guests to a group of 44. We do not match parties, so the only people with you are the ones you arrived with.
- No compulsory shoppingNo carpet or jewellery stops. Your hours ashore stay at Ephesus.
- Licensed local guidesMinistry-licensed guides who live here, not a script read from a card.
- Easy port meeting pointMeet at the Starbucks in the port plaza, a two-minute walk from the gangway.
- Return-to-ship priorityThe day is timed to your ship, with a comfortable buffer before all aboard.
The short answer
This 5-hour private shore excursion from Kusadasi Cruise Port covers all four major sites of the Ephesus region: Ephesus Ancient City, the House of the Virgin Mary, the Temple of Artemis and the Basilica of St. John, with a traditional Turkish lunch included. USD 124 to 174 per person by group size with entrance fees in the rate (2027), no pre-payment, on-time return guaranteed.
Overview
About this tour
Four sites that together tell fifteen centuries of history, visited in the order that makes the story flow: the ancient city itself, the stone house on Mount Koressos where the Virgin Mary is believed to have lived her final years, the field where a wonder of the world once stood, and the basilica Justinian built over the tomb of St. John. Seen separately, these are stops; seen in sequence with a good guide, they are one story. The private format is what makes the fuller day comfortable rather than tiring: Ephesus is walked downhill from the upper gate, the Virgin Mary visit is timed for quiet, a traditional Turkish lunch breaks the day, and your separate driver always has the vehicle at the right gate with the air conditioning running.
Who this tour is for
First-time visitors who want to leave nothing important behind, and guests whose port call gives them five to six hours to use well. It is the natural choice for travelers interested in both the classical and the Christian layers of Ephesus, and because the guide, vehicle and timing are private, it works equally for a couple, a multi-generation family, or a church group filling a minibus.
Itinerary
Step by step
Times depend on your ship's arrival or your preferred start. Tell us in the booking form and we time everything around it.
- 01
Meet at Starbucks, Kuşadası port plaza
Your guide waits with a small named sign, at the time you choose.
- 02
Ephesus Ancient City, walked downhill
About two hours in the ancient city, entered through the upper gate so the walking runs downhill.
- 03
House of the Virgin Mary
Up Mount Koressos to the hillside shrine, timed for quiet.
- 04
Traditional Turkish lunch
A relaxed meal at a family-run restaurant, included in the rate.
- 05
Temple of Artemis and Basilica of St. John
The Seven Wonders site, then the basilica on the hill above Selcuk where the views open up.
- 06
Return to Kuşadası port
A 20-25 minute drive back, arriving with a comfortable margin.
The handoff, illustrated
How we meet you
Skip the exit-gate scramble. Walk through the shopping plaza, find your guide by name at Starbucks, then step into the private vehicle waiting outside.
Look for the sign with your name
Your guide carries a small printed card with your booking name. No squinting at a wall of signs at the exit gate, no asking strangers. You spot it the moment you arrive.
Fulya Tamer, waiting on the Starbucks terrace at Kuşadası port.
The walk, illustrated
Upper Gate in, Lower Gate out
Your private vehicle drops you at the top of Ephesus Ancient City and collects you at the bottom. About 1.5 kilometres of downhill walking, no climbing back.
Guest photos
Shared with us by our guests.
Photographs our guests sent back after their tours, published with their permission. Un-staged and un-retouched: this is what the day actually looks like.
22 October 2026: the four guests from the United States off Celebrity Ascent at the Temple of Hadrian on Curetes Street, the Medusa relief over the inner door behind them. Their private Biblical day from Kuşadası cruise port, guided in English by Hakan Cebeci, who took the photo: Ephesus from the Upper Gate, the Temple of Artemis, lunch in Selçuk, the Basilica of St John and the House of the Virgin Mary. 
22 October 2026: one of four guests from the United States off Celebrity Ascent on the seats of the Great Theatre, where Acts 19 sets the riot of the silversmiths. Their private Biblical day from Kuşadası cruise port, guided in English by Hakan Cebeci, who took the photo: Ephesus from the Upper Gate, the Temple of Artemis, lunch in Selçuk, the Basilica of St John and the House of the Virgin Mary. 
20 October 2026: our guide Ebru Özkan with seven Holland America Oosterdam guests from Andorra, Ebru in the centre, at the House of the Virgin Mary on a private tour from Kuşadası cruise port guided in Spanish. 
13 August 2026: six guests off Celebrity Xcel at the facade, their private Ephesus day led by guide Hakan Cebeci. 
Look up: the carved coffers most visitors never notice. 
Lunch in a garden near the ruins on a private tour, our guide Nafia Demircan at the table. 
Looking back over the agora from the upper path. 
