Customer reviews page:41

We went on a cruise through the Greek islands and then stopped in Turkey where they took us to know the ancient city of Ephesus. It is magnificent and gives the sensation that at any moment we will see people of the time to cross the streets. A pity that there are already buildings in a state of deterioration remarkable, by the time we went (November 1995) there were many cranes in the middle as they were rebuilding some monuments. The 3rd oldest library is there although there is little left. A feather!

we bought a Private Ephesus tour from Osman Tourism ( I located them in Internet). The exprience was great. Everything went on perfect. we are a family of 4, travelling from Argentina. the Private tour, with driver an an english speaking guide named Arzu, were waiting for us at the Marmaris Port, on time. They were very helpful. The ride to Ephesus was pleasant, a beautiful scenery. The tour was fantastic, Arzu is very knowledgeable and would answer all our questions. we ahd lunch, visited a carpet factory and also the house of Virgin Mary. Great experience. would recommend Ephesus and definitely this company for any other tour.

I read that Ephesus was a must see and after a little research I found Ephesus Tours. I read such great reviews that I felt confident when I booked a trip for my family and I, August 2. Gonca was our tour guide and she was fantastic, very friendly and very informative. My family and I had a great time. I would highly recommend Ephesus Tour!

We booked a tour with this company after reading the many excellent reviews on Tripadvisor. We wanted a half-day tour that was better value than the excursions being offered from our cruise company, and also allowed some flexibility to accommodate the unpredictable whims of our young daughter (e.g., unexpected toilet breaks). This tour satisfied all of those requirements - and turned out to be the least expensive options in the end since our daughter was not charged a fee for the tour. We were picked up at the port at 7:30, which was perfect for arriving at Ephesus before the crowds and the midday heat.The tour vehicle was spacious, modern, and air-conditioned, and we received free bottled water - a nice touch. The driver was professional and competent and we didn't fear for our lives at any point during the ride. Our guide, Arzu, was extremely friendly, very knowledgeable, personable, enthusiastic, and spoke wonderful English. She knew her stuff. Visiting Ephesus with a private guide is the way to go - no need to wait for slow group members, and the tour can be stop and started as needed. Plus, entry tickets were pre-paid so we walked right in. Ephesus itself is amazing, and not to be missed. At the end of the tour, we received a nice/yummy lunch at the carpet weaving facility/ranch that others have mentioned in their reviews. Some have noted that part of the tour does include a demonstration of the rug weaving which also involves a sales pitch for purchasing rugs. This was not done in a pushy way, and it was easy enough to avoid purchasing any expensive rugs without feeling too awkward. However, the tour could be improved by skipping the tour to the rug weaving facility and just offering lunch on its own, or by making this stop optional (which it might well be if you clarify this beforehand), or by having the demonstration of rug weaving take place without any sales pitch involved (subtle or otherwise). But since the lunch was so yummy, and the guide and the tour itself so charming, the rug thing did not detract from the overall quality of the tour. All and all I would certainly recommend this company to anyone wanting to visit Ephesus.

Amazing experience. Breathtaking. A brilliant guided tour. Make sure you take plenty of water and a hat. The tours usually allow about 2 hours in Ephesus but with travel allow at least half a day.

My son and I booked a full day private tour with About Ephesus (Osman Tourism) for our stop in Kusadasi during our recent Mediterranean Cruise. We got an early start to the day. Our guide - Filiz Capraz - met us at our ship promptly at 7:30 am, and along with our driver we set off for Ephesus in a very clean, comfortable spacious vehicle. Ephesus and the other sites we visited were truly impressive, and Filiz' knowledge and passion for the history of the area was incredible.I am so glad that we were not part of one of the many large tour groups we saw as I'm sure we would not have learned nearly as much as we did. The entire day completely exceeded my expectations.

I booked this tour for the first week of August and our guide was Attila. We had a private tour which included visiting a town called Sirince (skip this if your short on time as it is more of a small outdoor bazaar than anything else), ancient Ephesus, and house of the Virgin Mary as well as lunch. Our guide and driver were both great. The driver would literally run to open the door of the car for us and made sure it was always cold when we got in. He was also a safe driver. The guide was friendly and knowledgeable and without him Ephesus would not be the same as he pointed out and explained many things we would not have noticed on our own or known what we were looking at. A guide in Ephesus is a must. The company gave us a very nice gift bag which I thought was a nice touch. My one and only complaint is that the included lunch was at a rug making factory/ showroom a very important detail left out of our itinerary. From what we figured out the rug company provides a free lunch to the tour company in exchange for bringing tourist there and after the lunch you are shown a demonstration on how they make the rugs and then lead into a showroom where you are pressured into buying a rug, none of which are less than $1,000. The rug factory is a very pretty place as it is on a ranch and the demonstration was also interesting but you feel guilty and awkward that you just ate a lunch they gave you and have to tell them no you don't want a rug. You are forced to hear the demonstration and cannot opt out. When on vacation this is something you do not want to deal with, not to mention its an hour you won't get back. The fact that this company did not mention we would go here was deceptive and I felt tricked. I would have rather not had an included lunch and paid for this separately and just went to a real restaurant and avoid this. If booking with this company keep this in mind because they take everyone to the rug place whether it is on your itinerary or not.

