Ephesus (Selçuk)

Ephesus (Efes), near the modern town of Selçuk in Turkey's Aegean region, is one of the best-preserved Greco-Roman cities in the world. From Istanbul, the most practical route is a domestic flight to İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport (approximately 1 hour), followed by a TCDD train from İzmir Basmane station to Selçuk (around 1.5 hours, 30–50 TL) or a direct minibus from the airport. Overnight buses from Istanbul Büyük Otogar serve Selçuk directly, arriving in the morning and suiting visitors who want more time on the ground. The ruins span two entrance gates: entering from the Upper Gate and descending through the city follows the natural slope of the terrain, culminating at the Library of Celsus. Along the way, the Odeon, State Agora, and Temple of Domitian mark the civic core of the ancient city. The Library of Celsus — built in 117 AD as a funerary monument — is the most photographed structure at the site: its two-storey façade with allegorical statues representing Wisdom, Knowledge, Intelligence, and Virtue is remarkably intact. The nearby Gate of Mazaeus and Mithridates frames the vast Lower Agora. The Great Theatre at the lower end of the site once seated 25,000 spectators and still hosts occasional performances. The Terrace Houses (Yamaç Evler), requiring an additional entry fee of around 200 TL, contain well-preserved Roman mosaics and frescoes from wealthy households of the 1st–7th centuries AD and are among the most undervisited highlights at the site. Afternoon options include the House of the Virgin Mary (Meryemana), a pilgrimage site set in pine forest on Mount Koressos 7 kilometres from Selçuk, and Şirince village, 8 kilometres away, offering local fruit wines and stone lanes for a relaxed wind-down before the return journey.