Ancient History Tours in Turkey: The 15 Worth Booking

1.Ancient Perge, Aspendos Theater & City of Side Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 1,237 reviews · 9 hours · from $41Our pick

Explore Perge, Aspendos Theater, and Side from Antalya with lunch, hotel pickup, expert guides, and excellent value at $41.

“Very good trip and great guide, but extremely impressed by the company and customer service. I was given an updated wrong time the day before, so we missed the bus, and they got us a taxi and reimbursed the money on the same day on the trip. Extremely professional and great customer service would highly recommend”

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2.Ancient Perge, Aspendos Amphitheater and City of Side Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 644 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $42Top rated

Review of Antalya’s Perge, Aspendos, Side, and Apollo Temple tour, with practical advice on sights, value, timing, transport, and comfort.

“The lectures by our guide who shared his vast knowledge with us. He very passionate regarding the history that many of us have not heard before.”

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3.Day Tour of Ancient Roman Sites

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 278 reviews · 9 hours · from $89

Explore Perge, Aspendos, Side, and Manavgat Waterfall from Antalya on a 9-hour guided tour with lunch, transport, and entry fees.

“Fatima the lady driver and Kerem our guide were both very competent, friendly and informative. would highly recommend for a great experience”

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4.From Izmir: Guided Tour of the Ancient City of Ephesus

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 205 reviews · 9 hours · from $117

Review of the 9-hour Ephesus tour from Izmir, covering transport, ruins, lunch, optional sites, guides, costs, and practical booking advice.

“Our tour of Ephesus with Erman was absolutely fantastic! From start to finish, everything was well-organized and exceeded our expectations. The van was super comfortable, and the pick-up was right on time. The drive to Ephesus was smooth, allowing us to relax and enjoy the scenic views. Erman is an incredibly knowledgeable and passionate guide. His deep understanding of history brought the ancient city to life, making every stop along the way engaging and informative. While the tour was conducted in English, Erman mentioned that he is willing to offer tours in other languages in the future if needed, which is a great option for visitors from different backgrounds. Another…”

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5.Fire of Anatolia Dance Show at Ancient Aspendos Theater

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 198 reviews · 3 - 8 hours · from $64

Review of Fire of Anatolia at Ancient Aspendos Theater, with show details, transport advice, seating tips, price value, and booking guidance.

“Prompt communication, easy booking. theater/ruins were beatiful and show was fantasticprom”

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6.Hiking in Termessos Ancient City

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 152 reviews · 4 hours · from $62

Review of Antalya’s Termessos hike: a small-group mountain tour with ruins, sweeping views, expert guide Onder, and practical tips.

“The tour was beautiful and the theatre in particular was unbelievably scenic. Our guide Onder was excellent. He was really knowledgeable on the ancient city itself as well as rich Turkish history. Onder is incredibly friendly and went above and beyond for us, giving us great advice on our stay in Antalya and beyond. This was certainly a major highlight in our entire Turkish holiday. Thank you Onder.”

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7.City of Side: Eagle Canyon and Selge Ancient City Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 124 reviews · 8 hours · from $45

Review of the $45 Side day trip to Selge and Eagle Canyon, with Roman ruins, river lunch, mountain views, practical tips, and honest drawbacks.

“I wouldn’t recommend this trip. We were picked up and at the first stop we were placed at a table and told to wait. We kept asking what we were waiting for and how long and they just kept saying 5-10 min. It ended up being an hour which was obviously intended since we were apparently waiting for a group to finish their rafting activity. No one told us and it wasn’t mentioned anywhere. The car ride up the mountain has insanely loud music which was fun on the way there , on the way home I wouldn’t have minded if it wasn’t there anymore. The guide tried to shout…”

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8.City of Side: Green Canyon, Waterfall, Ancient City Mix Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 109 reviews · 7 - 8 hours · from $32

Review of Side’s Green Canyon tour, with Green Lake boating, Oymapinar Dam, Lyrbe Agora, lunch, swimming, and optional waterfall stops.

“Excellent trip. Loved boat ride and plenty of stops. Guide was very good and attentive but unfortunately did not speak good English but did try to .are up for it by giving us transcrip commentary on his phone.”

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9.Alanya: Ancient Ruins & Hidden Coves of Gazipaşa w/ Cave

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 63 reviews · 9 hours · from $53

Explore Syedra and Aytap, swim at Delik Deniz, visit a cave, and enjoy lunch on a full-day history and coast tour from Alanya.

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10.Full-Day Tour of Ancient Ruins in Ephesus from Izmir

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 43 reviews · 8 hours · from $155

Explore Ephesus, the Temple of Artemis, and Mary’s House from Izmir with lunch, transport, guide, and small-group convenience.

“With a significant other we made this booking and it proved to be very impressive. Ismail was absolutely fantastic and I will be happy to personally say thank you (missed the chanced to give it an unsolicited tip). Well, Izmir, perhaps not again but will recommend this to any friend.”

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11.Roman Ancient Sites & Manavgat Waterfall Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 38 reviews · 9 hours · from $77

Review of Antalya’s Perge, Aspendos, Side, and waterfall tour, with practical advice on sights, lunch, entrance fees, guides, and value.

“Everything was perfect about the tour and the guide. He knew a lot about the locations we visited and was very kind with the group. I would gladly book again with him in the future.”

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12.Ephesus Ancient City Highlight Tour For Cruisers

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 35 reviews · 4 - 4.5 hours · from $22Best value

Review of the $22 Ephesus cruise-port tour, including Ephesus, Virgin Mary’s House, Artemis Temple, guides, costs, and practical tips.

“Great tour to Efeses and Maria’s house. Great detailed explanation from our knowledgeable guide Kaya. Would strongly recommend it !”

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13.Ancient Selge, Tazi Canyon & Adam Rocks Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 34 reviews · from $56

Explore Tazi Canyon, Selge Ancient City, and Adam Rocks on an 8-hour Antalya tour with lunch, transport, entry fees, and a live guide.

“It was a good price,best service,awsome ghid and very respectfull, they are verry carreful with evrey needs. They are the best! i hope you gone select them, you gone thanks me later.”

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14.Alanya: Ancient & Coastal Ruins Tour – Syedra & Iotape

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 24 reviews · 9 hours · from $41

Explore Syedra, Iotape, Antiochia ad Cragum, Delik Deniz, and Gazipaşa on a $41 full-day tour with lunch and hotel pickup.

“Very knoledgeable guide in history, good details and nice person. Kept good mood and wise pace for climing uphills.”

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15.Pamukkale: Tandem Paragliding with Ancient Hierapolis Views

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 24 reviews · 45 min · from $65

Fly 300 meters above Pamukkale on a tandem paraglide, with Hierapolis ruins, Cotton Castle views, hotel transfers, and safety gear included.

“It was a good flight even though it was on a rainy day. However, I wish they had informed me earlier about the change in pickup time.”

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