36.69° N · 24.43° E
A volcanic Cyclades island with white rocks, sea caves and more than 70 beaches, about 3 hours by fast ferry from Piraeus. The Venus de Milo was found here in 1820.
Part of Cyclades
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Rolling hills of white volcanic rock above the sea on the north coast, 10 minutes from Adamas: no shade or facilities, and dangerous with the meltemi. Free.
A catamaran from Adamas to the white-rock arches and caves of Kleftiko, only reachable by sea: from 9:00 to 15:15, from €130 per person.
The car-free capital of Milos, and the 15-minute climb by steps to the Kastro, with the bay at your feet at sunset. Free.
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
In June and September, with a warm sea, fewer people and less wind than in high summer. In July and August the meltemi blows and prices go up; from November to March almost everything is closed.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
Milos has more than 70 beaches and the bus reaches only a few. With a car you choose each day the coast that is sheltered from the wind. The island is about 23 km from end to end, but the west is dirt tracks.
It can be done, if you sleep in Adamas: the ferry arrives at the port, the bus to Plaka, Trypiti, Pollonia and Sarakiniko leaves from there, and the boats to Kleftiko leave from the quay. The far-off coves are out of reach.
Luxury on Milos is discreet: few houses, lots of space and the sea in front of you. There are no big chains.
There is no direct flight to Milos from Spain: you fly to Athens and choose from there. Aegean and Sky Express have flights of about 30 minutes to Milos airport, on small planes, and ferries leave Piraeus daily. The airport is about 4 km from Adamas and has no bus: taxi, hotel pick-up or hire car.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
Milos works with children if you choose the beach according to the wind and avoid midday in July and August, when almost no beach has shade. The drives are short and almost everything is near Adamas.
Milos gives a teenager more to do than lie around. Kayaking and diving are the challenge; the coves between cliffs, the photo.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: A five-star resort on Agkali beach, with an infinity pool and several villas with their own pool. It is far from everything: you need a car or transfer.
Why we like it: Seven stone houses among olive trees above the bay, next to a small fishing harbour. Silence, sober design and 10 minutes from Plaka by car.
Why we like it: A four-star hotel in Adamas, a walk from the beach and the port. From here the boats to Kleftiko and the buses to the whole island leave.
Why we like it: A simple hotel, renovated in 2021, right at the port of Adamas. You step off the ferry and walk to it with your suitcase.
Why we like it: Two minutes from the quay and the central bus stop in Adamas. A good base without a car for two or three nights.
Why we like it: White suites in Pollonia, the fishing village in the north-east, with the beach a step away and tavernas on the promenade. Quiet at night and close to Papafragas and Sarakiniko.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: slow-cooked lamb or goat from the oven and the house's cheeses.
What to order: grilled sardines and swordfish souvlaki.
What to order: whatever comes out of the clay pots buried in the hot sand.
What to order: home-style Greek dishes, with a contemporary twist.
What to order: the grilled octopus, the swordfish or the grilled meat.
What to order: Mediterranean cooking with an Italian touch and grilled fish and seafood; ask when you book whether outside guests are accepted.
Map
The places to stay and services on the map are the ones for the way you travel. Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
36.42° N · 25.43° E
Car-freeLuxuryBackpackingBy carBy plane
37.10° N · 25.37° E
By carCar-freeBackpackingCampingBy plane
37.65° N · 24.02° E
By carBy plane
37.35° N · 23.47° E
Car-freeLuxuryBy plane
Tips
With a north wind, go south. With a south wind, go north. Changing coast is 15 or 20 minutes by car.
Half an hour before sunset, park at the entrance to Plaka and walk up.
If it blows hard, the captain changes the route or the date. Don't leave it for your last day.
It changes by month, and the company announces changes on its website.
Papafragas, Klima and the small coves are reached down rock or steps.
Leave a free day in the plan. If the meltemi cancels the boat, you can catch up without missing Kleftiko.
The boat trip that circles the whole island in a day if you are short of time: it means many hours on board with the choppy northern sea. With half a day to Kleftiko you see the best and do the rest by car.
There is no direct flight: you fly to Athens from Madrid or Barcelona and choose from there. By plane, Sky Express and Aegean have two or three daily flights of about 30 minutes from Athens airport, on aircraft of about 50 seats. By ferry, from Piraeus: Blue Star and Minoan sail daily and take between 4 h and 4 h 30; in season, Seajets' fast boats make the journey in about 3 hours, stopping at Sifnos or Serifos. Boats that call at several islands take 7 or 8 hours.
In July and August book the ferry as soon as you have your dates, especially if you are taking a car. Buy on the ferry company's website or at an agency at the port.
To see the island, yes. The bus covers Adamas, Plaka, Trypiti, Pollonia, Sarakiniko and Paleochori, but the least-used lines run four times a day or fewer. A small car is the comfortable option; the quad bike suits the dirt tracks in the west, but check what the insurance covers. Without a car, sleep in Adamas: the ferry and the bus arrive there, and the boats leave from there.
Almost. There is a path from the Agios Ioannis area, but it is stony, shadeless and long for what you see. The usual way is a catamaran from Adamas, from 9:00 to 15:15, with a swim among the arches and lunch on board, from €130; or a day by sea kayak if the wind allows.
In July and August it blows strongly from the north on many days. On those days the north coast (Sarakiniko, Papafragas, Firopotamos) has swell, and the south (Paleochori, Kleftiko) and the beaches inside the bay are sheltered. It is the town council's own recommendation: check the wind before choosing a beach.
Questions
Three nights for Kleftiko, Sarakiniko, Plaka and a couple of beaches. With five you go without hurry and have some margin if the wind cancels a boat.
Between 3 hours by fast boat and 4 h 30 by direct conventional ferry from Piraeus. With stops at Kythnos, Serifos and Sifnos, 7 or 8 hours.
No. It is 4 km from Adamas: taxi, hire car or hotel pick-up.
Yes, by sleeping in Adamas and combining bus and boats. You miss the coves in the west and those without a bus line.
The ferries still run daily and the catacombs open Tuesday to Sunday, but from November to March most hotels, tavernas and boat excursions are closed.
Yes, with two conditions: avoid the summer midday, because there is little shade, and take a baby carrier rather than a pushchair for Plaka and the coves with steps.
The original is in the Louvre. On the island you can see the field at Trypiti where it was found, next to the Roman theatre, and a copy in the archaeological museum in Plaka.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/greece/south-aegean/milos
