the starseed journey

This small, unassuming island is often overlooked by travelers visiting the Cyclades. As Santorini’s little sister, Milos may be small, but holds hidden gems to be discovered. From tiny picturesque villages to white moonscape beaches this island will astound you.

With its chocolate and white volcanic coastline, taking to the sea is a must while visiting Milos. This island offers the largest number of beaches in the Cyclades and let me tell you, they are breathtaking!

Here is a guide to enjoying all the hidden gems that Milos holds:

Where to Stay:

There are a few options of where to stay on the Milos. The first is the main sea port town of Adamas (sometimes written as Adamantas). Here, restaurants are open late offering a more lively atmosphere. It’s still relatively quiet compared to other islands, but will offer the most options in terms of places to stay, restaurants, and more on the island. I stayed in Adamas at the Lagada Beach Hotel which was gorgeous! Located right on the edge of town, this beachfront hotel offered daily breakfast and a spacious pool with nice lounge chairs. The wifi was spotty at best, but the location was hard to beat! The price when we went was about $200/night for a 4-person room.

Another slightly less popular place to stay is Plaka. This town sits up on a hilltop, overlooking the ocean. It’s the place everyone flocks to watch the sun set in this Grecian paradise. There are not many hotels so make sure to book early!

The third place I would recommend staying is Pollonia. With a sleepy fishing town vibe, it will be more relaxed here than Adamas and would be perfect for a honeymoon getaway or family trip. You will not have as many options in terms of restaurants, but if you’re looking for an escape, this is the spot for you!

Getting to and from the island:

Getting to and from Milos can be slightly more challenging than some of the more popular islands. The easiest way is to fly from Athens. The flight is a little over 30 minutes and there are several options a day during the summer months. A flight may cost you around $50-120. Flying will be your fastest option. Even if you are on another island, it may be faster to fly back into Athens and then out to Milos depending on the timing, but it will cost you more money. You can either rent a car, take a taxi, or hop on a bus (during the summer months) to travel to your accommodations. A taxi may cost you around 15 euros depending on where you’re headed, whereas the bus will cost you a few euros.

The more economical option is to take a ferry. Depending on where you’re coming from and the speed of the ferry, the trip will take 4-8 hours based on what other islands they stop by first. A ferry trip will cost you 20-60 euros depending on if it’s a high speed ferry or not. Make sure to bring motion sickness medication if you are taking one of the smaller ferries.

Getting Around:

The best way to get around Milos is to rent a car, ATV, or scooter. There is a bus system with the main hub in Adamas. Taking the bus is slightly more challenging as you’ll have to plan your adventures around the bus schedule. I recommend picking up a schedule from the Adamas station right when getting to Milos if this is your ideal form of transportation. You can also find the schedule here, but I can’t guarantee it stays up to date.

If you plan on renting, my recommendation is to rent an ATV. Some of the roads are bumpy and unpaved. It can also be hard to find parking in the popular tourists spots, and an ATV makes this MUCH easier! ATVs are perfectly safe, but make sure you really slow down on the turns. They don’t have a great turn radius and a majority of accidents happen due to tourists speeding around bends. Additionally, the ATVs have big storage boxes on the back. Bring a little lock if you want to lock up your valuables inside!

Renting on Milos wasn’t as easy since there aren’t as many rental car options as other islands. Try to book online before-hand if you want to secure a particular type of vehicle, or make sure to book a rental right when you get to the island even if you don’t need it for a day or two. The pricing was about 40-70 euros for a vehicle with an automatic transmission. Or, if you know how to drive stick, the manual transmission was about 45 euros and very easy to drive.

Things to Know:

1. When to go
   • Since this island is less touristy, I recommend sticking to the summer months to visit. May through September is when most establishments are open. Of these, I recommend September or May since the average high is 75-79°F, perfect for hitting those beautiful beaches and less busy than peak summer.
2. What to pack
   • You will most likely be spending time at the beaches or exploring the little towns around Milos. Pack beach wear and sturdy sandals since some of the rocks leading to the beaches can be rough. Make sure to also bring along walking shoes for exploring days. You won’t need nice outfits for going to dinner here so be sure to leave your heels at home!

Where to Eat & Drink:

Since Milos hasn’t been geared towards tourism until the past 5 years or so, it still holds its traditional methods of cooking, but with some gourmet appeal.

• O Hamos: Open for 27 years, this restaurant sources it’s ingredients by producing it on their own farm. It’s very charming and considered one of the best restaurants on Milos.
• Sirocco: A family run beach tavern in Paliochori that slow cooks the food for hours using a natural volcanic sand pit.
• Armira: Situated in the small village of Pollonia, Armira offers excellent food and views from their white-washed courtyard.
• Avli-Milos: This tavern in Plaka gets very busy. You’ll find a line of people waiting around dinner time. Make a reservation a little early and go walk around before coming back to enjoy!
• Yankos: If you’ve never tried loukoumades, you have to come to this restaurant in Adamas and try them! They are essentially puffy donut holes and are delicious. These weren’t the best I’ve ever had, but loukoumades can be hard to find sometimes so you have to jump on them when you find them!
• Mostra Bar: Located in the Hotel Adamas and offers a great view of the bay to enjoy with a drink!
• Akri: A great place in Adamas to grab one a delicious cocktail and enjoy the view!

