Ephesus
Walk the marble streets of the ancient world
The place
To walk through Ephesus is to walk through a living chapter of the ancient world. Once the second city of the Roman Empire and a port of a quarter-million people, it has been excavated into one of the most complete classical cities anywhere — marble-paved avenues, a great theatre that seated 25,000, public latrines, terraced mansions with mosaic floors, and the soaring two-storey façade of the Library of Celsus rising at the end of the Curetes Way.
This was a place of myth and faith as much as commerce. The Temple of Artemis nearby was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; St Paul preached here and addressed his letter to the Ephesians; tradition holds that the Virgin Mary spent her final years in a small stone house on the hillside above. Few sites stitch together Greek, Roman and early Christian history so vividly.
Base yourself in the laid-back town of Selçuk or the old Greek village of Şirince, and you can pair the ruins with cherry-wine tastings, a fine archaeology museum, and the relaxed rhythm of the Aegean countryside.
What to do
Things to do in Ephesus
- Stand before the reconstructed façade of the Library of Celsus
- Climb the Great Theatre where St Paul once addressed the crowd
- Tour the mosaic-floored Terrace Houses of the Roman elite
- Visit the House of the Virgin Mary on Mount Koressos
- See the lone column marking the Temple of Artemis, an ancient Wonder
- Wander the hill village of Şirince and taste its fruit wines
- Explore the Ephesus Archaeological Museum in Selçuk
Gallery
Ready when you are
Packages featuring Ephesus
Browse handcrafted itineraries that include Ephesus, each available in three service levels — or message our local team and we'll tailor one around you.