The 15 Best Shore Excursions in Türkiye

1.FOR CRUISERS: Skip The Lines PRIVATE EPHESUS TOUR &On Time Return

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 8,527 reviews · 4 to 6 hours (approx.) · from $39Our pick

Meet your English-speaking guide at Kusadasi port, then travel by private air-conditioned vehicle to Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary, and the Temple of Artemis. Guides such as Fatih, Dicle, Tuna, and Zeynep are praised for clear history, patience, and flexible planning. Entrance fees cost extra.

“Ayse was a wonderful, warm and knowledgeable guide. I have walking difficulties and she tailored the day to suit my abilities. I was so grateful for her help and knowledge.”

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2.Top Choice For Cruisers: Ephesus, Mary’s House WITH TICKETS+LUNCH

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7,233 reviews · 4 to 5 hours (approx.) · from $29

Spend four to five hours touring Mary’s House, Ephesus, and the Temple of Artemis from Kusadasi Port. Choose a small group of about 8 to 10 people or book privately. Lunch, port transport, and attraction tickets are included when you select the ticket option. Guides such as Funda, Isik, Riza, and Ozz are praised for clear, engaging explanations.

“This tour was excellent. However will not use this service again till they make a cancellation right on a different tour”

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3.PRIVATE EPHESUS TOUR FOR CRUISERS: On-time Return and Skip-Line

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5,807 reviews · 4 to 6 hours (approx.) · from $29

Meet your guide at Kusadasi Cruise Port and travel by private, air-conditioned minivan to Ephesus, Mary’s House, and the Temple of Artemis. Guides such as Fatima, Nilay, Mehmet, and Ismail tailor the pace to your group. Optional Terrace Houses, Turkish lunch, and craft visits add local flavor, though shopping stops can be assertive.

“Very lovely and informative tour of an extremely historic area with 9zzy Would definitely recommend, especially if you have limited period of time and coming in off a cruise ship they will pick you up right there and also drop you off”

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4.PRIVATE TOUR FOR CRUISERS: Mary’s House (Meryemana) and Ephesus

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,349 reviews · 4 to 6 hours (approx.) · from $29

Meet your licensed guide at Kuşadası Cruise Port for a private half-day visit to Mary’s House, Ephesus, and the Temple of Artemis. Guides such as Fatima, Josh, Ozzy, and Filiz tailor the pace to your group, while an air-conditioned minivan and separate driver keep the day comfortable and ship-friendly.

“Amazing tour with Ozzy and Halil who took us all over Ephesus tour, Virgine Mary’s house, Fashion show and so on. Many thanks for all the explanation, was very complete”

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5.Top-Rated: Ephesus & Artemis Tour for Cruisers WITH ENTRY TICKETS

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,184 reviews · 3 to 4 hours (approx.) · from $20

From Kusadasi Port, visit the marble streets of Ephesus and the remains of the Temple of Artemis with a licensed local guide. Choose a small group or private tour, with or without Ephesus entry tickets. Expect a Turkish lunch, comfortable transport, and a schedule matched to your ship.

“So happy we chose this tour - only 7 total people made it so much easier to tour and learn about this amazing city, specifically Ephasis. Funda was an excellent tour guide -very knowledgeable. The lunch was fantastic! Would highly recommend! Thank you.”

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6.Small Group Tour for Cruise Passengers

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 1,100 reviews · 5 hours · from $29

From Kusadasi Cruise Port, visit the House of Virgin Mary, Ephesus, and the Temple of Artemis in five hours. An English-speaking guide such as Tas, Ahmet, or Nesli leads the tour, with air-conditioned Mercedes transport and a Turkish lunch included. Expect at least two hours of walking and a carpet demonstration.

“The guide had wonderful information regarding all the places that we toured. And we had a wonderful lunch at the Turkman carpet making school. We were able to watch carpets being crafted like they were thousands of years ago. The whole experience was wonderful!”

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7.FOR CRUISE GUESTS:BEST SELLER EPHESUS PRIVATE TOUR/On Time Return

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 614 reviews · 5 to 6 hours (approx.) · from $39

Meet your English-speaking guide at Kusadasi port and travel by private, air-conditioned vehicle to Ephesus, the House of Virgin Mary, and the Temple of Artemis. Guides such as Nesli, Hakan, Eda, Murat, and Zeynep have tailored visits to family interests, arranged local lunches, and kept cruise schedules on track. Sirince can replace selected stops.

“Ephesus trip was excellent with guide Hakan. He gave us good historical background at each step while walking thru Ephesus. He is knowledgeable & friendly. He even took us to garden restaurant with special vegetable meals for our needs. Lot of talks with him enriched us with new knowledge .”

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8.Top-Rated Ephesus and House of Virgin Mary Tour for Cruisers

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 455 reviews · 4 to 6 hours (approx.) · from $13Best value

Meet your guide at Kusadasi Cruise Port for a 4 to 6 hour private or small-group tour of Ephesus, the Temple of Artemis, House of Mary, and Kusadasi Castle. Guides such as Memo, Ali, Mehmet, and Kaya tailor the pace, while a Mercedes vehicle handles the road. Entrance tickets are optional, so check the booking choice carefully.

