The 5 Best Places to Stay Near Ephesus: Selçuk and Şirince

The best places to stay near Ephesus are in Selçuk, the small town beside the ruins, and in Şirince, the hill village above it. Our five picks run from a stone house below the Basilica of St. John to cottages at the top of Şirince. Closeness to the sights came first for us, then a good night’s rest after a long day among the ruins. Without a night here, our Ephesus day tour from Istanbul flies there and back in a day. From the coast, an Ephesus tour from Bodrum takes you there and back with your own guide and driver.

How We Chose These Places to Stay Near Ephesus

Selçuk puts you within walking distance of the Basilica of St. John, the Ephesus Museum and the site of the Temple of Artemis. The ruins of Ephesus lie about 3 km (2 miles) away, so a morning visit is easy. Şirince is a slower base, with gardens and views. So we picked four hotels in Selçuk and one in Şirince. We also looked for family-run houses, where the owners still look after their guests, and we name them below.

Places to Stay Near Ephesus in Selçuk

1. Ayasoluk Hotel, below the Basilica of St. John

Ayasoluk Hotel is a small stone hotel on the western slope of Ayasuluk Hill, on the road up to the Basilica of St. John. The family that built it still runs it. Several rooms and the restaurant look across to the basilica and the İsa Bey Mosque, and some rooms have fireplaces for winter. On foot, the Selçuk bus station is under ten minutes away.

2. Saint John Hotel, Selçuk

Saint John Hotel is a boutique hotel in Selçuk with a garden and a terrace. Its own restaurant, J.D Carpousa, serves Turkish dishes at lunch and dinner, with tables outside in good weather. It also has a bar. It suits travelers who want to eat well without leaving the hotel after a day at the ruins.

3. Akanthus Hotel Ephesus, Selçuk

Akanthus stands in Selçuk near the Ephesus Museum, the Temple of Artemis and the Basilica of St. John. It has an outdoor pool with a bar, a garden and a terrace, and it serves a breakfast buffet. The hotel also rents bikes, which makes the short ride to the sights of the town easy. Choose it for a summer stay when a pool matters after the heat of the site.

4. Hotel Bella, Selçuk

Hotel Bella is a hotel in Selçuk near the ruins with a terrace and its own restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast is made of local dishes. It also runs an airport shuttle, which we book with your stay. It suits travelers who want a simple, central base in town.

Places to Stay Near Ephesus in Şirince

5. Nişanyan Hotel, Şirince

At the top of Şirince, 8 km (5 miles) above Selçuk, Nişanyan Hotel spreads through old village houses, stone cottages and gardens over about 4 hectares (10 acres). It has 21 rooms, no two alike, plus whole houses with kitchens for families. A pool shaped like a Roman bath fills with mountain water, and the hotel stays open all year. The lanes are steep and uneven, so it does not suit wheelchair users.

Also in Şirince, two smaller stays put you in the village itself. Kırkınca Evleri (Kırkınca Houses), which the Gülgün family has run since 1999, has village rooms in the heart of Şirince, plus mountain houses with a garden and a pool among the hills. Its restaurant serves a village breakfast at tables that open onto the view. Markiz Konakları, on a lane of the old village, has eight rooms and suites in traditional houses. Then, in the morning, it serves a village breakfast too, and its small windows look out over the village.

Family-Run Places to Stay Near Ephesus

Outside the towns, two more small stays sit in the countryside. Near Germencik, Ionia Guest House has four rooms of straw bales and timber in a fig orchard, and Sirem and Jason, who built it, run it themselves. Among the vineyards of Gökçealan, a few minutes from Selçuk, 7 Bilgeler adds the Vinifera Hotel to its winery and restaurant. Still, if a family-run house matters to you most, choose Ayasoluk Hotel in Selçuk, where the founders and owners still run the hotel, or Kırkınca Evleri in Şirince, home of the Gülgün family’s hotel since 1999.

Book Places to Stay Near Ephesus With Us

Would you like to stay close to the ruins and see them with a guide? Selçuk or Şirince: share your nights and we will book the room through our hotel booking service and a guide in Ephesus. For the full picture of the site, read our guide to Ephesus. For the site itself, join our Ephesus tour with an archaeologist guide.