Study Ancient Greek in Ephesus for a complete immersion experience
Study Greek in Ephesus
Whatever your current level of Ancient Greek, whether beginner or already advanced, this trip offers you the opportunity for immense growth in fluency.
Join our upcoming Greek Trip to Ancient Ephesus, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site steeped in myth, philosophy, and architectural wonder.
Most of your day will be spent speaking Ancient Greek with your fellow students and instructors. Classes will feature a mix of language instruction—grouped by your level of fluency—alongside targeted grammar sessions, reading groups and optional games. One full day or two half-days will be dedicated to an excursion to the nearby archaeological site, giving you a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the culture of Ancient Ionia directly on-site and speak Ancient Greek in the very places where the language thrived for centuries.
Regardless of your current level of proficiency, this immersion trip promises significant growth in your fluency, unforgettable historic surroundings, and a chance to form wonderful new friendships with like-minded people from all over the world. Our experienced instructors will guide you through engaging classes and interactive conversations, helping newer students build confidence in reading, speaking, and understanding Ancient Greek, and discussing classical texts with the more assured speakers. Beginners will gain a firm grasp of foundational grammar and vocabulary, while intermediate and advanced students will consolidate their syntax and see a marked increase in spoken fluency.
The all-inclusive price covers full board, lodging, tuition, educational materials, unlimited access to our knowledgeable, experienced teachers, agreed airport transfer, and the field trip.
The best route to rapid language acquisition is full immersion, so we will encourage and support students to speak ancient Greek throughout the course, including on the field trips.
All ages welcome.
Dates: September 21 – 27, 2026
Arrival: September 21 via Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport (group arrivals at 2 PM & 7 PM, later times on request);
Departure: September 27, departing the hotel at 9 AM (earlier by request).
All-Inclusive Price: £1,499
Single Room Guaranteed Price: £1,699
Deadline to Sign Up / Final Payment Due: September 4, 2026
What did Herodotus have to say about Ephesus (and Ionia)?
In terms of climate and weather, there is no fairer region in the whole known world than where these Ionians have founded their communities. There is no comparison between Ionia and the lands to the north and south, some of which suffer from the cold and rain, while others are oppressively hot and dry.
They do not all speak exactly the same language, but there are four different dialects. Miletus is the southernmost Ionian community, followed by Myus and Priene; these places are located in Caria and speak the same dialect as one another. Then there are the Ionian communities in Lydia – Ephesus, Colophon, Lebedus, Teos, Clazomenae, and Phocaea – that share a dialect which is quite different from the one spoken in the places I have already mentioned. There are three further Ionian communities, two of which are situated on islands (namely, Samos and Chios), while the other Erythrae, is on the mainland.
Herodotus, Historiae 1.142.1-17
Accommodation & Travel
Embarking on an ancient adventure has never been easier. The ruins of Ephesus are highly accessible, located in present-day Selçuk within the İzmir Province, just a short and convenient drive from İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport, making your arrival and transit smooth and efficient.
Accommodation, meals and teaching will take place at a private facility, allowing for a full-immersion approach. The campus is close to the archaeological sites that will be visited.
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Ephesus: A City Layered in Legend, Learning, and Faith
Ephesus stood as one of the great cities of the ancient Mediterranean world, a place where legend, learning, and power converged. Founded, according to tradition, by the Amazons and rooted in the older Anatolian city of Apasas, "city of the Mother Goddess," Ephesus was refounded by the Ionian Androclus after the migrations of 1200 BCE and grew into a wealthy center of trade, art, and philosophy. It was the birthplace of the philosopher Heraclitus, home to celebrated artists such as Timarete, and a city so proud of its patron goddess Artemis that its citizens famously turned down Alexander the Great's offer to fund her temple, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. By the Roman period, Ephesus had become a leading city of Asia Minor, its harbor, library, and monumental architecture reflecting its status as a crossroads of culture and commerce.
That same prominence made Ephesus a pivotal site for the early Christian church. The Apostle Paul lived and preached in the city for years, and it became the recipient of his New Testament epistle. Tradition holds that the Gospel of John may have been written here, and the city later became home to the Basilica of St. John, built over the apostle's supposed tomb. Ephesus was also named among the Seven Churches of Asia in the Book of Revelation and hosted major Christian councils in the 5th century, cementing its place as a center of theological development in the ancient church. Walking through its ruins today offers a rare chance to trace the transition from the classical world into the age of early Christianity in a single, remarkably preserved city.
Which sites will we visit?
The Ruins of Ephesus
A journey through one of the ancient world's best-preserved cities.
The Library of Celsus
Marvel at the grand, carefully reconstructed facade built c. 125 AD in memory of Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, governor of Roman Asia. Funded by his personal wealth and housing his burial sarcophagus, this structure once held nearly 12,000 scrolls. It features an exaggerated entrance designed to enhance its perceived size and faces east to fill its 1,900-square-foot interior reading rooms with morning light.
The Great Theatre
Stand inside what is believed to be the largest open-air theatre of the ancient world. With an estimated 25,000 seating capacity, it was originally used for classical drama, witnessed the preaching of Saint Paul, and later hosted Roman gladiatorial combats.
The Temple of Artemis
Visit the site of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Once an immense structure measuring 418 feet by 239 feet with over 100 marble pillars standing 56 feet high, it took 120 years to build and earned Ephesus the title "Servant of the Goddess." Today, it is represented by a single column discovered in the 1870s.
The Temple of Hadrian
View this magnificent 2nd-century structure re-erected from surviving architectural fragments. It features upper-section reliefs depicting figures like Emperor Theodosius I with his family, and its historical significance earned it a place on modern Turkish banknotes.
The Basilica of St. John
Explore this 6th-century monument constructed under Emperor Justinian I over the supposed site of the tomb of John the Apostle, now surrounded by Selçuk.
The Odeon
Experience this intimate, 1,500-seat roofed theater constructed around 150 AD by Publius Vedius Antoninus and his wife. It features 22 stairs and was beautifully decorated with Corinthian-style red granite pillars.
The Agoras & Infrastructure
Walk through both the commercial and state agoras, and see the ruins of several major Roman bath complexes fed by an advanced aqueduct system of at least six aqueducts that once powered local water mills and a marble sawmill.















