Ephesus Ancient City has two entrances: the upper gate on the south end, which is also called as the Magnesia Gate, and the lower gate on the north end, next to the main parking area. The two gates are about 2 kilometers apart on a hillside, and the whole city lies between them. For most visitors the best choice is to enter from the upper gate and walk downhill through Ephesus, exiting from the lower gate. However, the lower gate is the better start for wheelchair users, for the summer night visits, and for photographers who want the Library of Celsus without the crowds. I am Hasan Gülday, a professional licensed tour guide since 2008, and Kuşadası, twenty minutes from these gates, is my home town. Let’s have a look at the subject of the two gates of Ephesus.
The Two Gates in One Minute
Ephesus was built on the slope between two hills, Panayır Hill and Bülbül Hill, so the road through the ruins is not flat. It starts high at the Magnesia Gate and goes down till the level of the old harbor. Amongst the locals we do not use fancy names for the gates, we simply say üst kapı (the upper gate) and alt kapı (the lower gate).
The lower gate, which is the main gate of Ephesus today, where most of the cafes and facilities are gathered and where the big parking area is, and which is also the closest gate to Selçuk, is the gate that most independent visitors meet first. The upper gate is quieter and higher on the hill, and its ticket office closes earlier in the evening than the lower one.
Both gates sell the same ticket for the same price, so your wallet does not care which one you choose. Also, if you need a wheelchair for the visit, please tell me in advance and I will check the current situation on the entrance of Ephesus for you. If you are still planning the geography of your trip, I explained the exact location of Ephesus Ancient City in a separate article.
Why I Usually Start at the Upper Gate
The reason is very simple: gravity. When you enter from the upper gate, you will be going down the hill and seeing the attractions along the marble streets of Ephesus one after the other, without climbing anything. The Odeon comes first, then Curetes Street, then the Library of Celsus, the Marble Road, the Grand Theater, and finally the Harbor Street till you reach the lower gate.
The same walk in the opposite direction is a steady climb of about 2 kilometers. In April it is a nice exercise. In July and August, when the temperature is often between 33 and 38 degrees and there is almost no shade on the marble, it becomes a punishment. This is why almost every guide in Ephesus, me included, prefers the downhill direction.
Besides, the story of the city flows better downhill too. You enter from the state district with the government buildings, you pass the houses of the wealthy Ephesians on Curetes Street, and you finish in the harbor district where the ordinary people worked. I built my two hours walking plan for Ephesus exactly on this direction.
When the Lower Gate Is the Better Choice
The flattest and smoothest part of Ephesus is the area around the Library of Celsus, the Marble Road and the Harbor Street, and all of it is close to the lower gate. For wheelchair users and for visitors with limited mobility, I recommend entering from the lower gate and enjoying this level section, instead of fighting with the slope of Curetes Street. Please note that the Terrace Houses have many modern stairs inside, so unfortunately they are not possible with a wheelchair.
In addition, if your time is very short and you only want to see the famous postcard corner of Ephesus, you can enter from the lower gate, walk to the Library of Celsus and the Grand Theater, and come back the same way. It is not the full story of the city, but it is an honest solution for a tight schedule.
Taxis, Parking and Drop-offs at Each Gate
There are paid parking areas at both gates, and taxis wait at both gates and in Selçuk. Tour buses usually drop their groups at the upper gate and pick them up from the lower gate. From the center of Selçuk to the lower gate it is only about 3.5 kilometers, a short taxi ride.
Visitors with a rental car have a small puzzle here, because your car cannot walk down the hill with you. My advice is to park at the lower gate, take a taxi up to the upper gate, and then walk down through the ruins back to your own car. Doing it in the other order means finishing your visit with an uphill taxi hunt, which is less pleasant.
Most weeks I am standing at one of these gates three or four times, so I have a small routine with the drivers I work with. I ask them to drop us at the upper gate and then wait for us at the lower gate car park. Their drive around the site takes them less than ten minutes on the Selçuk road, and our walk down through the whole Ephesus takes about two hours. When we come out by the Grand Theater exit, the car is already waiting in the shade, and nobody climbs anything.
