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Visiting the Ancient City of Miletus
- 6 hours ago
- 7 min read
We took a morning ferry from the Greek island of Samos to Kusadasi in Turkey. It was chaotic at Kusadasi as 3 huge cruise ships were docked there with almost 10,000 passengers! This delayed us taking a taxi to the car rental office and meant we had a later start to our first day in Turkey than planned.
We were spent 9 days in Turkey and visited the ancient sites of Priene and Miletus on the day we arrived at Kusadasi. We could have also visited the Temple of Apollo at Didyma if we hadn't been delayed. We spent the night near Ephesus so we could visit it early the following morning.
Miletus is an impressive ancient site with a stunning theatre and a remarkably well preserved bath complex. The ancient sites at Miletus, Priene, Didyma and Magnesia make an excellent full day trip with a rental car or taxi from Kusadasi and Ephesus.
Contents
1. Brief History of Miletus
Miletus was settled as early as the 16th century BC and became a leading Greek city with 60 colonies.
In the 6th century BC Miletus was conquered by the Persian Empire. In 499 BC Miletus led the Greek Ionian revolt against the Persians. The Persians crushed the rebellion and destroyed Miletus.
Miletus was abandoned after the Persian invasion in 494 BC and eventually a Hellenistic city was developed. The city was rebuilt on a strict grid-system by the urban planner Hippodamus. Miletus was conquered by Alexander the Great in 334 BC.
In 133 BC Miletus was integrated into the Roman Empire. In the 2nd century AD Miletus experienced a major period of monumental building, including the Baths of Faustina and the expansion of the theatre.
The gradual silting of Miletus' harbour by the Maeander River severed it from the sea, leading to economic decline. The city shrank into a small Byzantine and Ottoman settlement before being abandoned after an earthquake in 1415.
The first excavations in Miletus were conducted by a French archaeologist in 1873 and there were further excavations by German archaeologists between 1899 and 1931.
2. How to get to Miletus
Miletus is a 1 hour drive from Kusadasi and and a 1 hour 15 minute drive from Ephesus.
We rented a car from Enterprise Car Rental in Kusadasi and found it easy to drive in Turkey for the first time. There are several other car rental agencies in Kusadasi but Enterprise offered us the best deal for a one way rental to Istanbul.
A taxi could also be hired to visit Miletus and the nearby archaeological sites of Priene and Didyma. A taxi would cost around EUR 100 for a full day trip from Kusadasi or Selcuk.
There is no problem in locating Miletus as the impressive stadium can be seen from quite a distance. There is informal parking along the road in front of the shop at Miletus and a sign states that TRY 100 (EUR 2) is payable. We were lazy and parked there but I think parking just a few metres further on would be free.
3. Best time to visit Miletus
Miletus is a large exposed archaeological site and it's best to avoid the very hottest months of July and August. June and September can also be hot. If it's very hot try to visit in the early morning or after 16.00.
Miletus isn't a very popular archaeological site but tour groups do visit. We were dismayed when we arrived at 15.15 to see that 2 coaches had just arrived. The ticket seller informed us they were a group of elderly retired Turkish teachers and wouldn't spend long at Miletus.
We therefore walked to the excellent Baths of Faustina, and then around the rest of the site, before viewing the theatre. By the time we reached the theatre the teachers had left and very few visitors were there.
Most visitors only see the theatre so it's a good strategy to visit the theatre on arrival if there are few visitors but to wander around the rest of Miletus if the theatre is busy.
The ticket seller informed us that 15 coach loads of tourists had visited in the morning and they had come from the cruise ships docked at Kusadasi. He informed us that Miletus was busier in the morning.
There are several free websites showing the number of cruise ships docked at ports worldwide. One of the best websites is Cruisetimetables.com as it shows the number of passengers and the arrival and departure times for each cruise ship.
I always take into account when cruise ships are in port when planning our trips as my aim is to avoid them! We deliberately visited Miletus and Priene on our first day because of the cruise ships. I knew that there were no cruise ships the following day and that's when we visited the very popular site of Ephesus.
4. Opening hours and entry fees for Miletus
Tickets for the Miletus cost EUR 6 payable in Turkish lira. We paid a man at an outside table and received an official ticket. Unfortunately that meant I didn't see any posted opening hours.
The official government site (muze.gov.tr) states that Miletus is open from 08.30 to 20.00 with the last entry at 18.30. I am not sure if this information is up to date as the site also states that the entry fee is EUR 3 when it's actually EUR 6.
There is conflicting information on the internet with some websites stating the site closes at 17.00. Miletus certainly closes later than 17.00 in summer as we left at around 17.00 in June 2026 and Miletus was still open then. It appears that Miletus closes at 19.00 in summer. Even the seldom visited Magnesia archaeological site stays open to then.
5. What to see at Miletus
The Theatre and Baths of Faustina are the 2 most impressive structures at Miletus. Many visitors just view the theatre and don't bother walking the short distance to the impressive Baths of Faustina. That's a big mistake.
We also enjoyed walking around the remainder of the site which is well signposted and has information boards for many of the structures. However, if you are short of time this can be skipped.
We spent 1 hour 45 minutes at Miletus but the theatre and Baths of Faustina could be seen in under an hour.
The theatre is a spectacular sight, close by and even when driving towards it. In comparison I was underwhelmed when we first looked down on the Baths of Faustina. However, they were very impressive once we entered the structures of the baths. The experience was even better because we had the Baths of Faustina to ourselves.
The Ancient Theatre at Miletus
The theatre was first built at Miletus in the 4th century BC using the hill’s curvature and it could accommodate 5,300 spectators.
In the 1st century AD the Romans added the enormous vaulted entrance/exit ways on either side of the stage and upper galleries. This expanded the theatre’s capacity to 15,000 spectators and it was one of the largest theatres in Asia Minor.
In the 11th century AD, during the Byzantine era, the Miletus theatre was incorporated into a fortress and defensive wall. The top seating rows were removed and the stone blocks used for the fortress. Houses and a small chapel were built into the theatre’s cavea. The remains of the Byzantine fortress are behind the current top row of seats.
Baths of Faustina
The Baths of Faustina were built in the 2nd century AD, and were dedicated to the wife of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (who reigned from 161—180 AD). It's the largest bath complex in Miletus and the second largest structure at Miletus, after the theatre.
The Baths of Faustina covered approximately 5,000 square metres and were lavishly decorated with marble floors and numerous statues depicting gods. The statues in the baths today are replicas of the originals which are now in museums.
The Baths of Faustina had the typical layout for a Roman bath and consisted of:
An apodyterium (changing room) with small rooms for changing. The walls and benches are still in place.
A Caldarium (hot rooms) containing a warm water pool for seated bathing.
A tepidarium (warm room) for transitioning into the frigidarium.
A frigidarium (cold room) with a cold water pool for cooling down.
Heroon I
Heroon 1 is a tomb located behind the theatre. It dates from the Hellenestic period (around 100 BC) and is one of the oldest mausolea at Miletus. The large size of the monument and its elevated position means it contained the remains of a very important person.
Great Harbour Monument at Miletus
The Great Harbour Monument was built in 63 BC and dedicated to Pompey for his naval victories over pirates. It was later rededicated to Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar (who reigned 27 BC - 14 AD) for his naval victory over Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC.
Ionic Stoa
The Ionic Stoa is named for its Ionic columns and was built in 58 AD. Rooms containing shops and restaurants were behind the columns. The Ionic Stoa runs for about 100 metres but was much longer in ancient times. It overlooked the main street of Miletus, the Sacred Way.
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