I visited this WHS in Spring 2021. The main location is definitely the Ancient Site of Ephesus, but there are three other locations which make up this WHS which can be considered as minor site by comparison.

Before visiting the Ancient Site of Ephesus, I invested some time to try to cover the three minor locations which make up this WHS. A panoramic viewpoint of the Ayasoluk Hill, the Artemision (or Temple of Artemis) and the Medieval Settlement location is reachable just off the main road before reaching the Ancient Site of Ephesus. It is also part of the Via Sacra Artemis. The Ayasoluk Castle and the Basilica of Saint John require quite an expensive ticket for what you get too see so if you're pressed for time and money, I would skip it. On the other hand, just behind the castle, I could visit the Isa Bey Mosque for free. I really liked the few original remaining turquoise tiles inside but even the most keen enthusiasts would find it difficult to classify this site as WH material.

The Artemision was the most important sanctuary of Ephesus. The massive Temple of Artemis counted as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Not much remains of this temple which was later converted to a church, apart from massive pillars which have been currently taken over by storks. The remains of the aqueduct go through the urban area of modern Selcuk and are also taken over by stork nests.

Way uphill, just after one of the entrances and parking areas to the Ancient Site of Ephesus, you'll get to the House of the Virgin Mary (another very expensive ticket is needed inclusive of parking). When we visited, the site was protected with a high security clearance and we had to get through a military checkpoint and a police checkpoint before accessing the site proper. Just before the House of the Virgin Mary, there is a big statue of the Virgin Mary and opposite the statue is a small resting area. From here you'll get a good panoramic viewpoint over the third location known as Cukurici Holuk or Mound, nicknamed the oldest settlement in Western Turkey and the Aegean region. The recent excavations in the hillside resulted in several remains such as tools, copper items and pottery mainly from the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. As much as five layers of sediments of mud-brick walls and multi-room residential units were found indicating several different settlements inhabited the area. This period of settlements was most probably destroyed by an earthquake and never built again. From the panoramic viewpoint, nothing much remains of the mound, just a sizeable clearing among the cultivated orchards, filled in and now overgrown foundation walls and a Turkish flag. Nonetheless, since the site is not fenced off, I made an extra effort to get to the exact coordinates on the UNESCO website. Apart from the thrill of getting there albeit risking a snake bite or ticks to make it through shoulder level overgrowth and bushes, there really is nothing there to see now.

Last but not least, I parked my car near the closest entrance to the huge theatre of Ephesus and made sure to be the first one to enter the site after the security guards. Parking here so early allowed me to see the main highlights practically alone for the first 45 minutes. I headed straight to the Library of Celsus, which is certainly the most well-known monument in Ephesus. On the way I spotted a quirky engraved Roman footprint which is believed to have been used to show the way to the brothel. The library can actually be interpreted as a heroon which was built between 100-110 AD over a burial chamber. A flight of nine steps at the facade, flanked by statue bases, led to a vestibule from which the actual library room could be accessed. The architecture of the impressive facade contrasts with the brick construction of the building's interior, although the floors and walls were revetted with marble. The library was completely destroyed during an earthquake in 270 AD and was not rebuilt. The splendid faced was re-erected as late as 1970-1978.

Curetes Street, one of the three main streets of Ephesus between the Hercules Gate to the Celsus Library. There were fountains, monuments, statues and shops on the sides of the street. There were also many houses on the slope which were used by the wealthy elite of Ephesus. Under the houses there were colonnaded galleries with mosaics on the floor which were located in front of the shops with a roof to protect pedestrians from the scorching sun or rain. Halfway uphill from the library, there is a big covered area of the slope with metal and plastic coverings which at first looked like quite an eyesore and I thought it was a temporary closed off area. However, upon closer inspection, it was a permanent installation to protect Terrace House 2.

The traces of a settlement on the northern slope of Mount Bulbul go back to the Archaic period (7th-6th century B.C.) when this area was used as a cemetery. During the Hellenistic period this slope was articulated with extensive terraces and in addition to this a detailed and unstructured development was built. Terrace House 2 nowadays is a 4,000 m2 rental house for several parties. Over three terraces, six separate residential units with separate entrances were originally constructed. Make sure to pay for the full entrace ticket to visit this special place with fine wall paintings and mosaics from the 2nd and 3rd centuries. The best wall paintings are those in Rooms 12a and 16a, accompanying everyday life according to the function of the rooms. The rooms have beautiful decorative elements such as false marble and figurative scenes of birds, muses, philosophers, etc. making the place look as if it were a mere few kilometres from Ancient Rome. Another interesting aspect are the several graffiti on the wall paintings. These mainly show fighting gladiators, caricatures and animals. The graffiti include names of persons, poems and declarations of love. Especially interesting is a group of 30 items of everyday life including their prices.

The Ephesus Museum is worth visiting if only for the original Great Artemis statue among other marble highlights. UNESCO WHS plaques can be found at every location of this WHS (sometimes more than once), except the Cukurici Mound.