Things to do in Ephesus and Selcuk
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Ephesus and Selcuk
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best overall late April to early June, shirtsleeve Ephesus, green hills and queues off the August peak.
Best overall September to early October, warm sea, harvest energy and arguably the single best month in September.
Peak, everything open and sea warmest, but Ephesus is hottest and most crowded and dawn starts are mandatory.
Winter, a working town good for empty Ephesus on dry days, the museum and lokantas, but beach and excursions thin out.
What's on
- International Ephesus Opera and Ballet Festival Usually late June to early July
Opera and ballet in the Great Theatre at Ephesus.
- Night Museums at Ephesus from 1 June, Wednesdays to Saturdays, end date varies by year
Evening opening with the site illuminated, confirm current dates, days and ticket rules at muze.gov.tr.
- Selcuk Ephesus Camel Wrestling Festival usually the third Sunday in January
Bull camels wrestling at the Pamucak arena, with decorated animals paraded through town the day before.
- Victory Day 30 August
National holiday with flags and a festive town.
- Republic Day 29 October
National holiday pairing with ideal Ephesus weather.
Best things to do in Ephesus and Selcuk
Ephesus Ancient City
A marble Roman city walked downhill from the upper gate, with Curetes Street, the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre.
Terrace Houses
Roofed houses of rich Ephesians with mosaics and frescoes, on a separate ticket inside the site, reached by stairs.
Ephesus Experience Museum
An immersive show inside the site that rebuilds Ephesus across its eras and makes the ruins legible on a first visit.
Ephesus Archaeological Museum
The town museum where Artemis statues and Terrace Houses finds give the Ephesus ruins their faces.
Basilica of St John
A ruined basilica over the apostles reputed tomb on Ayasuluk Hill, with views over Selcuk and the Artemis site.
Isa Bey Mosque
A 14th century Seljuk mosque below the basilica, built with columns reused from Ephesus and the Artemis temple.
Temple of Artemis
A single re erected column marking a former Wonder of the Ancient World, worth ten passing minutes for the story.
Ayasuluk Castle
The fortress at the top of Ayasuluk Hill, with walls, a small mosque and the widest view in Selcuk.
Where to stay in Ephesus and Selcuk
Ayasuluk Hill and the old town
first trip, all round base
Selcuks best boutique hotels below the basilica and castle, a walk from the museum, market and lokantas.
Town centre and the station
value and trains
Simpler hotels and guesthouses on flat streets near the station and bus station, ideal for early trains.
Acarlar and the countryside south of town
pool and quiet
A hostel resort outside town with shuttles for every town trip, right for rest days between sites.
Pamucak coast
beach resort stay only
Large beach resorts 7 km west, buying a private beach and pools at the cost of town life by dolmus.
Think twice about
- Pamucak coast as a town base
Not unsafe, just isolating for an Ephesus and town led trip, with every dinner and train a dolmus or taxi ride away.
Best restaurants in Ephesus and Selcuk
Ayasoluk Hotel Restaurant
The splurge dinner in town, a hill terrace with sunset views to the sea and a more interesting menu.
Ejder Restaurant
The evening grill locals recommend, kebabs and lamb at outside tables with a view of the aqueduct columns.
Nur Restaurant
A reliable owner run terrace for pide, steak shish and Adana kebab, a short walk from the museum.
Old House Restaurant
One of the oldest houses in town turned restaurant, for Turkish plates and a slow old town evening.
Şirince Artemis Restaurant ve Şarap evi
The big Sirince lunch table in the old school building, regional dishes and village wine in a pine garden.
Mehmet and Ali Baba Kebab House
The cheap kebab house visitors return to, juicy skewers and imam bayildi at local prices in a small room.
Selçuk Lokantacısı Alex'in Yeri
A family run lokanta for homemade dishes, manti, skewers and stuffed peppers in the middle of Selcuk.
Ayasuluk Şehir Lokantası
The municipal style city lokanta, ready dishes at the lowest sit down prices in town, fast and unadorned.
