3 Day Itinerary for Milos, Greece

Milos, Greece is my favorite Greek island. So far at least, since I haven’t been to all 6000 of them. Goals! Imagine the perfect Greek Island with traditional white and blue villages, stunning sunsets over the sea, fresh seafood, and one of the most unique beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen. This idyllic place exists and bonus, it doesn’t draw even half the amount of tourists as it’s neighbor Santorini. Have you booked a flight yet? I think you will before the end of this post. When you do, here is a perfect 3 day itinerary for Milos.

Imagine a perfect Greek Island...white villages, sunsets over the sea, fresh seafood, and the most beautiful beach in Europe. This idyllic place exists and has half the tourists as Santorini. Have you booked a flight yet? Share on X

If you are interested in more about Greece, quite possibly the love of my life, I’ve got you covered:

Read More:  Two Week Greece Itinerary

How to Get To Milos

Flights

The only airlines flying to Milos are Olympic Air or Sky Express from Athens. This flight will be between 100-200 euro depending on the season and takes 45 minutes.

Ferry

You can take the ferry directly from Piraeus, the port in Athens. There are fast and slow ferries with the fast being more expensive. The ferry drops you off in the town of Adamas, Milos. If Milos is part of a larger Greek Island trip, you can ferry from any of the other surrounding Cycladic islands such as Santorini, Ios or Paros.

Athens to Milos is around 3 hours by fast ferry and costs roughly 56 euro

Santorini to Milos is approximately 2 hours and costs around 40 euro

You can book ferries here.

How to Get Around

Wheels of some sort are useful here. I sadly didn’t have any because in August when I went, there weren’t any available and I did not know to book ahead. Don’t make the same mistake I did!  I wasn’t even able to get a quad/ATV and they wouldn’t let me have a scooter without a motorcycle license. This was a setback to my grand plan of island domination but I became quite experienced with the bus and taxis and even hitchhiked with some elderly English tourists once out of desperation. On a side note, it’s nice to know I don’t look too dodgy for nice people to give me a ride.

Rental Costs:

• Car rental 50-60 euro per day and automatic cars are harder to obtain.
• Quad 40-50 euro per day
• Scooter 25-60 euro.

Taxis are reasonable. Negotiate with the driver ahead and you can always ask if they’d be willing to wait for you and bring you back if you are going somewhere that isn’t easy to get a taxi.

Bus System

The main terminal is about 100 mm east of the ferry terminal in Adamas. There are also terminals in Triovasalos, Plaka, Trypiti, Pollonia, Paliochori, Achivadolimni, Sarakiniko and Provatas.

It is 2 euro to go just about anywhere.

Here is the website to get the timetables.

Things to Do

I’ve organized these into a 3 day itinerary for Milos based on what is reasonable to do in the time frame but you can do all of this spread over more days in a more relaxed pace if you have the time. I will assume you arrive the evening before day 1 or early on day 1 so that it will be a full day of activities.

Day 1

Sarakiniko Beach

Get up early and beat the crowds at this magnificent beach that I think is the most beautiful in all of Europe. It looks like the moon and the ocean had a baby. The unique greyish white volcanic rock has been shaped by the waves and wind into a lunar-esque landscape that will take your breath away. My photos don’t do it justice.

*This is a short bus or taxi ride from Adamas. The bus from Adamas to Sarakiniko is direct.

Mandrakia

If you have time, stop by this picturesque fishing village for lunch.

Pollonia

From Sarakiniko you can visit Pollonia, a town on the northeast coast of Milos. If you don’t have a car, you will have to first take the bus back to Adamas and then a bus to Pollonia which has several stops. Check the schedule ahead so you can time yourself to be in Adamas at a good time!

 

I highly recommend a stop in the Tipathpio Bakery and try a local sweet called melatini. This is a charming family owned place. Nikolas and his mother Flora are very sweet. I gushed so much over how good the pastry was that they gave me a free one.

If you have more time, from Pollonia you can take a ferry to Kimolos island.

