Private Ephesus, St. John Basilica, The House of Mary with Lunch
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September 2026
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Adults
Age 13 and over
Children
Age 12 and under
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Free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Same price on Viator, Outty earns a commission.
Traveler rating
4.8/5
Based on 26 traveler reviews. Ratings and reviews provided by Viator and Tripadvisor.
Quick answer
Is Private Ephesus, St. John Basilica, The House of Mary with Lunch worth booking?
Private Ephesus, St. John Basilica, The House of Mary with Lunch is a 6-hour experience in Kusadasi, Turkey, from $139 per person. It scores 65 out of 100 on the Outty Ranking, which we label “Solid Choice”, based on a 4.8/5 rating across 26 reviews. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the start time. Same-day spots are currently showing.
- Outty Ranking
- 65 / 100
- Rating
- 4.8/5 (26)
- Duration
- 6 hours
- From
- $139 per person
Private tour allows you to see almost all the highlights close to Kusadasi. Our private tour includes visits to Ephesus, The House of Virgin Mary, St. John Basilica, The Temple of Artemission.This private full-day tour i
What you get
About this experience
Private tour allows you to see almost all the highlights close to Kusadasi. Our private tour includes visits to Ephesus, The House of Virgin Mary, St. John Basilica, The Temple of Artemission.This private full-day tour includes a private guide, private transportation by brand-new minibus with A/C and a traditional kebap lunch with mezes and salad that is not to be missed. • Private Tour for your family and friends • You will decide on departure time • Our tour guide will meet you at the Port/Hotel with your name sign, • Our professional tour guide will be with you from arrival till departure, • You will have flexibilty to spend how much time you want in each site and customize the itinerary, • You do not have to wait for other group members • You may stop to have pictures during your tour. • Lunch in a local restaurant is included.
What's included
Included
- Traditional Turkish Lunch
- GUARANTEED On Time Return to PORT
- Private tour for your family and Friends only
- Private transportation by brand-new vehicles with AC
- Private professional licensed tour guide
Not included
- Tips & Personal Expenses are not included
- Entrance Fees ( Our guide will have pre-paid tickets to skip the line )
What you'll see and do
Your private guide will meet you at your Kusadasi hotel or Kusadasi port at pre-arranged time. Pickup time will be given during the confirmation of your booking.
15 minutes here
Ephesus Ancient City
After greeting, we will have a 2-minute drive to the Ephesus area to visit 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 are the Baths of Scholastica and 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. The Grand theatre was built in the 3rd century B.C and it was later expanded to 24.000 spectators by the Romans in the 1st century A.D. You can visit Terrace Houses by paying entrance fee to the site
120 minutes here · Admission not included
The House of the Virgin Mary
Our next stop is The House of Virgin Mary, located in the Aladag Mountains 5 miles away from Ephesus. At the third Ecumenical Council in 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 it as a place of pilgrimage in 1892. On July 26, 1967, Pope Paul VI visited this place and prayed there.
60 minutes here · Admission not included
Lunch time. we will have traditional Turkish lunch in a local restaurant with mezes
1 minutes here · Admission included
Basilica of St. John
After Lunch we drive to St. John’s Basilica. It is believed that the evangelist St. John had spent his last years in the region around Ephesus and was buried in the southern slope of the Ayosolug Hill.
45 minutes here · Admission not included
The Temple of Artemis
We will stop at the Temple of Artemis where one of the seven wonders of the ancient world used to be.
15 minutes here
Kusadasi
After the tour we will take you back to the Kusadasi city center or port. the end of our services
20 minutes here
Where it starts and ends
Hotel pickup
Pickup is included for all travelers. Pickup begins about 15 minutes before departure.
Before you book
- Cancellation
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
- Languages
- en
- Ticket
- Mobile Only
- Runs on
- Every day
- Group size
- Up to 15 travelers per booking
- Operated by
- Private & Small Group Ephesus & Istanbul & Turkey Tours
Know before you go
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Private tour allows you to see almost all the highlights close to Kusadasi. Our private tour includes visits to Ephesus, The House of Virgin Mary, St. John Basilica, The Temple of Artemission.
- Traditional kebap lunch with mezes and salad that is not to be missed.
