For Cruise Guests : Biblical Ephesus PRIVATE TOUR/ Kusadasi Tours

Great insight provided to the ancient sites. I appreciated being taken directly to the sites with details provided along the way

Metin was our guide and immediately we knew he was going to make it a perfect day with a caring and educational tour. We had ample free moments to supplement the tour and details of the sites. We covered the House of Virgin Mary, a detailed walk through Ephesus, Temple of Artemis and then, old style rug weaving demonstration and the ancients style of pottery making. We also visited a reputable leather dealer with a classic Turkish lunch. The transport was first class. Metin is clearly knowledgeable and we could tell he was well known as the locals told us we were lucky to have him as our guide. One bit of advice, don't worry about feeling obligated to buy things at some of the stops. Bartering works but it's easy to say no thanks. Metin was the best and we wish him the best.

Outstanding experience! Seda (our guide) was very knowledgeable about the local culture as well as the ancient city of Ephesus. She took the time to answer our questions and had great conversations with her. Also stopped for a wonderful Turkish lunch and where John the apostle wrote his gospel Highly recommend!!

Our cruise ship docked at Kusadasi and we wanted to do a private tour of the ruins of Ephesus rather than a large group tour. We chose Ephesus Port Tours and we were completely satisfied. Our guide Dilek was an excellent guide, very informative, and very professional. She took us first to a pottery making demonstration, then the amazing ruins of Ephesus. She explained all the different sights and connected them to Biblical stories. We also visited the tomb of St. John and a carpet weaving demonstration. I highly recommend Ephesus Port Tours!

Excellent tour of Ephesus and House of Virgin Mary with a very knowledgeable guide. She had a lot of knowledge and she accomodated those who wanted to see more by adding additional sites. Very nice lunch and very interesting visits to a pottery and carpet workshops. Very enjoyable and highly recommended.

Kaya was a wonderful tour guide. Our private tour was excellent! Kaya was very knowledgeable , patient and courteous. We visited Ephesus, a pottery shop, a carpet factory and a leather factory. The experience was wonderful and I learned so much. I would recommend Kaya and this tour company to anyone.

We were a party of four adults that took the 6-hour Biblical Ephesus Tour with a private licensed guide offered by Ephesus Port Tours. We visited four sites: House of the Virgin Mary, and the ruins of Ephesus Ancient City, Temple of Artemis (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World), and St. John Basilica. We also had a wonderful lunch at a local restaurant.

We saw it all. We did not want a “drive-by,” “walk-by” or “snap picture” tour of these four sites. Instead, we wanted a fully immersive educational tour – and Elif (manager) and Zeynep (guide) far exceeded our expectations! They delivered. They demonstrated excellence at every step of the process.

Elif (manager) responded to our inquiries and questions within 24 hours or sooner. He provided a written detailed description of tour options, suggested itineraries, and costs. He had an easy to use booking process and offered multiple payment options. Also noteworthy, our cruise line had a change in port schedule. Elif informed us before we learned about it from our cruise line. As a result, we were able to change our tour date with very little effort. This was great service.

Zeynep (guide) was OUTSTANDING! She was fluent in English, very energetic, enthusiastic, well organized, proud of country and city, easy to converse with and at ease with questions. She met us outside the cruise ship terminal at the scheduled time. We had a mini-van that was very clean, well air-conditioned, and outfitted with sun umbrellas for our use on site. Zeynep knew how best to expedite entry into the sites, and once inside how best to maneuver through and around other tour groups to maximize our time on site. She managed our time efficiently, but never hurried us and adjusted our schedule to minimize wait time. Zeynep was well educated and trained in all aspects of the sites and therefore could present information and answer detailed questions about the history, architecture, economics and social conditions years ago. Unlike other tour guides, she did not present information in a droning or recitative manner nor simply “do a walk-by” of buildings. Instead she selected sites or viewing areas and then engaged and “connected with” every member of our party to inform us about what we saw. Ruins came alive with her notebook of building illustrations that showed what the site or building might have looked like years ago.

Once again, thank you Elif and Zeynep. We had a memorable time! We would not hesitate to call upon Ephesus Port Tours again to arrange another private tour in Turkey.

Guide was kind, friendly, and made sure we saw all the sights we were interested in.

I chose this tour based on reviews and webpage info. While I had hoped for a more biblically based approach and insights, it was still a good tour. At one point I did feel like the tour was a "front" to a carpet and pottery sales company; however, there was no pressure to buy, but it took away from the specialness of the tour.

I would recommend the company to others. Just know you will need to have sufficient cash on hand to pay for the lunch (it was really good local food) and any attraction you choose to go into.

The dedicated Driver was also safe and courteous. Always on time and waiting with a cool vehicle when we returned.