2 Day Ephesus and Pamukkale Tour: Istanbul to Temple of Artemis, Celsius Library, Cleopatra Pool

Embark on a two-day journey from Istanbul that covers notable sites in Ephesus and Pamukkale including the Temple of Artemis, The Celsius Library, House of the Virgin Mary, Old Gates, Cemetery, Theatre of Hierapolis, The Calcified Pools and Travertines. Additionally, you can choose to swim in the Cleopatra Pool for an additional fee (10USD PP).

Duration: 2 days
Cancellation: 6 days
Highlights

Flight to Izmir and Ephesus Day Tour

Ancient City of Ephesus - Ephesus Ancient City
Ephesus, situated near Selçuk in Turkey, stands as one of the most well-preserved ancient cities globally and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Once a bustling Greek and later Roman city, it was a hub for commerce, culture, and religion. Ephesus…

What's Included
  • Izmir and Pamukkale airport transfers
  • Istanbul airport transfers
  • All taxes, fees and handling charges
  • Lunch
  • Round trip flight tickets with all taxes and 15kg +8kg handbag limit
  • Overnight accommodation
  • 2 days tour with guide, lunch, transport and all entrance fees
What's Not Included
  • Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
  • Drinks
  • Gratuities
  • Breakfast
Cancellation Policy

If you cancel at least 6 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel between 2 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.