27 July 2026: a couple off the MSC Divina at the foot of the Celsus facade, on a private tour of their own. 
28 July 2026: a private group at the Library of Celsus, the first of four sites on their day.
Our guides
24 licensed guides, 6 languages
- English 17
- Spanish 8
- Portuguese 3
- Russian 2
- Italian 1
- French 1
- Celal CeylanSpanish · EnglishLicence no. 11794
- Cihan YaşkayaRussianLicence no. 6313
- İbrahim PancarEnglishLicence no. 12874
- Nedret GüngörSpanish · Italian · PortugueseLicence no. 8861
- Mehmet TunalıEnglish · RussianLicence no. 6489
- Hakan CebeciSpanish · EnglishLicence no. 4049
What's included
- Licensed professional tour guide exclusively for your party
- Private air-conditioned vehicle with separate professional driver
- All entrance fees, held as skip-the-line QR-coded tickets
- Traditional Turkish lunch at a family-run restaurant
- Parking fees and local taxes
- Guaranteed on-time return to your ship
Not included
- Terrace Houses entrance (can be added on the day, approx. 30 extra minutes)
- Tips for guide and driver (optional)
Price by group size
Smaller groups, lower per-person price
Every vehicle below belongs to your group alone. You are never joined by another party, and the per-person rate falls as your own group grows. These are the 2027 rates. Children under 9 free; 9 and over pay the full rate.
| Group size | Per person | Private vehicle |
|---|---|---|
| 2–4 guests | $174 | 6-seat A/C van |
| 5–8 guests | $149 | 12-seat A/C minibus |
| 9–12 guests | $136 | 16-seat A/C minibus |
| 13–20 guests | $128 | 31-seat A/C midibus |
| 21–29 guests | $124 | 35-seat A/C coach |
| 30-44 guests | Special rate on request | |
Touring on or before 31 December 2026? Your day is charged at the 2026 rate: $99 to $139 per person by group size.
Rates are per person and include every entrance fee on the route. Every site in your programme is held by your guide as a skip-the-line QR-coded ticket, bought before you arrive. No hidden costs. What skip-the-line entry actually buys at the gate.
Pay only at the end · Cash or card · No deposit required · Rates reviewed November 2026
Where your hours ashore actually go
What the extra cost actually buys is not a better guide. It is about ninety minutes.
A coach excursion and a private day visit the same ruins. The difference is what happens between the ruins.
| Coach excursion, around 44 guests | Your private day | |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting at the pier for the coach to fill | 15 min | none |
| Comfort stop on the way (there are no toilets inside Ephesus) | 15 to 20 min | about 5 min |
| Head count and regrouping before the gate | 20 min | none |
| Keeping forty walkers together inside the site | 20 to 25 min | none |
| Free time and toilets at the Lower Gate | 20 to 25 min | about 5 min |
| Time spent waiting | 90 to 105 min | about 10 min |
Add the House of the Virgin Mary or the Terrace Houses and the regrouping cycle starts again at each stop, so the gap widens rather than closes.
Two honest notes. A coach day is not all waste: some guests genuinely want the free time at the Lower Gate, and a private tour still stops for coffee and a toilet. And these are our own timings from twenty-five years at this port, not a published study.
The point is simpler than the numbers. On a coach, the waiting is not yours to spend.
Common questions
About this specific tour.
Still unsure? WhatsApp +90 532 324 2489, we usually reply within 10 minutes during port hours.
Why book direct
We are the local operator, not a booking site: your message is answered by the team that assigns your guide, and your day is confirmed the same day with no deposit. The meeting point, a named sign at Starbucks inside the port shopping plaza, is fixed, calm and easy to find even on four-ship mornings.
Yes, because of geography: everything on this route lies within a 25-minute radius. Ephesus takes about two hours; the other three sites take 20-40 minutes each including drives. A private guide also removes the waiting that eats group-tour time: no headcounts, no stragglers.
Guaranteed. We plan the day backwards from your all-aboard time with a safety margin and track your ship's schedule while you tour. This is our home port and we run these roads daily.
Chiefly the entrance fees: this itinerary includes the tickets for all four sites, all held as skip-the-line QR-coded tickets, plus the private guide, vehicle, driver, parking, taxes and a traditional Turkish lunch. Compare complete costs; cheaper quotes usually exclude every entrance fee.
No. Reservations are confirmed without a deposit and you pay at the end of the tour, in cash or by Visa/Mastercard. If your ship cannot dock, you owe nothing.
More than you might expect. The only sustained walking is Ephesus, done downhill via the upper gate; the Virgin Mary, Artemis and basilica visits are short and gentle, with the vehicle close at each site. Tell us about your party when booking and your guide will pace the day accordingly.
Of course, the itinerary is yours. Guests sometimes trade the Artemis stop for the Terrace Houses inside Ephesus, or take longer at the Virgin Mary. Decide on the day with your guide.
Yes. We are a fully TÜRSAB-licensed local operator (licence no. 2290), our guides carry official Ministry of Tourism licences, and our vehicles are commercially registered with third-party liability insurance.
Yes. Your guide carries QR-coded tickets for every site in your programme, bought before you arrive, so you walk straight through the gate while the queue is still forming.
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