Photos
What travelers are saying
Outty’s summary of the themes that recur across 26 traveler reviews. Written by us, not quoted from reviewers.
The guide
10 mentionsTravelers single out the guide as the reason the experience works.
Knowledge and storytelling
6 mentionsReviewers describe the commentary as informative rather than scripted.
Food and drink
4 mentionsThe tastings and food stops are a highlight for most reviewers.
Small groups
3 mentionsThe group size is repeatedly described as intimate rather than packed.
Traveler reviews
26 verified traveler reviews for Private Ephesus, St. John Basilica, The House of Mary with Lunch. Ratings and reviews provided by Viator and Tripadvisor.
Ephesus local guide
We loved our friendly private local tour guide. She was informative, providing friendly advice and catered the tour to our interests. Highly recommended to everyone. We even booked our Istanbul tour directly with them
via Viator
Devil is in the details
Seline the guide and our driver were excellent. However, the communication with the travel agency was not positive. At first, they gave us a price that included the admission price to the attractions. They later came back and told us the price did not include admissions costs. We had to pay the admission costs for two different places which were an additional $148!
Response from the operator: Hello Tomas, Thank you very much for your review. Here is your 7th April question about entrance fees "Will you already have tickets for our entry into the sites, or is that something we will need to purchase? Thank you for your help. We look forward to our tour. " Here is our 8th April answer "Regarding your entrance fees, your tour is not an entrance fee-inclusive tour; you will need to make a payment for your entrance. Our tour guide will have tickets for you, and you will be able to make the payment to our guide on the day of your tour. Lunch will be inclusive to your tour, and a payment won't be needed( Except for the drinks)" Your tour was yesterday the 30th May. You paid 118-USD total for 2 pax for the tour without Entrance fees . You said that you have paid 148-USD for entrance fees which is correct. Can 118-USD include 148-USD entrance fees ? This is not possible Thank you very much again for your nice review about our guide. Hope to see you in our wonderfull country again Best Regards fevzi
via Viator
The best trip
Excellent guide, very knowledgeable and explains things very clearly, we were very happy and she was able to answer all our questions.
Response from the operator: Dear Mariella, We don't know how to thank you enough for your comment. Your feedback is precious and has been proudly share with the entire team. Our colleagues' dedication to our guests is fully rewarded when we received such wonderful comments. We will share your kind message and opinions with your guide. Thank you on behalf of her. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Curio Travel Team
via Tripadvisor
Awesome tour! Get Yavuz as your guide!
Last week a group of 14 of us took the Ephesus tour led by Yavuz. The tour was amazing! Our guide was friendly, very knowledgeable, and gracious to us as we tried to wrangle everyone at the meeting stops on time. Yavuz was just so kind. I loved hearing about his British shorthair kitty and encouraging him in his steadfastness! Booking was super easy once you have the right email address to email! The team is very responsive. The bus arrived early. The lunch that was included took place at the rug shop and it was DELICIOUS!! That was the best meal we had had so far on our trip to Turkey. What I did not anticipate about this tour (not related to the guide), is that when you’re not at the historic sites, you are going to a leather shop, pottery shop, rug shop, etc. -which is cool because you get to see how those things are made. However, the latter half of your time there is spent hearing a sales pitch. I felt like 35% of the day was Ephesus and sites and the remainder of it was infomercials. Again, not a criticism on Yavuz - this is just an expectation to have if you decide to take this tour. I am thankful that Yavuz was able to work with our deadline and still take us to the pottery shop so I could get a tile for my mom. All in all, I would highly recommend this tour and would encourage you to request Yavuz as your guide!
Response from the operator: Dear John, Thank you so much for sharing your experience and giving us such a good note! We hope to have the occasion to welcome you back soon. Thank you for taking the time to share such a lovely review. We will share your kind message and opinions with your guide. Thank you on behalf of him. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Curio Travel Team
via Tripadvisor
Fabulous guided tour in Kuaadasi.
We were met ontime for our full day tour. Aleyna was our guide, she did an outstanding job of providing us as much information as we could absorb. She customized the tour to meet our preferences.
