If you have enough time to thoroughly explore the area around Ephesus, I would advise you to visit all of the remains of the Hellenistico-roman, Byzantine , and Seljuk (pre-ottoman) civilizations : the House of the Virgin Mary, the Church and Sepulchre of St John , the Church of the Council or the Virgin Mary, the Museum and the ruins of Ephesus themselves.Even if you visit only a quarter of the dwellings, the Temple of Serapis, the Gymnasium of Vedius with an underground heating system - called Hypocaust - , which heated the bathing rooms of this Gymnasium, your  visit will not be complete...

It is best to begin by visiting the Ephesus Indoor Museum,which will serve as an audio-visual laboratory, then the Church and Sepulchre of Saint John the Baptist.These will lead you towards the House of Virgin Mary, seven kilometres from the ruins of Ephesus,where you will terminate your visit. The ruins are " piece de resistance "  of your visit , the best mouthful is saved till last.The rich vista of passing civilizations will make your head spin.

Words cannot describe the feminine beauty of Ephesus, which is of prime importance and queen amongst the ancient cities.

The ground you will tread has already been trodden by the Virgin Mary, Saint John, Saint Paul and Saint Luke, as well as Alexander the Great and Roman Emperors.

After that dream-like visit, you will be haunted by images of the Library, the Marble Way, the Agora, the Temple of Serapis, the Theatre, the Arcadian Way, the Stadium and the Gymnasium.

As the visitor walks absent-mindedly back to his vehicle, all the superlatives that apply to Ephesus come to his lips : extraordinary, fascinating,fabulous,amazing,divine...

To believe it, you have to see it...