Visiting Ephesus in Turkey: Everything You Need to Know!

Everything to know about visiting Ephesus! The ancient city of Ephesus is one of the most well-preserved ancient cities in the world. It is right up there with Pompeii, Italy and Petra, Jordan!

Along with its preservation, it also has a history that dates back centuries and through multiple empires due to its harbor-side location.

And did you know Ephesus is an important city mentioned in the Bible on multiple occasions? (example: Book of Ephesians!)

If you are any kind of history fan (or even architecture,) you are going to really enjoy visiting Ephesus while you are in Turkey!

Here is everything you need to know about visiting Ephesus including a bit of history, where it is located in Turkey, how to get there, whether you should use a guide or not, plus general information such as amenities within the ancient city, the best way to explore the city to avoid climbing up hill, what to bring with you and more!

The Ancient City of Ephesus is located near modern-day Selçuk on the west coast of Turkey. Ephesus has an EXTENSIVE history that spans thousands of years and multiple empires.

Its location on the Castros (Kaystros) River that fed into the Aegean Sea made it a hot spot for trading.

Control Over Ephesus

Ephesus was originally built as a Greek settlement. Then once the usefulness of the location was discovered, was overtaken by first King Croesus of Lydia until Cyrus the Great and the Persians took over.

Then Alexander the Great liberated the city and took over. After his death, a general of Alexander the Great, Lysimachos, relocated Ephesus and built the city in its current location nearby in the 4th century. From here, it went through several hands until the Romans came in.

When the Roman Empire took over Asia Minor, it deemed Ephesus the capital. The Roman Empire is responsible for much of the expansion and buildings like the Library of Celsus and the Great Theater located inside Ephesus. The Romans also built the Temple of Artemis nearby, which was considered one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World.

When the Roman Empire split, the Byzantine Empire took over. However, during this period the famous trading harbor began to silt up and retreat from the city of Ephesus. This made the city less valuable and eventually forced people to move away.

By the time the Ottoman Empire took over the area, Ephesus was largely unimportant and the booming city dwindled to more of a village.

If you’ve read much of the Bible, “Ephesus” may sound familiar to you. Ephesus was an important city in the spread of modern day Christianity, especially through Rome during the Roman Empire control of Ephesus.

The Apostle Paul spent nearly 3 years in the city of Ephesus during his missionary journey. Paul spent much of his time preaching against pagan worship, performing miracles and debated with the citizens of Ephesus.

Paul also wrote the book of the 1st Corinthians while in Ephesus and later wrote a letter to the Ephesians (in the Book of Ephesians) while he was imprisoned.

Timothy, Aquila and Priscilla, Apollos, and the Apostle John also ministered in Ephesus.

Ephesus is even mentioned as one of the 7 churches John writes about in the Book of Revelation.

So, if you practice Christianity, it kind of feels incredible to step into a place that had such an impact on the spread of Christianity and that had such prominent people walking the streets at one time.

And, if you don’t practice Christianity, the city is still incredible just due to the perseveration of the city and structures; one of the best in the world!

Ephesus is located in modern-day Selçuk, which can take some time to travel to if you are coming from Istanbul.

There is no direct way to get from Istanbul to Selçuk. Instead, you will have to go through nearby Izmir before heading to Selçuk.

Getting to Selçuk from Istanbul

From Istanbul you will fly to Izmir, which is the closest airport to the city of Selçuk and Ephesus. You can fly either from the main international airport in Istanbul or you can fly out of the more domestic airport that utilizes airlines like Pegasus and AJet.

Once you arrive in Izmir, you will have to train, hire a private ride or rent a car to get to Selçuk.

Train will be and efficient option and the most cost-effective way to get to Selçuk.

There is a regional train that is a short walk from the Izmir airport; either a direct route or with one transfer at Tepeköy station. These should cost between 110 and 160 Turkish Lira ($2-3 USD or at least under $10 USD) and take just a little over an hour.

Train tickets are best purchased through the TCDD website

If you are traveling in a group or don’t want to manage luggage on public transportation, you can either hire a private ride to Selçuk or rent a car.

Private ride- These can be pre-purchased through Viator or RideandGo. Price will vary depending on which company you choose, but usually are a flat group fee. However, you should expect to pay between $50-$100 USD depending on the size of your group.

Rental Car- This is your best option if you would like to explore places around Selçuk (Ephesus, Sirince Village, etc) on your own

Rent a car to explore Selçuk on your own!

