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Izmir Shore Excursion: Private Tour to Ephesus, House of Virgin Mary and Temple of Artemis
6 h
Private
About this activity
When your ship arrives in Izmir, your private tour guide will meet you at the port and your shore excursion to Ephesus will begin. Relax in a luxurious, air-conditioned private car as you head south to the town of Selcuk. Pass cotton fields, vineyards and pine woods as you make your way along the blue Aegean Sea.
When you arrive in Ephesus, enter the ancient city through the Magnesia Gate -- a marvelous example of architecture. Begin a slow downhill walk with your guide into the ruins of this former Roman provincial capital. As you walk, you will see the Odeon, the Celsus Library, the Temple of Hadrian, the Fountain of Trajan and the Great Theater. This theater, one of the best-preserved monuments, it is still used today for the local spring festival. In its glory days, it held 24,000 people, and it is believed to be the site where St Paul preached to the Ephesians.
You will then visit the House of the Virgin Mary in the Solmissos Mountains. This small house is of extraordinary importance to Christians as the place where the Virgin Mary spent her final days. A small shrine dedicated to St Mary was found there when the ruins of the house were first discovered.
Finally, you'll visit the site of the Temple of Artemis, first built during the Archaic period. One of the Seven Wonders of Ancient World, the temple was completely rebuilt three times and was eventually destroyed in 401 AD. The site is marked by a single column made from various pieces of the temple found on site.
Worry-free Shore Excursion:
We will ensure your timely return to the Izmir port for this activity. In the rare event your ship has departed, we will arrange for transportation to the next port-of-call. If your ship is delayed and you are unable to attend this activity, your money will be refunded. See our terms and conditions for full details.
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When you arrive in Ephesus, enter the ancient city through the Magnesia Gate -- a marvelous example of architecture. Begin a slow downhill walk with your guide into the ruins of this former Roman provincial capital. As you walk, you will see the Odeon, the Celsus Library, the Temple of Hadrian, the Fountain of Trajan and the Great Theater. This theater, one of the best-preserved monuments, it is still used today for the local spring festival. In its glory days, it held 24,000 people, and it is believed to be the site where St Paul preached to the Ephesians.
You will then visit the House of the Virgin Mary in the Solmissos Mountains. This small house is of extraordinary importance to Christians as the place where the Virgin Mary spent her final days. A small shrine dedicated to St Mary was found there when the ruins of the house were first discovered.
Finally, you'll visit the site of the Temple of Artemis, first built during the Archaic period. One of the Seven Wonders of Ancient World, the temple was completely rebuilt three times and was eventually destroyed in 401 AD. The site is marked by a single column made from various pieces of the temple found on site.
Worry-free Shore Excursion:
We will ensure your timely return to the Izmir port for this activity. In the rare event your ship has departed, we will arrange for transportation to the next port-of-call. If your ship is delayed and you are unable to attend this activity, your money will be refunded. See our terms and conditions for full details.
Included
- Transport by private vehicle
- Professional guide
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
- Worry-Free Shore Excursion Guarantee
Not included
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks, unless specified
Additional
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 5 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability
- At time of booking, Cruise Ship passengers must provide the following details under Special Requirements: Ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
- Not recommended for children aged 4 and under
- Children 18 years and under must be accompanied by an adult
- Passport name, number, expiry and country is required at time of booking for all participant. Please enter this into the special requirements field on booking
- Please enter your preferred pickup time in the Special Requirements box at the time of booking, and reconfirm 48 hours prior to the tour’s departure time
Features
Tourism
100%
Cultural
65%
Aquatic
35%
Reviews
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Really informative tour. The tour guide and the driver were very friendly and helpful.
This tour got a 5 star rating due to our guide, Oscar. He was very knowledgeable about what to see, how to tour away from the crowds but still see everything and gave us a history lesson we will never forget. We we asked where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see on our own time. He was patient with us and made sure we had plenty of time to see what we wanted to see. I would definitely recommend Oscar.
Our guide was outstanding and the tour was the best . Loved the area and the people .