Yesterday morning we woke up super early in order to catch a flight from Istanbul to Izmir. The flight, via Atlas Jet, to Izmir was about an hour long though the drive would have taken 9-10 hours due to the terrain!

When researching this trip we decided to use a tour company and private guide since both the hotel and our friends highly recommended it.

In addition, the alternative was taking a cab or large bus from Izmir and trying to navigate the ruins ourselves. Bo found Magical Steps Tour Company via Yelp and Trip Advisor reviews. We chose the Istanbul to Ephesus full day trip since we weren’t familiar with inter Turkey travel or the area. This option was more expensive but was very inclusive! INCLUDED: •  Flights from Istanbul to Izmir and Izmir to Istanbul  •  Lunch •  Private English-speaking Guide (If you would prefer a Spanish, German, or French-speaking Guide, please ask at the time of booking)  of Ephesus, House of Virgin Mary, a Turkish rug shop, pottery shop, and small, Turkish town •  Private non-smoking, A/C car or minibus •  Airport Transfers  •  Parking •  Tax

Overall the day trip to Ephesus was over 15 hours by the time we landed back in Istanbul and it was an incredible experience that we would recommend to anyone considering a trip to Turkey.

For those of you who aren’t familiar, Ephesus was one of the largest and most important cities of the ancient Roman Empire and was the capital of Asia Minor.  It was buried for over a thousand years but has been excavated and restored by archeologists over the past 50 years.   

In addition, the city holds high importance in the Christian faith due to the fact that it appears in many books of the New Testament. Some believe that both Mary and John are buried there and the Gospel of John may have been written in Ephesus. Unlike historic cities like Troy where you can barely see any of the original ruins, there are hours of ruins to see in Ephesus including some original mosaics and frescos from the 6th century AD!  In addition, definitely pay the extra liras to see the terrace houses within Ephesus which are currently being restored! It was one of the highlights as you can see below!

The city was buried in the hills for over 1300 years which is one of the reasons it is so well preserved! We saw the largest theatre in Turkey, a huge Roman bath, large streets, Gates of Mihridates and Mazues, Domitian’s Temple and many other sites!