Private Tours of Ephesus and Western Turkey with the best local licensed tour guides. Private Shore Excursions from Kusadasi Port. Private Tour Guide Services for Ephesus. Ephesus Walking Tours. Private Ephesus Tours from Kusadasi, Selcuk, Izmir, Alacati, Cesme, Sirince, Pamukkale Hotels and Izmir Airport

Private Tours of Ephesus and Western Turkey with the best local licensed tour guides. Private Shore Excursions from Kusadasi Port. Private Tour Guide Services for Ephesus. Ephesus Walking Tours. Private Ephesus Tours from Kusadasi, Selcuk, Izmir, Alacati, Cesme, Sirince, Pamukkale Hotels and Izmir Airport

Discover Ephesus and Top Destinations in Western Turkey with an expert tour guide and a TripAdvisor Winner for 15 consecutive years.

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Historia de la ciudad antigua de Efeso en Turquia

Efeso

Ruinas de la ciudad antigua de Efeso

Esmirna es la tercera ciudad más grande de Turquia. Tiene 3 millones habitantes. Por cinco mil años, hay habitantes en Izmir. Los primeros colonos eran mujeres guerreras llamadas Amozanas. Esmirna fue el nombre de la reina de Amazónas que se fundado por primera vez aquí. Otra reina de Amazónas fue al sur. Su nombre era Apasas. La palabra Éfeso se deriva de Apasas. La única fuente de información sobre Amazonas son de las epopeyas de Homero. Homero nació en Esmirna en el siglo ocho antes de cristo. Homero era ciego y entretenía a la gente contando historias. Homeros mencionó que los Amazonas eran mujeres guerreras que no les gustaban mucho los hombres pero los utilizaban por razones de fertitilidad. Eran muy buenos arqueros. Para ser más rápidos, se cortan el seno derecho. La palabra Amazon significa sin el seno. Cuando se dice Amazon, lo primero que se recuerda es Brasil. El nombre del río en Brasil. En el siglo XVII, un viajero alemán estaba en Brasil cuando vio guerreras similares mencionadas por Homero. Él nombró el río como Amazones.

