Ephesus 3 to 4 Hours Private & Mini Group Tours with ENTRANCES

Posted By : Q1066GZwilliamk
My wife and I visited via a Royal Caribbean cruise and met our guide, Eja just outside of the port building and before the shopping bazaar and caught our ride, a block away, it was all super easy. Eja was great, she knew everyone and was able to paint a picture of what life was like back in the thriving times of the city. After the tour, we were able to visit a local shop too for some Turkish coffee and delights on our way back to Kusadasi. This tour was a great way to see Ephesus and avoid being a part of the slower, 30+ person type of groups, much more personal and efficient. My wife and I were very glad we did this, as Ephesus does get quite hot-the shade is basically non-existent (the museum tour's HVAC was a nice relief 2/3 way through).
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Posted On : 2024-06-17 07:33:18

Posted By : S7129TMtammys
Booked with Ephesus Shuttle directly and did Mini Group Tour 1 (Option with Terrace Houses) which is a half day tour to go to Ephesus -> Terrace Houses -> Artemis Temple. We did tour during our stop at Kusadasi in a Greece cruise.
Our tour only had 6 people including guide and bus driver so I guess I was lucky that day. Tour guide was Ema and she was wonderful! Very knowledgeable and kind, and she was a good presenter. She kept us engaged and interested in the history and culture of Ephesus and Kusadasi through entire tour, she even managed to get my mom interested in her talk when my mom usually doesn't even show any interest in any history in general regardless where she goes. Ephesus itself was definitely magnificent but having a guide who knows about the place a lot makes the visit more insightful for sure. For record, Ema did go into Terrace Houses with us and provided detailed explanations (saying this cuz I saw online that some guide does not go in with you.) In my opinion, Terrace Houses was worth extra money for me, it gives you a way better view of the life of rich.

Also the representatives from Ephesus Shuttle were very professional too. I had whole bunch questions and they answered it properly before I decide to book it with them. When I say question, I am not talking about basic stuff like where is meeting point. Let's just say the easiest question I asked was the cancellation policy and also other questions that tour operator would normally give straight answers. And Ephesus Shuttle were honest with answers (I can tell that because they knew some answers they provided might upset their clients so at the end they politely said "let us know if you still want to book with us").

In summary I definitely recommend this tour but I do suggest people to do research on Thukey's tour in general. (Just read other reviews for just for this company, other companies too.) Especially if you are used to tour experience in North America or UK, you might end up with a bad experience regardless which tour company you choose if you don't know what to expect and you won't be able to ask the right questions too. My review is specific to the management team of Ephesus Shuttle and the guide Ema.
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Posted On : 2024-06-15 22:50:57

Posted By : Lauren_D
Our tour guide was excellent and was so good with our kids. We learned a lot and enjoyed all the stops. We never felt pressured and we always felts safe.
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Posted On : 2024-06-10 09:42:42

Posted By : Karen_S
We were on a small group tour of up to 10 people but there were only four of us which was nice. Connection and pick up went well. We were transported in a nice clean van and we had no transportation issues. We did have issues with our guide..
Our first issue with the guide was the speed at which she moved. She is familiar with the walk and moved too fast considering how slippery the rocks were. We moved faster than any of the other tours around us. I know it was hot and she does this often. It seemed like she wanted to get it done. We were not short on time as we had lots of time at her friend’s shop after and we did not go over the 4 hours. I do not have mobility issues.
The second issue was with our ability to hear her. Her voice is not loud enough or strong enough for a guide. The other couple we were with were always close to her and could hear her but we could not. Quite often the other gentleman would tell us what she said. We had no problem hearing the other guides around us as they had stronger voices. I do not have hearing issues.
I would still recommend this tour because it made visiting the ruins easy. Although our guide was not loud enough and moved too fast she was a nice person.

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Posted On : 2024-06-08 17:42:12

Posted By : 64lesleyj
We had used this company ten years ago and were impressed. We booked for a return visit to Ephesus with our son and were not disappointed. We were met by Emre and his driver from the cruise port on time and taken to the comfortable air conditioned mini bus. Emre was very knowledgable and gave us lots of information, he was the perfect guide giving us opportunities to look,ask questions and take photographs. He always found shade for us to stand/sit whilst he gave us information. I can’t recommend this company highly enough.
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Posted On : 2024-06-02 02:41:40

Posted By : Tourist571707
Yavuz was great!!! Learned so much! Such a special treat to see the house of Mary and Ephesus was amazing! We even stopped for a yummy lunch!
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Posted On : 2024-05-27 08:14:14

Posted By : A5358SFjuliey
Had a great tour with Pina. We lucked out and had only the 2 of us on the tour. Comfortable and knowledgeable. Highly recommend.
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Posted On : 2024-05-23 10:58:49

Posted By : marktx1960
I had a private tour with Selenay as my guide. She comes from a family that has been taking tourists out for years. She knows what’s important along with a friendly demeanor at all times.
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Posted On : 2024-05-11 11:51:20

Posted By : Mark_S
The guide was both friendly and informative. I’d recommend this excursion to anyone wanting to learn about Ephesus.
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Posted On : 2024-05-10 13:06:58

Posted By : PatriciaF840
Can't say enough good things about this experience. Communication was excellent and timely. The Mercedes minivan, just for the two of us, was pristine and comfortable. We had a driver AND guide; both extremely professional. Our guide, Alex, was incredible. His knowledge of the local area, its history, and Ephesus is vast and really allowed us to fully appreciate the destination. I would definitely include the terrace houses on your visit to Ephesus and the museum at Selcuk has both incredible Artemis statues from the nearby ruins of Artemis' Temple as well as many significant artifacts from Ephesus. We stopped for a lovely lunch for typical Turkish food. My husband bought a beautiful leather jacket at a low stress, high quality leather outlet. There is no pressure to shop anywhere but if you are interested in ceramics, leather, or rugs, Alex will take you to authentic and high quality locations. Especially if you have never been to Turkey before, I would highly recommend Alex and Ephesus Shuttle.
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Posted On : 2024-04-29 15:42:57