Ephesus Tours 2026: Private vs Group Prices and What Is Included

Quick answer: An Ephesus tour in 2026 costs roughly $35–$60 per person for a shared coach tour, $120–$220 per person for a small-group tour, and $260–$420 for a private tour for two including vehicle, licensed guide and entrance fees. The Terrace Houses and the Ephesus Museum in Selçuk are almost always excluded from the cheap tours — they are the two things most people wish they had seen. What an Ephesus tour costs in 2026 Tour type Group size Price per person Time on site Includes Shared coach from Kuşadası 30–45 $35–$60 90 min Guide, transport. Entrance and Terrace Houses usually extra Small group 8–14 $120–$220 2.5–3 hrs Guide, transport, main site entrance Private (2 people) Just you $260–$420 total 3–5 hrs Private vehicle, licensed guide, all entrances, flexible route Private + Şirince + Virgin Mary Just you $380–$550 total Full day Everything above plus village lunch and House of the Virgin Mary Entrance fees change annually and are set by the Ministry of Culture. Budget separately for the main site, the Terrace Houses (a separate ticket, and the single best part of Ephesus), the Ephesus Museum in Selçuk and the House of the Virgin Mary if it is not bundled. What you actually see — and what the cheap tour skips Ephesus is a 3 km walk downhill from the Upper Gate to the Lower Gate. A well-run tour starts at the Upper Gate so you walk down, not up, in the heat. Library of Celsus — the postcard facade. Every tour includes it. Great Theatre — 25,000 seats, where Paul preached. Included. Curetes Street and the Latrines — included. Terrace Houses — the Roman elite apartments with intact frescoes and mosaics under a modern roof. Separate ticket, almost always skipped by coach tours. This is the part that turns Ephesus from ruins into a city. Ephesus Museum, Selçuk — the Artemis statues and the finds from the Terrace Houses. Skipped by almost every group tour. Temple of Artemis — one standing column. Two minutes, worth stopping for the context. Private versus group: