Three days is the sweet spot for this stretch of the Aegean. It is long enough to see Ephesus properly, to understand why Selçuk matters as much as the ruins, to eat a slow dinner in a hill village and still spend half a day on the water. The plan below assumes a base in Selçuk or Kuşadası and a rental car or taxis; every stop is within about thirty minutes of the others.
Day one: the great city
Be at the upper gate of the Ephesus Ancient City when it opens, because the marble is cool, the light is soft and the cruise groups have not yet arrived. Walk downhill along Curetes Street past the Temple of Hadrian and the Library of Celsus, and finish at the Great Theatre. Add the covered Terrace Houses of Ephesus, which need their own ticket and are the best place to see how wealthy Romans actually lived, with frescoes and mosaics still on the walls. The Ephesus Experience Museum sits near the theatre and works as an air-conditioned pause. Allow a full morning, and a guide, an audio guide or a small-group tour will repay the cost because the stones say very little without context. For lunch, head to Selçuk rather than eating at the gate.
Day one, afternoon: the Virgin Mary and a slow evening
Drive or take a taxi up the wooded hill to the House of the Virgin Mary, a small stone chapel in the pines that is a pilgrimage place for Christians and Muslims alike. It is short, quiet and best visited modestly dressed. Return to Selçuk in time to see the Selçuk Aqueduct and its storks as the light drops, then have dinner in town.
Day two: Selçuk on foot, then Şirince
Everything in Selçuk is close together. Start at the Ephesus Museum, where the sculpture and finds from the excavations, including the famous Artemis statues, explain what you saw the day before. Walk up Ayasuluk Hill to the Basilica of St John, a Byzantine church with a citadel and a view across the plain, and drop in on the Isa Bey Mosque beside it, a handsome Seljuk building with a large courtyard. Finish the morning at the Temple of Artemis, where a single reconstructed column marks one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Keep expectations modest and the visit short. After lunch, drive up to Şirince, wander the stone lanes, taste fruit wines and stay for dinner on a terrace when the day-trippers have gone. If you like cooking, the Cooking Class in Selçuk is a good alternative for a hot afternoon.
Day three: choose your pace
Your last day depends on what kind of traveller you are. For a day on the water, take the Kuşadası Boat Trip, a gulet cruise with swimming stops in clear bays and lunch on board, best from late May to early October. For adventure and laughter, especially with teenagers, the Kuşadası Jeep Safari mixes pine forest, a swim and a barbecue. For more history, the Priene, Miletus and Didyma Day Tour covers three Ionian sites with far fewer visitors than Ephesus. If you want the most dramatic scenery of the whole region, the Pamukkale and Hierapolis Day Trip is a long day but the white terraces are worth it. End the evening with a Turkish bath in Kuşadası, which suits tired legs.
Fitting it together
Ephesus is the one sight to do in the morning on day one, because heat and crowds build quickly from late spring. Keep the afternoons for shorter, cooler sights and the evenings for Şirince or the aqueduct. Do not try to fit Pamukkale into the same day as anything else, since it involves a long drive each way.
If you have only two days
Combine days one and two as written and drop the third, or swap the Selçuk walk for the boat trip if you are staying on the coast. If you have four, add a gentle day in Şirince with an overnight stay, or take the Pamukkale trip without any pressure.
Practical notes
Carry some Turkish lira in cash for small purchases, although cards are widely accepted in hotels and restaurants. Wear shoes with grip for marble, carry water, and dress with covered shoulders and knees for the mosque, the chapel and the basilica grounds. Check opening hours on the day you plan to visit, since conservation work can change which paths are open.
