Ephesus Ancient City

I bought the €65 ticket including the terraced houses, Ephesus experience, Ephesus museum, and St John Basilica. It takes a good 3+ hours to visit this site so come early to fit in everything. Really enjoyed this visit.

Even though it was expensive it was worth it - I can see they put in so much effort into restoration.

I didn’t have time to visit the Ephesus Museum, sadly; I arrived at 11am and things close around 5pm in winter.

Download the free app for a free audio guide - bring your earphones for this.

I visited during March (winter) and there were few crowds. Bring a hat because it’s quite sunny even when I went during winter. There’s little shade because there aren’t any trees.

We visited in late January on a cold, sunny afternoon. It was very quiet and we didn't have to wait too long. The Library of Celsius is the jewel in the crown of this location and is stunningly beautiful. Nearby are marble paved streets that were flanked by ancient shops, spas, and houses. To view the covered luxury houses, you have to pay a small amount extra (around £8) but well worth the visit to catch a glimpse of the palatial homes of the rich who once lived here.

There are no toilets once inside the complex. There is a small museum shop and you can buy teas and coffees. There is a WC outside facing the entrance at the end of a row of shops to the left and they charge 10 lira. This may mean you have to exit the site to go to the bathroom! This was frustrating for several in our group. Plus, it is rather annoying to visit such a historical site like this without a toilet and where you have to leave and pay for a number 1 or 2....

Went here in July at 8:00 AM few minutes before it opened and there were some tourists already lined up to enter. This place is iconic but I really wouldn’t recommend you going in summer cause the weather would’ve gone up to 41 C and personally for me, the heat wasn’t tolerable. But I did enjoy the experience of walking through ancient ruins.
Make sure to wear comfortable outfits cause you’ll definitely take long walks in this ancient city!
I feel like the only downside is entry tickets can be pretty expensive.

Ephesus captivates with its ancient allure. From the iconic Library of Celsus to the grandeur of the Theater, every stone tells a tale of history and architectural brilliance. A visit to Ephesus is like stepping into a living museum of timeless beauty.

2nd March, prices are 40€ , 52 € & 65€

Whilst I was shocked at the prices I still want ahead and got the 65 euro ticket which I'm glad as we was there for there hours and didn't cover half!!!
We are heading back tomorrow as the 65euro tickets allow 3 day pass

The place is huge and absolutely stunning

A visit to this ongoing restoration is certainly well worthwhile. Having visited ancient ruins in other countries, I felt this was at the top. Our tour guide did a wonderful job of bringing the streets and buildings alive. Can be busy at times and in certain areas, but don’t miss it if this part of Turkey is on your itinerary.

A must see historical and archaeological UNESCO sight. The site was awesome and surprisingly very interesting perhaps because our tour guide explained us the historical relevance and observations which have stories and associations to Greeks, Romans etc.

This ancient city is truly magnificent. Everything here is so beautiful. The ruins, the history, the amphitheater… breathtaking! One of the best ancient city I’ve ever seen and been to!

It’s not a small city so you wanna wear a comfortable pair of shoes if you’re going here! It gets pretty hot and sunny so wear a cap too.

This place is stunning. The small theater is very well preserved. The marble walkways are beautiful but very slick. In the summer they have live performances in the large theater. That would be very interesting to see. If you go for a performance, take a bleacher seat. The stone would get very uncomfortable quickly. This is a working archeological dig, so be aware that some places may be closed off when you visit.

Really cool experience going through the ruins of an ancient Greek and Roman city. However, I strongly recommend coming with a local tour guide to walk you through the history, otherwise this place is hard to appreciate without any context.

Stunning and impressive site. A must-see in Turkiye. The city was famous for the Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), which has been designated one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Among its many monumental architecture are the Library of Celsus and a theatre capable of holding 24,000 spectators.

Very well conserved. Our guide was fantastic.
It's incredible to walk in a path used so many centuries ago.

As an urban planner, this was like a magical experience. I could re-imagine the busy life of the ancient port city in the past. I recommend to have local tour guide or read the explanation at each landmark points (but if i'm not wrong it is written in Turkish). My tour guide said that the city still has been excavated and there will be many other interesting stuffs in the future. I can't wait to see the other heritages so we can understand better the life in the past.

BTW, there were many cats and dogs in all the corners of the ruin.

Ephesus is a wonderful place to visit. This place rouses the imagination of what life would have been like in Ephesus for visitors who know their history.

Went earlier to beat queues, in January and temperature was around 15 degrees. In winter sunrise is around 8-9am and beams on the library so great for taking photos. Crowds tend to be low at that time of the year.

Please note that for other attractions in the complex such as the terrace houses, Mary's house you will have to purchase a separate ticket. The ticket for the ruins alone is fairly expensive. If you intend to visit most sights, please do your research. Try visiting Turkiye's government website (muze.gov.tr) where you can buy tickets online. You can combine other attractions either for Ephesus or other attractions in the area or the whole of Turkiye.

Parking as of January 2024 is €3 (100 TL). Entry to ruins cost £18 (700 TL). I think if you approach Ephesus following signs for Meryemana, parking might be free; where buses park!

The site itself (ruins) have very little commentary/historical description which is a shame. Perhaps if you have a tour guide they will enlighten you. Some of the artifacts look like they have been patched up badly with concrete and with no restoration expertise in mind.

Nevertheless, this site is still worth visiting.

If you go early, be mindful that stray but gentle dogs may follow you as you go around.

In NZ we don't have many, if any, ruins so it's hard to know what to expect, but it's amazing to visit and be able to visualize a time before your own. Many things have been recreated but without that you wouldn't always know what you were looking at. Wear gripping shoes as marble ground, although beautiful is not very practical!

Visiting the ancient city of Ephesus was a remarkable experience, with its well-preserved ruins and rich history leaving a lasting impression. The grandeur of structures like the Library of Celsus and the amphitheater was breathtaking, vividly showcasing the ingenuity of ancient civilizations. This journey through time is a must-see for anyone interested in history and architecture.

Magnificent place. I regret not waiting long enough to experience the sunset here but it was too hot. There isn’t much shade and nowhere to get water once you are inside but there are plenty of shops just outside the gates. If you want to take your time exploring every corner make sure to visit on a cooler day, pack some snacks and water, and wear comfortable hiking shoes (marble paths are slippery).

Amazing ancient site. I could almost feel the walking and chattering of the people who lived there. Better to roam with a guide to get the full information about each shrine and structure. They also made a 3D experience museum at the lower entrance which should worth a visit, unfortunately we didn't have time.

Beautiful archeological site. Takes a good hour to visit and it's worth getting a guide to explain it all. Definitely not made for a person with mobility problems as there is a lot of walking down a slippery marble sloped road.

Best ancient ruins I’ve ever been to. But you NEED to go at 8am when there is no one there. If you do you’ll have the whole city to your self for 30-40 minutes then the tours will arrive and flood the place. It’s very worth it to go and when you get there I recommend you go immediately to the library and street In front of it.