Hi, just come back from a brilliant holiday in Icmeler, Turkey (see separate review), and one of the places we took a trip to was Ephesus.
Ephesus (Efes) is on the west of Turkey, close by Izmir. It’s approx 220km from Icmeler and Marmaris, not too long a drive for what it is - well worth ... Read review
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Advantages: So many ancient wonders in one place Disadvantages: Hot midday sun + No shelter + Walking Around = Not too Comfortable!
...was Ephesus.
Ephesus (Efes) is on the west of Turkey, close by Izmir. It’s approx 220km from Icmeler and Marmaris, not too long a drive for what it is - well worth it.
^*^ Organisation ^*^
The tour we took was a two-day trip, combined with a trip to Pamukkale (see separate review), with Erokoy Travel, a travel agency that I think is local to Icmeler and Marmaris. Their website is www.anatoliandiscovery.com. ... ...
^*^ Historical EPHESUS ^*^
This is the name of the ancient city that has been excavated (and continues to be developed further).
The area itself has masses of history; on the way there, just a couple of minutes away at the top of one of the mountains is the Virgin Mary’s House. If you go on a guided tour you should be taken here. You are allowed to walk inside the part that’s still standing, and most people ... more
Hi, just come back from a brilliant holiday in Icmeler, Turkey (see separate review), and one of the places we took a trip to was Ephesus.
Ephesus (Efes) is on the west of Turkey, close by Izmir. It’s approx 220km from Icmeler and Marmaris, not too long a drive for what it is - well worth it.
^*^ Organisation ^*^
The tour we took was a two-day trip, combined with a trip to Pamukkale (see separate review), with Erokoy Travel, a travel agency that I think is local to Icmeler and Marmaris. Their website is www.anatoliandiscovery.com. The tour was extremely well organised, and the price included all transport, breakfast, lunch and dinner the first day and breakfast and lunch the second day, entrance fee’s, a guide, hotel for one night, and plenty of fun and laughs! Oh yeah, the price by the way is £45 per person for the two days, and children go half price, very reasonable on the whole I would say!
The transport provided was air-conditioned mini bus, seating 14, and the driver was very friendly, as was the guide, who also spoke excellent English and was extremely helpful. For food we were usually take to some kind of buffet restaurant, all-you-can-eat stylie, with a wide range of dishes.
^*^ Historical EPHESUS ^*^
This is the name of the ancient city that has been excavated (and continues to be developed further).
The area itself has masses of history; on the way there, just a couple of minutes away at the top of one of the mountains is the Virgin Mary’s House. If you go on a guided tour you should be taken here. You are allowed to walk inside the part that’s still standing, and most people go in and say a prayer or light a candle, it’s very nice and atmospheric. Kinda weird aswell, when you’re there you just think about how it must have been back in the ancient days. There you also find the holy water, which has been diverted so it comes out of taps, available to be bottled up, they even sell you empty bottles in case you don’t have one!
Driving on, you come to the huge uncovered city itself; at the entrance you are bombarded by people selling bottles of water, I would advise you to buy plenty of water as their isn’t much shade once you get inside, and no other opportunity to buy refreshments either, and you’ll be there for a couple of hours. Whilst we’re on the subject, wear a hat! Because especially in the middle of the day it can get very very hot.
On entering, our guide gave us the choice to go off and have a wander ourselves or stay with him and have the guided tour. All our group stayed together, and every now and then were stopped and told some interesting facts about such and such a ruin etc, the guide really was a wealth of information.
Basically, you enter at one end, and follow the old road through the sight, ending up at the other end where your coach or bus should be waiting to pick you up. On the way through, there are ruins all around off the road, some still tidy and obvious what they are, some needing the help of the guide to know what they are. You have to use your imagination to imagine what it would have looked like when it was a bustling city, and the whole place is just so amazing. Amongst other things, we saw houses, shops, baths, toilets (actually a big meeting place back then), huge columns lining the streets, the big library of Ephesus, the large Theatre and last but not least, The (ruined) Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Ephesus is a haven for taking amazing photographs, and I would show you some that we took, except the digital camera’s battery died about half an hour after we got there, so the best pictures are just on the APS camera!
The Theatre is HUUUGE!!! It has a capacity of 25,000 people. And it actually is used to hold concerts can you believe? Big artists such as Madonna, Sting, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross and a few others (can’t remember them!) spend a few days of their tours here, and millions of people go to watch. Wish I could go to one of them!
In summary, Ephesus is really an amazing place, so historical, and people come here again and again. Although I’m not even into history or anything, I really liked it! You just have to use your imagination a bit.
On the way back, we were taken to the cave of The Seven Sleepers… I can’t remember what the story behind that is, I think they were exiled or something, but the actual cave has been fenced off anyway because the public were damaging it.
