Evening Ephesus Tours from Marmaris

By day, Ephesus is packed with tourists and baking in the sun, but in the evening the ancient city changes. The marble columns take on a warm glow, the busy streets fall quiet, and you can stroll along them at your own pace, noticing details you would simply miss during the day.

The first stop on the route is the House of the Virgin Mary on the slopes of Mount Koressos, the Nightingale Mountain. According to tradition, she spent several years of her life here after leaving Jerusalem. The site is considered one of the most important Christian shrines in Turkey. Inside there are two rooms, with an altar in the first and offerings left by visitors in the second. The atmosphere here is always quiet and peaceful.

You enter Ephesus through the lower gate as the sun is setting. The walk follows the Harbour Street and Curetes Street, past the Marble Road, where slabs from ancient times have survived. The Great Theatre of Ephesus, which once held tens of thousands of spectators, and the Library of Celsus, the symbol of the city, look completely different in the evening light than they do by day. Along the way you will also see the Temple of Hadrian, the ruins of the Temple of Artemis (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) and the Basilica of St. John.

For many centuries Ephesus was the largest trading, cultural and religious centre of Asia Minor, and an evening walk lets you appreciate the scale of the city without the daytime heat and crowds.