Temple, shrine & monastery tours
The 15 best temple tours you can book right now, with what each one costs, how long it runs and who it suits. Number one is first for a reason, so start there.
Review of a private Kusadasi tour to Ephesus, Artemis, and Mary’s House, with lunch, carpet weaving, cruise pickup, costs, and practical tips.
“We had the best time on our tour. Mel was our guide and she made our experience amazing. We had a 10/10 experience. We recommend this tour to anyone coming into town.”
Review of a private Ephesus tour from Kusadasi with a guide, lunch, Temple of Artemis, shopping, and practical cruise-port tips.
“We had an excellent tour with Seyhan. He was extremely knowledgeable and shared what he knew with enthusiasm for his country. We certainly got more than we expected for the price to see the Ephesus ruins and the Temple of Artemis, learn about rug making and have a lovely Turkish lunch. Highly recommend this service”
Explore Perge, Aspendos, Side, and the Temple of Apollo from Antalya on a guided small-group day trip with lunch and hotel pickup.
“The history of some impressive ancient Roman sites explained in some detail - and with a deep knowledge from the tour leader. She brought it to life, making it a richer experience.”
Explore Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis from Kusadasi with a guide, port pickup, air-conditioned transport, and flexible tour options.
“Guide spoke very good English and we learnt a fair amount without it being too long. It was a hot day and the area is very crowded with tourists.”
Review of a private Ephesus tour from Kusadasi, including Terrace Houses, Temple of Artemis, lunch, transport, costs, and cruise timing tips.
“It was chaotic finding our guide. Thousands of people exiting the ship into a small area of guides waiting for their group. Once our group of 6 was together it still took quite a while for the guide to get our van. Ephesus was overwhelmed with tourists. Thousands of people in groups of various sizes were all trying to see the site. Very unpleasant. Our guide had to herd us to places where we could hear him. Following the tour of Ephesus we were forced to endure a visit to a carpet store and lunch at an unmemorable restaurant. Drop off at the port was easy. I was at Ephesus…”
Explore Ephesus, the House of Mary, Artemis Temple, and Sirince on a full-day tour from Izmir with lunch and hotel pickup.
“Extremely beautiful and interesting site, a must see if you are in this part of the world. Nisam was a great guide giving us a lot of history and context for what we were seeing. House of mother mary also interesting and a beautiful and serene space. Definitely recommend doing this when in Izmir”
Review of Trabzon’s Sümela Monastery and Hamsiköy tour, with Zigana views, mountain food, costs, walking advice, and practical tips.
“The guide was so generous with his explanations and knowledge sharing. Recommend it”
Review of Alanya’s 9-hour Side, Aspendos and Kursunlu tour, with lunch, hotel pickup, costs, itinerary details, and practical booking advice.
“We had a bit of an incident when we didn't get picked up and were asked to get a taxi to another meeting point (paid by the tour company). Also the main tour was in Polish but we had another guide who occasionally explained things to us in English. Other than this, the tour was great. Good comfortable bus. Great food at the village. Attractive and interesting sites. Would recommend to others.”
Explore Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis from Izmir with lunch, entry options, a local guide, and guaranteed cruise-port return.
“Melisa S. was able to work around our right cruise boat schedule and did a great job managing our group to keep us all on track.”
Review of a private Kusadasi shore tour to Ephesus, St John’s Basilica, Mary’s House, Artemis, and the Ephesus Museum.
“Our tour was very good and our tour guide was very knowledgeable. This was in June, so it was very hot. While hats helped, I had an umbrella which provided more protection from the sun. The only down side was the last stop in which we were shown how Turkish rugs were made with ample pressure to purchase a rug. This was not on the published itinerary. If this happens, you have to be persistent in your refusal.”
Review of a private Kusadasi tour to Ephesus, the House of Mary, and Artemis, with practical advice on guides, price, walking, and timing.
“First I have to start with our tour guide Emre, he was fantastic! Incredibly Knowledgeable, very easy and interesting to listen to.Ephesus is a magnificent ancient city to visit he made us feel as if we could visualize the city the way it was 2000 years ago. He kept us in the shade as much as possible and walked ot our pace. He took us to off the cruise ship locations avoiding crowds and enabling us to experience authentic local sights. We went to a turkish rug manufacture and the entire production of the rugs were explained to us , without any pressure to purchase. We were served light refreshments…”
Review of the Alanya day tour to Duden Waterfalls, Side, Apollo Temple, and Aspendos, with timing, costs, stops, and practical advice.
“We have done a lot of viator tours and they are usually very good or excellent. This tour was average in some ways and good in others. Time at the waterfalls and aspendos were sacrificed to spend time at the jewellery shop and then at a Turkish delight shop We were given approximately 40 minutes at aspendos and were rushed about so that we would have 40-50 minutes at the jewellery manufacturers. As a group we requested more time at the attractions and minimal at the jewellery place but we're told this was not possible We then only got 40 minutes at the waterfalls!! We also didn't get to see…”
Review of the Kusadasi Ephesus tour, with the House of Mary, Temple of Artemis, Turkish lunch, costs, tips, and honest drawbacks.
“Mooie cultuur gezien. We moesten echter de entree van 40 euro voor Efeze nog apart bijbetalen. Excursie kostte dus 105 euro p.p wat het niet waard was.”
Review of a private, low-walking Ephesus tour with the Virgin Mary’s House, Artemis Temple, guide, transport, and skip-line access.
“Zowel de gids als de chauffeur hebben wij als uitstekend ervaren! De gids heeft met heel veel kennis ons een fantastische dag bezorgd. De chauffeur heeft ons veilig en op een rustige wijze naar alle bezienswaardigheden gebracht en had oog voor de medische problemen van met name een persoon van het gezelschap. Wij hebben van de excursie met volle teugen genoten. Een punt voor verbetering: Maak de excursie inclusief de entree kaarten.”
Explore Ephesus, the House of Mary, and Artemis Temple from Kusadasi in five hours with a private guide, lunch, and cruise-port pickup.
“Queen B was superb!! She was amazing; informative and entertaining. Our group appreciated her so much!”