Customer Ratings
4.4
(22 Ratings)
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1 star
T3273ivesteband
Mar 28, 2025
An unforgettable experience. - It has been an unforgettable experience. The views were wonderful. The really impressive archaeological remains. Our guide was very friendly and helpful, his knowledge of the historical sites was deep and he spoke perfect Spanish and the explanations he gave us were very clear and precise, He is absolutely recommended for those who want to visit Hierapolis, the house of the Virgin Mary or Ephesus and speak Spanish. Perhaps it would be advisable to have a catalog of views of how the most important buildings of the archaeological ruins were to compare them with what one sees and thus be able to have a better idea of how they really went in their glory. I really plan to repeat the experience but with more time, because really time is short to see all the details of such impressive historical sites. I've taken hundreds of pictures, but it seems very little to me for everything I saw. I congratulate our travel agency because they really do an excellent job.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Carlady7878yz
Mar 28, 2025
A fantastic experience - I had an amazing experience!! I decided to take a last minute trip to Turkey with my dad, who is mostly Spanish-speaking. By last minute, I mean I bought the plane tickets a week before traveling and started looking for tours after. Thankfully I found Travel Store Turkey. Five days before my trip I contacted them, and they planned everything for me, including hotels, transportation, and Spanish-language tours. We had an absolute blast!! We went to Troy for a private tour of the ruins. A HUGE thanks to our guide Cagri, and our translator Gizem, who made this a really special experience! Later we went to Pamukkale and Ephesus, and again it was amazing! My dad loved the trip, he talks about it all the time. I’m so happy we got to share this experience. I highly recommend this Travel agency!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Voyage08832211267
Oct 2, 2023
Amazing experience - I went to pamukkale and was amazing mr. Erkan is a nice person. If I have one question he answer me very fast. The guy Mr. Mert explain everything and he is nice too. Amazing experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Karolp568
Sep 13, 2023
A dive into history in two days - I realized my dream of seeing Pamukkale thanks to this tour organized down to the smallest details. The hotel room was supposed to be standard and they gave us a superior one with a spectacular view of the harbor and an incredible whirlpool tub. The tour guides are very knowledgeable and attentive to every request and need of the individual. Then what can I say...the Locations Ephesus and Hierapolis-Pamukkale leave you speechless. The tour is designed in a very intelligent way, you land at one airport and leave from another so as not to travel again and not waste time. In short... I absolutely recommend you do it if you are in Türkiye!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Melrd0577
Nov 23, 2022
Ephesus tour from Istanbul - Erkan was very responsive and Organizer with my recent tour. This tour included 2 days, flight, hotel stay, and guided tours. Every detail was explained and carried out perfectly. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ann_o
Oct 7, 2022
Must do!! - Loved it!! I was travelling solo but made so many friends on tour. The tour was well-organised and fun. A lot of clear communication from the provider which made me feel looked after
Review provided by Viator
Clara_p
Jul 15, 2022
Excellent tour. - It was great Tur . Everything was well programmed . Transportation services very punctual. Everything offered was given.
Review provided by Viator
Wilfredo_r
Apr 28, 2025
Not time efficient - This tour was very well planed, good guides and you do everything as described. But is this not time worthwhile. From Istanbul the pick you up at 4am on day #1. And you are returned on day #2 at midnight. So you are with them for almost 44 hours. And from this time, you only spend about 6 hours at the main attractions/destinations and about 13 hours at the hotel they get for you. (The hotel is very good by the way) And the rest is travel time... about 26 hours between airports, actual flights, buses and wait time. So, my recommendation is that those particular destinations. House of the Virgin Mary is not worth it unless you are a religious perolson and care about that stuff. Ephesos ruins are a very good site to visit. But the history of thenplave is a lot better than the actual ruins you will see today. The Pomakkle pools... the actual visit will never compare to what you see in ticktock or Instagram... it is super crowded and at most 2 feet deep. So you will not be able to swim. That said, is a beautiful and unique place. Worth the visit, but it is very slippery and if you are not careful can get a serious injury.
Review provided by Viator
Amber_b
Jul 19, 2022
Low quality / budget tour - I only rated this tour a 2 because the tour guides were wonderful. Day 1 -To start with, when I was picked up to be taken to the airport, the first thing the driver did was ask us what airport. This guy literally had one job, to drive our group to the airport, and he didn't even know which one. Once we arrived at the airport, there were no instructions on how to obtain tickets (Turkish airports operate differently than US airports in the ticketing and gate process). Luckily someone else on the tour knew what to do, otherwise I would have had no idea. Once we arrived in Ephesus, we had to sit at the airport for over an hour waiting for other people to arrive to join us. Our tour was supposed to begin at 9:30 AM, but we didn't leave the airport until close to 10. Once we arrived in Ephesus, we were dropped off at the tour office. No one greeted us or explained what was going on. We waited about another hour there with no obvious purpose. Then, after we got into another van, we were driving around picking up other people and waiting on others to arrive. By the time we started our tour at Ephesus, it was 2 pm. As it was July, it was miserably hot, and it was hard to enjoy the tour because of the heat. If we had started at 9:30 AM as we were supposed to, this would not have been an issue. Food and lodging - this was the lowest quality that could possibly be found. Lunch was buffet style and there wasn't even any meat available at the restaurant on day 1. The hotel in Ephesus, while clean and functional, reminded me a hostel. Lunch on day 2 was slightly better, but still buffet style and low quality. In contrast I used a different tour company for Cappadocia, and we were taken to two of the nicest restaurants in the city and provided a 3 course meal on each day. We received no breakfast on any of the days of the tour, which was supposed to be included. Day 2 in Pamukkale - besides not having any breakfast provided, as mentioned above, the drive to Pamukkale (about 3 hours) and the Pamukkale tour went well. However, when we arrived back in istanbul, we had no transportation to pick us up. We waited about an hour and a half until I finally contacted the tour office who found our driver. Overall, I feel I would have had a much better experience, and saved a lot of money if I would have arranged my own transportation, lodging and food. There was a lot of wasted time just sitting around, waiting on transportation or other people to join the tour. The quality of the food and lodging was very low for the price overall.
Review provided by Viator
Ethan_l
Sep 28, 2022
Scam tour agent - travelstore - I m strongly not recommended to join this tour with this ‘deceiving’ tour agent. First at all, he would call you to join another hot air balloon tour which he claimed that the other customers are demanding on this. In fact this is a scam. When we arrived at pamukkale, he would ask you to go to the hotel and take a rest. He promised to pick us up at 12 noon. Again he didn’t turn up till 14:00. Our tour guide was completely rubbish and yet again he doesn’t explain anything during our visit to the pamukkale Roman site. On the next day, we were supposed to pick us up at 06:00 for sunrise balloon ride. Yet, they didn’t turn up till 09:00. They claimed the hot balloon ride was delayed in view of the strong wind but again we did witness all hot air balloon in the sky at about 6:00. Clearly it’s all lie and scam. We just managed to get into the hot air balloon ride at 10:00. Another point, when they sent you the itinerary, the hotel booking is completely different. The hotel was completely rubbish and dirty. On the next day, they were supposed to take us to another tour to visit the Rome ancient city but again it was late. They promised to take us to airport but again they dropped us at the bus stop for an airport ride. Last but not least pls don’t join this tour with this agent- travelstore and again this is a scam. They are not professional but again it’s full of lies and excuses
Review provided by Viator
From $684
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 6 days before the start of your experience (local time).