Ephesus is the best preserved and the most majestic of all the ancient cities and classical ruins in Turkey. Ionia, as it was known, was a flourishing cultural city of the Greek Empire, and a busy provincial capital during the Roman era.

The Temple of Artemis is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. St. Paul and St. John wrote their epistles here while Virgin Mary is said to have lived the latter part of her life here. The Great Theatre, which can hold 24,000 people; the Library of Celsus; the Sacred Way (where the rich lived) and the Fountain of Trojan must be visited. The Ephesus Museum is open from 8.30 am to noon and 11 pm to 5 pm daily except on Monday. 

Start your walking tour early in summer, as it gets unbearably hot in the summer afternoons. The Grotto of the Seven Sleepers is where the seven persecuted youths slept for two hundred years before waking up to go and have a meal in the nearby town. You will see the vast Harbour Gymnasium; the elegant marble paved Arcadian Way; the remarkable Temple of Hadrian and the many fountains and pools etc on the way.

Minibuses frequently leave Kusadasi and Pamucak for Ephesus. Taxis, dolmus and slow trains are also available. Hourly buses connect to Bodrum and Marmaris.  

For more detailed country and visitor information, see Turkey