We did the tour of Ephesus with a company called Shore excursions in July 2013. What an amazing tour. Ephesus is a must see. Our guide was awesome, spoke great english, found shady spots for us to stand while she gave us the over view/history of Ephesus. My 13 year old daughter loved it!

The pre-tour communication was good, they even contacted me in the US by phone. Most communications were done by mail, and we paid a very small deposit - the rest to the our guide upon completion. We came in on a cruise that arrived at 7:00 AM and we set our tour up for 7:30 AM. This proved to be a very key move. Our tour featured the Virgin Mary's house, Ephesus, and of course the traditional carpet sale (I think that's just a requirement!). Our guide (Mr. Burak) met us, and our two girls (10 and 11) just off the ship, and it was a short walk to their nice van. The cool part (especially for the girls) is that Burak gave them both a bag of gifts - bracelet, book, snow-globe, and a hand fan for the heat - needless to say, they were really excited. Coincidentally both love those fans and snow-globes (we had already broken two fans the prior day).Back to the timing. We beat about 20-30 buses to the Virgin Mary's house. We arrived in an EMPTY parking lot. The grounds of her house were completely quiet, with no lines. We could spent about 45 minutes here --- by ourselves. As we left, the parking lot was jammed, with bus after bus lined up to get in. We then went to Ephesus (about 15 minutes back down the mountain)...again we beat the crowd.We had read everywhere that the heat and bugs were bad...and there was no shade...and it was a long walk. Honestly the walk, from top to bottom wasn't bad at all. I'd say maybe 400-500 yards? Maybe we were expecting the worst and were surprised. The heat was nothing like Athens, and Burak was able to walk us through an area...and he always stopped in the shade. We were there about an hour and a half. Burak gave us time to wander in the amphitheater and at the library ruins. He then met us back at the lower exit. Perfect timing.(NOTE: there are some vendors at the exit, and the pricing is higher than you will find downtown Kusadasi).From there we left for the carpet co-op. It was actually pretty interesting (I think the cruise tours go to a spot downtown which is less intimate). This location was on a farm with a lot of animals (rabbits, peacocks, chickens, a really big Turkish Shepard Dog, and a lot of other animals). We were shown how the silk is pulled from a cocoon, and we were able to actually tie some knots on a carpets that were being made. This was followed by the mandated sales pitch, but it was fine ---- it was actually educational. I just wish we had a spare few thousand dollars. The carpets were probably the best I've seen.We were then provided lunch on the farm...we just needed to pay for our sodas. The lunch was good....chicken, some traditional side dishes, bread, watermelon. The kids ate most of it.The tour lasted about 4-5 hours, and it went quick. Burak gave some great information along the way and he didn't talk our ears off. It was just a great mix.SKIP the cruise sponsored tour. I'd 100% recommend About Ephesus. I also think they have tours in Istanbul. Also, book it early, get off the ship and get going!(PS - We have little impatient girls, Burak did a great job of engaging them, asking them questions, and pointing out things that he thought would interest them).Burak spoke perfect English.

I also posted on Cruise Critic about our wonderful tour of Ephesus on July 2, 2013. We prebooked before our departure on Celebrity Reflection. A friend had been before and had told us that this company was great. Well, they exceeded all expectations. We, (just two of us) were greeted early off the ship by Atilla Demir and our driver in a very clean updated van with the seats facing each other. This allowed Atilla to talk to us while driving and explain what we were going to see. Atilla was a graduate of a University in Turkey, in Tourism and was so knowledgable about the area. Since we were off the ship early we avoided the massive crowds at Mary's House which were lined up after our exit. We also saw The Ancient City of Ephesus-Terrace Houses, The Temple of Artemis, The Basilica of St. John. We stopped along the highway for lunch at the rug weavers and so how rugs are made and the silk worm process. The bbq lunch was amazing! We were give a presentation of rugs for sale. My husband is in the business so we weren't in the market to purchase. Then we drove not far to a leather factory. They gave an amazing fashion show. Then we went in to see the leather. Again we weren't in the market for leather jackets. Their leather was extremely soft and beautiful. I think at home we could have gotton a better deal but it wouldn't have been from Turkey. I would recommend this tour for anyone who wants a personalized experience and Atilla will make sure you avoid and get around the crowds at the ancient city. I'm not sure how you could do this with a large group. The cost of $90USD was a great price for our full day itineray with lunch. Also, we didn't have to pay until the end of the day. I am leary sometimes of paying ahead and they did not require it. The company was good with communicating via email to confirm the trip.