The lower gate is also the only gate for the night visits. In the summer season Ephesus opens again in the evenings on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, from 19:00 to 23:00, and the entrance is from the lower gate only. The ticket rules for the night sessions, and whether your Museum Pass is valid for them, are best checked on the official muze.gov.tr page before you come. Also, the night visits pause on the concert evenings in the Grand Theater of Ephesus, so it is wise to look at the concert dates on the same page too.
The Slope: What Downhill Really Means Here
Some visitors imagine a mountain path when they hear about the slope. It is not like that. The drop between the two gates is gentle for most of the way, and the streets are the original marble and stone.
The marble is the real subject here, not the slope. Curetes Street goes down at an angle, and its stones are polished by two thousand years of sandals, so they can be slippery. I recommend comfortable shoes with a good sole, and walking on the rougher stones at the edges of the street. The same applies for the winter time too, because rain makes the marble even more slippery.
We can say that downhill does not mean effortless, it means manageable. A normal visitor walks the full route in about two hours with the stops. Uphill, the same route asks much more from your knees and from your water bottle.
Crowds and Which Direction They Flow
Ephesus receives its biggest wave of guests from the cruise ships. The groups coming from Kusadasi cruise port to Ephesus mostly arrive between 10:00 and 14:00, and almost all of them enter from the upper gate like everyone else. So the crowd inside Ephesus flows downhill, like a slow river.
This gives you two quiet windows. The first one is the early morning, right at the opening hour, when you can walk ahead of the river. The second one is after 15:00, when the groups return to their ships and the whole city becomes calm again.
And here is the one case where I reverse my own rule. If a guest tells me that the photo of the Library of Celsus is the most important thing of their trip, we enter from the lower gate at the opening hour and walk straight to the library. For about half an hour you have the most famous library of the ancient world almost for yourself! Then we climb up slowly against the flow, take our time with the stories, and exit from the upper gate. It is the only itinerary where I happily accept the uphill direction.
My Rule of Thumb
After so many years at these gates, my advice became quite simple. These are in summary;
– Normal mobility and a morning visit: enter from the upper gate and walk down.
– Wheelchair or limited walking: enter from the lower gate and enjoy the flat section.
– Hot summer afternoon: wait for the evening and use the night session at the lower gate.
– Photographer who dreams of an empty Library of Celsus: lower gate at the opening hour.
– Very short time: lower gate, see the library and the theater, return the same way.
If you are still not sure, tell me your dates and your walking comfort, and I will decide together with you. Honestly, this is half of my job as a guide, and the other half is telling the stories.
Hire Your Licensed Guide for Ephesus
Contact me to learn more about the gates of Ephesus and to hire a professional licensed tour guide for your visit. My guiding fee is €150 per day and it covers the guiding only; the entrance tickets are always paid separately by the guests, but I arrange them in advance, so we skip the ticket queue at whichever gate we choose. You can see my guiding rates and guiding areas, or simply contact me and check my availability for your date. I have been guiding in Ephesus since 2008, and I still enjoy that first view from the upper gate every single time. See you soon, Hasan Gülday.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which gate should you enter Ephesus from?
For most visitors the upper gate, also called as the Magnesia Gate, is the better entrance. From there you walk about 2 kilometers downhill through the whole city and exit from the lower gate, without climbing. The lower gate is the better start for wheelchair users, for the summer night visits, and for very short visits.
How far apart are the two gates of Ephesus?
The two gates are about 2 kilometers apart on the hillside, and the walk between them through the ruins takes around two hours with normal stops. By road the distance is longer, but a taxi drives it in several minutes. Taxis wait at both gates and in Selçuk, so returning to your starting point is easy.
Which gate is used for the Ephesus night visits?
The night visits use the lower gate only. In the summer season Ephesus opens again on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, from 19:00 to 23:00, and the ticket office closes at 22:00. The upper gate is not used for the evening sessions, so plan your taxi or your parking for the lower gate car park.
