Private Ephesus & Virgin Mary Tours for Cruisers with grp. option

Meeting times are differ for each cruise line. Meeting time will be given during your confirmation.

We will have 30 min. drive to The House of Virgin Mary is located on the Aladag Mountains 5 miles away from Ephesus. At the third Ecumenical Council on 431 AD in Ephesus, it was claimed that Mary came to Ephesus with St. John in 37 A.D. and lived there until her death in 48 A.D. After the discovery of the house, the Archbishop of Izmir declared there as a place of pilgrimage in 1892. On July 26, 1967, Pope Paul VI visited this place and prayed there.

We will have 10 mins drive to Ephesus from The House of Virgin Mary. We will start visiting one of the main highlights in Turkey, Ephesus, one of the 12 cities of Ionian League (an ancient Greek district on the western coast of Asia Minor) is located near Izmir. As a port city it was a major departure point for trade routes into Asia Minor. Walk through history along marble streets lined with wonderful public buildings, among them the Baths of Scholastica, the Library of Celsus; it was built in the beginning of the 2nd century A.D. by Gaius Julius Aquila to be a memorial to his father Gaius Julius Celsus Polemanus, the proconsul of Province of Asia. , the Temple of Hadrian and The Grand Theater are two of the most impressive buildings in Ephesus. Grand theatre was built in 3rd century B.C and it was later expanded to 24.000 spectators by the Romans in the 1st century A.D.

Terrace houses included in " with Terrace Houses options " only. Not included in other options. Terrace Houses is located on skirt of Pion Mountain. There are 6 residential units which were built on three man-made terraces. These houses were settled by wealty citizens of Ephesus. These houses were very fancy decorated with wall frescoes and floor mosaics. There are many steps to ascend from bottom to top. Not recommended for people who has walking difficulties and acro-phobia (fear of heights).

We will stop at Artemission Temple where used to be one of the seven wonders of the ancient world as our last stop before drive back to your hotel / Kusadasi town center and port.

Drive to Port through Kusadasi Marina. Arrival and the end of services