Getting to Ephesus from Selçuk

The trains will drop you in a pretty central location in downtown Selçuk. You should be able to walk or take a short taxi ride to your accommodations from the train station.

So how do you get to Ephesus from Selçuk?

You can get to Ephesus from Selçuk either via local minibus, taxi, walking or a rental car.

Local minibus- These leave from the Selçuk bus station and will drop you off at the lower entrance. Cost is about $2 USD

Taxi- You can grab a taxi in downtown Selçuk or near the bus or train stations. These can drop you off at either entrance, depending on what you prefer and cost will likely be ~$10USD.

Walk- If you prefer, there is a path from Selçuk to Ephesus that you can walk. It is about 3 to 4 km (2 to 2.5 miles,) so it isn’t an easy stroll. You should expect it to take 30-45 minutes to walk and it will likely be rough in the summer time.

Rental Car– If you opted to rent a car in Izmir, you can drive yourself to Ephesus. There is paid parking at the entrances, and the main entrance (lower gate) will take card. Cost should be around $5 USD

Want a Hotel Recommendation in Selçuk?

We stayed at the Hotel Kalehan in downtown Selçuk. It was in a great, walkable location, the staff was so friendly, the rooms were clean and the breakfast was great! (& they offer baggage storage)

Book a Room!

If you are wanting to visit Ephesus while on a cruise you can either:

Take a taxi- These will likely be sitting outside the cruise port. Ask UPFRONT what the price will be for a one-way and for round-trip. Most of the time they do a round-trip fare where they wait for you to finish at the ruins and drive you back (since they know you have to get back to the port.) Usually around $90-$140 USD round-trip.

Hire a private transfer- These can be booked through Kusadasi Transfer and are similar to a taxi. They will pick you up, wait for you while you explore Ephesus and then bring you back to the port. However, they are cheaper than taxis ($40-$90 USD depending on if you need a car, van or mini-bus.)

Take a mini bus from the cruise port to Selçuk, then another mini bus from Selçuk to Ephesus (as described above.) This will definitely be your cheapest option.

Book a guided tour from the cruise port- These can be booked through places like GetYourGuide or through your cruise operator. They will be more expensive through the cruise line, but will often have a guarantee that the ship will wait for you to get back!

Explore guided tours from the cruise port to Ephesus

One of the biggest questions people have when visiting Ephesus is whether or not to take a guided tour.

Some sites are easily explored on their own. And you can definitely explore Ephesus on your own.

However, if you have any interest in the history of Ephesus (and there is quite the history) a guided tour will help give you more historical details of what you are looking at, what each building was used for, what events took place where, etc.

Pros to having a guide: Don’t have to worry about transportation to/from Ephesus, you get the history of Ephesus while you are exploring the city
Cons to taking a guided tour: Cost is more, you are on the time schedule of someone else

When we visited Ephesus, we had a guide. She was able to give us the history as we walked through the ancient city and I found it to be super helpful and made the tour feel more complete.

Guided Tour from Selçuk

There aren’t many guided tours that pick up and drop off in Selçuk; many of them pickup/drop off at the cruise port.

However, this tour with Crossroads Travel does! It also includes stops at the House of Virgin Mary as well as the Temple of Artemis, which are two popular sites to see in Selçuk as well.

Guided Tour from the Cruise Port

If you are wanting to book a guided tour of Ephesus with pick up and drop off at the cruise port in Kuşadası, you are going to have plenty of options!

There are options of just taking a guided tour of Ephesus, of combining it with the Temple of Artemis and other sites, of having lunch or not having lunch and more!

The highest-rated tour from the cruise port is provided by Apasas Travel Turkey and includes House of Virgin Mary, Ephesus, Temple of Artemis plus lunch and price of entry tickets (remember the cheaper tours on GetYourGuide usually do not include entry tickets. So, once you purchase tickets the price will be about the same.)

Cost to Visit Ephesus & Hours

A standard entrance ticket (that includes the Experience Museum) is around $46 USD. So, while the guided tours are a bit pricey, the entrance tickets themselves are a bit pricey too.

If you opt to visit Ephesus on your own, you can purchase your tickets at the gate when you arrive.

