Turkey · Aegean Coast
Ephesus (Selcuk)
The most complete Roman city in the eastern Mediterranean, with a quiet market town to sleep in beside it.
Ephesus is the best-preserved Roman city in the eastern Mediterranean, a marble street running downhill past the Library of Celsus to a theatre that once held some twenty-five thousand people. The ruins sit just outside Selcuk, a small working town of storks' nests, pensions and a hilltop castle, which grew up on the spot the city retreated to once its harbour silted up. Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Turkish layers all sit within a short walk of each other.
Suggested stay
2–3 days
Language
Turkish
Currency
TRY
Timezone
UTC+3
Why you'll love Ephesus (Selcuk)
The Roman street Curetes Street drops downhill between temples, fountains and public latrines to the Library of Celsus, and walking it top to bottom is as close as ruins get to a working city.
Layers in one town Selcuk stacks the Temple of Artemis, a Byzantine basilica, a fourteenth-century mosque and an Ottoman-era castle within a short walk of each other.
The early church Paul preached here, a church council met here, and pilgrims still come for Saint John's basilica and the House of the Virgin Mary.
Small-town base Selcuk is a farming and market town rather than a resort, with family-run pensions, storks on the aqueduct and a hill village of wine just above it.
Best time to visit
Mar-Jun, Sep-Nov
18-32° days
37.950° N, 27.366° E
UTC+3 · Europe/Istanbul
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Weather & when to go to Ephesus (Selcuk)
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Mar-Jun, Sep-Nov
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Ephesus (Selcuk)
July and August are hot, and the ruins are open marble with very little shade, so arrive at opening time and leave the museum for the afternoon. Cruise days bring big midday crowds to the main street. Winter is cooler, wetter and quiet, and the sites stay open.
Top things to do in Ephesus (Selcuk)
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Library of Celsus and Curetes Street - the Roman main street
history culture arts 👍 PopularThe reconstructed two-storey facade of the library, built in the second century as a tomb and monument for a Roman governor, is the image of Ephesus. Reach it by walking down Curetes Street past the Temple of Hadrian, the fountains and the communal latrines.
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Great Theatre - the hillside auditorium
history 👍 PopularA huge Roman theatre cut into the slope of Mount Pion at the end of the Harbour Street, the setting for the silversmiths' riot against Paul described in Acts. Climb to the upper rows for the view down the dead-straight street toward where the sea used to be.
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Terrace Houses - the homes of the Roman rich
history culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedA block of wealthy townhouses on the hillside above Curetes Street, kept under a protective roof with walkways over the rooms. The wall paintings and mosaic floors are the most intimate thing on the site, and the ticket is separate from the main entry.
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Basilica of Saint John and Ayasuluk Castle - Selcuk's hilltop
history ⭐ Highly recommendedJustinian's great basilica, built over the reputed tomb of the apostle John, survives as columns, marble floors and a restored arcade on Ayasuluk Hill. The castle walls above it give the best view over Selcuk, the plain and the Temple of Artemis.
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Temple of Artemis - the lone column
historyOne of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, now a single re-erected column standing in a marshy field on the edge of Selcuk, often with a stork's nest on top. It takes minutes, but the gap between what stood here and what remains is the point.
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House of the Virgin Mary - the hillside shrine
culture arts history 👍 PopularA small stone chapel in the woods on Bulbuldagi, above the ruins, venerated by Catholics and Muslims as the place Mary spent her last years. It has been visited by several popes; expect a quiet, devotional atmosphere and a wall of written prayers.
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Ephesus Museum - the Artemis statues
history culture artsIn the centre of Selcuk, holding the finds that did not go to Vienna: the famous statues of Ephesian Artemis with rows of egg-like ornaments across the chest, portrait heads and objects from the Terrace Houses. Best seen after the site, in the afternoon heat.
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Isa Bey Mosque - the fourteenth-century mosque
history culture artsBuilt in 1375 by the Aydinid emirs below Ayasuluk Hill, reusing Roman columns from the ruined city. An early Anatolian mosque with a courtyard plan that predates the classic Ottoman style, and usually quiet.
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Sirince - fruit wines in the hill village
foodA former Greek village in the hills above Selcuk, rebuilt in whitewashed stone houses on a steep slope. It is known for fruit wines, olive oil and village breakfasts, and gets busy with day-trippers at weekends.
Best areas to stay in Ephesus (Selcuk)
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Selcuk town centre
Most visitors $Small market town beside the ruins
Explore hotels in Selcuk town centre →
Sirince
Couples $$Stone hill village of wine and quiet
Explore hotels in Sirince →
Kusadasi
Beach and ruins $$Busy resort and cruise port
Explore hotels in Kusadasi →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Ephesus (Selcuk)
Getting to & around Ephesus (Selcuk)
Getting there
Fly into Izmir, then take the regional train or drive south to Selcuk, about an hour away.
Flight
Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport (ADB)
Regional trains from Izmir to Selcuk stop at the airport's own station, a little over an hour's ride. Driving or a taxi takes about an hour on the motorway.
Train
Selcuk station
Regional trains on the Izmir to Denizli line stop in the middle of town, which also puts Pamukkale within a rail connection.