Selcuk es el nombre moderno de Ciudad de Éfeso. Se tarda una hora en coche para ir a Selcuk desde Izmir. Vamos a conducir a través de tierras fértiles. Principales productos agrícolas: algodón, melocotón, mandarina, tomate, tabaco, aceitunas, higos... A la derecha, hay un castillo llamado el castillo de cabras. Construido por el imperio bizantino siglo seis. Capturado por los turcos en el siglo catorce.
Nuestra primera parada será la casa de la virgen María. Se cree que Virgen María pasó sus últimos nueve años en esta casa. Cuando Jesús fue crucificado, le dijo a María que considerara a Juan como su nuevo hijo y le dijo a Juan que cuidara a su madre. Después de la crucifixión, Juan y María viajaron juntos. Cinco años después de la crucifixión, llegaron a la ciudad de Éfeso. Éfeso en ese tiempo era la cuarta ciudad más grande del imperio romano. Éfeso tenía un puerto comercial importante. Era la capital de la provincia de Asia del imperio romano. Templo de Artemis en Éfeso era un lugar de peregrinación para los paganos. Vivir en el centro de la ciudad no era seguro para los primeros cristianos. Por lo tanto, Juan y María vivían en una montaña fuera de Éfeso. Maria pasó sus últimos 9 años aquí. Después de la ascensión, Juan viajó a través de Anatolia. (Anatolia es una palabra griega que significa tierra del este donde sale el sol.) El emperador romano Domiciano exilió a Juan a Patmos. Escribió el libro de la revelación en la isla de Patmos. Envió 7 cartas a 7 iglesias de asia menor. La palabra iglesia no significaba un edificio en ese momento. Significaba comunidad de cristianos. La casa se descubre en el siglo diecinueve. Una monja alemana paralizada que nunca ha estado en el lugar vio visiones. En sus visiones, vio dónde vivía la Virgen María, murió y fue enterrada. Un libro escrito. Más tarde las descripciones de este libro, buscadas por la iglesia de Izmir. La casa ha sido una capilla por cien años. Hay monjas y sacerdotes asignados por el vaticano. En mil novecientos sesenta y siete papa paul sexto vino y oró aquí. Hasta ahora llegaron 3 papas. Un millón y medio de visitantes al año. No todos los visitantes son cristianos. Muchos visitantes musulmanes. Los musulmanes consideran a María como la madre de un profeta. Meryem es el nombre de María en el libro del Corán. Meryem es un nombre muy popular en Turquía. La tumba de María es buscada con dispositivos de sonar, pero no hay pruebas científicas. Entre las iglesias cristianas hay diferentes teorías. Los católicos creen que ella pasó sus últimos años aquí.
Éfeso fue fundado al final de una bahía. Cerca de un río llamado Kaistros. Debido a los terremotos, las erosiones, el río llevó los suelos ricos de las montañas y llenó el puerto. Los lagos de agua causaron mosquitos y malaria. La malaria era una enfermedad grande en Éfeso. Debido a esto, la ciudad tuvo que cambiar su ubicación varias veces. Después de Amazones, los griegos llamados Ionianos se establecieron aquí. Los ionianos fundaron 12 ciudades. Donde se localizan las ciudades se llama Ionia. Aquí se crearon columnas jónicas en arqueología. Los ionianos tenían una diosa madre llamada Artemis. Artemisa era conocida por los romanos como Diana. Construyen un enorme templo. Más tarde este templo fue seleccionado como una de las 7 maravillas del mundo antiguo. Éfeso fue gobernado por Lidios luego los persas, en trescientos treinta y cuatro Alejandro Magno vino aquí. Tenía 33 años cuando estaba aquí. Ordenó que la ciudad se ubicara en otro lugar. La ciudad que visitaremos, es fundada por Alejandro y conocida como Éfeso Número 3. El tiempo más rico de Éfeso es el primer y segundo siglo. La ciudad tenía doscientos mil habitantes. Éfeso fue arruinado por terremotos en el siglo IV. El puerto se llena nuevamente. La malaria era una gran enfermedad. Durante el tiempo de Constantino el emperador romano, el cristianismo se convirtió en la religión del imperio. Constantino ordenó una ciudad capital El nombre de la nueva ciudad se cambia a Constantionopolis. Constantinópolis se convirtió en la nueva capital. Hasta el siglo siete vivían en Éfeso. Luego abandonó la ciudad. Los restos de la ciudad estaban debajo de 2-3 metros de tierra. Durante ciento diez años los arqueólogos excavan el sitio. Hasta el momento se ha excavado el diez por ciento de la ciudad. La mayoría de los edificios excavados son edificios civiles. Los edificios residenciales todavía están bajo tierra. Hoy Efeso es el tercer sitio más visitado de Turquía. 2 millones de visitantes al año. Éfeso se conoce con la biblioteca. Tiene la tercera biblioteca más grande del mundo antiguo. Fue construido en el nombre del gobernador llamado Celsus en el segundo siglo. La biblioteca tenía veinticinco mil libros y rollos hechos de papiro y pergamino. El gran teatro de Efeso tiene una capacidad de veinticinco mil personas. Los arqueólogos estiman la población de la ciudad del tamaño del teatro.
Offercemos excursiones privadas de Efeso y aldrededores con guias de espanol. Para obtener mas informacion por favor contactenos:
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Tire is 60 kilometers away from Kusadasi

Since we did not have any Private Ephesus Tour, with my wife we went to Tire.
Tire is 60 kilometers away from Kusadasi. Every Tuesday there is a farmers market held in downtown Tire. This is the largest farmers market in Turkey. You see farmers from several villages nearby selling their products. Different than other farmers market you would also see:
  • Felt Makers
  • Handmade saddle makers for horses and donkeys. (Probably we are the last generation who would see this)
  • Several types of `yazma` (cloth that has been painted or printed by hand)
  • Villagers selling "Pestil" (sun-dried fig pulp)
  • Quilt makers (You would not see this in cities anymore)
Tire is also known with a special 'Kofte' (Meat patty made of beef, lamp...). At a local restaurant we enjoyed Tire Kofte and also a special cheese desert made out of Lor Cheese (soft, uncured cheese like Ricotta) with black mulberry jam.

Tire is also accesible by train from Izmir Basmane Train Station. It takes 1.5 hours with train to go to Tire frmo Izmir through several villages and towns.