Summer Hours (April-October): 8:00 am to 7 pm (box office closes at 6:45pm)
Winter Hours (November-March): 8:30 am to 5/6pm (depending on month)

Best Way to Explore the City

It is recommended to be dropped off at the upper entrance (Magnesia Gate) and be picked up at the Lower Entrance (Harbor Gate.)

This way, you get to explore the Ancient City of Ephesus from the top, down to the bottom. Otherwise, if you get dropped off at the lower entrance you will have to walk uphill through almost the entire city.

Must-See Sites in the Ancient City of Ephesus

The Ancient City of Ephesus isn’t giant, so it is kind of hard to miss anything important if you follow the main path. However, some of the must-see sites are:

• Library of Celsus- The famous, well-intact, two-storied, columned building found in most photos of Ephesus. Once held 12,000 scrolls!
• The Great Theater- A huge amphitheater carved into the hillside that once sat 25,000 people
• Temple of Hadrian- A temple located on the famous Curetes Street; not as well-intact but definitely worth seeing
• Odeon of Ephesus- A small indoor theater that was used for town meetings and music (found near the upper gate)
• Public latrines- A block of stone with cut outs used as a communal restroom; it shows ancient Roman hygiene
• Harbor Road- This road once led to the port that made Ephesus such a hot commodity. When you walk out, you can still walk the same path that was once used to access the port. However, not you can see how far the harbor has retreated from the main city!
• Terrace Houses- Villas that house well-intact ancient mosaics and wall frescoes (requires an extra ticket, so this is more optional than must-see)

How Long Should You Plan for the Visit?

How long does it take to explore from the upper gate down to the lower gate?

We were in the Ancient City of Ephesus for about an hour and a 45 minutes, however we didn’t opt to buy the extra tickets to see the Terrace Houses.

Guided tours typically spend between an hour and a half to 2.5 hours in the ancient city.

For a comfortable cushion, I would plan for about 2 hours to explore the entirety of the ancient city. You can certainly spend more time here, but planning for less than about an hour and a half will be pushing it.

Other Accommodations Located in the Ancient City of Ephesus

You are going to find basic accommodations within the ancient city of Ephesus.

Restrooms can be found near each gate (none found between the gates.)

Food- There is not a not a lot of food found within the city. You can find a cafe near the Museum Experience where you can find coffee, cold drinks and snacks as well as another restroom if needed.

Other than this cafe, you can sometimes find snack stalls near the gates when you enter and exit Ephesus.

Therefore, I recommend you bring water (especially if you are visiting in summer!) and snacks of your own if you think you may get hungry!

What to Wear and Bring With You to Ephesus

What you wear and what you need to bring are really going to depend on what time of year you are visiting.

We visited in April and the weather was cooler than average.

However, if you are visiting during the more popular time of summer, know that there is very little shade throughout the ancient city of Ephesus. If you are visiting in July and August, temps will probably be no less than 90 degrees F and can even reach into the 100’s F.

In the summer I recommend:

• Sunscreen– Only being there for maybe 2 hours, you shouldn’t have to reapply. But I recommend wearing it to the city
• Hat- Not a necessity, but keeping the sun off your face can help cool you down
• Sunglasses- The ancient marble REALLY reflects sunlight and can get very bright
• Water bottle- Even if you are only there for a couple of hours, if it is in the heat of summer, you are going to want to have water to drink
• Breathable clothes- Light linen or a moisture-wicking fabric are going to be your best options.

Also, remember that the path you are going to walk on will be marble stones. These stones can get slippery when wet. So, if there is a chance of rain when you plan to visit, consider wearing shoes with good grip rather than your flip flops.

A few things you should see while you are in the area are:

Temple of Artemis– Next to the ruins of Ephesus, the Temple of Artemis is one of the most historical sites in this area. Once a Wonder of the Ancient World, it is now very much dwindled to a few ruins. However, it is free to visit and worth stopping to see.

House of Virgin Mary- It is thought that Apostle John brought Mary to Ephesus following Jesus’ crucifixion and this may have been where she spent the remainder of her years.

Basilica of Saint John- Emperor Justinian I built the Basilica of Saint John over the burial site of Apostle John in the 6th century. Today, you can see Apostle John’s tomb within the basilica ruins. You can also still see the baptistry and other parts of the basilica ruins

İsa Bey Mosque- Just beside the Basilica of Saint John is also the İsa Bey Mosque. You can enter the grounds and the inside, but remember you will have to cover your head to enter the interior. Coverings are provided at the door if you do not have one