Coach
Selcuk otogar
Intercity buses connect Selcuk with Izmir, Pamukkale, Bodrum and beyond; some long-distance services drop at Kusadasi instead.
Cruise
Kusadasi
Cruise ships berth at Kusadasi, a short drive away, and most passengers come to Ephesus on a shore excursion.
Ferry
Kusadasi
Ferries cross from the Greek island of Samos to Kusadasi, the usual route in from the Greek side.
Getting around
Walking
Selcuk itself is small and flat, and the lower gate of the ruins is a walk of about half an hour down a tree-lined road.
Free
Dolmus minibus
Shared minibuses run from the Selcuk bus station to Sirince, Kusadasi and Pamucak beach, and past the ruins' lower gate.
TBC
Taxi
The easy way to the upper gate and the House of the Virgin Mary, which has no regular public transport.
TBC
Bicycle
Many pensions lend or rent bikes, and the flat ride out to the lower gate and the Temple of Artemis is easy.
TBC
Day trips from Ephesus (Selcuk)
Priene, Miletus and Didyma
Full dayIonian ruins circuit
Three quieter sites to the south: hillside Priene with its grid plan, Miletus with its great theatre stranded inland by the silting river, and the colossal Temple of Apollo at Didyma. Best done together with a car or a tour.
Getting there
car | tour
About 1-1.5 hr to the furthest site by car or tour
Pamukkale and Hierapolis
Full dayTravertine terraces
The white calcium terraces and warm pools of Pamukkale, with the Roman spa city of Hierapolis on top. Doable as a long day, though many people prefer an overnight there.
Getting there
train | bus | tour
About 3 hr each way by train, bus or tour
Sirince
Half dayHill wine village
The stone village in the hills above Selcuk, for fruit wine tastings, a long village breakfast and a wander through steep lanes of restored houses.
Getting there
bus
About 15-20 min by dolmus
Dilek Peninsula National Park
Full dayCoastal forest park
A protected, wooded peninsula facing Samos, with pebble coves for swimming and walking trails. The cleanest swimming within easy reach of Ephesus.
Getting there
car | bus
About 45 min by car or dolmus via Kusadasi
A little history of Ephesus (Selcuk)
Ephesus began as an Ionian Greek city at the mouth of the Cayster river, growing rich on its harbour and on the cult of Artemis, whose temple was counted among the Seven Wonders. Lysimachus moved the city to its present site around 290 BC, and under Rome it became the capital of the province of Asia and one of the largest cities in the empire. Most of what stands today, including the Library of Celsus and the theatre, dates from that Roman peak.
It was also a centre of early Christianity: Paul lived and preached here, and a council met in 431. The river kept silting the harbour, pushing the coastline miles away, and by the Byzantine period life had shifted to Ayasuluk Hill, where Justinian built the basilica of Saint John. That hill became the Turkish town of Selcuk, and the old city was abandoned to the marsh until excavation began in the nineteenth century.
Ionian Greek settlers found a city near the mouth of the Cayster river.
Herostratus burns the Temple of Artemis; it is rebuilt on an even grander scale.
Lysimachus relocates the city to the valley between Mount Pion and Bulbuldagi.
Ephesus becomes the capital of the new Roman province of Asia.
Paul preaches in Ephesus; the silversmiths' riot fills the Great Theatre.
The Library of Celsus is completed as a monument and tomb for a former governor.
The Council of Ephesus meets and proclaims Mary the Mother of God.
The Aydinid emirs build the Isa Bey Mosque below Ayasuluk Hill.
Ephesus is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Know before you go
Payment
Cards & cash mixed
English
Widely spoken
Wifi
Reliable
Power
Type C / F
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+90
Mobile network & SIM card
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FAQs about Ephesus (Selcuk)
▸ When is the best time to visit Ephesus?
March to June and September to November. Spring brings wildflowers among the ruins and autumn stays warm without the summer glare. July and August are hot on the open marble, so start at opening time. Winter is cooler and wetter but quiet, and everything stays open.
▸ How many days do you need in Ephesus and Selcuk?
One full day covers the ruins, the Terrace Houses and the museum. Two or three lets you add the basilica and castle, Sirince, the House of the Virgin Mary and a day out to Priene, Miletus and Didyma at an unhurried pace.
▸ Should I start at the upper or the lower gate?
The upper gate if you can arrange it. Starting there means the whole walk runs downhill along Curetes Street to the Library of Celsus and the theatre, finishing at the lower gate nearest Selcuk. A taxi to the top is the usual way to do it.
▸ Is it better to stay in Selcuk or Kusadasi?
Selcuk if the ruins are the reason for the trip: it is right next door, calmer and cheaper, and you can be at the gate before the tour coaches. Kusadasi suits travellers who want beaches and nightlife and treat Ephesus as a day out.
▸ How do I avoid the crowds at Ephesus?
Be at the gate when it opens or come in the last couple of hours before closing. Cruise ship excursions from Kusadasi fill the main street through the middle of the day, especially in the warmer months, so use that window for the museum or lunch in Selcuk.
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