Your free audio walking tour of the Roman city on Türkiye's Aegean coast, custom-built around the cruise schedule and the heat. Tell us a story, theme, or vibe and your tour is ready in 30 seconds. Works offline, 9 voiced languages, 30 free minutes on signup.
Magnesia Gate → Curetes Street → Library of Celsus → Marble Street → Great Theatre.
Built 117 AD. 12,000 scrolls once housed here. The most-photographed Roman facade.
25,000 seats. Apostle Paul preached here. Still hosts concerts. The acoustics work.
Elite Roman frescoes under glass. Pompeii-quality detail. 450 TL extra, worth every lira.
The marble-paved spine of Roman Ephesus. Fountain of Trajan, statues, the slope down to the Library.
Once one of the Seven Wonders. Today: one reconstructed column among foundations. Free.
7 km from Ephesus. Traditional last home of Mary. Pilgrimage site, papal visit, water spring.
In Selçuk town. 6th-c Byzantine basilica over the Apostle John's tomb. Hilltop views.
Paul lived here 52-54 AD. Letter to the Ephesians. The riot at the Theatre. The early church.
8 km up in the hills. Ex-Greek village, fruit wines, stone houses, lunch with a view.
Type a theme, an angle, a question - we'll build the walk in 30 seconds.
Local knowledge
The things you only learn after you've walked it.
01
Two gates. Enter at the upper Magnesia Gate (south) and walk downhill the whole way - past the Odeon, Curetes Street, Library of Celsus, Great Theatre, exit at the Lower Gate (north). Doing it in reverse is uphill in 35°C+ heat. Most tour buses know this but independent visitors regularly do it wrong.
02
450 TL extra (~$13). The Yamaç Evler are 6 elite Roman houses under a permanent glass roof, with frescoes and mosaics in situ. The colours are extraordinary - this is the Pompeii-quality experience most visitors miss. Allow 60-90 min. Less crowded than the main route.
03
Selçuk is the small Turkish town 3 km from Ephesus - charming, walkable, ex-Greek, with the Basilica of St John on the hilltop, a Roman aqueduct full of storks, and the Ephesus Museum. Kuşadası is the cruise resort 20 km away - generic, expensive. Stay in Selçuk; visit Ephesus by 10-min dolmuş.
04
Cruise ships dock at Kuşadası 09:00-15:00 and disgorge 4,000-8,000 day-trippers at Ephesus. Arrive at 08:00 opening (the site has 1 hour of quiet) or after 15:30 (cruise tourists leave by 14:00 to make sailing). The Library is photogenic in early morning light. Late afternoon is the more golden colour.
05
Ephesus is exposed marble in a low valley. July-August midday reaches 40°C and people faint. Bring 2L of water, a hat, sunscreen with SPF 50, and electrolyte tablets if you're sensitive. April-May and September-October are the right months.
06
Şirince is the ex-Greek mountain village 8 km up. Stone houses, fruit-wine tastings, panoramic terrace restaurants, no cars in the centre. A perfect post-Ephesus lunch and afternoon. Buses from Selçuk every hour. Try the artichoke meze and the mulberry wine.
How it works
Three things, in 30 seconds.
01
Any monument, theme, or vibe. "Library of Celsus", "Apostle Paul", "Terrace Houses". iWander writes you the walk in 30 seconds.
02
Antony and Cleopatra's visit, the Apostle Paul's riot, the Council of 431, the silting of the harbour, the rediscovery in 1869. Stories whispered as you walk the marble streets.
03
Whose statue is this? What does the inscription say? Where did the harbour used to be? Point your camera, ask out loud, or type. Your guide answers in seconds.
Works offline · 9 voiced languages · 30 free minutes on signup
How to visit
Tickets, timings, transport - the practical stuff most pages bury.
TICKETS
Foreign adult Ephesus 700 TL (~$20). Terrace Houses +450 TL. Combined Ephesus + Terrace Houses + Selçuk Museum 1,200 TL. MüzeKart annual pass €105 covers all + Hagia Sophia, Topkapi, 300 sites - worth it if doing 3+ Turkish sites.
HOURS
Open daily. Last entry 1 hour before close. Cruise tourists arrive 09:30 - be at the gate 08:00 to have the city to yourself for 90 minutes. Late afternoon (16:00-18:00 summer) is also relatively quiet.
GETTING THERE
İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport (ADB) is the gateway - 1 hr by car or train+dolmuş. From Selçuk: dolmuş minibus 12 TL or 15-min walk to the upper gate. From Kuşadası cruise port: tour bus or taxi 30 min.
CIRCUIT
Enter at Magnesia Gate (upper, south). Walk: Odeon, Curetes Street, Trajan Fountain, Temple of Hadrian, Terrace Houses (detour), Library of Celsus, Marble Street, Great Theatre, exit at Lower Gate (north). 1.5 km, all downhill.
SHADE
Marble reflects sun. Almost no trees. Bring 2L water per person, a hat, SPF 50, electrolyte tablets if heat-sensitive. April-May and September-October are the right months. Avoid July-August midday.
BUNDLE
Selçuk: Basilica of St John, Ephesus Museum, Isa Bey Mosque (2 hrs). Şirince: wine village (half day). Pamukkale travertines: 3 hr drive, day trip. A 3-day western Turkey loop from İzmir covers all four.
Questions
Practical info
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Updated 19 May 2026 by the iWander local team · Curated for accuracy