Ephesus travel guide

What to see, how long to stay and when to go, from the guides who walk Ephesus every day.

Plan your visit

When to go

April–June and September–October. In July and August arrive at opening time and carry water: there is little shade on the marble streets.

How long

2.5–3 hours for the ancient city, 45 minutes more for the Terrace Houses, a full day with the Virgin Mary and Artemis.

Getting there

Ephesus is 3 km from Selçuk, 20 km from Kuşadası and about 75 km from İzmir. The closest airport is İzmir (ADB).

Tickets

Buy the Ephesus ticket at the gate or online; the Terrace Houses need a separate ticket. Museum Pass Türkiye is accepted at the gate.

Which gate

Start at the upper (Magnesian) gate and walk downhill to the Great Theatre and the lower gate. Guided tours arrange the drop-off.

Photos

The Library of Celsus faces east: morning light is soft on the façade. Drones are not allowed without a permit.

Allow 20 min

Library of Celsus

Built around 117 AD by the consul Gaius Julius Aquila as a monument to his father Celsus, the library once held some 12,000 scrolls. Its restored two-storey façade, with statues of Wisdom, Knowledge, Intelligence and Virtue, is the image most people picture when they think of Ephesus. Come early or late in the day for soft light and fewer people.

Allow 20 min

Great Theatre

Carved into Mount Pion, the theatre seated around 25,000 people and is one of the largest of the ancient world. It is where the silversmiths rioted against St Paul (Acts 19). Climb a few rows for the view down the Harbour Street towards where the sea once reached the city.

Allow 30 min

Curetes Street & Temple of Hadrian

The marble main street runs downhill from the Gate of Hercules to the library, lined with fountains, statues, shops and the elegant Temple of Hadrian with its arched entrance and Medusa relief. Look out for the public latrines and the mosaic-floored arcades along the way.

Allow 45 min

Terrace Houses

Under a protective roof on the slope opposite the Temple of Hadrian are the homes of Ephesus' wealthiest families, with frescoes, marble-panelled walls and mosaic floors still in place. A separate ticket is needed, and it is worth every cent.

See it with a local guide

Our private Ephesus tour covers every stop on this page, at your pace, with pick-up from your hotel.

View the tour

Allow 45 min

House of the Virgin Mary

A small stone chapel on Bülbül Mountain, 7 km from Ephesus, believed to be the house where St John brought the Virgin Mary in her final years. Visited by three popes and revered by Christians and Muslims alike, it has a holy spring and a wishing wall covered in notes.

Allow 20 min

Temple of Artemis

Once one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the temple was larger than the Parthenon. Today a single reassembled column stands in a marshy field just outside Selçuk, with the Basilica of St John and Ayasuluk Castle on the hill behind it.

Allow 40 min

Basilica of St John

Emperor Justinian built this vast basilica in the 6th century over the tomb believed to be that of St John the Apostle. The restored columns and the view over Selçuk, the Temple of Artemis and the İsa Bey Mosque make it a great late-afternoon stop.

Allow 2 hours

Şirince Village

Eight kilometres up a winding road from Selçuk, Şirince is a village of whitewashed stone and timber houses set among olive groves and vineyards. Come for lunch, the fruit wines, handmade soaps and a slow wander through the cobbled lanes.

Ephesus travel guide

Plan your visit

Library of Celsus

Great Theatre

Curetes Street & Temple of Hadrian

Terrace Houses

House of the Virgin Mary

Temple of Artemis

Basilica of St John

Şirince Village

Tell us your dates. We'll plan your Ephesus day.