MILOS: TIPS FOR YOUR PERFECT STAY ON THE GREEK ISLAND
Everybody is going to Crete, Mykonos, Santorini and Corfu. Do you want to explore a smaller, more authentic island in the cyclades on your next holiday? Then Milos, one of the most exotic islands in the Aegean Sea is the perfect choice for you. Read on to find out what we enjoyed, discovered and recommend from our one week stay on this beautiful greek island.
As we really enjoyed our time last year in September on the lesser known island Tinos (check out my detailed travel guide for Tinos here), we wanted to explore another “secret” island in the cyclades. After browsing around on Google Maps and reading some travel blogs, it was clear that we need to visit Milos. The landscape and colors is really diverse ranging from typical olive tree farms over white rock formations and cute mountain villages.
Milos has become more popular in the last years, so we were surprised to find more tourists than we did last year in Tinos. Still you can find traditional restaurants with lots of space and enjoy beaches to yourself if you plan accordingly. The locals were, as almost everywhere in Greece, really friendly and helpful. I loved when the bakery owner was explaining all the local specialities of the small island (try the watermelon pie!).
As the majority of “sights” and things to do is packed in the northern part of the island, it is super easy and convenient to discover Milos in some days. We stayed one week as we wanted to relax a bit next to discovering the island, which was perfect for us. If you have less time 5 days will also be enough to get to know Milos fully in my opinion.
Make sure to also check out my recommendations for Milos on my Instagram page, where I saved a highlight with all my tips! :)
Lots of love,
Magda
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Getting to Milos
There are no direct flight to Milos currently (2021) outside of Greece. To get to Milos you have several options:
1) Fly to Athens or another close airport in the Cyclades e.g. Santorini or Mykonos and take the ferry from there to Milos. The durations can easily be checked via Ferryscanner and currently take 2.5h for Athens, 2h for Santorini and 3h for Mykonos (there are also slower options available). You can also combine this of course with a stay on those islands and do a round trip as we did (read on to find out more)
2) Take another (propeller) flight from Athens to Milos for approximately 50h. The price was roughly 80€.
We decided for the second option due to several reasons. First the price of the ferry from Athens was quite almost the same price as the flight to Milos and we wanted to end our round trip in Santorini. Second, we did not want to go to Athens as we have been there just recently and as the ferry times did not match with our arrival in Athens we would have needed to stay another night in Athens and take the ferry the next morning. Also be aware, that the airport in Athens is quite far out and you take approximately 50min by car to get to the harbor from the aiport (or 1h 50 by public transport). If you have never been to Athens before, staying there for a few nights can for sure be an option though!
No matter which option you choose, make sure to book as early as you know your vacation plan as ferries can also be fully booked quite soon. Also Milos does not have a super high number of accommodations, so booking early is for sure an advantage! Another tip is to first check the ferry prices via the link I provided above and then book directly at the ferry sites to not pay high service fees.
Getting around Milos
As we always travel light (sometimes easier and sometimes harder haha) so just with hand luggage, which for us is a backpack plus another small backpack, we always drive around with a scooter. Milos had, for me, the perfect size for a scooter, but also for a quad, as the distances were not too far and the streets great for driving. Still, we were able to also walk to the city or beach, which was nice as well. If you want to explore Milos with the scooter, I can really recommend you Pollonia Motors Milos. They welcomed us at the airport with the scooter and also picked it up from the apartment when we left - so really convenient!
Where to stay in Milos
When you look at the map of Milos for the first time, it can be quite overwhelming to decide where to stay on this island:
The center of Milos is definitely around Adamas, Tripiti, Plaka, Klima and Triovassalos. We decided to stay close to Adamas as we were able to walk to Adamas and also the close by beach. However, Tripiti and the other villages were just a 10min drive away so you can also stay a bit more on the countryside and go to the beach from there easily if you prefer that. In my opinion, this is the best location as also the nicest restaurants and beaches were placed in this area and of course the sunset was amazing from this side!
If you want to stay near Adamas, I can really recommend you our place Tzoka's Apartments. Petros was a really lovely host and the newly established apartment (he just opened in August 2021) were super clean, modern and offered everything we needed. If you want to stay at Tzoka's Apartments, I would recommend to contact Petros directly (find the phone number via Google maps) as he offers you a better price than on any booking platform. You can also let him know that I recommended him to you if you want :)
The north east part around Pollonia is also a nice with the little town and the ferry station to go to Kimolos. But again for us it was better to go there for a day trip as it was just roughly 15min away from Adamas and we enjoyed the other side of the island more.
The south and east part of Milos has some restaurants, beach bars and infrastructure. However, it can be quite windy on this side, which is why we decided to just visit the area for day trips.
The west part around Chalakas is not very “developed” so there are even roads where you are not allowed to drive with your rental car. As there are “only” mountains and really one (!) taverna, it is also not worth it to stay in this part, in my opinion.
Cities we visited:
Adamas
The main harbor is one of the centers of the island and packed with restaurants, coffee spots and shops. We in particular enjoyed to grab some lunch at the local bakery (Artemis - make sure to try the sesame rings), the ice cream and bars. There is a super hyped placed (O! Hamos! Tavern) close to Adamas, but as the waiting time for table was over an hour (!) we never went.
Plaka
Make sure to come to Plaka right before sunset and enjoy a breathtaking view from the Plaka castle, which is also called Venetian castle of Milos, over the island. There are also cute small alleys and shops int he village. We decided against eating in Plaka as the tables in the restaurants were just quite narrow next to each other, which we didn’t enjoy.
Tripiti
This village is quite close to Plaka so it might even seem like you never lost Plaka when you arrive in Tripiti. There are some restaurants with nice sunset views over the island and sea.
