Ephesus lies beside the town of Selçuk, a district of İzmir province since 19572, and the nearest airport is İzmir Adnan Menderes, about 62 km away by road3. The cruise port at Kuşadası is closer still, about 19 km by road4. İZBAN also serves Selçuk, with a change at Tepeköy5.

Which entrance to head for

Settle on a gate before a route, because the site’s two ticketed entrances are some way apart: the Lower Gate on the Selçuk side to the north, the Upper Gate to the south9. By road from Kuşadası the Lower Gate is the nearer of the two, 19 km against 234.

On foot the choice matters more. The main street between the upper city and the Library of Celsus loses about 20 m of height in little more than 200 m10, which is why the usual advice on visiting Ephesus is to be dropped at the top and collected at the bottom, with the site plan to hand.

A stone-paved road climbs between grassy banks and fallen blocks towards the hills
Fig. 1 The road from the Magnesian Gate towards the State Agora. Archive photograph (2011).

How do you get from İzmir airport to Ephesus?

By road it is about 62 km from İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport to the Lower Gate, roughly an hour’s drive when traffic is moving3. From Basmane, in central İzmir, the distance is about 79 km3. The drive is direct; İZBAN, below, involves a change and a walk at the end. Choose a daytime arrival with time to visit: the main site’s published gate hours conflict, and the ticket office you need may close before the site itself11. The ticket guide sets out those differences.

Aqueduct piers framing a street of shops and cafés in central Selçuk
Fig. 2 The aqueduct within the streets of modern Selçuk.

Can you take the train to Ephesus?

On İZBAN, reaching Selçuk involves a change at Tepeköy. İZBAN, the İzmir commuter railway, has served Selçuk station since 8 September 2017, but trains to Selçuk run as a separate shuttle from Tepeköy, so passengers from İzmir or the airport change there5. The change is easy to miss, so look up the Tepeköy–Selçuk shuttle separately from the İzmir leg.

From Selçuk station it is about 3.5 km on foot to the Lower Gate, or 3.8 km by road, and the walk takes around three-quarters of an hour6.

How far is Ephesus from Kuşadası?

Ege Port, Kuşadası’s cruise terminal, is about 19 km by road from the Lower Gate and about 23 km from the Upper Gate, and a clear run to the Lower Gate takes 20 to 25 minutes4. The road passes close to Pamucak beach, 13 km out of Kuşadası7, a few hundred metres short of which the Roman harbour canal of Ephesus once ended12.

Güvercinada, the fortified Pigeon Island at Kuşadası, under a stormy sky
Fig. 3 Güvercinada, the fortified Pigeon Island at Kuşadası, under a stormy sky.

Getting to Ephesus from Selçuk

The fortified hill of Ayasuluk, now part of Selçuk, was one of the smaller centres Ephesus broke into during the 7th and 8th centuries13, and several of the sites linked to Ephesus are in the town rather than the ruins. The Basilica of St John, begun under Justinian in the 6th century14, crowns the hill, and the İsa Bey Mosque of 1375 stands at its foot15.

The hill village of Şirince is about 8 km east of Selçuk16, or 10 km by road from the Lower Gate7.

The row of arches of the Byzantine aqueduct in Selçuk
Fig. 4 Surviving aqueduct arches in Selçuk.

From Bodrum, Didim and Pamukkale

Coming north from the southern resorts makes for a long day. By road, the Lower Gate is about 173 km from Bodrum and about 95 km from Didim7, while Pamukkale, inland to the east, is about 199 km away7. The ruins of Priene lie about 60 km from Ephesus by road7.

Two standing columns of the Temple of Apollo silhouetted against a golden sunset, Didyma
Fig. 5 Sunset at the Temple of Apollo, Didyma.

How do you get to the House of the Virgin Mary?

No bus or train serves the House of the Virgin Mary, so the choice is a car, a taxi or a long walk8. By road the shrine is about 5 km from the Upper Gate, 11 km from the Lower Gate and about 9 km from Selçuk8, at roughly 380 m on the mountain above17.

Because it is so near the Upper Gate, the shrine pairs easily with the ruins: up to the shrine first, then down through the ancient city.

The House of the Virgin Mary at Meryemana, a small stone chapel among trees
Fig. 6 The House of the Virgin Mary at Meryemana, a small stone chapel among trees.

Where Ephesus is

All these distances start from a city that was once a port and now stands well inland18. The geography behind that, from the river delta to the modern towns around the site, is on where Ephesus is, and prices and passes on Ephesus tickets and opening hours.

The valley below Ephesus from the upper city, with crowds far below
Fig. 7 The valley below the upper city.
Sources (40)

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