We organize private tours of Ephesus and Pamukkale and private transfers to Izmir Airport for Celestyal Cruises Passengers who will be embarking and disembarking to/from the Celestyal Olympia and Celestyal Experience at Kusadasi Cruise Port.

Celestyal Olympia and Celestyal Experience of Greek Celestyal Cruises will be calling back to the cruise port of Kusadasi in 2021. Celestyal Experience will be the first cruise ship which will be calling to Kusadasi Cruise Port for 2021. Celestyal Olympia and Celestyal Experience will call to the Port of Kusadasi every saturday during 4 Days Greek Islands And Turkey Weekend Cruise and every tuesday during 5 Days Greek Islands and Turkey Cruise. At both days the ships will stay at the Port of Kusadasi from 7am till 1pm.

For passengers who are embarking and disembarking from Celestyal Cruise Ships we offer private half day tours of Ephesus and House of Virgin Mary ending at Izmir Airport.

* 3 shore excursions come with the Celestyal cruise package. The complimentary half-day excursions on Celestyal cruise included the Minoan Palace of Knossos in Crete, the magnificent remains of Ephesus near the port of Kusadasi and a walk through the village of Oia in Santorini. Therefore we offer private tours for Celestyal Cruise Passengers who are embarking and disembarking at Kusadasi Cruise Port.

Suggested Private Ephesus Tour Itinerary is as follows:

Except Terrace Houses, there is no admission fee for children under 8 years old. For the proof of age, please bring passport copies with you. For Terrace Houses under 6 year old is free of charge.

​* If you are going to visit other sites besides Ephesus in Western Turkey. There is a Museum Pass which provides multi visits to many sites without waiting in lines and you can make great savings. Valid for Ancient city of Ephesus, Basilica of St. John, Terrace Houses in Ephesus, Archaelogical Museum of Ephesus, Ancient city of Aphrodisias, Temple of Didyma, Ancient city of Smyrna, Ancient City of Miletus, Ancient City of Priene, Ancient City of Sardis, Ancient City of Pergamon, Asklepion of Pergamon and many others. For more information visit the following link: Museum Pass the Aegean - Multi visit pass for West Turkey

For travelers who are travelling Turkey with a rent a car, we offer tour guide only services. Your expert Ephesus tour guide can meet you in front of Basilica of St. John or at your hotel in Selcuk or Kusadasi. 

​Hire a local private tour guide in Ephesus !

Driving from Izmir and Izmir Airport to Ephesus (Selcuk)
The western region of Turkey is an easy place to drive a rental car. If you are planning to rent a car at İzmir Airport, make sure that your rental car has a toll sticker or a toll transponder to pay the highway tolls. You cannot pay the tolls any other way  Note that you can not pay tolls with cash!  As you exit from Izmir airport, follow the green signs for Aydın (not İzmir). Green sign is for toll road. The toll for the drive from the Izmir airport to Selcuk (Ephesus) is about 3 Turkish Liras. In the toll road there are no signs here for Selcuk or Ephesus, so follow the signs for Aydın. After 30 minutes drive from Izmir airport is the Selcuk turn, Leave the toll road by this exit, following signs to Selcuk and Efes (Ephesus). After passing the tollgates in 10 minutes you will reach Selcuk (Ephesus). If you are going to use our tour guide only service, you will meet your tour guide in front of Basilica of St. John, therefore look for a brown sign as ''Basilica of St. John''

2020 entrance fee for House of Virgin Mary is 45 Turkish Liras per person. 45 Turkish Liras is approximately 7 US$ or 6.5 Euros. Credit Cards are not accepted. Travellers must have Turkish Liras cash with them. 
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Opening Hours for House of Virgin Mary:
November-February: 08.00-17.00
March-October: 08.00-18.00


Holy Mass is held every day, from Monday to Saturday at 5:15 pm (November to March) and 6:15 pm (April to October). The Sunday Mass is held at 10:30 am (in English). 

We provide private tours of House of Virgin Mary and Ephesus 
For more information please visit the following link: Private Tours of Ephesus or contact us

Day Trip from Samos to Kusadasi
Operated Every ​Thursday and Sunday
Between May - October

May we use a credit card? 
> You can buy your ferry tickets online with your credit card.  For the private tour of Ephesus, we kindly ask the payment to be made in cash.

Does the ferry from Samos land at the cruise port where we will be picked up? 
> Yes, the ferry will depart Pythagorion, Samos and arrive to Kusadasi Cruise Port. We will meet you outside the terminal building after the passport control at Kusadasi Cruise Port.

Is the tour private or will there be others with us and how many?
> We only offer private tours, therefore you will be the only ones in the vehicle besides your private tour guide and the driver.

I assume we can make minor changes to schedule as I continue my research of things to do and places to see? 
> This is a private tour therefore the tour can be modified the way you like additions and omissions can be made. All these decisions can be made during the tour with your tour guides recommendations. This is the main reason we do not include entrance and parking fees to the sites.

Day 1
Pamukkale (Hierapolis)
After departing from your hotel, drive east approx. 3 hours. Enter the site from North Gate and walk through the Ancient Necropolis (Cemetery). So far Italian archaeologists excavated over 1200 tombs in the area. The total number is expected to exceed 3000.  No where in the world you can see such a gigantic ancient cemetery. Afterwards see the Roman Bath,  walk through Domitian Gate, Frantinus Avenue to see the other remains. View the huge Roman theater having a capacity of 10000. Walk on the calcium deposit terraces of Pamukkale. Enjoy the stunning views. The water temperature is 32 degrees.  For the ones interested there is an opportunity to swim at the ancient pools of Cleopatra.  Kindly note there is an extra entrance fee approximately 15 Euros per person. 
(If requested Aphrodisias or Laodicea ancient cities can also be added to private tours of Pamukkale.)