For travellers who have been to Ephesus and want to know more about Turkish culture Tire`s Tuesday farmers market is definately worth seeing. Travellers can combine visit to Tire with nearby twon Birgi. It takes an hour from Tire to go to Birgi. In Birgi you will witness wooden and stone houses from Ottoman period. Some of the houses are being restored.

If you have any questions about Tire or if you would like us to design you a private tour to Tire and Birgi please do not hesitate to contact us.




Below please find some pictures from Tire Farmers Market.
A deserted beatiful Greek house in the middle of the market.
Saddle makers at the market.
Tire Farmers Market
My wife Ezgi in front of the locally made felts.
Saddle Maker
A dog sleeping by the wool which be used for felt making.
Tire Kofte
Tire Cheese Desert with Black Mulberry Jam
An old saddle maker sign.
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A former Greek village, used to be known as Domatia.

This weekend we had a day trip to Ancient City of Priene and Doganbey Village with my wife, Doganbey village takes approximately 1 hour drive from Kusadasi. Doganbey is a former Greek village located by the ancient Mykale Mountains across the Greek Island of Samos, the birth place of famous mathematician Phytogoras. In 1924 there was an exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey. Turks living in Greece were exchanged with the Greeks living in Turkey. This is one of the rare exchange villages. Former Greek name was 'Domatia''. Approximately 300 houses were located in this village. After this exchange in 1924 the village was hit by an earthquake in 1959 and abondoned. The villagers founded a new settlement and named as ''Yeni Doganbey" meaning the ''New Doganbey''. Today the villages stone homes are restored by their new owners from big Turkish cities who can afford to restore the ruined homes.

Visitors can enjoy seeing typical Greek homes from 19th century and can walk on the cobble stone streets. The streets and majority of the homes are restored and in very good condition. A picturesque town. We were impressed with beauty of the homes and cleanliness of the streets and great views of the Aegean sea and fresh air. There are no shops or anywhere to stay or eat. The village today is like an open air museum. The village is so quite in the winter, it was like visiting a ghost town. Majority of the home owners come to the village to spend their summers.

The visit to the village of Doganbey can be combined with Ancient City of Priene and you may lunch at a fish restaurant located at the coastal village of Karina. For custom private tours feel free to contact us.


Pictures of Doganbey Village
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Excursiones de Efeso para los mexicanos

Efeso, fue una de las capitales políticas y económicas del imperio romano. Hoy es una de las ciudades antiguas más visitadas del mundo. Imposible describir a través de un texto, conocer a Éfeso es necesario visitarlo y vivirlo.
Para que un viaje a Éfeso sea perfecto, es necesario prepararlo cuidadosamente.

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El 12 de diciembre de 2013 el presidente mexicano, Enrique Peña Nieto estuvo en Éfeso y Casa de la Virgen María. A pesar de la distancia geográfica Transcurrirá Turquía y México, después del inicio de las relaciones diplomáticas en 1928, 85 años después de que el presidente de México llegó a Turquía. El presidente de México, Enrique Peña Nieto y Angélica Rivera su esposa visitaron la antigua ciudad de Éfeso y la casa de la Virgen María.
Ofrecemos tours privados de Éfeso y la casa de la Virgen María con guías de habla espanol. Tours personalizados para viajeros mexicanos. Para obtener mas informacion sobre nuestro tours privados, por favor visite:
Excursiones Privadas a Éfeso y la Casa de la Virgen Maria
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Istanbul Walking Tour Highlights: Church of Santa Maria Draperi, Church of St. Anthony and Church of Saint Esprit.

