We were a family of three travelling, in port for the day with a Windstar Cruise. Because one of those three was our 15 year old son, we arranged with Denizhan to have a traditional Turkish breakfast and lunch in addition to visiting Ephesus and the Terrace Houses. Beyond the fact that Orcun was a wonderful guide, we had great conversation with him throughout our tour and by the end of the day really felt as though we had travelled with an old friend. The food we had for both breakfast and lunch was truly fabulous, and if you have the time, ask Orcun about a trip to the local pottery store. We also ended up buying a small rug during our visit as a memento of what was truly one of the nicest days we have spent with a new friend.
Denizhan's advice on flights and logistics from Istanbul and his assistance in organising a 1-day tour of the Ephesus area was professional and simple. Our guide, Orcun, made us feel relaxed and having his knowledge made the day. A very professional and personable business is being run here. Our driver was courteous and the Merc van clean and well presented. Couldn't recommend this team more!
We had the pleasure of having Orcun tour us through the House of Mary and Ephesus. Orcun and the driver were at the port to greet us (we were a group of 4). His knowledge was excellent and so was his English. He was eager to answer all our questions and even shared what life was like for him in a village in the Kusadasi area. What a terrific value this tour was. So much less than the cruise ship excursion and so personal. Do not hesitate to contact Ephesus Travel Guide to arrange your tours of the area.
Orcun met us at the airport in Izmir for our private tour of Ephesus. We only had a short time in Ephesus and he was able to cover it all with us. He not only informed us about all the historical sights, but he gave us the most interesting and personal account of his culture growing up in a small village near Ephesus. Our children, ages 7 and 10, loved him. He spoke perfect English and was just a joy to be with for the day. We had the driver drive us to Bodrum following the tour. He was in constant contact with the boat company we were to meet in Bodrum so that we were able to meet them without any problems. It was a perfect day without any hiccups. Everything was handled extremely professionally. I highly recommend this group and particularly Orcun!
“Private guided tour”
Four of us enjoyed a full day tour to Ephesus , our third visit ,but the most informative ,since our guide Orcun was very knowledgable. We also visited a lovely Mosque .We opted not to take the included lunch sponsored by the carpet factory and had a fabulous lunch (at our own expense )high up in a mountain village ,where we watched our food being prepared and cooked in an open oven. We did however visit a carpet and a ceramic factory and enjoyed both ,we didn't feel under any obligation to purchase ,and seeing the silk worms and manufacturing process was fascinating . We were collected promptly,and travelled very comfortably and safely in a six seat Merzedes van.We would all recommend Ephesus Travel Guide. Much less expensive than a Shore Excursion from the ship.
On a recent ship cruise stopover at Izmir, we were collected by a charming guide Orcun sent to us by this company. He was patient and fine tuned the trip to suit our needs along the way. He also took us to a small place for lunch that served delicious kebabs.
Thank you for arranging our tour of Ephesus. Orcun was an excellent and informative guide and kindly made appropriate adjustments to the schedule so that my wife could sit and sketch whilst I saw the wonderful Terrace Houses and the other sites of Ephesus.
“Kudasai-Ephesus Tour”
I would like to share our experience when we booked our tour last October 24, 2014. Our guide, Orcun, was very nice and very pleasant and knowledgeable in answering our questions about the sites. He speaks very clearly as well. Our service van was very comfortable (there were 8 of us) and the van was clean and well kept. The tour was the one of the best tours we've had and the sites we visited were one of the nicest we've been. Your city is very rich in History. All praises to you and the whole of Kusadasi/Ephesus. Thank you for accommodating us.
Orcun was our guide in Ephesus and not only knew the history, but made it a fun day for our family. He made sure we saw and did everything on our list and added some of his own favorites which we really enjoyed. It was a perfect day from start to finish.
We arrived in Izmir on a cruise ship so excited to finally see a bit of Turkey. Our driver and tour guide, Gulcan, met us as we got off the boat. While our driver kept us safe, Gulcan kept us intrigued telling us about the history and culture as we drove to Ephesus. We just could not have had a better experience. The sites were very interesting and Gulcan could answer all our questions. We had a wonderful time at the rug factory - I wish I'd taken a few more photos of the weaving of the rugs (the ladies outside). Seeing how they harvest the silk from the silkworms was fascinating! We bought a beautiful rug - which we had planned to do. The factory shipped it to us in Texas without a hitch. We really enjoyed getting to know Gulcan and would absolutely do another tour with TransBalkan Tours!
We recently booked a tour through Denizhan. Our friendly and very knowledgeable travel guide, Gulce (Gulja) and our driver met us at the pier. She answered all of our questions and had so much to tell us about! We drove to Ephesus, then to a small town, Selcuk, to see a rug-weaving facility. We also had the chance to shop for leather, see the House of Mary, and the Temple of Artemis. What a fun day! It was definitely the highlight of our cruise to the Eastern Meditteranean. We learned so much - and saw so many things - all at our own pace. Gulce and our driver (I feel so bad I can't remember his name) were very patient and flexible with us, even doing a couple U-turns to run us back to a better priced leather item we wanted! Turkey itself was so beautiful - you definitely need to get outside the city of Izmir to truly see what the country is like. We highly recommend Transbalkan tours and feel that we got an excellent price on our day trip. Thanks so much to all of you at Transbalkan! Give Gulce a big hug for us!
We had just one afternoon to see Ephesus and did not want to loose time and be driven to carpet and pottery shops.
We chose TransBalkan Tours (after reading several reviews) and asked for a private tour. They arranged a driver and a private guide, Ms. Ezgi. She was really wonderful. She took us to every site providing us with valuable information, showing us the best places for pictures and not talking to much, always waiting for us to make questions. An expert escaping the crowds and very patient … It was not cheap, but fair (120 Euros for 6 hours).
