Best Ancient Ruins Shore Excursions in Turkey — Our Top 15

1.Ephesus Ruins, Mary’s House Tour incl ENTRY TICKETS

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,670 reviews · 4 to 5 hours (approx.) · from $59Our pick

Visit Ephesus with a licensed guide, then see Mary's House and the Temple of Artemis from Kusadasi. Private tours can adjust the pace and route, while shared groups may include up to 20 cruise passengers. Lunch and shopping stops are optional in principle, but confirm the plan before departure.

“Excellent guide. She was full of very good information. She showed us many great places on the trip and great tips for traveling.”

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2.Private Shore Excursion: Ephesus,Temple of Artemis,St. Mary House

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 61 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $224

You’ll explore Ephesus with a private English-speaking guide, then visit Mary’s House and the Temple of Artemis before a Turkish lunch. Guides including Tugba, Mahmet, Ayse, and Ilgin have earned strong praise for clear storytelling, flexible pacing, and smooth port returns.

“Tour was packed with interesting sights from start to finish. Much better than visiting sights on your own. Guide was very pleasant and knowledgeable. Once in a lifetime opportunity.”

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3.Ephesus Ancient City Highlight Tour For Cruisers

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 35 reviews · 4 - 4.5 hours · from $22

Meet your guide at Kusadasi Cruise Port and visit Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary, Saint John’s Basilica, and the Temple of Artemis. Guides including Kaya, Memo, Tijen Oral, and Esen tailor the pace, explain the ruins clearly, and may add local shopping stops.

“This private Ephesus tour delivered everything promised and more. Our guide, Kaya, met us at the port and immediately made us feel like honored guests rather than tourists. The visit to the House of the Virgin Mary was peaceful and deeply moving — the kind of place that stays with you. From there, we explored the ancient city of Ephesus with stops at the Celsus Library, Hadrian’s Temple, and the theater. Kaya’s insights and easy storytelling turned the ruins into a living museum. We ended at the Temple of Artemis, humbled by its place in world history. Timing was perfect, pacing was comfortable, and the hospitality exceptional. If you’re arriving…”

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4.Private Tour to Ephesus including Basilica of St John and Temple of Artemis

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 32 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $438

Travel from Kusadasi port in a private, air-conditioned vehicle with a guide to Ephesus, Mary’s House, St John’s Basilica, the Temple of Artemis, and the Ephesus Museum. Guides such as Emre and Alex are praised for strong local knowledge, though optional rug stops can bring firm sales pressure.

“Our guide Emre was phenomenal. We had our two small children with us and he took his time and was extremely patient with them. His knowledge of the history of the area was excellent. I had been to Ephesus before on other tours, but Emre was leaps and bounds better than pervious guides.”

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5.Private Ephesus Ancient City & Ephesus Museum Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 27 reviews · 4 to 6 hours (approx.) · from $29

Meet your guide at Kusadasi cruise port for a private visit to Ephesus and the Ephesus Museum. Guides such as Ozzy, Fatima, Ismail, and Necat are praised for clear history talks and flexible pacing. Add shopping, local crafts, lunch, or Mary’s House if time allows.

“Our guide, Necat, gave us a wonderful introduction to the classical ruins at Ephesus. We saw the major sites and there was no question he could not answer about this ancient Greek city. We learned a lot and hope to return soon. And to top it off he kept us cool on a really hot day (101F) - Thanks Necat!”

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6.Private Tour to Ephesus including House of Virgin Mary and Temple of Artemis

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 26 reviews · from $422

Meet your guide at Kusadasi port for a private, four-hour visit to Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary, and the Temple of Artemis. Guides such as Emre, Alex, and Tay have led well-received tours, with air-conditioned transport, flexible pacing, and time-saving route choices.

“Outstanding Amry was very knowledgeable and friendly. He went extra miles to ensure that we are satisfied with the tour. He deserved to be recognized as a history professor.”

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7.Ancient Ephesus & House of Virgin Mary Tour From Ephesus Port

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 10 reviews · 3 to 5 hours (approx.) · from $10Best value

Meet your guide at Kusadasi Port, then visit the House of Virgin Mary and Ancient Ephesus in an air-conditioned vehicle. Guides have included Ty, Abrahim, Erdom, and Cmel. Expect about three to five hours, with entrance fees, shopping stops, and possible lunch arrangements needing careful confirmation.

“We had an amazing time. The driver and tour guide were fabulous! We highly recommend. They really looked after us and we will definitely be back!”