^*^ Other Places of Interest ^*^
We also visited the Ephesus Ceramics Factory, where we were given a guided tour, shown the students in action first making the pots and plates and vases etc (and some audience participation was required!), then drawing on the designs, painting them, glazing them and then finishing the products. We were given some complimentary apple tea (delicious) and then given the opportunity to purchase from their shop with a 10% group discount. The stuff there is just so pretty, but some can be a little expensive as they’re hand made and a lot of effort has gone into them.
Well, that’s Ephesus for you. It’s a great place to visit, and you’d be mad not to incorporate it into your visit if you go to that side of Turkey. I would highly recommend going with a guided tour group though, not on your own, because it’s much more enjoyable when somebody else knows the best places to go :)
Advantages: Very interesting Disadvantages: Can be extremely hot so precautions needed
...to talking about Ephesus...
Ephesus is built into a hillside and has an entrance at the top and an entrance at the bottom. Most guided tours start at the top of the hill and finish at the bottom but it is well worth checking, particularly if you are intending to go in high season. We travelled in July and at the coast in the shade it was ranging between 40-45 degrees. At Ephesus it is hotter, and there is practically no shade. You must must MUST ... ...If you have a hand held fan that is also useful!
To be honest the beauty and intricacy of the place will detract your attention from the seering heat which is a blessing but makes it all the more important to take the precautions I mentioned. We carted large bottles of water along with us expected drinks once inside to be extortionate and we were quite pleasantly surprised. I would suggest you still take a small bottle of water to sip throughout ...
lumby 24.05.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Ephesus (Turkey)
We went to Ephesus as a two-day trip from Hisaronu (near Olu Deniz) where we were staying. We went to Ephesus on the first day, then Pammukale and Heraklion on the second. We paid £40 each for the trip, including breakfast both days, turkish dinner the first night (incl belly dancer), and a night in a 4* hotel with full use of their facilities. It was a bargain! Shop around for these trips - we would've paid about £60 with our operator (Jewel in ... ...around 6am to get to Ephesus at lunch-time. We estimated we travelled around 1000km in those two days, in a ricketty little minbus!
But Ephesus was just - wow! I love history and was really excited about it. My boyfriend doesn't and I only got him to come by promising him he could do the 'I am Maximus...' speech from Gladiator! (which he did!) but he loved it too! Whenever we mentioned to anyone that we were going, tourists and Turks alike told ...
MeganDavies 09.12.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Ephesus (Turkey)
Advantages: Historical, Beautiful Disadvantages: hot and sometimes crowded
Ephesus is a marvel of the ancient world. Everybody who visits Turkey and is within a 3 hour drive should visit. (I was in Dalyan approx 3 hours away). Every step of the way is littered with ancient architecture. If you get a good guide the experience will be even better. Even if you don't the "oh my god" factor will kick in as you see all the sights. You even get to see the signs which point the way to the brothel for the sailers!! Ephesus will ... ...Once you have left Ephesus try and make some time to vist the museum and one of the few remaining 7 wonders of the ancient world (Artemis) which are only a couple of miles away. In fairness Aretimis which used to be a splendid temple is now just one column sticking out of the ground. But if you want to impress your freinds by saying you have seen it then it is well worth it. ...
hanger321 23.01.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Ephesus (Turkey)
Advantages: Great views with plenty of history but not boring Disadvantages: Extremely hot, protection needed
A day trip from Icemeler took me to the ruins of Ephesus. Never did I imagine what I would discover, there was no indication of the beauty of such an exciting area and archeology site. Word of warning, take an hat and bottles of water. It is extremely hot and with no shelter you are soon needing a drink. Wonderful views of many ruins dating as far back 1000 BC. You walk around the City and can see the progress made by so many nations. It is truely ...
socks 30.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Ephesus (Turkey)
Advantages: Truly unique historical experience Disadvantages: Very busy
...Turkey without visiting Ephesus. Ephesus back around 100AD was the main gateway between east and west - a major trading port. Today it is now 6km from the Aegean Sea demonstrating how far silting has changed the shape of our world. As you walk around this amazing place you will see how archaeologists have painstakening rebuilt this city. You will walk down the same streets the citizens walked down, you will see where they bathed, shopped, held debates, ... ...the stones which direct visiting sailors to the nearest brothel! The detail is truly fantastic. The clay pipes which used to take water to homes and commercial buildings still pertrude from the ground. The crowning glory has to be the library. Using over 70% original materials, the two-storey facade is awe inspiring. This is still a work in progress - whilst we were there a large area was covered over as dozens of terrace houses were under restoration ...
mariner2000 15.09.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Ephesus (Turkey)
Value for Money
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