Day 2
Priene, Miletus, Didyma
Following the departure from your hotel, the first stop will be PRIENE. The ancient harbor city of Priene probably changed its location when the silt of the Meander River threatened to bury it. Now it is nearly 16km away from the sea. The original place of the city has never been found but it was probably a peninsula with two harbors. Priene was laid out on a Hippodamian system of grid plan at the foot of a spectacular cliff on mount Mycale and contained many famous examples of Hellenistic art and architecture. All the streets intersect at right angles. Next visit MILETUS, an ancient city located near the mouth of the Meandros River. Miletus owed its importance to its position on the trade routes. It was one of the largest cities in Anatolia. Highly prosperous, it founded many colonies and was the home of the ancient philosophers Anaximander, Anaximenes and Thales, the town planner Hippodamus and architect Isidorus. Having a prominent position, Miletus became the most important port in this area and it was the most active member of the twelve cities of the Ionian Confederation. From the 7th century B.C. the city has been controlled in turn by the Persians, Roman and Seljuk Turks. The last visit in the tour will be DIDYMA. The world Didyma meant "twins" and it was associated by some as being the meeting place of Zeus and Leto to have their twins Apollo and Artemis. Didyma was famed as a prophecy center dedicated to Apollo, which served a similar purpose as the Delphi of Anatolia. It was not a city but a sanctuary linked to Miletus by Milesians with a 12 mile sacred road.

Day 3
Ancient City of Ephesus, Haouse of Virgin Mary, Basilica of St. John 
Meet with your guide in front of the Kusadasi port passenger terminal. Drive  to the country. Your first stop on this fascinating tour is at theHOUSE OF VIRGIN MARY. Then, you will continue on to visit ancient EPHESUS, one of the most magnificent and best-preserved ancient sites in the world. See the Odeion, the Market Basilica, Curetes Street, Bath,Celsus Library, Marble Street and the Great Theater with a seating capacity of 25,000 people. Afterwards visit the  BASILICA OF ST. JOHNand see the TEMPLE OF ARTEMIS, one of the wonders of the  ancient world. En-route to Kusadasi enjoy the scenery or shopping opportunity

We offer private excursions of Ephesus and House of Virgin Mary from Kusadasi Cruise Port with Italian speaking, licensed tour guides. Our Italian speaking tour guides know what people like to see in Kusadasi and Ephesus area. Our Italian speaking tour guides are all university graduates with many years experience and licensed by the ministry of culture and tourism. They are fluent in Italian and have received very good professional training in tour guiding, history and archaeology. They love their work and ready to offer you an excellent service.

Recommend excursion and costs are as follows:
HalfDay (4.5 hours) Temple of Artemis + Ephesus  + House of Mary
After meeting your guide drive through the fertile lands. Your first stop will be the Temple of Artemis, one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. Afterwards proceed to the mountain where Virgin Mary is believed to spent her 9 years. The house is approximately 1000 feet above sea level and running as an active chapel. Roman Catholics believe that Virgin Marycame to Ephesus with Saint. John 5 years after the crucification. At the age of 63 she is assumed to heaven. Altough there is no fact that Virgin Mary lived here approximately 1.5 million people visit the site each year. After 30 minutes visit to the House of Mary, drive to ancient city of Ephesus. You will be dropped at the upper gate of Ephesus with yourtour guide. Start exploring the city. You will be walking down the hill approximately 1.5hrs. You will see the Odeon, the basilica, domitian square, fountain of Trajan, Celcus library, Terrace Houses (optional),Marble street, the Grand Theater of Ephesus and the Harbour Street. You will be endng your tour at the bottom gate. Your driver and tour guidewill take you to another site or drop you at the desired location.


Cost of private excursion of Ephesus and House of Virgin Mary with an Italian speking tour guide from Kusadasi Cruise Port:

• Private sedan for 2 people: 150 Euros
• Mercedes Van for 4 people: 160 Euros
• Mercedes Minibus for upto 10 people: 180 Euros
• Mercedes Minibus for upto 14 people: 200 Euros
• 27 Seater Bus for upto 26 people: 290 Euros
• 31 Seater Bus for upto 30 people: 320 Euros

Rates Cover:

• Services of an excellent Italian speaking tour Guide 
• A/C vehicle. 
• All transportation costs.
• Tax, service charges.
• Pick up and drop off from/to Cruise Port of Kusadasi

Rates Do Not Cover:

• Entrance & Parking fees to the sites.

(Except Terrace Houses, there is no admission fee for children under 11 years old. For the proof of age, please bring passport copies with you.)

Approximate cost of entrance fees:
Ephesus: 12.5 euro per person (40 Turkish Lira)
House of Mary: 6.5 Euro per person (20 Turkish Lira)
Temple of Artemis: Free of Charge

Important Notice:
There is no prepayment required for the reservation. To avoid disappointment, we recommend to make your private Ephesus tour reservation at earliest possible.

Payment Terms:
Payment can be made in Euro or US Dollar cash at the end of the tour. There is no prepayment required. If you would like to pay with a credit card. We accept credit card payments via Paypal. Therefore we ask the payment to be made at least 1 week prior to the service date.

Cancellation Policy
You can cancel a tour 72 hours in advance of your tour departure without any charges. If you would like to cancel a tour, simply send us an email and we will  be happy to assist you. Once you are within the 24 hour tour departure window,  the tour becomes non-refundable. This is because our guide and vehicle have set  aside space to accommodate your request and will often not be able to  fill that  space with another customer so close to departure.

For more information contact us.