Travel Guide for Milos, Greece
Our favourite Greek island so far!
Our favourite Greek island we’ve visited so far is 100% Milos. We went in August 2024 and fell in love with the beautiful beaches, colourful fishing villages, delicious Gyros, and overall laid-back vibe. It’s simply the perfect place to relax! ☀️
In our guide, we cover:
We’d recommend spending at least 3 days to be able to explore and enjoy the island.
How to get to Milos
To get to Milos, you can either take a ferry or a plane to the island.
✈️ Plane: We booked a flight from Athens to Milos on Olympic Air (booked via Aegean Airlines) and it took around 40 minutes. It was very quick and easy, and we would personally recommend this option - especially if you want to save time on your trip.
🚢 Ferry: Alternatively, the ferry is typically cheaper than flying, but takes longer (around 2 hours+ depending on the ferry type and departure point). You can take a ferry from Athens or a nearby island like Santorini, with SeaJets or another company.
How to get around Milos
We highly recommend renting a car or an ATV ✅ to get around Milos.
There are local buses that are a more affordable option, but they’re quite limited and infrequent - making it harder to get to certain areas or beaches.
We also personally preferred renting a car over an ATV since we wanted air-conditioning (since it can get very hot on an ATV since it’s not enclosed) and we also wanted to pack more items, like beach umbrellas, extra clothes and bags (which all can’t fit in an ATV).
✍️ Note: some of the roads in Milos can be very narrow and windy, so it can be difficult driving around. So it’s best to try and get a smaller car, and be very careful and alert when driving.
Things to do in Milos
Most things to do in Milos are quite simple: swim, eat, sleep, repeat! 😎 It’s definitely the type of holiday where you go to beaches to swim and relax, and it’s quite different from some of the party Greek islands.
1. Firopotamos Beach
Firopotamos Beach was our favourite beach in Milos that we kept going back to! It’s super picturesque, with traditional boathouses (’syrmata’) and the beautiful Church of Agios Nikolaos. The water is also very blue and clear, so we loved swimming here.
There are 2 different areas - the main beach area or a hidden swimming cove (which was our favourite spot)!
1. Main Beach Area
The main beach area is ideal for those who prefer shade, since there are a few trees providing natural cover, or you can rent a lounge chair with an umbrella, or set up your own umbrella on the sand.
The water is very clear, and while the beach has sand, there are some pebbles and rocks at the water’s edge that might be uncomfortable for sensitive feet. There’s also a lot of cat poo beneath the sand, which can get all over your feet and be unpleasant when walking around. So, we would personally recommend going to the hidden swimming cove (below) instead.
2. Hidden Swimming Cove (Recommended!)
Instead of the main beach, we recommend heading to our favourite spot - a hidden swimming cove near the Church of Agios Nikolaos. The entrance is a bit tucked away, but if you walk a short distance from the church, you’ll find an opening with a few stairs leading to this secluded spot.
The sand here is SO soft, with no pebbles or rocks like those at the main beach. The shore is also lined with charming and colourful fishermen's houses, making it incredibly picturesque. There's also a concrete slab, which is perfect for sunbathing or relaxing, but it provides limited shade. We came here nearly every day during our stay in Milos and we found it to be so relaxing, with less people, soft sand, clear waters and a stunning view!
✍️ Tips & Things to know about Firopotamos Beach:
Free parking is available at the beach. If it seems full, make sure you check the parking area further down towards the Church of Agios Nikolaos as there are usually more spots available there.
The road down to the beach becomes very narrow and it can be difficult to navigate with lots of cars coming in and out. To avoid this, we’d recommend going early in the morning or late afternoon when it’s less busy.
The main beach offers some natural shade from trees, and you can rent a lounge chair with an umbrella or set up your own umbrella on the sand.
There are no toilets and limited facilities - only a beach bar at the main beach. We’d recommend packing your own snacks or food.
2. Sarakiniko Beach
You’ve likely already heard about or seen pictures of this iconic moonscape beach. Sarakiniko Beach is Milos’ most famous beach since it has white and moon-like rock formations that create a truly unique and otherworldly setting. It's also a popular spot for thrill-seekers who love to cliff jump!
We’d recommend waking up to watch the sunrise here. It’s the perfect spot for it and it’s also less crowded if you want to go for a swim right after. We came here twice for sunrise and it was so worth it!
✍️ Tips & Things to know about Sarakiniko Beach:
Free parking is available at the beach, however it’s limited so we’d recommend going early in the morning or late afternoon when it’s less busy
There’s no sand and limited shade
It’s an amazing spot for watching the sunrise
This beach is very popular and can get crowded, so we’d recommend going early in the morning
There are no toilets or other facilities
3. Mandrakia (Fishing Village)
Mandrakia is a charming fishing village with colourful boathouses, where you can swim and take nice photos of the picturesque view. Free parking is available at the beach and there are quite a lot of spots.
It’s also famous for eating at the popular restaurant Medusa, which has beautiful views of the Aegean Sea and delicious seafood 🐙🐟
However, you can’t make reservations and since it’s popular, we’d recommend going early or putting your name down for a table and exploring Mandrakia while waiting (they give you a time for when your table is likely to be ready). We went a bit late around 7pm (for 2 people) and were told to come back around 7:50pm for our table. After this time, we heard that the wait times get even longer.
4. Klima (Fishing Village)
Klima is another fishing village and it’s known for its colourful boathouses (‘syrmata’) that line the waterfront. It’s a nice spot to swim, go for a walk and take photos, especially since the boathouses make it look so picturesque.
We’d recommend going there at sunset and you can also check out the church or eat at the popular waterfront seafood restaurant ‘Astakas’ (but we didn’t try this, so you’ll have to rely on Google Reviews for that one!).
