Touring Ephesus w/Virtual Reality 3D Glasses??

[slf1108]

We received an advertisement from ShoreExcursionsGroup.com for the Exclusive Ancient Ephesus, Travel Through Time tour where you “see” Ephesus through VR glasses and what it would have looked like 2000 years ago.  Has anyone done this tour?  It sounds cool but they don’t specify what sites they visit.  Ephesus is a bucket-list for me and I want to be sure to see certain areas.

 

Thanks

[Airbear232]

On 4/14/2023 at 11:54 PM, slf1108 said:

We received an advertisement from ShoreExcursionsGroup.com for the Exclusive Ancient Ephesus, Travel Through Time tour where you “see” Ephesus through VR glasses and what it would have looked like 2000 years ago.  Has anyone done this tour?  It sounds cool but they don’t specify what sites they visit.  Ephesus is a bucket-list for me and I want to be sure to see certain areas.

 

Thanks

That sounds really cool.  I enjoyed Ephesus when we were there.  To see sites through VR in situ would be really something.  If you do this, please share info. 

[sasandy]

I have read reviews about other ports and it seems they often don't work well. Sometimes not at all. And if the tour guide is not knowledgeable then they will not be able to help you fix the problem. I have been gathering pictures on my phone of places in Europe that show before and after.

[cruisemom42]

I took a look at the description of the tour you mention and read all of the reviews below. I've been to Ephesus four times so perhaps it is clearer to me. It seems that they follow the usual route for tours, which is to start at the drop-off point at the "top" of the site and walk down the main street (past the Temple of Hadrian and other ruins) to the Library of Celsius at the bottom of the hill, where the street (called Kuretes) dead-ends. It also sounds as if they take you out the exit at the bottom, en route to which you will pass the large theatre. It's unclear from the description whether you go actually inside the theatre or just view it from one of the entry points.

 

Missing from the description is any mention of the Terrace Houses, which are located on the left-hand side of Kuretes street as you approach the library. It would be a huge loss not to see this section, the focus of much archaeologic investigation and reconstruction in recent years. It is housed under a roofed structure with plexiglass walkways that enable to walk above the ruins of terraced houses where wealthy citizens would have lived. There is a separate fee for entering this area and I would guess, since it is not mentioned, that it is not included.

 

Regarding the VR aspect of this, I'm of two minds. On the one hand, the Ephesus site is already heavily restored, so it's not all that hard to get an impression of how it would have looked in antiquity. Also, it is quite famous and there are numerous reconstructions online that you can look at in advance to help you visualize it better, if needed. This is a good place to start:

 

 

If you already have an idea of what to see, I would look for a private tour to the site, one that is willing to personalize the tour for you. In Turkey, private tours are not that expensive, so even if you are just a party of two, it should still be relatively affordable and at least comparable with ship excursions.

 

On the other hand, the VR glasses can be very interesting when done well. I used them at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome and they did a good job of recreating some of the environments. But I'm not sure if they added THAT much to my enjoyment or understanding of the site. (However, I have studied and visited Roman archaeology for many years.)

 

At any rate, it's an interesting concept. If you think of it, let us know what you decide to do and how it works out.

 

[marazul]

I used the VR glasses in Olympia and thought it was fun and it added interest to the site.  However, it was our third (fourth?) trip to Olympia.  On the technical side, the VR images were at a 90 degree angle to the actual ruins so I had to turn sideways to see the intended object.  Apparently my set was the only one with that problem out of the four of us. But no matter, I only wore them on and off to see actual and reconstructed.  

 

I would try it in Ephesus.  If you are on a private tour, you can specify you want to visit the Terrace Houses and just remove the VR set while you are there.  You can also ask your guide to bring a spare set in case of problems.

 

Let us know how you like it.

Edited February 13 by marazul

[BETTY2K4]

You should definitely visit the Ephesus Experience Museum for a real virtual reality experience. It opened a couple of months ago I think.

 

https://www.bestephesustours.com/blog/the-ephesus-experience-museum.html