Combine a guided tour of the extraordinary ruins of Ephesus with a visit to the House of the Virgin Mary, with round-trip transfers from Izmir or Kusadasi. Ephesus is located about a 1-hour drive from the coast, and on arrival you will journey back in time to the days of the Greek, Roman and Byzantine civilizations. Your guide will tell stories of the ruins as you explore the Trajan Fountain, where all that remains of a statue of an emperor is a single foot. Visit the Temples of Domition and Hadrian, the latter boasting beautiful friezes and a head of Medusa. Walk down the central Marble Street to the stunning Celcus Library, once capable of holding up to 12,000 scrolls. Other highlights include the Scolastica Baths, and the steeply pitched Great Theatre, with a capacity for up to 24,000 spectators. Continue to the House of the Virgin Mary on the Solimissos Mountains, and sense the serenity of a sacred place that is believed to be the last residence of the mother of Jesus, and is a site of pilgrimage for Christians and Muslims. Visit the small shrine dedicated to St. Mary, found when the ruins of the house were first discovered.