Outdoor things to do in Ephesus and Selcuk
Sirince
A former Greek hill village of stone houses and fruit wines, reached by dolmus for a slow half day with lunch.
Pamucak Beach
Selcuks own long, wide sand beach at the Meander delta, a cheap swim and sunset trip by dolmus from town.
Yedi Bilgeler Vineyards
A working winery in the hills south of Selcuk, for tastings, a cellar visit and a slow terrace lunch.
Priene Ancient City
A Hellenistic grid city in pine hills with a jewel box theatre and a Temple of Athena, the finest of the triangle.
Miletus Ancient City
A silted former port with a huge theatre on a marshy plain, quieter and wilder than Ephesus.
Didyma Ancient City
One colossal Temple of Apollo, once a rival oracle to Delphi, with almost no crowds on a full day trip.
Pamukkale Travertines
White travertine terraces walked barefoot, reached from Selcuk by regional train toward Denizli or by tour.
Hierapolis Ancient City
A vast Roman spa city above the travertines, with a great theatre and a huge necropolis to explore.
Best hotels in Ephesus and Selcuk
Akanthus Hotel Ephesus
Selcuks top boutique, a renovated old house with a small pool, strong breakfast and old town views.
Nilya Hotel
A small courtyard garden hotel with Turkish art in the rooms, homemade jams at breakfast and an Ephesus shuttle.
Hotel Bella
A boutique hotel opposite the Basilica of St John, with a rooftop terrace looking at the basilica and castle.
Kalehan Hotel
A classic garden hotel in town, the relaxed mid range base for unwinding outdoors after the ruins.
Boomerang Guesthouse
A family run guesthouse near the bus station with an in house restaurant, dorms and private rooms.
Atilla's Getaway
A hostel resort outside town with a spring water pool, home cooked dinners and free shuttles to Selcuk.
Is Ephesus and Selcuk expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | TRY 2,600 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | TRY 5,400 a person |
| Splurge | TRY 11,500 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Ephesus Ancient City: a few days ahead
- Yedi Bilgeler Vineyards: a few days ahead
- Priene Ancient City: a few days ahead
- Miletus Ancient City: a few days ahead
- Didyma Ancient City: a few days ahead
- Pamukkale Travertines: a few days ahead
- Akanthus Hotel Ephesus: weeks ahead
- Ayasoluk Hotel Restaurant: a few days ahead
- Book the opening time Ephesus start, cruise groups build through the morning and the good windows are early and late.
- Check the current euro tariff, hours and inclusions at muze.gov.tr, inclusions change between seasons.
- Put no shopping stops in writing in any private tour agreement, with total price, currency and return time.
- Festival period, summer weekends and Bayram dates fill Selcuks small hotel stock, book weeks ahead.
Is Ephesus and Selcuk safe?
- Selcuk town is a quiet working town with low hassle, use ordinary town care in the Saturday market crowd.
- Heat, dehydration and slippery marble at Ephesus are the real hazards, start at dawn and carry 1.5 litres of water.
- Emergency number throughout Türkiye is 112, keep travel insurance details on your phone.
Ephesus and Selcuk travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Midday Ephesus in summer, shadeless marble and cruise crowds, is the worst version of a great site.
- Cheap tours subsidised by carpet, leather and ceramics stops that eat site and village time.
- The Temple of Artemis as a destination in itself, it is one column and ten passing minutes.
- Sirince at midday on a summer weekend, go on a weekday, early or for the evening.
Getting around Ephesus and Selcuk: public transport and more
- Izban trains run from Izmir Airport station via Tepekoy to Selcuk in about 1 hour, check timetables against your flight.
- Selcuk town, the museum, Ayasuluk Hill and the Temple of Artemis site form one walkable unit.
- The Selcuk to Pamucak dolmus passes the Ephesus lower gate area, taxis serve the upper gate for the downhill route.
- Sirince and Pamucak both go by dolmus from the bus station area, the House of the Virgin Mary needs a taxi or shuttle.
Who Ephesus and Selcuk suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Ephesus and Selcuk your trip
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