We spent a very nice afternoon in Ephesus and really saw everything that was important to us!
My family and I toured Ephesus with Ezgi and we were very pleased. She is very kind, knowledgeable and accommodating. As expected the place was packed and it was extremely hot. We had sunscreen and water and some also brought umbrellas for more shade. The guide made our trip wonderful and I would recommend everyone take her tour.
My husband and I had the pleasure of taking a half day tour with Ezgi. I chose to use this company due to their fast responses, accommodating and flexible style and overall enthusiasm and we are both so happy we did. We were picked up exactly on time and saw the Temple of Artemis, Ephesus, and the Terrace Houses. We learned a wealth of knowledge about each place through Ezgi's guidance, making everything mean so much more with historical context. It was amazing to learn and understand what even the smallest detail meant when pointed out. She was extremely kind in accommodating me, as I have a knee injury and couldn't walk as quickly. After the tour we were enjoyed a lunch with her at a family owned restaurant. I cannot recommend our experience or guide, Ezgi, more highly. We hope to enjoy more tours with them in our time here! Tips for visiting: try to go early as it will get very hot with little shade, sunglasses, good footwear, sunscreen, and water are musts. Ezgi did a great job steering us around crowds, but it is a very popular place, so expect that.
Ezgi was a delight and out of the 10 guides we used on our cruise she was easily the most enjoyable to be with and most thoughtful to our desires. it was as if we were touring with a friend. everyone enjoyed the time with her and the sites she took us too. If we ever go back to Ephesus we will use her or her husband again.
Our private half-day tour of Ephesus with tour guide Ezgi Kayan Pekoz was terrific. She was extremely knowledgable about the area and created a most enjoyable experience. The vehicle, driver, and punctual arrangements added to the overall experience. Best guide of our cruise.
“Excellent Private Full Day Tour of Country side in Turkey and Ephesus”
We booked this tour while still at home in Canada given the positive remarks made on Tripadvisor about the TransBalkan Tours.
From the moment we were met at the dock by our lovely young lady Ezgi till we arrived back at the cruise ship driven by Mehme our pleasant and capable careful driver, we had a exciting time because of the well informed english speaking guide who with her cheerful personality and care for our being able to enjoy our day because of our disabilities she made it as memorable as possible.
We started with a delicious Turkish breakfast in the mountains miles from the port of Kusadasi in the shade of vines on a table set with a lovely blue and yellow cloth covered with delicious dishes like organic gozleme (filo dough stuffed with feta cheese and spinach) l fresh tomatoes and olives wonderful breads and farm fresh eggs.Cheeses, honey and preserves. Yogurt & berries. Topped off by hot & delicious Turkish coffee. After this feast we drove through downtown Kirazli village but due to our problems could not wander through the streets of the village, but could see people enjoying their traditional Turkish Village life. A lovely drive through the country side with beautiful vistas of mountains and the Mediterranean Ezgi informing us all the time of ruins or historic things we saw until we arrived at the city of Ephesus. Our driver kept us well supplied with bottles of cold water and made sure the temperature in the car was very comfortable. We decided to enter from the lower gate so Fred with a serious walking problem could see the coliseum. A play with music and dancing greeted us on arrival. He rested there while Ezgi and I made our way up to the famous Library, Hadrian's Gate the Terrace houses and the public toilets. When we arrived back to Harbour Street Fred was waiting for us seated on a pillar from ancient time.. We departed Ephesus for the Temple of Artemis, one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world we were not physically able to walk it but happy to see it. The amount of information was told in a informative and fun way that made it more than just a history lesson. A magical day. .we enjoyed an equally delicious lunch in a small town .,before heading back to the Port of Kusadasi. Our driver called for 2 wheel chairs to carry us to the ship from the car and they arrived very quickly.
We cannot say enough positive things about our tour, our driver and our guide who we hated to leave but are keeping in touch with as she is having her 1st baby very soon. Lovely day lovely country and lovely people, highly recommend this company.
No issue with payment or changes we requested. Do wear good walking shoes, hat sunscreen and water it is very hot in the summer we where there in June.
“Tour of Ephesus with Hakan”
Our group of 12 experienced a wonderful day learning all about the rich history of Ephesus, seeing the ruins, visiting Mary's home and St John's Basilica. Hakan was extremely knowledgable and friendly. We also visited Turkish rug manufacturer and saw how silk was spun from the silk worm cocoons and watched the rugs knitted, had a wonderful Turkish lunch under the olive trees, shopped for leather and ceramics, rounding out a wonderful day in Turkey
“Excellent guide, excellent value.”
There were four of us on a cruise into Kusadasi to visit Ephesus, in Turkey. For about the same price as TWO people on a shipboard large group tour, we had a private Mercedes van, a driver, and a guide, for the whole day. I can't say enough good things about this. The guide was superb. Perfect, fluent English; depth of knowledge; entertaining; he had it all. Thank you Hakan. We had a delicious lunch, in the gardens of a local family-owned Handcrafts center, followed by the mandatory carpet history and weaving presentation. There was honestly no pressure to buy, but I fell in love with a carpet and bought it. I thought I would get buyer's remorse, but I didn't. I love my carpet! Back to the lunch - it was one of our favorite meals of our whole vacation. Fresh, tasty, aromatic. Why, oh why, didn't I beg for the recipe of that tomato puree?? We would highly recommend this tour to anybody visiting the area. You can't go wrong for the value, the experience of a great guide, and the freedom to choose what you want to see and do.
