Milos is a one of the islands in the Aegean Sea in the Cyclades region. If the name sounds familiar it is because this is where the famous statue of Venus De Milo was found. Here’s a picture of where the island is located. We spent 3 relaxing days on Milos which was idyllic after visiting the gorgeous (but often crowded) island of Santorini.
Why Milos?
We definitely wanted to visit Santorini, Athens and Meteora which left a day 3 window in our itinerary. We wanted to use this time to find an island with crystal clear water and great beaches for which Greece is so famous.
Most people choose Mykonos as a default 2nd option along with Santorini. Another popular option is Crete. We quickly ruled these options out because the former is a party town and we wanted something quieter, and the latter is still a popular destination but requires a longer commute from Santorini.
After researching many other islands like Naxos, Paros, Folegandros, etc. we finally settled on Milos for 3 reasons.
- Milos seemed to have a record number of beautiful beaches
- It is a bit off the grid and not as touristy
- It had some great restaurants and wineries
Things to do in Milos
Here’s the perfect to-do for Milos: Soak in the beautiful picture-perfect beaches, eat, drink and be merry 😊
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Kleftiko Beach:
Considered one of the best beaches in the Cyclades region, with its crystal-clear blue water, grottoes for swimming and flanked by jagged rock outcrops. Kleftiko is an idyllic spot to swim, snorkel and soak in the beauty of the Greek isles. You will need to take a boat ride because it is not accessible from land.
All full-day boat trips cover this beach along with many others. We decided to skip a long excursion and just went with a 3 hour boat ride with Delfinia tours. We stopped at Gerontas beach (30 min) and Kleftiko beach (1 hr) for 25E per person.
The tour starts at Kipos restaurant about 40 min from Pollonia. We rented a car in Milos when we got to the Adamas port and we highly recommend that approach because all the sights and beaches are spread out on the island.
Contact using fb message (Page Delfinia tours milos) or psathasn@gmail.com or +302287031421.
Note that these “beaches” weren’t exactly your typical beach with a sandy shore. You just jump from the boat into the sea and swim around. The water was very calm and the tour company even provided swim noodles for people who aren’t strong swimmers. It just surprised us because we were expecting an actual beach with areas for lounging on soft sand. This was still our favorite activity in Milos!
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Visiting a winery:
Like many other Greek islands, there were many wineries on this island offering tastings and flights. Lucky for us the commute from out hotel room to the cellar of the best winery on the island was about 2 minutes! No need to worry about drinking and driving for this outing.
We tasted a variety of white, rose and red wines but stuck with the popular white Assyrtiko which the Greek islands are famous for. All around Greece, the wine was exceptional. No wonder it is a serious affair and there are strict rules around growing grapes as the reputation of the island depends upon it.
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Sarakiniko beach:
This beach is famous for its lunar-like landscape. With a stark rocky beach flanked by white cliffs, it is quite a sight against the deep-blue Aegean sea. There is a shallow cove that connects to the sea which was very crowded with sun bathing beach-goers.
There are also some caves around to take refuge from the sun because there isn’t a single stick of shade anywhere around the beach.
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Other beaches:
The island is full of beautiful beaches. Here are some other favorites:
- Firiplaka beach – This is a nice sandy beach with good snorkeling
- Tsigrado Beach – Adventurous souls might want to check out this beach. Climb down a crevice between the rocks with a rope, then down a steep ladder to get there. It is close to Firiplaka so if you are part of a family or group, people who are interested can explore this part while the others wait at Firiplaka.
- Paliochori Beach – This is a colorful beach with sulfur vents. Not your usual beach to lounge at, but unique and interesting to visit nonetheless.
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Ancient ruins:
If you are beached out, head off to Kastro at Plaka (ruins of a castle, beautiful hike & views) the Roman amphitheater of Milos or the Catacombs of Milos which are all within a 10 minute drive of one another. You can also take a stroll down the Roman road (now a rambling path) to Adamas where a fabulous ice-cream shop awaits you.
Where to stay in Milos
Once we made the decision to visit Milos, the location to stay was relatively easy to choose.
Adamas:
It is the main town in Milos with all the cruise ships stopping here and just a 10 min drive from the airport. There are many markets and restaurants in this area, and also a sandy public beach close by. Shortcut for booking a stay in Adamas
Pollonia:
It is a small village located in the north of Milos. It has a nice beach, some great B&B’s and some of the best restaurants on the island. This village checked all the boxes for us so we went with this location. Just a 20 minute drive from Adamas.
We stayed at the Kostantakis Cave Winery Residence. It was a 15 min walk to the town center of Pollonia and a really beautiful and relaxing property. We had a nice terrace to take in the view and enjoy the volcanic island.
Every morning, there was a small but delicious breakfast spread and the owners were very warm and helpful.
To search for other hotels in Pollonia -> Click here
Plaka:
It is the capital of present Milos. There are many good beaches, restaurants and Plaka is also located close to some historical ruins and an archaeological museum.
Other:
There are many other properties spread out around the southern stretches of the island. Keep in mind that this isn’t a touristy town so you will have to drive quite a bit to get to restaurants if you choose a secluded location.
How to get there
Milos has a small airport. You can fly in from Athens or take a ferry from one of the numerous islands. Depending on your itinerary and schedule, the ferry routes and various ships offer many options for arrival/departure.
We had two options from Santorini on the day of our travel,
- Take a 4-hour ferry from Santorini to Kimolos on ADAM KORAIS boat (Zante Ferries) and then an hour long connecting ferry from Kimolos to Milos
- Take a 2.5 hr sea jets ferry directly from Santorini to Milos
We chose the slower boat because the faster one is more prone to cause sea sickness and the seating was compact (airplane or bus like). On the Zante ferries, there were nice couches to lounge on and you can see the different ports from the top deck.
We also had a nice, leisurely lunch at Kimolos port while we waited for the connecting ferry. Here are some pictures from both the ferries.
Where to eat in Milos
Food in Milos was fantastic like elsewhere in Greece. Here are some of our favorites. Reservation is recommended for majority of them.
Pollonia
- Enalion – Hours: Sun – Sat 1:00 PM – 12:30 AM, reservations needed and get a table on the terrace / beach
- Jordan’s Meat…ing Steak House / Grill Bar – Hours: 12pm to 2am, no reservations listed, very good meats, burgers and salads and occasional live music.
- Gialos – Hours: can’t find – make reservations
Others
- Psaravolada Restaurant – No hours listed, difficult to get reservations: (+30) 22870 31105
- Near south eastern part so good for when you visit Firiplaka / Palichori
- Medusa – Hours: Sun – Sat, 10:00 AM – 12:00 AM
- Near north western part so good for when you visit Sarakiniko or Firopotamus beach
- Barriello – Hours: Wed – Sat, 7:00 PM – 12:00 AM
- In Tripto so near roman forum and a couple of beaches
- Alevromilos – Hours: Hours: Sun – Sat 1:00 PM – 12:00 AM
- They serve delicious home made greek food!
- In Parasporas between Adamas and Pollonioa
- Oh Hamos – Hours: Sun – Sat, 10:00 AM – 12:30 AM, In Adamas
- Mikros Apoplous – Hours: Sun – Sat, 1:00 PM – 1:00 AM, In Adamas
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2 Responses
Andrea S.
Does the little boat ride to go to Kleftiko beach causes sea sickness?
When2trip
I actually get very sea sick but the boat ride was pretty comfortable. It depends on the weather though. If the winds and currents are strong that day, you might get sea sick. I had dramomine (anti motion sickness pill) just in case.
Hope you go for it and enjoy the trip.