Also, don’t miss visiting the cute little souvenir shop ‘Pliatskio’ (between the boathouses). It’s tiny, but there’s a good variety of handmade ceramics, jewellery and souvenirs. We bought a nice bracelet here!
✍️ Tips & Things to know about Klima:
Free parking is available at the beach, but it’s limited so we’d recommend going early in the morning or late afternoon when it’s less busy.
The road down to the beach is VERY narrow, steep, long and windy, and it can be very difficult to navigate with lots of cars coming in and out - especially since it’s on a cliff and there’s barely any space. This was the hardest road we encountered, especially since we came for sunset (popular time) but it was worth it to see this beautiful fishing village.
5. Explore Plaka
Plaka is the capital of Milos and it’s full of narrow streets and cute little houses and shops with colourful doors and windows - making it a great place to wander around.
Also, make sure you head up to the top of Plaka Castle for sunset, since the views are amazing! Just a heads up - it’s a bit of a climb with lots of stairs (so it can get quite tiring, especially in the heat), but it’s totally worth it.
6. Fyraplaka Beach
Down south and a bit further away from the main area (i.e. around 20 mins drive from Adamantas) is Fyraplaka Beach.
This is a large, family-friendly beach with a long stretch of soft sand, crystal clear waters and towering cliffs, making it incredibly picturesque (especially when viewed from the top where you park). There’s heaps of space to relax, so it’s the perfect spot to park yourselves for a couple hours. The shallow waters also make it ideal for kids.
✍️ Tips & Things to know about Fyraplaka Beach:
Around 20 mins drive from Adamantas (main tourist area / port town)
Free parking is available at the beach, but it’s limited so we’d recommend going early in the morning or late afternoon when it’s less busy
This beach seemed like the most family-friendly beach we visited
There are no toilets
7. Tsigrado Beach
Next to Fyraplaka Beach is Tsigrado Beach, which is extremely small and secluded, but getting there is a fun adventure since you have to walk down a narrow passageway and climb down two ladders!
Since the beach is so small, there’s not much space to sit, so it’s best to go here mainly for a quick swim and then head over to the nearby Fyraplaka Beach, which is much bigger and has plenty of space to relax.
We went to Tsigrado Beach at 9:15am in late August 2024 (Summer) and it was already nearly full, so we’d recommend getting there early and then moving on to Fyraplaka Beach after.
❌ Due to the challenging nature of accessing this beach, we wouldn’t recommend it for families with kids, anyone afraid of heights, or those who might struggle with climbing down steep ladders.
✍️ Tips & Things to know about Tsigrado Beach:
Free parking is available at the beach, but it’s limited so we’d recommend going early in the morning or late afternoon when it’s less busy
The beach is very small, with limited space to sit
Getting to the beach involves navigating a narrow passageway and climbing down two steep ladders, which can be challenging
There are no toilets or other facilities
8. Klefitko Beach
Kleftiko Beach has stunning rock formations, with crystal-clear and turquoise waters. It’s typically accessible by boat only, so a lot of people choose to do a boat tour and there are many different companies and options to choose from.
We personally didn’t love the boat tour we went on, since it was very crowded and we felt like we didn’t get to see much. So next time, we’d prefer to rent our own boat!
Places to eat in Milos
Psitolatria for Gyros - 10/10 ❤️
If you go to Greece, you definitely need to get their staple food - Gyros, which is meat cooked on a rotisserie, then sliced and served in pita bread, along with chips, tomato, onion and tzatziki. It tastes AMAZING and it’s also really cheap (usually around 4 Euros) and easy to get takeaway as well if you’re off to the beach.
Our favourite place to get Gyros was at Psitolatria. We went here EVERY DAY during our time in Milos, and every single time was consistently so good!
Medusa - 7/10 🐙🐟
We mentioned this spot already, but this is a popular seafood spot located at Mandrakia and overlooking beautiful views of the Aegean Sea.
However, you can’t make reservations and since it’s popular, we’d recommend going early or putting your name down for a table and exploring Mandrakia while waiting (they give you a time for when your table is likely to be ready). We went a bit late around 7pm (for 2 people) and we were told to come back around 7:50pm for our table. After this time, we heard that the wait times get even longer.
Oh! Hamos! Tavern - 6/10
This is another popular place to eat, which also means the wait time can be long, but you can relax on the beach opposite while waiting for your table.
😢 However, we personally thought the food was quite average (especially for the wait time), which was really surprising since we had seen so many good reviews about this place and some of our friends had also recommended it. Maybe we just ordered the wrong food, but we found it to be quite average unfortunately!
Places to stay in Milos
The main areas that people often stay in Milos are either Adamas/Adamantas, Plaka or Pollonia.
Adamas is the main ferry port of Milos, with lots of access to public transport and the main starting point for tours, so it’s a convenient place to stay, especially if you don’t have a car. However, this also means it’s typically the busiest and most touristy area.
Plaka and Pollonia are both villages that are further away from the main port, and are also good options to stay.
🏨 Iliana Olive Branch
For our trip, we booked accommodation quite late so there weren’t many options left, and most were very expensive. We ended up staying at Iliana Olive Branch, which is about 1km from the port of Adamas - so still very close to the central port, but further away from the crowds and we absolutely LOVED it (but it was quite expensive since the only room left for our dates was their biggest sea view suite). It’s a boutique family-run hotel, with beautifully decorated rooms and sea views, and the property felt so private, quiet and relaxing so we were very happy!
Our stay also included an à la carte daily breakfast, and we could select what we wanted the night before so it would be ready for us at a time we chose in the morning. Also, when we had a very early morning tour outside of the breakfast hours, they packed it for us in takeaway bags so we could eat in on the way, which was so nice! Overall, we loved our stay.
