Private - Highlights of Ephesus Tour - Turkey Insiders Team

You will first visit The Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, was a Greek temple dedicated to the goddess of Artemis, and built in one of the flat areas of Ephesus. Today one can see the ruins of the foundations of this marvelous construction of the Hellenistic Age, entirely made of marble and full of sculptured columns whose lower portions were carved with figures in high relief.

You will then visit the world famous ancient Greco-Roman City of Ephesus, which is one of the most extensive ongoing archeological sites as well as one of the most well preserved ancient cities in the world. You enter through the Magnesia Gate where you will begin a slow, downhill walk with your guide into the ruins of this Roman provincial capital. Your route will take you past the Odeon Theater, the Celsus Library, the Temple of Hadrian, the Fountain of Trajan, and the Great Theater. The theater, which seats 24,000, is the believed site where St. Paul preached to the Ephesians, and is used today for a local spring festival. 

After visiting this impressive site, you will break for lunch and then continue your tour with a visit to The House of Virgin Mary, which is considered a holy place for both Christians and Muslims alike. The House of the Virgin Mary is the official site recognized by the Vatican as the residence where the Virgin Mary spent her final days and it provides you with the opportunity to experience a special tranquility for prayer and meditation.

the Basilica of St. John, which was built by the Emperor Justinian over the tomb of St. John the Apostle, the Basilica, now in ruins, once rivaled St. Sophia in size. See the remaining graceful columns and mosaics of the Basilica as you take in the panorama view of the rural Selcuk countryside and the ruins of the Temple of Artemis.

The Ephesus Archaeological Museum is an archaeological museum in Selçuk near the Ancient Greek city of İzmir, Turkey. It houses finds from the nearby Ephesus excavation site. Its best-known exhibit is the ancient statue of the Greek Goddess Artemis retrieved from the temple of the goddess in Ephesus.