Ephesus: Private Tour, Mary's House & Temple of Artemis

4.89

(64 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We were already winding through Ephesus when I realized how much I’d underestimated this place. The stones under my shoes felt oddly smooth, almost slippery — thousands of years of feet, I guess. Our guide, Ayşe, pointed out faded mosaics by the old bathhouses and laughed when I tried to pronounce “Celsus” like a local (I definitely didn’t). There was a breeze carrying something herbal — maybe wild thyme? — and for a second it was easy to imagine this city full of voices instead of tourists clutching cameras. The main keyword here is private Ephesus tour, but honestly it just felt like wandering with someone who knew every story behind every broken column.

I didn’t expect the House of the Virgin Mary to feel so quiet. It’s tucked away in pine trees about fifteen minutes from Ephesus itself — not far at all, but it feels like another world. The stone walls are cool if you touch them. People left handwritten notes folded into crevices outside; some were prayers in languages I couldn’t even guess. Ayşe told us about St. John bringing Mary here after everything in Jerusalem went wrong. She said locals still come up on Sundays, just to sit or light a candle. There’s something humble about it that stuck with me longer than any monument.

Lunch was simple — grilled chicken, tomatoes that actually tasted like tomatoes, bread still warm from somewhere nearby. We sat under an awning while Ayşe answered questions about her childhood in Selçuk (she joked she could walk these ruins blindfolded). Last stop was the Temple of Artemis — or what’s left of it anyway. One lonely column standing in a field where goats wandered around like they owned the place. Not what I pictured for one of the seven wonders, but maybe that’s why I remember it so clearly now.