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8.Small Group EPHESUS Tour with Temple of Artemis

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · 7 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $120

Spend 7 to 8 hours exploring Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary, the Temple of Artemis, and Şirince with an English-speaking guide. Pickup, air-conditioned transport, and lunch are included. Groups are limited to 14 or 15 people, with optional Terrace Houses access for 170 ₺.

“The Celsus Library was breathtaking. It was very well maintained and out tour guide was humorous and informative. The house of the Virgin Mary and learning the history was wonderful to. Have to say we were impressed with this tour and would recommend to others.”

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9.Ephesus Ancient City with Best Guides Only For Cruise Guests

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 6 reviews · from $59

Travel from Kusadasi port with a private group, licensed guide, and air-conditioned vehicle. Walk Ephesus marble streets, see the Celsus Library and Great Theatre, visit the House of the Virgin Mary, and stop in Selcuk for lunch. Guides include Ilgu and Nazmi.

“It was amazing as Ilgu was very good explaining everything in an easy way without taking too long. This was very good because it was quite hot but she made our tour fantastic.”

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10.Izmir Shore Excursion: Private Tour to Ephesus, House of Virgin Mary and Temple of Artemis

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · from $445

You’ll travel by private car with a licensed guide from Izmir to Ephesus, then visit the House of the Virgin Mary, St. John’s Basilica, and the Temple of Artemis. Guides such as Emre, Inan, and Oscar have led especially personal tours, with time to adjust the pace and route to your group.

“We had a wonderful day! Emre was a fabulous tour guide! Thank you!”

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11.Ephesus Ruins and Mary’s House GROUP Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · 4 to 6 hours (approx.) · from $24

Meet your licensed local guide at Kusadasi cruise port, then visit Ephesus, Mary's House, and the Temple of Artemis in four to six hours. Guides such as Jon, also called Umut, and Lisa have provided flexible sightseeing, photo help, and skip-the-line ticket support.

“Our tour guide Jon(Umut) was waiting for us outside the cruise ship terminal. This was a private tour with Lunch. Our tour guide was friendly and he provided historical facts about the sites. The tour guide also provided skip the line tickets for the Ephesus and Virgin Mary house. He was kind enough to take our pictures at all the photo spots. We covered all the sites in the tour and we return back to the ship terminal with ample time to spend at the port. The tour includes carpet making education and you have a chance to buy carpet and jewelry from the shops if you wish. We enjoyed…”

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12.Private Tour FOR CRUISE GUESTS ONLY / Archaeological Ephesus Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · from $170

Meet your licensed local guide and private driver at the port or hotel for a 6 to 8 hour visit to Ephesus, Mary’s House, and the Temple of Artemis. Guide Ulas can tailor the day to your interests, with round-trip transport in a new air-conditioned vehicle.

“Çocuklarla birlikte gittik. Çok ilgilerini çekti. Çok temiz ve düzenli bir şekilde gezebildik. Mutlaka gidilmesi gereken bir yer.”

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13.Ancient Ephesus Private Tour From Kusadasi Port

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 4 to 6 hours (approx.) · from $24

From Kusadasi Port, a private guide and driver take you to the Temple of Artemis, Mary’s House, Isa Bey Mosque, and ancient Ephesus. Guide Yesra Fatma is praised for clear English, patience, and flexible planning. Lunch, port pickup, and on-time return are included.

“Our Guide was Yesra Fatma her knowledge and ability to communicate in English made the difference and found us a very local place for an amazing lunch experience.”

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14.Archaeological Ephesus Private Tour / ONLY FOR CRUISE GUESTS

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · from $57

Meet your English-speaking guide at Kusadasi port or a Selcuk or Kusadasi hotel. Hakan and a separate driver can take you through Ephesus, the Terrace Houses, Temple of Artemis, and the Archaeological Museum in a private vehicle, with timing adjusted to your group.

“Hakan collected us from our Selcuk hotel in his comfortable vehicle with Mustafa as our driver for the day. We were two families with four teenage children to entertain. We went around the Ephesus site, then for a traditional Turkish lunch, silk Read more”

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15.Archaeological Ephesus Private Tour / ONLY FOR CRUISE GUESTS

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · from $57

You’ll tour Ephesus with a private English-speaking guide and separate driver in a late-model Mercedes. The day can include the ancient city, Ephesus Archaeology Museum, and Temple of Artemis. Guide Ulas has a history background and can tailor the pace, with tickets arranged ahead.

“Our guide, Ulas, was very knowledgeable about the history of the area (he was a history major and grew up with parents who worked on restoration). We had Ulas and a driver for the day. They personalized the tour for us and we had a great lunch at a farm-to-table restaurant with a rug weaving school. Very good day.”

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