Klima
Another beautiful spot to watch the sunset. The tiny fishing village is packed with colorful houses carved in the rocks. You can walk across a small path but watch out for some waves as it is actually mostly wet from the sea! There is also a nice restaurant/ coffee spot called Astakas in case you want to grab a drink or eat something.
Triovasalos
You will drive through this village quite often as the road leads afterwards to Klima and Plaka. There are some nice coffee places and a bakery we enjoyed called Mouratos. Also there is an “AB” supermarket, which seemed like one of the biggest supermarkets of the island. By coincidence we ended up having up dinner at Bakalikon Galanis, which we really enjoyed (read the food recommendations for more).
Pollonia
The small town has a nice beach and is also the main way to get to the next island Kimolos. We didn’t do a day trip there, but I am sure that the island is also really nice! There were also cute coffee places and in general a relaxed vibe in Pollonia.
Beaches:
Sarakiniko beach
Definitely one of our favorite beaches in Milos! We went several times for enjoying a relaxed day in the sun, jump in the crystal clear water and to watch the sunset. Although the place is really popular for Milos, it was not crowded when we went as the area is just really massive. Note that the beach is only serviced via a food truck at the “entrance”.
Alogomandra beach
Nice beach which is quite unique as the sandy beach area is in a cave. Make sure to come early to get one of the few spots in the shade or just relax in the sun on the stones. Note that the beach is not serviced, so bring enough water and snacks.
Παραλία Κάπρος
This beach together with the caves around papafragas were really pretty! We just stopped and took a swim for a couple of hours. The places is also ideal for snorkeling around the rocks! Note that the beach is not serviced, so bring enough water and snacks.
Tourkothalassa beach
We spotted this beach by coincidence when we went for dinner at Medusa. The clear blue water was really beautiful and we didn’t- have to share the beach with anyone. Note that the beach is not serviced, so bring enough water and snacks.
Papikinou beach
This beach was close to our apartment so we liked to spend some relaxed hours there. Although the beach is close to the city, the water is really clean and also ideal for families as the water is not getting deep quickly. There are also some beach bars and beach chairs to rent plus you can find enough shade under the trees on the beach.
Plathiena beach
Although this beach is maybe a bit off the track, I would really recommend to enjoy the crystal clear water of Plathiena beach. You can either rent a beach chair or just relax in the shade under the trees there and enjoy the beautiful scenery
Tsigrado beach
Last, but definitely not least one of our favorite beaches. As we heard that the beach can be super crowded during the day, making the ascend and descend via the ladders difficult, we arrived already quite early on 07:30 on the beach and had it to ourselves. Although the sun only fully arrived around 08:30 (end of August) we really enjoyed the empty beach and then left when it got busier around 11:00. The water was really amazing and super clear, so this beautiful beach should not be missed on your trip to Milos!
Photospots
Klima village
Klima is definitely one of the most popular spots for pictures on the whole island. We went for sunset and took some pictures with the cute fishing village in the back.
Plaka castle
As mentioned before, the sunset over Milos is breathtaking from the castle. You can also climb up the castle as there are some tiny steps available. I recommend to wear “normal” shoes, as I was wearing high heels and struggled a bit with the “climbing” haha.Sarakiniko beach
One of the reasons we went to Milos in the first place was the beautiful unique scenery of Sarakiniko beach. We took several pictures and drone shots during the day and for sunset. If you have a go pro you should also bring it as the water and the underwater world is really beautiful!
Restaurants, Coffee Spots and Bars (we actually visited)
Medusa
Although this place is really popular and the location directly next to the sea is incredible, the prices are really decent. Note, that there is always a long waiting list for a table so either come for lunch or put your name on the list for the next day (after swimming in the beautiful beach nearby) - that’s how we did it. There are many vegetarian and vegan options available, although their specialty is sun dried octopus and fish.Bakalikon Galanis
Located in a not very crowded village and street, the small restaurant offers a true Greek experience. You have to order via checking the menu with a pen and then get a lot of different dishes served on your table. The idea is to share as they offer mostly small plates.ALEVROMILOS CUCINA CICLADICA
Nice place for traditional home cooked food. We especially enjoyed the beautiful terraces in the lime trees. Also the restaurant is not too far from Adamas making it a perfect dinner spot.Ελλ'οίνων
One of our favorite meals in Milos! The terrace was very big and with lot of space between the tables (unlike in some smaller alleys in Plaka). We enjoyed to share the small plates and even got a free dessert on the house!Tarantella
Although the location of the restaurant might not be very central to the main villages, a visit is almost a must! We went there on our first night and were amazed by the high quality of the food, decent prices and extremely friendly staff. Also the location must be nice during the day as you sit directly next to the sea.Ice monkey
One of the best places to get fresh coffee. You can either take your order to go or enjoy a rest there. The place also offers small snacks (vegan option available) and juices.Fiki Cocktail & Wine Bar
The best place in Milos for a decent cocktail or some other drinks after dinner. The location of the place is really nice - you overlook Adamas and sit directly in the nice authentic alleys of Milos. We really enjoyed our time there and were quite lucky as the place filled up super quickly.Local bakeries
We often made lunch ourselves and bought extremely delicious hummus in the supermarket. However, we needed some fresh bread and maybe more treats and enjoyed the local bakeries a lot for this reason. The sesame rings were incredible! Another local delicacy was the watermelon pie, which is apparently typical for Milos. Both bakeries that we visited were amazing, so just check which one is closest to your accommodation and treat yourself!Aggeliki ice cream shop
Best ice cream in Milos! They also had many other delicious desserts and small cakes, but we ended up getting some creamy ice cream. The scoops are really big and not too sweet!
