A guide for your Milos, Greece adventure
Milos is a small Greek island, a part of the Cyclades island group in the Aegean Sea. Here, you’ll find quaint towns and pristine beaches, ATVs and dune buggies as a means of transportation, and a charming, laid-back vibe. Milos also boasts the most unique coastline and some of the best sunsets we’ve ever seen. It might not have as much flair as its neighbours, Santorini and Mykonos, but we loved it just as much (if not more).
Duration: 3 days
Traveled as: a couple
Type of travel: pleasure
Combined with other destinations: yes, Santorini and Mainland Greece
In this post, we shared some general tips on how to choose a Greek island adventure. In THIS article, we’re going to persuade you to pick Milos. 😉
You should visit Milos if you…
- …Are planning to visit either Santorini or Mykonos, and are looking for another Greek island within short traveling distance (so within the Cyclades group).
- You are looking for a quieter island with a more relaxed vibe.
- **You like to move at your own pace**. Your Milos to-do list can be as packed or as relaxed as you like. You can travel as fast or as slow as you like. There are only a couple of must-see and must-do activities (keep reading for our suggestions). Milos is island life at its finest.
- You love exquisite beaches (Milos has some of the Greek islands’ best beaches).
- You love swimming in places that are not beaches (cave? Yes please!)
- AND. (This is ultimately why we chose Milos over some of its contenders, such as Naxos.) You want to be awed by a coastline that is *out of this world*.
- Piggybacking on the last point: you love photography. On every Greek island you will find beautiful villages and seascapes and cute little alleyways. And glorious sunsets. But only on Milos will you find this completely unique and dramatic coastline.
- Bonus: you get to boast you’ve been to the location where Venus of Milos (now in the Louvre) was found. She was found in Trypiti (just outside Plaka) in 1820, by a farmer. Unfortunately, the precise site is not known. She was acquired almost immediately by a French ambassador passing through at the time.
How to get to Milos
Milos does have an airport. It’s a 40 minute nonstop flight from Athens to Milos.
But by far, the most common way of seeing the Greek islands is by ferry. For booking, we recommend using Ferryhopper, a comprehensive and up to date ferry booking website.
Ferry from mainland Greece to Milos depart from Port Piraeus, 15 km south of Athens. There are bus lines that run from both downtown Athens and the Athens International Airport directly to port Piraeus. There are 2-7 ferries to Milos per day, depending on time of year. The cost is around €45. The earliest departs at 6:50am. We recommend if you want to take this ferry to stay overnight in Piraeus (plenty of hotels along the harbour). There are TONS of ferries departing from this port, so be sure to get there early and find the right hub/dock.
Milos is a good first stop for your Greek island adventure, as the ferry from Port Piraeus to Milos takes only around 3-3.5 hours. It’s a popular route, so be sure to book well in advance (4 months is recommended).
There are ferries from Milos to many other Greek islands, including Crete. We continued on to Santorini, a short 2 hour ferry ride away.
How many days should I spend in Milos?
It is possible to spend just 1 full day here. If you get into Milos by the earliest ferry from Port Piraeus (6:50am departure), you will arrive mid-morning (10:30-11:00am). You will have time to see Milo’s most famous beach, and visit another beach or small fishing village. You can enjoy a meal in one of Milo’s villages, and catch sunset from the Plaka area (the capital of Milos). Then, you can take a late ferry (usually 8:00-9:00pm) back to Port Piraeus, or onward to another island.
BUT. Of course we recommend if you have the time, to spend several days up to a week in Milos. You won’t regret it. You will never get sick of the Milos landscape and island sunsets.
Where to stay in Milos
Milos is in the shape of a shallow ‘U’. It’s port, Adamas, is at the centre. The majority of attractions are up the R arm of the ‘U’, including Milos’ two other main towns, Plaka (its capital), and Pollonia.
There is not much inland for the L arm of the ‘U’ (what is considered the southern part of the island). Milos is rich in minerals, and the inland is predominantly mining (bentonite, perlite, etc).
Adamas is a lively port town. The prime advantage of staying here is convenience. You are close to many restaurants, gelato parlours (key for island life!), car rental agencies (also key), and day tours/activities.
Pollonia is on the northeastern tip of Milos. It is a cute and quiet little fishing village. Pollonia is best of families, as the area and beaches are very kid-friendly.
Plaka, Milo’s capital, is 5km north of Adamas. The town is situated just below the ruins of the hilltop Kastro, a Venetian castle built to defend against pirates and invaders. This is the place to stay if you’re looking for authentic Cyclades-island village charm. The handful of hotels are scattered amongst the village’s maze of cobblestone pathways, white-washed houses, flower trellises and bright-painted window shutters. Because it’s built on a hill, you also get a wicked panorama of Milos and the Aegean Sea, and the sunsets are just breathtaking. As you can probably guess from our gushing description, this is where we stayed. (It is, however, considerably less convenient as we found ourselves heading down to Adamas for almost everything. But for us, the view was worth it!)
How to get around Milos
This part is the most fun! There are taxis and local buses, but to explore what you want at your own pace, we recommend renting your own vehicle to get around.
And sure, you can rent a car. But why rent a car when you can rent a scooter? Or a dune buggy? Or an ATV?