There are around 35,000 Catholics in Turkey. Majority live in Istanbul. During our walking tours of Istanbul for the ones who are interested we visit some of the active Roman Catholic churches of Istanbul.:
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Church of St. Mary Draperis
An active Roman Catholic Church located at Istiklal Avenue. Current building was built in 1769. During the 19th century Church of St. Mary Draperis became one of the most prestigious Catholic  Churches in the city of Istanbul. The church is still run by reformed Franciscan Friars who offer daily masses in Italian and mass in Spanish every Sunday. In the main altar of the church visitors can notice the icon of the Virgin Mary from 16th century from the house of Clara Maria Draperis which the church was named after her. Clara Maria Draperis donated her house with a tiny chapel  to Franciscan Friars of Constantinapolis in the 16th century.
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Church of St. Anthony
Largest active Roman Catholic Church of Istanbul. The original church was built in 1725 by the local Italian catholic community of Istanbul, but was later demolished and replaced with the current building which was constructed on the same location. The current church of St. Anthony, along with its adjacent buildings on Istiklal Avenue, was built in 1906 in the Venetian Neo-Gothic style. Pope Giovanni XXIII, preached in this church for 10 years, when he was the Vatican's Ambassador to Turkey before being elected as Pope. He is known in Turkey with the nickname "The Turkish Pope" because of his fluent Turkish and his often expressed love for Turkey and the city of Istanbul.
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Cathedral of Saint Esprit
Also known as the Cathedral of Holy Spirit. In 1846 built by the famous architect brothers Giuseppe and Gaspard Fossati who built Russian Colsulate, Dutch consulate and restored Hagia Sophia. Today It is one of the principal active Catholic Churches of Istanbul.  It is the second largest Roman Catholic church in the city after St. Anthony at the Istiklal Avenue. Built in Baroque style. St. Esprit has been a destination of several papal visits to Turkey, including those of Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI. A statue of Pope Benedict XV stands in the courtyard of the cathedral. Giuseppe Donizetti, a musician at the court of Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II, is buried in the vaults of the church.

Giuseppe Donizetti who started to be called Donizetti Pasha later played a significant role in the introduction of European music to the Ottoman military. Apart from the training of the European-style military bands of Ottoman`s modern army, he taught music at the palace to the members of the Ottoman royal family. Donizetti Pasha is believed to have composed the first national anthem of the Ottoman Empire, supported the annual Italian opera season in Pera, organised concerts and operatic performances to famous visitors visiting Istanbul.
We organize walking tours of Istanbul and stop at these fascinating churches of Istanbul. Let us take you to the above Roman Catholic Churches of Istanbul. For more information please contact us.

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Customized Private Tour of Kusadasi and Surroundings for travellers who has been to Ephesus

For travellers and cruise passengers who have been to Ephesus we offer the following private tour from Kusadasi and Selcuk. We recommend this tour only for travellers who been to Ephesus and do not want to go to Ephesus again. Below tour do not include visit to Ephesus.
FullDay (6 hours) Traditional Turkish Breakfast and Sirince Village
After meeting with your guide, drive through the agricultural fertile fields to Kirazli Village. Relax and enjoy a traditional Turkish breakfast at the grounds of a village house. Enjoy organic gozleme (filo dough stuffed with feta cheese and spinach), home made jams, honey, organic butter, tomatoes, cucumbers, cage free eggs, Turkish tea... Chat with locals, learn about Turkish traditions. After this feast drive to downtown Kirazli village to wander through the streets of the village. See local people and traditional Turkish Village life. Afterwards stop at a Cini Workshop. The word cini is used to define pottery art during Ottoman period. It became popular in 15th century. The word Cini is derived from the word Cin, which stands for China. The porcelaine that are introduced by Chineese tradesmen were combined with traditional Ottoman arabesque with Chinese patterns. Continue to  SIRINCE VILLAGE. This old Orthodox Village, 30 km from Kusadasi, was once  "Cirkince"(ugly). Indeed its inhabitants gave this name on the purpose as they  did not want to be bothered by foreigners nor to share the beauty of their village. Still after years, visitors understood that the village was not ugly and called it "Sirince" (pretty). Today the village is a perfect synthesis of Turkish-Greek culture as of the 1920's; after the Turkish Independence War, people exchange between Greek and Turks has occurred and all those typical Greek  houses, though they kept their original outside characteristics, have received  the local layout inside. At Sirince Village you will have chance of seeing the  local life at a village and purchasing some small local souvenirs and  handicrafts. The village is also famous for its local grape and other fruit wines. Your last stop will be the visit to the ISA BEY MOSQUE, a delicate masterpiece of Turkish architecture from the fourteenth century. 
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Traditional Turkish Breakfast

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Cini Workshop

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Sirince Village

For more information and costs please contact us.
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Private Ephesus Tours for Brazilians by Portuguese Speaking Local Tour Guides