“We had an AMAZING experience. Our tour guide, ALİ , was the BEST! He tailored our tour to our particular interests and we spent the whole day with her, touring around in a new Mercedes van, with a very safe and capable driver. Our day started with a tour of Ephesus. He explained everything. He was knowledgeable and very interesting. We wanted to see a rug making demonstration and were taken to a school and store for Turkish rugs. The teacher invited me to try my hand at this craft. This experience was followed by a visit to a local pottery shop and a glass blowing presentation. I was given…”

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9.ONLY FOR CRUISE GUESTS: Best Seller Highlights of Ephesus Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 297 reviews · 5 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $39

Meet your English-speaking guide at Kusadasi cruise port for a private, 5.5-hour visit to Ephesus and Meryemana, or the House of the Virgin Mary. Expect a comfortable air-conditioned vehicle, flexible pacing, and a guided walk past the Library of Celsus. Entrance fees, food, and gratuities cost extra.

“Our guide was very knowledgeable and professional. Excellent private tour with a nice van transportation directly from the cruise port. We were able to customize the tour with a stop at the Turkish rug factory, visit to a family ceramics business and a lunch on a lawn with traditional Turkish dishes. On the way back we made a stop at a market where we had an opportunity to taste and purchase various olives, Turkish delights and olive oils.”

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10.Istanbul Shore Excursion: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 273 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $100

Meet your English-speaking guide at Galataport at 9 a.m. for an eight-hour Istanbul highlights tour, limited to 14 people. Visit the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Hagia Irene, the Hippodrome, Basilica Cistern, and Grand Bazaar. Expect substantial walking, museum entry fees, and possible shopping stops.

“Wonderful tour. Omar was very professional and knowledgeable. He was aware when we needed a break. The sites were wonderful. I found the sites to be peaceful and inspiring.”

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11.Istanbul Shore Excursion : Best Seller Private Istanbul Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 258 reviews · 7 hours 15 minutes (approx.) · from $100

Spend about seven hours with a private English-speaking guide exploring Istanbul’s Old City from Galataport or a central hotel. Visit Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Hippodrome, and Grand Bazaar, with flexible pacing, ticket-line assistance, and guaranteed return to your ship.

“Awesome Day. Ramazan did an incredible job with our tour. It was nice to have a small group. We got to see what we wanted. Ramazan was very good about getting us through the lines quickly. He had a wealth of information to with us in a short period of time. The restaurant he recommended for lunch was delicious. Would highly recommend.”

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12.Kusadasi Shore Excursion: Ephesus Sightseeing Tour with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 145 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $90

Travel from Kusadasi port in a small group of up to 14 to explore Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary, St John’s Basilica, the Temple of Artemis, and ancient theaters. A local guide, air-conditioned transport, Turkish lunch, and port return are included. Guides such as Cigdem, Ismail, Ali, and Guler have led past departures.

“Cigdem is an excellent tour guide. She was easy to find getting off the ship and arrived early. Cigdem was very good at explaining a lot of information and was very warm and nice to everyone. I really had a good time on this tour. Her English was clear and easy to understand. The lunch was amazing as well. Thank you Cigdem for a wonderful day!”

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13.Ephesus Private Tour for Cruise Passengers

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 143 reviews · from $55

Meet your private guide at Kusadasi Port for a six-hour visit to the House of the Virgin Mary, Ephesus, Selcuk, and the Temple of Artemis. Guides including Guray, Gul, Sedat, and Nizam have led this route. Expect a private vehicle, personal attention, and time to explore at your own pace.

“Great experience, enjoyable guide, and no pressure carpet pitch. The Ephesus site was amazing and the guide was very helpful. Our small group size allowed for more personal attention to questions and pace.”

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14.PRIVATE EPHESUS TOUR FOR CRUISERS: On-time Return Guaranteed

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 96 reviews · 5 hours · from $49

Meet your licensed English-speaking guide at Kuşadası Cruise Port and explore Ephesus in a private, air-conditioned minivan. Visit the ancient city, House of the Virgin Mary, and Temple of Artemis in five hours, with optional lunch, Terrace Houses, ceramics, carpets, or leather workshops. Guides such as Fatima, Josh, Leila, and Deniz are available according to assignment.

“Josh was an outstanding guide! We were met right outside the cruise port by an agent and accompanied to the vehicle to meet Josh and our fellow tour members. We had a total of 5 in our tour group. We traveled in a very nice vehicle and the tour exceeded our expectations. We felt very safe and comfortable at all times and thoroughly enjoyed the day. Thanks for a great tour!”

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15.FOR CRUISERS: Best of Ephesus Private Tour (GUARANTEED ON-TIME RETURN)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 77 reviews · 4 to 6 hours (approx.) · from $29

From Kusadasi cruise port, your private guide, such as Fatima, Canan, Ozzy, or Ismail, takes you to Ephesus, Mary's House, the Terrace Houses, and Artemis. Expect an air-conditioned van, a flexible route, and a cruise-safe return time. Entry fees are extra, and craft or shopping stops may be offered.

“Our tour guide Memet was absolutely amazing. He shared details during the tour that would be missed by many. Very punctual, personal and extremely knowledgeable. It is awesome to not only have an amazing experience, but to make meet a very terrific person that you can call FRIEND.”

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