Pro

History, architecture, landscape all coming together
Con

Sometimes very hot and always very crowded
In a nutshell

Ephesus is one of the best ancient ruins.
23 Reviews The house of Virgin Mary is considered to be the last home of Mother Mary. The Christians visit here for pilgrimage and it has been also visited by the last 3 popes. Outside the house, you can find 3 fountains which are believed to provide health, love and wealth. You can also see the wall of...
57 Reviews It's a long way down the main roads, lined with the ruins of several buildings that your guide will describe in detail. Finnaly it all ends facing the library, whose facade is the best preserved of all, and the most harmonious. An excellent detail in the historical visit, that withdraws importance...
43 Reviews The biggest construction remaining in Ephesus, and the most impressive after the Library is the great theatre. Built under Greek influence, it was enlarged and transformed by the Romans, an, despite the effects of time and earthquakes, it still impresses by its size and wise conception, integrated...
19 Reviews You don't need to use your imagination too much here! The latrines were part of the Scholastica Baths and built in the 1st century AD. They were the public toilets of the city where citizens were charged an entrance fee to use them. In the centre, there is an uncovered pool and the toilets are...
24 Reviews This is one of the best preserved and most beautiful structures on Curetes Street. It was built before 138 AD by P. Quintilius and was dedicated to Emperor Hadrian, who came to visit the city from Athens in 128 AD. The facade of the temple has four Corinthian columns supporting a curved arch, in the...
13 Reviews The Temple of Artemis lies just off the road that leads to Ephesus, to the west of Selcuk but all that remains of the once described Seventh Wonder of the World is a single column capped with a stork's nest. It was originally built around 550 BC and was said to be the largest temple in the world,...
19 Reviews The ancient city of Pergamon consists of three main parts: the Acropolis, the Red Courtyard and the Asklepion. The temple of Athena (530 B.C.) situated on top of the city is surrounded by olive groves and encompassed by crumbling city walls and an ancient necropolis (cemetery). The temple entails...
31 Reviews Each set of stones has a name. Of course, I do believe the honesty of the studies, and the accuracy of the identification, but, here and there is hard to guess the original building, and how they identified it. Domician Temple, they say! OK. Domician Temple, I say. But don't ask me more details....
17 Reviews This building has the shape of a small theatre with a stage building, seating places and the orchestra. It had two functional uses. First it was used as a Bouleuterion for the meetings of the Boulea or the Senate. The second function was the Odeum - a concert hall for performances. It was...
5 Reviews In Kusadasi.biz I read: "In the Augustan era, the spread of Imperial-Roman cults was by then a fact in many provinces of Asia Minor. The cult of the Emperor was alive in Nicomedia and in Pergamum, together with that of the Goddess Rome. The idea for the building of a temple which could celebrate...
10 Reviews This street runs down from the Great Theatre to the harbour which silted up during Byzantine times where the people of Ephesus were forced to move to a new settlement further inland which is now modern day Selcuk.
Saray restaurant: Nice and tasty!
linjohn Says: The restaurant is located in the centre of Kusadasi, not so far away from the port we docked in. You may have a breakfast or a dinner there, they have practically everything you can imagine: italian, indonesian, mexican cuisines etc, The service was great, the garsins very...
No shopping tour to Ephesus, Virgin, Mary's house
northcoombes Says: I recently organised a tour for myself, my husband and his brother and sister-in-law who came over from Melbourne, Australia to see us in the UK. As they had never been to Greece we booked a holiday taking in Athens and some the Greek Islands. As I had been to both Greece...
windoweb Says: A mosque is symbolically very important to Muslims, and is a humble way for man to recreate pure divine presence on earth.The implementation of minarets, were both for embellishment of the mosques, and for the functionality of the mosques, as calling for prayer, ezan, from...
Do not linger on the road by the Turkish army base
windoweb Says: The road to the Asclepion passes through a large Turkish army base. Do not linger on the road, or take photos, and be off the road by dusk. The Asclepion (Asklepieion) of Pergamum was perhaps the world's most famous ancient medical center
obcbreeze Says: OK, so it's not really a trap, but the street vendors when you come out of the Roman ruins at Ephesus are everywhere, selling everything. Try and remember that they are making a living, so a smile and no thank you and move along.
6 Reviews The Celsus Library, whose facade has been carefully reconstructed from all original pieces, was built ca. 125 B.C.E. by Gaius Julius Aquila in memory of his father C.Celsus - the General Governor of the Province of Asia, in the year 135 A.D. and once held nearly 12,000 scrolls. Designed with an...
8 Reviews The most magnificent structure in Ephesus ancient city, the great Theatre is located on the slope of Panayir Hill, opposite the Harbor Street, and easily seen when entering from the south entrance to Ephesus. It was first constructed in the Hellenistic Period, in the third century BC during the...
6 Reviews The ancient city occupies the territory of several square kilometers. You can see the map of the Ancient city and the typical way of excursion (green color) on the picture. This place became known since the 19th century. The history of excavation began in 1859-74 on the Odeon and the theatre. It...
6 Reviews It is the small portion of the sacred way, running between the Celsus Library and the Hercules Gate. It took its name from the class of priests referred to as "curettes" in long lists found at the clerical school of priests. Colonnaded galleries with mosaics on the floor were located on both sides...
Plan a Ephesus vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Ephesus locals

September 17, 2009 we were in Ephesus.Though I have seen Ephesus already in 2007, I was obliged to see it again because of some friends who wants to see...
3 members live in Ephesus
Q: How far from Cruise Port and time wise to bus station to get bus to Epheus. Lots of people said not safe on buses so would we...

A: Selchuk is only about 20km away from the cruise port in Kusadasi. Mini buses leave when full all the time, especially in the mornings. Ephesus is easily walkable for the...
Read 8 Replies
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After years of traveling to parts of Turkey, i finally got the chance to visit Ephesus, and i must say it was worth the wait. Ephesus is not what i really expected at all, i thought it would be like...
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The ruins of Ephesus are a favorite international and local tourist attraction. In fact Ephesus contains the largest collection of Roman ruins East of the Mediterranean. Only an estimated 15% has...
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The Inspiring Roman Ruins of Ephesus

The historic site is on a sloping hillside with one entrance right on the main highway at the bottom of the hill. Better to enter the site from the Magnesia Gate at the top of the hill on the road to...
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Today Ephesus is probably the best-preserved ancient city and outdoor museum in the world. It is located on the south of Izmir’s Selcuk country. It was a gateway for the west to get acquainted to the...
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Ephesus (Efes) and Nearby Selcuk

Ephesus is generally considered to be the best preserved Roman ruins in the Eastern Mediterranean. This makes the site one of the most important attractions in Turkey and for certain, one of the most...
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