What to do:

• Roman Theatre: Perched above the sea, this beautiful 4th century theatre remains very well preserved. It’s a small hike down to the ruins and usually not very crowded. Try to go in the morning or evening since it can get hot around midday, and remember to wear comfortable walking shoes.
• Trypiti Village: Like Plaka, this coastal cliff-side town is where Venus De Milo was found. With the iconic white windmills scattered atop the hill, its catacombs, and a Roman theatre, Trypiti holds plenty of sites to see!
• Catacaombs: Considered one of the most important burial sites in Greece, the catacombs are located at the bottom of a large hill. Make sure you wear sturdy shoes if you decide to hike down, or there are a few parking spots at the bottom. It will cost 4 euros per person and will include a quick 15 minute tour where you can look around and take photos of the various rooms.

• Firiplaka Beach: Known as Milos’s second favorite beach, Firiplaka has a white sand coast with clear blue water. There are limited umbrellas for rent, so make sure to get there early to grab one!
• Papafragkas Caves: A natural swimming pool when the ocean is calm, this is another difficult to get to beach. You will either need a boat to drop you at the entrance of the narrow fjord so you can swim in or you can climb down a series of steep “stairs” carved into the cliff-side. At the bottom you’ll find a tiny beach with a cave for shade and you’re own private beach!
• Plaka: Situated up on a hilltop overlooking the ocean, this is the perfect town to catch the sunset and eat dinner at one of the taverns. Explore this capital’s series of turning cobblestone alleyways and get lost amongst their charm.

• Day Trip to Kimolos Island: Under an hour away from Milos by ferry, this charming little island offers hiking trails, remains of iconic windmills, gorgeous beaches, and small fishing villages. The ferry will cost you about 20 euros per ticket.
• Panagia Korfiatissa: Overlooking the ocean, Panagia Korfiatissa was built from the materials of abandoned churches around the island in the early 1800’s. Make sure to stop by this beautiful cyclic church while wandering through the streets of Plaka.
• Sarakiniko Beach: With a seemingly lunar landscape, this beach is the most beautiful beach on Milos. On a hot day it will be crowded, and you’ll be yearning to jump in the water or find a bit of shade. Make sure to bring a towel to lounge on the rocks and some water shoes to help make navigating the rocky ocean bottom easier.

• Tsigrado Beach: This beach is the most secluded and difficult to get to. At the bottom of a cliff-side, you climb down a small series of ladders and narrow passageways to arrive at the beautiful beach with plenty of caves and inlets to explore.
• Church of Panagia Portiani: Also known as the Zefiria Church, this beautiful church was built in the 17th century and stands in what used to be Milos’ main town.
• Cave of Sykia: This is the most beautiful place to see on Milos. To get here, you must take a boat. This is a sea cave with a collapsed roof that makes it absolutely breathtaking. You can swim in the shallow waters or hike up above the cave for a view of the coastline. Having water shoes or sturdy sandals will help in walking around.

• Plaka Castle: Boasting a spectacular view of all of Milos, the remnants of this castle are a climb to get to. The most popular time is at sunset. Make sure to wear walking shoes for all the stairs!
• Church of Agia Triada: A small picturesque, white-washed church located in the middle of Adamas. This 1000 year old church holds a small ecclesiastical museum.
• Adamas World War Two Bomb Shelter: This bomb shelter was built by the Germans in 1941 when they occupied Milos. The shelter costs a couple of euros per person and was actually quite impressive! It’s only open in the evenings which adds to the eerie feeling when walking around the tunnels. Definitely check it out!

• Paliochori Beach: Paliochori is known for the warm underwater springs that heat certain parts of the beach. Make sure to try the volcanic cooked food from the local tavern!
• Kleftiko: Reachable by boat, this is a beautiful area of interesting rock formations and a series of caves. You will need to take a small dinghy to be able to explore the elaborate cave system once used as a pirate hideout.
• Day Boat trip: A boat trip around Milos has to be at the top of your to-do list. There are many boats to choose from. I recommend sailing with the Andromeda in Adamas port and pick a day where there are about 10 or less people sailing that way you’ll have enough room to spread out and enjoy both the sunny & shady seats. You don’t need to book in advance. We walked up and booked the day of. Our trip was all day and included Kleftiko & its sea caves, exploring the Cave of Sykia, swimming to the small beach of Agios Dimitrios, along with plenty of other sites while sailing, and lunch was provided. The cost was 75 euros per person, and if you’re lucky, you’ll be joined by Koukla the sailing dog!

• Provatos Beach: On the southern side of the island, Provatos beach offers sunbeds and umbrellas with a few taverns to eat at, as well as shallow waters and beautiful multi-colored rocks.
• Paliorema: This beach sits at the end of a rough dirt road just beyond the abandoned sulfur mine. Make sure to use a four-wheel drive vehicle to get to this eclectic beach.
• Klima: The most picturesque fishing village on Milos, Klima is about a half hour hike down from Trypiti. There are a few local shops and one restaurant. It’s a great place to enjoy the sunset or ogle at the beautiful colored houses. Make sure to look out for Klima if you’re on a boat trip departing from Adamas. It’s a beautiful site to see from the ocean.

• A Boat Trip to Polyaigos Island: The largest uninhabited island of the Aegean, Polyaigos holds many pristine beaches with coastlines of white, pink, and orange. Enjoy a boat trip out on the sea sailing the emerald waters.
• Pollonia: On the northeast tip of the island, this small fishing village is a great little escape for a swim or a relaxing getaway. Walk the seaside cafes and whitewashed little houses.
• Papafragkas Caves: A natural swimming pool when the ocean is calm, travelling to this beach is somewhat difficult. You will either need a boat to drop you at the entrance of the narrow fjord so you can swim in or you can climb down a series of steep “stairs” carved into the cliff-side. At the bottom you’ll find a tiny beach with a cave for shade and your own private beach!

Want more info on Greece? Check out my Santorini and Naxos blogs!