My husband and I (late 20's) are going to be in Izmir with a group tour (Gate 1) and were interested in seeing Ephesus. Gate1 is offerning it for $57 per person.

So my question is - would it be cheaper to take a local guide from Izmir? Or, can you take a public bus and how much would that be?

Dear luvtravelin,

$57 per person is quite a reasonable price if it includes transportation to/from Ephesus from Izmir+entrance fee+lunch+guiding fee. (If the tour also includes House of Virgin Mary and Archaeological Museum in Selcuk it is a bargain)

Yes it includes the following:
Seeing the house of Virgin Mary, Basilica of St John, library of Celcus, temple of Hadrian, the theater and the Odeon. Since it is with our tour group around Turkey as an additional optional package - transfers and tickets are included. It is displayed as a full day tour so I assuming lunch is included.

We are just used to doing things on our own and so I was wondering if that is possible without it ending up costing more.

We did a tour when we went to Ephesus with a company based in Kusadasi. Ephesus is about 1.5hrs from Izmir so if you are going to do public buses then be careful if you have to be back in IZmir by a certain time. The company I used does tours from izmir to Ephesus and surrounding sights.

If you have to meet up with a tour aftewards, you need to do a risk management based descicion In a time-crunch situation, let the logistics to the experts and minimize risks. Take the tour. You are done.

Take the tour. Watch out for the water bottles which come from a formal water compnay and those that have been filled up at the tap.

ok we will take the tour...it seems like it is more of a headache and more costly to try it on our own.

bilboburgler
- which brand of water is reliable?

all brands safe but the street criminals collect old bottles, buy new seals and fill up with tap water. so try to buy from the shops not the steets

Even though you can take the local transportation to Selcuk(3 miles away from Ephesus) then taxing cabs
and cabs to bus station in Izmir
I suggest the best is to book through the gate 1.
regards

The fee is very reasonable.

regards

Nejat incedogan
[email protected]

Also try to see the wine country. It's not too far from Ephesus and they have free wine tastings and also sell amazing olive oil and other intricacies.

I went to Ephesus last June and I cannot say strongly enough, whether you go with a tour or on your own, pay the extra to see the Terrace Houses!

Totally the highlight of the visit and since Ephesus is so crowded, it's nice to get a bit of respite from the crowds. Plus they are fascinating.