Okay, so that’s not *entirely* true. It’s probably still a good idea to rent a car for a portion of your time, in order to cover more ground. And the dune buggy we rented on our first day broke down on our way back from sightseeing. It took the rental company over an hour to come fetch us and their broken down vehicle. (Despite it all, we still managed to catch our sunset!) But the experience was still fun, and something we remember fondly when we think about our time in Milos. The other caveat to this is the car rental agencies are all in Adamas. If it’s not your home base, swapping vehicles could be a hassle. (Coming in from Plaka, we did a mix of taking the bus and calling taxis.)
Milos is not large. From Adamas, it’s about 10 km to get to Pollonia, and 10 km to make your way to the southern beaches. If you’re looking to hit up the western beaches (on the more isolated side of the ‘U’) we think it’s actually better to take a half day sailing tour and approach those from the water.
Top 5 things to do in Milos
1) Visit Sarakiniko beach
This is Milos’ most famous and most unique beach. Sarakiniko is located on the north shore of Milos, a short convenient drive from Adamas, Plaka, AND Pollonia.
There’s beach, and then there’s Sarakiniko beach. You get the crystal clear blue waters of the Aegean, but instead of sandy beach, you have kilometres of white volcanic rock. Erosion over the years has sculpted the rock into incredible unearthly shapes. Take a walk and explore the fascinating landscape. Sunbathe and feel like you’re on the moon. There is a small sandy beach, but you can also jump directly from the rocky coastline into the water.
2) Sailing day trip around the west and south coast of Milos
This is another area of Milos that boasts a one-of-a-kind coastline. More volcanic rock, shaping pillars and arches and caves. This area of Milos used to be pirates lair! (The most impressive spot along the area, Kleftiko, has its roots in the word “stolen”.) Here, you can swim, snorkel, and explore the caves.
You can drive the rugged and remote “left U” arm to reach this area. But Kleftiko, at least, is not accessible by car, and will require an almost 1 hour hike.
We strongly recommend you take a sailing trip, instead! You can book your trip online in advance, but this is also one of those trips you can charter the night before, directly with the captains waiting down at the port in Adamas. There are two kinds of sailing tours you can take – ones that only take you around the west/south coast and back, and those that take you all the way around the island. We recommend the former, as you get to spend significantly more time exploring the most interesting part of the coast. We chose Oneiro Milos for our trip – it definitely exceeded expectations!
Some attractions you will get a chance to see/visit on your sailing tour are:
- Klima – Milos’ most iconic fishing village just up the coast from Adamas. (Tours do not stop here, but the white-washed sugar-cube buildings and brightly painted doors and shutters along the water is very picturesque.)
- Swim at some of the remote western beaches, such as Triades beach, or Agios Ioannis beach.
- Sikia – this is a beach. *Inside* a cave. You can access it by dingy or tender, if your tour group has one. This is a unique experience, so I would make sure your sailing tour includes this. (If you don’t do a sailing tour, Milos has another cave swimming experience: Papafragas caves, a short drive away from Sarakiniko.)
- Kleftiko, of course!
3) Catch the sunset from Kastro
Kastro is at the top of the second highest peak in Milos. It used to be a Venetian castle, with fortress walls surrounding a small medieval town. Now it’s a panoramic look-out point where you will get a fantastic view of Milos. It’s also the *best* spot to see sunset from Milos.
The trek up is pebbled path and steps, starting from the village of Plaka. It’s an easy hike, but not very accessible.
On your way up, you will pass the Plaka church with typical Cyclades architecture – painted white with domed roof.
4) Wander the village of Plaka
We stayed here, so we might be a little biased, but Plaka is a magical little town. As we described earlier, it *is* the quintessential Greek island town. You can wander the cobblestone alleyways, get some souvenir shopping done in cute little stores, and enjoy a beverage or a meal on the patio of one of the tavernas.
5) Beach hop
So you’ve seen Sarakiniko, and spent a day cave-swimming on your sailing tour. But Milos still boasts an arsenal of incredible beaches. On the day we rented our car, we spent the entire day hopping from one beach to the next.
The most remarkable beach of these we haven’t mentioned already is Firiplaka, on the south side of Milos. (At the bottom of the “U”, so not a far drive from Adamas.) It is an impressive stretch of sandy beach at the base of towering red cliffs. There are scattered rock outcroppings and caves to explore.
There are straw umbrellas and loungers, but not very many. Unfortunately, there are no trees or other shade on the beach, if you plan to stay the day. This beach can get crowded during high season, but when we went at the beginning of June, we were the only ones there! There is a beach bar, but it may or may not be open depending on time and season.
A short drive away from Firiplaka is Tsigrado. This is a beautiful secluded beach nestled between two cliffs. Why is it secluded? Probably because it requires climbing down the cliff face via a *rope* rock stairwell and a wooden ladder. (But if you make the journey you will be rewarded!) There is no place to eat here, so you will need to drive down to Firiplaka for the beach bar.
Pollonia beach is right in Pollonia. This is a shallow, sandy beach with gentler waves. Great for families and kids.
Firopotamos beach is another unique beach worth checking out. It is a picturesque, sandy beach surrounded by fishing houses. We stopped by but did not stay as a dust storm was whipping up!
Three days in Milos was perfect for us. We spent the first afternoon after getting in to Milos exploring Sarakiniko and the north coast in our dune buggy. On the second day, we took a sailing tour down to Kleftiko. On the third day, we beach hopped. It might sound like a “full” itinerary, but our entire time on Milos was relaxing, full of slow-paced exploration and savouring everything the island has to offer.
