Published on Sep, 2024

Our guide Tarkan met us at the pier. Unfortunately there were 3 large ships in port so everything was very crowded. I had prepaid for Ephesus and the Virgin Mary House with a note that we would likely add the Terrace Houses and St John Basilica. I don’t think the travel agency conveyed that information to Tarkan as he thought we were only going to Ephesus and Mary’s house, but as it was a private tour, he was very accommodating. He planned the day as best he could to avoid large crowds as much as possible. He was very informative as he took us through Ephesus, (we skipped the terrace houses as the line was too long), the Basilica, and lastly Mary’s House. He was very well versed in the history in general but also in the specific ruins we visited. We also had a very short rug weaving presentation and then of course a sales pitch. It was a bit of pressure but we eventually gave them a firm no. We had lunch in the garden at the rug place which was surprisingly very good and relaxing. Note that attending the rug weaving presentation was optional - he said we could go to a regular restaurant but we thought it might be interesting. The van was very comfortable. We spent about 6 hours total and felt it was very worthwhile and would certainly recommend Tarkan as a guide.

Published on Sep, 2024

Excellent trip. Our guide Pinar was the best. So friendly and knowledgeable informative. She was brilliant with our kids aged 5 and 7. We saw all the sights we wanted to see and they tailor made our trip to suit our needs. We also went to a Turkish Delight shop to sample (and buy) some yummy treats!

Published on May, 2024

Our Guise Zena is personable, very knowledgeable and patient with us taking our time to explore the site of Ephesus. She spoke of history and culture of her city. We thoroughly enjoyed every minute of our tour. We did this tour with the cruise line before but we would recommend using this operator instead. We would highly recommend them. Please note that it’s a 4 hours of walking on uneven marbles and stones, it would be challenging for some.

Published on Jun, 2023

This is a great way to see Ephesus at your own pace. Our guide Metin was a very knowledgeable and professional guide. He picked us up right on time and by 9:00 we were entering the upper gates of Ephesus ahead of many of the bus groups. He gave us an introduction on the history while looking at a model and continued while looking at a map. He was very patient during our exploration of this ancient city and was always willing to answer any questions we had. We exited the lower gate and continued our journey to the nearby Temple of Artemis by bus. We never felt rushed and two hours was just right for this tour. With extra time we visited a ceramics shop and ate at a local Turkish restaurant. We returned to our ship just before the rain. I highly recommend this option for a half day tour from Kusadasi.

Published on Jun, 2023

We had a great tour to Ephesus and surrounds from Kusadasi . Out tour guide Ozgur and driver were fantastic. Ozgur tailored our tour to fit in to our plans. We saw silk being processed from the cocoon , how the rugs are an art form plus a tasty Turkish lunch . Beats the tour buses . We were only a group of 6 . Would recommend !