Private Tour – Artemis Temple, St Johns Basilica & Ancient Ephesus Tour
As you port in Izmir alongside the beautiful Aegean Sea, your Cruising Excursions guide will meet you at the port to commence this 5-hour tour of Izmir and the surrounding area. The starting point of the tour in Ephesus, one of the 12 cities of the Ionian League (an ancient Greek district on the western coast of Asia Minor) which is located near Izmir (around a 50-minute drive from the port).
What's included
- Professional English Speaking Tour Guide
- Air Conditioned Transportation
- All Entrance Fees where necessary
Highlights
Itinerary
10:00
Arriving in Ephesus take a walk through history, along marbled streets lined with admirable public buildings, amongst them the Baths of Scholastica which was built in the first century and restored in the fourth century by a Christian woman called Scholastica. Also, the Library of Celsus, built at the beginning of the 2nd century AD by Gaius Julius Aquila as a memorial to his father Gaius Julius Celsus Polemanus.
During the tour, there is also the Temple of Hadrian and the Grand Theatre which are two of the most impressive buildings in Ephesus. The Grand Theatre was built in the 3rd Century BC and it was later expanded to 24,000 spectators by the Romans in the 1st Century AD, the Theatre was the place where St Paul preached and was also the scene of the confrontation between St Paul and the followers of Artemis, a truly amazing building.
Finally, the tour will take you to the Artemis Temple which used to be known as one of the ancient seven wonders of the world. The tour will then take you back to the Port of Izmir and back to your ship ready for departure.