Ephesus Day Trip from Istanbul by Plane: Ancient City & Highlights

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What’s the experience like?

Landing in Izmir just after sunrise, I could already smell the faint sea breeze mixed with something earthy—maybe olives or wild herbs. Our guide, Mehmet, met us at the airport with a quick smile and a sign that had my name scribbled in blue marker. The drive to Ephesus took less than an hour, but I barely noticed; the landscape kept changing from flat fields to gentle hills dotted with fig trees.

Walking through Ephesus felt like stepping into another world. The marble streets were still slick from last night’s rain, and you could hear the crunch of gravel underfoot as we passed the Library of Celsus. Mehmet pointed out faded carvings on the pillars—apparently graffiti left by ancient traders. The Great Theatre was bigger than I expected; even empty, it echoed when someone dropped a coin. He told us about gladiator fights here, and I tried to imagine the noise of a full crowd.

The House of Virgin Mary sits quietly up on Mount Koressos. It’s small and stone-built, surrounded by pine trees that smelled sharp in the morning air. People left handwritten notes wedged into a wall outside—some in Turkish, some in languages I couldn’t read. Inside, it was cool and dim; candles flickered along one side while visitors moved quietly through.

We stopped at what’s left of the Temple of Artemis next—a single column standing alone in a field where storks had built their nest on top (Mehmet said they come back every spring). There isn’t much left now, but thinking about how massive it once was made me pause for a minute.

Lunch was at a small place near Isa Bey Mosque—nothing fancy, just grilled chicken and fresh bread with tomatoes that tasted like sunshine. The mosque itself is partly ruined but still used for prayers; you can see both Byzantine and Islamic touches if you look closely at the arches and tiles.

Şirince village was our last stop—a hillside place with narrow lanes and white houses covered in vines. We tried peach wine at a local shop (sweet but not too strong) and wandered past stalls selling handmade soaps and dried figs. The pace here is slow; even the cats seemed unhurried as they lounged on warm stones.