Miletus was once a major Ionian port, though the sea has long since retreated behind the silted Maeander plain. That shift is part of the fascination: you stand in a dry rural landscape and have to imagine harbours, ships, philosophers, merchants, and Roman civic life.
The great theatre is the obvious anchor, massive enough to dominate the whole visit. Around it are baths, walls, and scattered civic ruins that reward a little patience, especially if you pair the site with Didyma and Priene in one unhurried day.