The 12 Best Ancient Ruins Shore Excursions in Kusadasi

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

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

Visit Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary, and the Temple of Artemis on a 4 to 5 hour Kusadasi shore excursion. Port transfers, an air-conditioned minivan, a licensed guide, and entry tickets are included. Guides such as Fatima, Josh, Deniz, and Canan are praised for clear explanations and careful timing, though shopping stops may require firm boundaries.

“Wow! No one would ever regret this tour! Josh is fantastic- learned so much and am sp grateful! Didn’t want it to end…”

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

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

Spend about eight hours with a private guide and air-conditioned minivan visiting Ephesus, the House of Mary, and the Temple of Artemis from Kusadasi Port. Guides such as Tugba, Mahmet, Ilgin, Ayse, and Ekin have led past departures. Expect flexible pacing, Turkish lunch, and possible carpet demonstrations, though shopping stops can vary.

“This was a great tour. Our guide, Begu, was very knowledgable and personable. He was very client centred, wanting to ensure we got the best experience possible. Tour was at a good pace. Lunch in the garden setting was wonderful. Carpet demo interesting.”

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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 spend 4 to 4.5 hours visiting Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary, Saint John’s Basilica, and the Temple of Artemis. English, French, German, and Spanish guides are available. Expect local shopping stops, transport, and a flexible route, with entrance fees, lunch, and drinks extra.

“Our guide Tijen Oral was extremely helpful and knowledgeable with all aspects of the tour. We had time to stop for photos along the way and went to local shops to get a better experience. I would definitely recommend as with the expert local knowledge we started the tour at the top and walked down rather than going the opposite way which we saw others struggling with.”

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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

From Kusadasi port, a private guide and air-conditioned vehicle take you to Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary, St John’s Basilica, and the Temple of Artemis. You’ll walk downhill through Roman ruins, hear local history from guides such as Emre or Alex, and may have time for the Ephesus Museum and lunch.

“Alex was absolutely amazing! We were treated like royalty and enjoyed every minute. He was extremely knowledgeable. More than we expected! We saw Ephesus, had a fantastic lunch, toured rug making facility and still had time for shopping! It was great! Highly recommend.”

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5.FOR CRUISERS: Private Ephesus Ancient City & Ephesus Museum Tour

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

Meet your licensed guide at Kusadasi cruise port, then ride in an air-conditioned minivan to Ephesus Ancient City and the Ephesus Museum. You can shape the day around your group, add local stops, and return on time for sailing. Guides including Ismail, Ozzy, Fatima, Necat, and Sedat Kirkan have been praised for clear explanations and family-friendly help.

“very knowledgeable guide who was actually a history teacher and told us so much about the ruins and relics we saw as well as the culture and lifestyle of the people. luxurious, comfortable van took us to each venue and catered to our every need. delicious lunch also. this is the only way to go - highly recommend!!”

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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 private guide at Kusadasi port, ride in a private vehicle to Ephesus, and walk downhill through its Roman streets, theater, library, and temples. Visit the House of the Virgin Mary and the Temple of Artemis, with time to set your pace and return to your ship. Guides such as Emre, Alex, and Inan have earned especially strong praise.

“First I have to start with our tour guide Emre, he was fantastic! Incredibly Knowledgeable, very easy and interesting to listen to.Ephesus is a magnificent ancient city to visit he made us feel as if we could visualize the city the way it was 2000 years ago. He kept us in the shade as much as possible and walked ot our pace. He took us to off the cruise ship locations avoiding crowds and enabling us to experience authentic local sights. We went to a turkish rug manufacture and the entire production of the rugs were explained to us , without any pressure to purchase. We were served light refreshments…”

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7.For Cruisers: 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 a private, air-conditioned vehicle. Guides such as Ty, Abrahim, Erdom, Adam, and Cmel have been praised for their cultural knowledge and care. Entrance fees are extra, and shopping stops may require firm boundaries.

“Our guide Abrahim was very kind, considerate and knowledgeable. He took us to Ephesus 1st to beat some crowds. Then we stopped at a leather factory and was surprised that we were given a private runway show, and an option to purchase (OMG the leather was the softest & best I've seen). After we went to the House of Virgin Mary. Here I made some blessing for my family, and also grabbed some holy water to bring home. Our final destination was lunch, which was a set menu that was very tasty. The only additional costs were entry to Ephesus, House of Virgin Mary, parking and tips. Lunch was included.”

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8.For Cruisers: 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 with an English-speaking guide and a maximum of 15 people. Visit the House of the Virgin Mary, Temple of Artemis, Şirince village, and the Celsus Library, with hotel or cruise pickup, buffet lunch, and transport from Kuşadası or Selçuk included.

“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.FOR CRUISERS: Ephesus Ruins and Mary’s House GROUP Tour

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

Travel from Kusadasi cruise port or a central hotel to Ephesus, Mary's House, and the Temple of Artemis in an air-conditioned minivan. Your English-speaking licensed guide, including guides such as Jon (Umut) or Lisa, explains the sites and helps manage timing. Admission tickets and lunch cost extra.

“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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10.For Cruisers: Ancient Ephesus Private Tour From Kusadasi Port

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

Spend 4 to 6 hours with a private guide and air-conditioned vehicle visiting Ephesus, the Temple of Artemis, the House of the Virgin Mary, and Isa Bey Mosque. Guide Yesra Fatma is noted for clear English, patience, and flexible planning. Lunch is included, while Ephesus and Virgin Mary’s House charge separate entry fees.

“Our tour guide Yesra was amazing! She is very knowledgeable and we learned so much about the sites we visited and the history of them, too. We love how patiently she explained to us and how accommodating she was as to the schedule. Smile, our lovely drive, didn’t speak much but super kind and on time. We had a great time with them and we will definitely come back and hope they will be our tour guides again.”

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11.Private Tour for Cruisers : Ephesus Ancient City & Temple of Artemis

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2 reviews · from $68

Meet your private guide at Kusadasi port, then visit Ephesus, the Library of Celsus, the Grand Theater, and the Temple of Artemis. End with ship photos from Gazi Begendi Park. The four-hour tour includes transport and a licensed guide, while entrance fees are paid separately on the day.

“Ata was our tour guide and was fantastic!! He gave us so much information and was very helpful with any of our questions. He even took us to some off the beaten path restaurant for a local lunch. Everything was top notch. Thank you Ata!”

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12.Private Tour to Ephesus, Virgin Mary, and Artemis Temple From Cruise Ship/Hotel

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · from $200

Travel by private, air-conditioned vehicle from Kusadasi Port or your hotel to Ephesus, the Virgin Mary’s House, and the Temple of Artemis. Your professional guide, with Volkan named as a key contact, leads the tour. Expect 4 to 5 hours, private transport, lunch, and separate entrance fees.

“I would like to thank Mr. Volkan for his help, interest and care from the first welcome to the last farewell. If you want to get a good service, you can choose with peace of mind.”

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