Response from the operator: Dear Lynn, Once again, we deeply appreciate your long-standing loyalty and the detailed feedback you’ve provided. We look forward to welcoming you back soon. We will share your kind message and opinions with your guide. Thank you on behalf of her. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderfull country again. Curio Travel Team
via Viator
Good to know
- Duration
- 6 hours
- Free cancellation
- Up to 24h before
- Minimum age to book
- All ages
- Availability
- Bookable today
- Runs on
- Every day
- Hotel pickup
- Included for all travelers
- Booked in 30 days
- 9
- Verdict
- Solid Choice
Why this scores 65
The Outty Ranking is a weighted composite. Here is how this experience performed on each component.
Private Ephesus, St. John Basilica, The House of Mary with Lunch: questions travelers ask
Practical detail on this experience, plus the wider planning questions for Kusadasi.
How much does Private Ephesus, St. John Basilica, The House of Mary with Lunch cost?
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Prices start at $139 per person. The final price depends on the date, the time slot and the number of travelers, and peak weekends in Kusadasi usually price higher than midweek mornings. Live pricing and remaining availability are confirmed on the booking screen before you pay.
How long does Private Ephesus, St. John Basilica, The House of Mary with Lunch take?
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Plan for about 6 hours from start to finish, not counting travel to the meeting point. Most travelers leave another 30 minutes on either side so the rest of the day in Kusadasi is not rushed.
Is Private Ephesus, St. John Basilica, The House of Mary with Lunch worth it?
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It holds an Outty Ranking of 65 out of 100, which we label "Solid Choice". That score blends traveler sentiment (4.8/5 across 26 reviews), the depth of that review evidence, recent booking momentum, value for money against comparable last minute in Kusadasi, and how flexible the cancellation terms are.
Can I cancel or reschedule Private Ephesus, St. John Basilica, The House of Mary with Lunch?
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Yes. Cancel free up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. Inside that window the booking is non-refundable, and no-shows are not refunded.
Is Private Ephesus, St. John Basilica, The House of Mary with Lunch suitable for kids and families?
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Yes, all ages are welcome. Families should still weigh the 6-hour running time, and strollers are easier on the earlier, quieter departures.
How far in advance should I book Private Ephesus, St. John Basilica, The House of Mary with Lunch?
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Around 9 people booked this in the last 30 days, so popular slots go early. Two to three weeks ahead is comfortable in shoulder season, while summer weekends and holidays in Kusadasi can sell out a month out. Same-day spots do open up when other travelers cancel, so it is worth checking if you are already in town.
What should I bring or wear?
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Bring photo ID, your booking confirmation on your phone, a refillable water bottle and comfortable shoes. Dress for the weather in Kusadasi and add a light layer if any part of the 6-hour experience runs outdoors or after sunset.
Where does Private Ephesus, St. John Basilica, The House of Mary with Lunch start and how do I get there?
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The exact meeting point and directions are on your voucher once you book, and they sit in central Kusadasi within reach of public transport. Arrive 15 minutes early: late arrivals are treated as no-shows by most operators.
What are the best things to do in Kusadasi?
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On Outty we rank every Kusadasi experience on the same 0 to 100 scale, and alongside this one the highest scorers right now include FOR CRUISERS: Ephesus & Virgin Mary Tour with ENTRY TICKET+LUNCH, Ephesus Temple of Artemis and House of Mary Private Half Day Tour, Ephesus and Temple of Artemis Private Tour from Kusadasi Port. The city page groups everything into most popular, highest reviewed, last minute and family-friendly so you can build a day around what actually delivers.
When is the best time to visit Kusadasi?
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Booking patterns follow the same curve: prices and queues climb in peak weeks, while shoulder season gives you better availability on the top-ranked experiences and more room to change plans.
How many days do you need in Kusadasi?
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Three full days covers the headline sights without sprinting. A workable rhythm is one anchor experience each morning, such as this one, an unhurried afternoon in a single neighborhood, then a food or nightlife booking in the evening. Five days lets you add a day trip outside the city.
Do I book through Outty or through the operator?
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Outty ranks and explains the experiences, then hands you to Viator to complete the booking with the operator directly. The price is the same as booking on Viator yourself, and Outty earns an affiliate commission on the referral, which is how the rankings stay free to read.
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