Hi, my husband and I will be in Turkey in September. We are planning on going to Ephesus. I have read that there are local guides that wait by the entrance, that you can hire at the site. I am leaning towards this option, as every tour I see online includes tickets to Ephesus and we will have the Turkey Pass. Has anybody hired a guide once they were at the site? Or has anyone been there recently just before opening time, that has noticed if there are many guides that arrive a little prior to the opening of the site? Also, if anybody has done this, what an approximate cost is to hire a guide there? Thank you for anyone who can help!
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
6274 posts
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Posted by
11 posts
Hello,
I read your post and I was searching for the same info about a private guide in Ephesus, since we stop in Kusadasi with our cruise. Did you find any valuable info you can share.
Greatly appreciate it.
Sara Yoel
Posted by
Boston
25 posts
The manager of the wonderful hotel I stayed at, Livia Garden, arranged for a last minute tour with Volcan of Apsas travel. Got picked up at the hotel & he was very informative about history of Ephesus & the region. About $80 for two of us plus tips. Get there early, little shade, opens 8 am. Lots of tour packages include Virgin Mary’s House, skip that unless you are religious, little to see there. I could also walk to the Fortress & St. John’s Basilica from Livia Garden Hotel in Selcuk, $130 per night, including Turkish breakfast, Lovely garden courtyard with pool.
Posted by
Boston
25 posts
We went to Ephesus again, on our own, the next day. Arrived by 9 am, there were at least 2 tour guides hanging around looking for business. Bring cash. Have been in Turkey for a week now, pretty much everyone wants cash even euros & US.
Posted by
37 posts
We're trying to figure out s guide for Ephesus too. I'm beginning to think that we will just show up and hopefully find someone. I'm having a hard time finding a referral for someone who is knowledgeable and recommended.
Posted by
1 posts
What are the typical fees that these guides charge for their service?
Posted by
190 posts
In April of this year we used Denizhan from Tours by Locals to tour the sites in and around Ephesus. I think it was $245 total for 6 people and lasted half a day. He was great. He picked us up at the port with a driver and took us to the sites. I think that we had to pay the entrance fees. Definitely pay the extra fee to go to the Terrace Houses. Probably the best guide that I have ever had.
Posted by
Boise - Idaho
22 posts
The white marble floor of the ancient city of Ephesus reflects the sun too much and the temperature felt is 4-5 degrees higher than normal. If you are planning to visit Ephesus, I recommend you to visit early in the morning. We did our last year tour with an agency called Ephesian. You can check their Ephesus Tours also.
Posted by
Walnut Creek, CA
542 posts
Way back when, we did a cruise that stopped in Kusadasi for Ephesus. We booked a tour in advance with Ephesus shuttles
https://www.ephesusshuttle.com/tours/private-tour-1-ephesus?tur_id=2
We thought we had booked a group tour and there would be other people on the tour, but when we met our tour guide holding a sign with our name on it at the port entrance , we found it was just us- so our group tour became a private tour.
Transportation was included as was the private tour guide, who was excellent. For a private tour, the price was good. As it was cheaper than what the cruise line was charging for their bus load of people tour.
Posted by
1 posts
We took a one-day tour of Ephesus and Kusadasi with Levent Solmaz. We can highly recommend him. His website address is leventsolmaz.com
Levent is extremely knowledgeable about the history, culture and literature of his country. He is able to clearly communicate all that he knows in a compelling and informative manner.
Above all, he was kind, interesting and supportive at all times.