Ephesus Tour from Selcuk

4/22/2023

Private Ephesus Tours from Selcuk Hotels and Selcuk Train Station

Ephesus Tour from Selcuk

Selcuk is the nearest town to the ancient city of Ephesus.
Selcuk is the modern name of Ephesus. A small agricultural town, having a population of 35000 people. Due to the proximity to the ancient city of Ephesus, some travelers prefer to stay in Selcuk town. Selcuk has many small hotels. For travelers who will stay overnight in Selcuk town, we recommend visiting the farmers market on Saturdays.

Ephesus Ancient City is the highlight of the area. Ephesus is an incredible place and worth visiting, an Ancient Greco-Roman city. A person can easily spend half a day here just wandering around the ancient streets. Ephesus is a remarkably preserved UNESCO world heritage site.

Selcuk is accessible by trains from Izmir or Denizli (Pamukkale). Modern trains are operating between İzmir – Izmir Airport – Selcuk – Denizli. It is a comfortable and cheap way to travel on this route. For more information about the trains schedules to Selcuk, please visit the following link:
Izmir, Izmir Airport - Selcuk Town (Ephesus) Train Schedules

How do you get from Selcuk to Ephesus?
Ephesus is 4 km walking distance from Selcuk. It takes approximately 30 minutes to walk from Selcuk to Ephesus Ancient City. We recommend entering from the North gate and exit from the south gate. Walking back would be tough therefore the best is to take a taxi back to Selcuk town. For the travelers who are interested we offer private walking tours of Selcuk Ephesus.

Can I tour Ephesus on my own?
Yes, you can tour Ephesus on your own. Kindly note that there is very little information in Ephesus describing what you are looking at. If you want to know more about what you see, you really need a tour guide or an audio guide.

Is Selcuk worth visiting?
Selcuk is one of the most beautiful, perhaps world-renowned towns of Izmir. Of course, the fact that it is home to the Ancient City of Ephesus has a big share in this. But not only that, Selcuk is the place to visit and its beauties. It is a complete getaway with many historical attractions nearby.

We also offer special interest tours to maximize your experience in Ephesus:

Recommended hotels to stay in Selcuk
(booking.com links) :

Booking.com

For travelers who stay in Selcuk town or travel to Selcuk by train, we offer private airport transfers from Izmir airport and private Ephesus tours and private walking tours of Selcuk Ephesus.. For travelers who travel with rent a car, we also provide tour guide only services where our tour guide meets you in your hotel in Selcuk or in front of Basilica of St. John or Selcuk Bus Station or Selcuk Train Station.
For Ephesus tour guide only services, please visit: Ephesus Tour Guide Only

On certain dates we offer %20 discount. To see these dates please visit: Discounted Ephesus Tours

* If you do not have a rental car and staying in Selcuk or coming to Selcuk with train. We offer private walking tours of Ephesus, including visits to Basilica of St. John, Temple of Artemis and Ancient City of Ephesus. For more information, please visit Ephesus Walking Tours and contact us.

Suggested Ephesus Tours from Selcuk are as follows:

SELCUK - No:1
Half-Day Ephesus Tour from Selcuk (4 hours)
Temple of Artemis, Ephesus, House of Mary
After meeting your Ephesus local 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 have spent her 9 years. The house is approximately 1000 feet above sea level and runs as an active chapel. Roman Catholics believe that Virgin Mary came to Ephesus with Saint. John 5 years after the crucifixion. At the age of 63 she was taken to heaven. Although there is no fact that Virgin Mary lived here, approximately 1.5 million people visit the site each year. After a 30 minute visit to the House of Mary, drive to the ancient city of Ephesus. You will be dropped at the upper gate of Ephesus with your tour guide. Start your Ephesus Walking Tour exploring the ruins. You will be walking down the hill approximately 2 hours. 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 Harbor Street. You will be ending your tour at the bottom gate. Your tour guide will take you to another site or drop you at the desired location.

SELCUK - No:2
Full day Ephesus Tour from Selcuk - Christian Ephesus (6 hours)
Meet with your guide in Selcuk. After a short drive, your first stop on this fascinating tour is the Basilica of St. John. From the Basilica of St. John, see the earlier settlements of Ephesus, the Temple of Artemis and the remains of the tomb of John the Apostle. Afterwards, you will continue on to visit the ancient city of Ephesus, one of the most magnificent and best-preserved ancient sites in the world. See the Agoras, Odeon, the Basilica, Curetes Street, Bath, Celsus Library, Marble Street and the Great Theater with a seating capacity of 24,000 people. Continue to the House of Virgin Mary where Virgin Mary is believed to spend her last 9 years.

SELCUK - No:3
Full day Ephesus Tour from Selcuk
Ephesus and Sirince Village (7 hours)
Meet with your guide in Selcuk. Drive to one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world: Temple of Artemis. After seeing the Temple of Artemis drive to the magnificent ancient site of Ephesus. Ephesus is the best preserved of the Greek/Roman cities in Anatolia and while you are visiting the ancient ruins of this magnificent site, your tour guide will bring them alive. You will see the beautiful Celsus Library, restored and reconstructed according to its original form by the architect Friedmund Hueber in the 1970's. The most spectacular building of Ephesus is the Grand Theater, built during the Hellenistic age to hold 25,000 spectators. It is there that St. Paul preached. Opposite the Temple of Hadrian are the Terrace Houses, homes of Ephesus' wealthy citizens. The city was also the hometown of great philosopher Heraclitus. After a visit to Ephesus Antique Site, you will arrive at Sirince Village. This old Orthodox Village, 10 km from Selcuk, 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 a chance to see the local life at a village and purchase some small local souvenirs and handicrafts. The village is also famous for its local grape and other fruit wines.

For more information and private Ephesus tour costs and availability please contact us.

Train travel to Ephesus (Selcuk)
* For travellers who will be staying at hotels in Basmane district in Izmir, we recommend them to take the 7.10am train from Basmane train station which will arrive to Selcuk at 8.34am. Our tour guide and vehicle can meet you at Selcuk train startion. After the tour you will be dropped back to Selcuk train station for your return journey. Return train will leave Selcuk at 4.04pm and arrive Izmir Basmane Train station at 5.30pm. Fortrain schedule between Izmir and Selcuk, please visit:
Izmir, Izmir Airport - Selcuk Town (Ephesus) Train Schedules