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Ephesus Tours with Portuguese speaking Tour Guides

We offer private tours of Ephesus for Brazilians travelling to Ephesus. All these tours are conducted by licensed Portuguese speaking tour guides. We work with only Licensed Professional Tourist Guides
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All our tour guides are licensed by the Turkish Ministry of Tourism, but, more importantly, they share a common trait among them, they love their work and they do it with passion, they consider the mission and do not repeat the rehearsed information, but more of that, share your knowledge about Ephesus in the past and present with each and every one of our visitors in a friendly and informative way. All tour guides in Turkey must undergo rigorous training and very strict examinations to receive their license. In addition, all our tour guides are also university graduates History, Archeology, Cultural Heritage Studies and Foreign Languages ...
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An expert authorized Portuguese speaking guide will be with you at all times during your private tour of Ephesus.

For more information please click the following link or contact us:
Excursões privadas de Éfeso com guias de língua portuguesa 
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Private Ephesus Shore Excursions for Holland America Line Cruise Passengers

We offer exclusive private tours of Ephesus for Holland America Line Westerdam Cruise passengers. Westerdam of Holland America Line call at the Port of Kusadasi. For Westerdam passengers we offer a wide variety of private Ephesus shore excursions, Each of our private Ephesus tours provides the highest level of quality, safety, convenience and value. Once you have booked your cruise, you can easily book your private Ephesus shore excursion online; we recommend you book early for the best selection of tour guides.

Why book a Private Ephesus Shore Excursion with Ephesus Travel Guide ?

How do I book a Private Ephesus Shore Excursion?


For the Private Ephesus Tour booking please advise us the following:
  • Your Full Name
  • Number of people in your party
  • Date of Arrival 
  • Name of the Cruise Ship
  • Time to start the tour 
  • The name of the tour.
Holland America Line Rotterdam

Holland America Line Rotterdam

Kusadasi Port

Kusadasi Port

Temple of Hadrian in Ephesus

Celsus Library in Ephesus

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Passeios de Efeso para os brasileiros por Portugues Falando guias turísticos locais

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Oferecemos passeios privados de Ephesus para os brasileiros que viajam para Efeso. Todos esses passeios são conduzidos por guias locais de língua portuguesa licenciados.

Você quer conhecer Ephesus de forma especial?
Oferecemos passeios privados de Éfeso e da Casa da Virgem Maria. É uma boa maneira de conhecer a cidade, com o apoio de um especialista local que fala fluente português.
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Você estará no topo do que está acontecendo na cidade e você poderá fazer perguntas e obter as melhores dicas dos guias amigáveis.

Passeio de um dia em Efeso e a Casa da Virgem Maria saindo de Kusadasi, Izmir, Sirince e Selcuk. Os passeios podem começar de Kusadasi, Izmir, Selcuk, Sirince Hotels e do aeroporto de Izmir e do porto de Kusadasi e Izmir.

Para mais informações, por favor clique no seguinte link ou contate-nos.:
Excursões Privadas de Éfeso com Guias de Língua Portuguesa

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Two Days Tour of Pamukkale and Ephesus from Izmir Hotels and Izmir Airport

For a corporate client of ours based in Izmir, we were asked for 2 days tour of Pamukkale and Ephesus. 

First day, we picked the 3 guests from China from Ramada Plaza hotel located in Izmir. We took them to Pamukkale. It takes approximatley 4 hours drive to go from Izmir to Pamukkale. We spent 4.5 hours visiting the ruins of Ancient Hierapolis and walking on the white terraces of Pamukkale. At the end of the day we dropped the guests at Colossae Thermal Hotel in Pamukkale.  Guests had the opportunity to use indoor thermal pools of the hotel, mud baths and the spa.

Second day,we pickded the guests from Colossae hotel at 9am in the morning and drove to Selcuk which the modern town for Ephesus. We did a fullday tour of Ancient City of Ephesus. At the end of the day, we took the guests back to Ramada Plaza Hotel in Izmir. 

For private tour enquiries like the one above, you can contact with us. We only provide private tours. We do not make hotel bookings but we do recommend hotel names.
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White Terraces of Pamukkale

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Grand Theater of Ephesus