Temple of Artemis in Ephesus
 

Hi, we will be in Ephesus with the cruise ship and will be taking a tour of Ephesus-Ancient City and Terrace Houses with a private guide. I was reading on the Temple of Artemis, apparently only one pillar is there. We were not planning go to Selcuk initially. Is Temple of Artemis worth to change our plans and go to Selcuk? Since we are hiring a private guide in Kusadasi we can include the Temple if it's worth it.

Ephesus was really nice. We visited last year.
We didn't visit the Temple of Artemis 'cause indeed there's only one pillar left. You can go see it on your way to Ephesus. The temple of Artemis in Selçuk and the ancient city of Ephesus are only a few kms apart.

The library in Ephesus is worth the trip, and the terrace houses were very interesting.

I would definitely make Ephesus a higher priority than the Temple of Artemis. If you have time, however, the Ephesus Museum in Selcuk (which includes items from Ephesus and from the Temple of Artemis) is well worth a visit, IMO. I would plan on at least 1 hour, if not longer, for that museum. (I spent more than an hour, but didn't have any time pressure; note, too, that the museum has been renovated and apparently expanded since I was there, so I don't know how much time would now be ideal.)

Hope that helps!

I can tell you that the Terraced Houses in Ephesus was quite worth seeing. WARNING: if you do go to Ephesus wear shoes with good non-slip soles, it's very slippery.

- Tell your guide not to take you to carpet or leather shops.

- Make sure you have some water with you. (also to leave some at indentations on your route for the cats)

- Hat, sunscreen and sunglasses recommended.

- any antihistaminic pill useful against possible sun allergy.

- If you have time St. John's basilica is also recommended, as well as the mosque next to it.

- If you're there on a Saturday, glance at the weekly market at Selcuk for a few photographs.


As others have said, Ephesus is within the boundaries of Selcuk.

Ephesus, museum, basilica, mosque can be done within 5-6 hours including transport between them.

You probably will not have time to visit Virgin Mary's retreat and the cave of the seven sleepers.

The remaining column of the temple of Artemis should not add more than 15 minutes to your tour.

I trust otherchelebi's timing completely, but note that I spent nearly 6 hours just at Ephesus, so do be mindful of the time!

Thank you all. It does put things into perspective and helps to make the final decisions

We did not hire a guide. Instead, we rented a car in Kusadasi (from AVIS). We drove to Ephesus and visited the archeological site, then drove to the nearby temple of Artemis (a quick visit on the way), visited St. John's basilica, the excellent museum in Selcuk, drove to the picturesque village Sirince and, on the way back, stopped at the beach for a swim. Total time was 7 hours.

With a guide, you will probably see only the half of this program, because the guides get extra money for leading you into restaurants, souvenir shops and carpet factories.

That is correct. What is left of the Temple of Artemis is basically a foundation and one pillar. It used to be a very important place and, of course, was intact during Roman times. Practically nothing is left of it now. Your tour guide will probably do a great job of talking up its importance, but if you want to see interesting ruins, the Temple of Artemis will likely disappoint.

I'd rather stay at the hotel and look up a 3D reconstruction of the Temple of Artemis than travel all the way to Ephesus to see a pillar and a pile of rocks.

Don't get people's fascination with "barely there ruins". But as they say, different strokes...

The Temple of Artemis is not a "must-see". Must-sees are Ephesus and the Ephesus Museum in Selcuk, which is a 10 minute drive from Ephesus. The Temple of Artemis is between both attractions, right at the highway. There is a parking lot right at the archeological site and there is no entrance fee. So, visiting the Temple of Artemis does not take more than 5 or 10 minutes. There is not much see: the foundations, one pillar and two large ponds where lots of turtles roam. We found nature more interesting than the few rocks which are left there. But since it is right on the way and such a quick visiti, you can easily do it.