Private Tour : Customized Ephesus Tour for Cruisers from Kusadasi Ephesus Port

Posted By : Scott_G
Excellent tour guide abs fantastic food. The only down side was the "carpet making" demonstration. It was very good, but any shown obverse was met by a perpetual assaults from sales personnel to get you to buy...... and prices dropped 40% from original price
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Posted On : 2023-06-01 16:10:23

Posted By : philip2019909
Our tour guide Azer is extremely friendly and knowledgeable. We have a wonderful day. Highly recommedted.
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Posted On : 2019-11-12 09:18:49

Posted By : KEVIN S
I was traveling with a group of 13 people on a cruise to Greece and Turkey. Honestly, I thought Turkey would be a “throwaway“ port. Boy was I shocked. Turkey is absolutely beautiful, clean, and the people are friendly. Of course, another contributing factor was Hakan and Ephesus Port Tours. The leader of our group booked a private tour with Hakan, and he did not disappoint. He was organized and very informative. He was able to flawlessly negotiate the crowds of people at all of the sites, and assemble our group of 13 before he started giving any information about each of the mini stops. On other tours we went on, the guides talked as we walked from sight to sight, and only a few people could hear. Hakan waited until EVERYBODY was assembled before he began educating us about the site. He definitely knew his stuff, and made it fun to be on the tour. He knew where to go, where to take pictures, and kept the tour at a comfortable pace. I give Hakan and Ephesus Port Tours my highest recommendation. And, don’t sleep on Turkey, it is a beautiful place to visit.
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Posted On : 2018-10-04 15:38:50

Posted By : Dream83083
We booked a private tour of Ephesus and the terrace houses for 6 people online. The process was easy and the operator responsive to email. We got clear instructions on costs and where to meet our guide at the cruise terminal. Right on time, we met our guide Dilek and the driver Mustafa (sp?). The car was a almost brand new Mercedes van with very comfortable seats and excellent air conditions.

Dilek went over our itinerary and quickly figured out that we weren't interested in the religious aspects of the area (i.e. House of Virgin Mary, etc.) and wanted more time at Ephesus and the Ephesus museum. At Ephesus, Dilek led us on an excellent tour, spending just the right amount of time at each location, answering our questions, and providing background and insight into what we were seeing. Even having visited Ephesus before on a guided tour, Dilek still shared information we had not heard before. She also told us about very recent discoveries and how they are changing the understanding of Ephesus history.

Following Ephesus, we visited the Ephesus museum and the Temple of Artemis.

On the way back to the port, we discussed local food. Dilek even had the driver stop by a local bakery famous for their baklava so that we could buy some - needless to say it was fantastic.

Back at the port just after lunchtime, DIlek gave us several recommendations for where to each lunch.

Overall an excellent tour - efficient, personal, and beyond expectations. Even better was the price - about 1/3 of what the cruise line was charging for a group tour.

I highly recommend this company and this tour.
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Posted On : 2018-09-27 10:41:58

Posted By : Tom M
Hakan was terrific. He was very flexible and tailored the excursion to our needs. He was very knowledgeable and the entire family enjoyed the tour, the restaurant and the special touches. Highly recommended.
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Posted On : 2018-08-29 14:41:01

Posted By : JLBWFB
We used EPHESUS PORT TOURS to customize an excellent tour in Kusadasi, Turkey. HAKAN was our tour guide and he was first rate. I will be reviewing him separately.
The tour was easy to find and easy to book, but be warned, Ephesus Port Tours are very popular so you need to book well in advance.
My family is quite diverse ranging in ages from 12 to 61 but we all love history and visiting the home of Saint Mary, mother of Jesus, and Ephesus was amazing. We also had the chance to visit a silk rug making school and Wow was that cool!!!

The air-conditioned van met us at the dock as promised and we raced off passing all the other Cruise ship tour busses to be first in line at the home of Saint Mary’s. A major plus!!! Hakan was informative, about the history of Saint Mary’s without any overtly religious commentary. He was well versed in the religion, as he does pilgrimage tours as well, but we wanted the history and to race off to the next place Ephesus!!

While Saint Mary’s was in the mountains and cool and comfortable Ephesus was HOT!!! Fortunately, Ephesus Port Tours offers umbrellas to its guests, one of the only tour companies to do so and they provided a welcome respite from the heat so we could better enjoy the tour.!!

Ephesus is awe inspiring and awesome. The history was well explained and Hakan showed us the best places to get the best selfies, and photographs. He also gave us time to self-explore.

The next stop was one of the wonders of the ancient world the Temple of Artemis. Hakan explained the history and the layout of the ancient temple and showed us a very interesting view. On the mountains behind the Temple were a Muslim temple and a Catholic cathedral. Thus, our view of the Temple was the only place in the World where you could see Pagan, Muslim and Christian structures in the same place. The photos were wonderful.

I would highly recommend Ephesus Port Tours. Look them up on Trip Advisor and work with them to get the tour that is right for your family and friends!
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Posted On : 2018-07-04 15:08:59

Posted By : Barbara27215
We had a wonderful tour with Hakan. It was suggested we get an early start and we were well rewarded. We were the first to the V Mary’s house. It was a beautiful morning as well as very moving. Then on to Ephesus were Hakan gave us a very thorough tour.
Thanks Hakan!
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Posted On : 2018-06-17 21:24:27

Posted By : mick1001
EPHESUS

A delicate balance today between fellow travellers with interests primarily in visiting Ephesus Ancient City, and the more devout with interests also in what a little house up in the mountains above the ancient city represents to Christians.

But thanks to our excellent guide, Hakan, we do it well and finish up with excellent Kebabs in a small family establishment near the port in Kusadasi for lunch (a place where Hakan takes his family), washed down with refreshing local wines or beers.

It is thought that Mary and the beloved disciple John came to this part of the world from Jerusalem across the sea. Imagination and some quiet contemplation helps to truly appreciate this place. I wouldn’t mind settling in this peaceful with little birds singing as they flit from branch to branch. Perhaps, I wouldn’t like to walk to a well somewhere to get the water to bathe, as Mary did. I wonder if she cooked kebabs as delicious as we enjoyed?

Visits of three popes to this House of Mary in recent times is an indication of the significance of the site. Silently inside, we can see the lamp that was gifted by Paul VI, a chalice from St John Paul II, and a gold rosary from Benedict XVI. My sister Anne and I take the opportunity to light candles, and say a prayer for elder brother Tony, and also remember other friends and family.

Ephesus Ancient City is so much more than I expected. It has been excavated from under tons of silt built-up over the years by flooding from a river than brings floods down from the mountains. So much silt that the once seaside City is now some miles inland with fertile lands of peaches and olives all the way to the now distant sea.
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Posted On : 2018-05-29 04:50:23