Get an early start on the day with pickup at your hotel in Marmaris or Icmeler (exact time depends on location, and the supplier will confirm after booking). Begin the drive to Ephesus in a comfortable vehicle, with breakfast along the way.
Upon arrival in the ancient city, you’ll continue on foot, following marble-paved streets to well-preserved buildings with mosaics and frescoes that bring the former Roman port to vivid life. Take in the Temple of Hadrian, the ancient baths, and the exquisite Library of Celsus, which was built to store 12,000 scrolls. Climb the tiered seats at the theater, and imagine the 25,000-person crowd that gathered for gladiatorial events and shows in Ephesus’ heyday, more than two millennia ago.
Pause for lunch at Ephesus, then continue to the House of the Virgin Mary, a simple home and chapel on the forested slopes of Mount Koressos. Learn the story of the house’s discovery following a saint’s vision, and visit a small shrine and a wishing wall stuffed with handwritten prayers to the Virgin Mary. Begin the return trip to Marmaris and finish the day with drop-off at your hotel.