Day 2

Catacombs and Roman Theater

Visit the ruins and see where the famous Venus de Milo statue was found. Of course, now it is in the Louvre Museum in Paris. You can also visit the ancient catacombs of Milos. I think it is 4 Euro for a 15 minute tour. The Catacombs are believed to be older than the ones in Rome and considered to be the most important monument of Early-Christians in all of Greece. It isn’t as amazing as I thought it would be but I appreciated the significance and the history, plus it was a cool break from the heat.  From the ruins, there is a path to hike down to the next spot.

*The bus stop for Catacombs is Trypiti but there the driver may drop you closer if you ask. From the catacombs you can easily walk to the ruins.

Klima

Visiting this colorful fisherman’s village is like strolling into a simpler time. There are a couple of small restaurants here and a tiny beach so not much to do except admire it, but it is a great glimpse into local life. The brightly painted doors are the garages for boats.

Plaka

This is where you see the traditional whitewashed houses with blue doors and bougainvillea draping all over adding it’s bright pink pop of color. There are cute shops and restaurants here as well as places to get great views of the island.  If you are into museums, there is an archaeological museum, a war museum and a folk museum here in Plaka.

If you are here for sunset (which I recommend), walk up toward Plaka Castle. Many people congregate on the church (I dislike people standing on churches) or the castle but I preferred a quieter spot in between and this made the church a lovely part of the sunset view.

Have dinner at Glaronisia in Trypiti, which is very close to Plaka. The fish soup with homemade bread and saganaki with kefolytri cheese all blew my mind.

Day 3

Kleftiko Beach

Take a morning boat trip to see the magnificent rock formations at Kleftiko Beach.  I booked this tour from a kiosk in Adamas but the company has a facebook page if you want more information or to book ahead.

Zephyros Boat Half Day Tour Milos

The cost was $27 plus $7 for the transfer from Adamas. The trip started at 10 am and we had the area to ourselves. By 1230 there were 2 other boats. Hardly crowded still considering this was mid-August. The boat was a perfect size, not too big of a group and the guides were excellent, giving great geological and historical information.

Catch a Sunset

Consider going to enjoy a sunset somewhere. Sarakiniko beach or Plaka Castle are both great options. If you can, spend one night at each place.

 

When to Go

If you are going to the Greek Islands, you likely want to swim. Mid-April to late September is generally nice enough weather for this with the water temps being highest in July and August. I was told by others that you can get in the water in the spring but this depends on your personal level of cold tolerance. I went in August and it was just warm enough for me (being in Miami so long spoiled me).

The crowds are going to be highest in July and August when many other Europeans take holiday. I recommend late spring and early fall for most European travel if you like to avoid crowds. I will say that in late August I didn’t find it overly crowded at all, which surprised me.

Where to Stay

Adamas, the port city, is where I stayed.  I chose it mostly out of convenience but it definitely was not the most scenic part of the island. It has, however, the center of public transportation, tour bookings, and car rentals. The “capital” Plaka is on a hilltop and has more of the charming whitewashed buildings that we all love to see on the Greek islands. Pollonia has more tourist infrastructure as far as restaurants and hotels.

Adamas

Lagada Beach Hotel

Pictured above, this is conveniently just a 5-minute walk from the ferry and close to the beach with a nice pool.

Milos Bay Suites

These are airy cute rooms with sea views.

Galanis Rooms

Simply designed rooms with a choice of mountain or sea views, all 5-10 minutes from the center of town and port.

Plaka

Vivere a Plakis

Charming units from studio to 2 story apartments all with sea view balconies

Plaka Suites

This place is a bit more swanky but rooms have beautiful terraces and panoramic views.

Halara Studios

Perched on a hill, this classic Cycladic-style hotel has studios with free WiFi and fantastic views over the Aegean Sea. It is a 5-minute walk from cafes and shops.

Pollonia

Milos Breeze Boutique Hotel

On a quiet spot on a hilltop with panoramic ocean views, this 4-star hotel combines traditional architecture with luxurious touches.

Garifilakis Comfort Rooms

All the rooms here have terraces and sea views and it is walking distance from the beach, restaurants and shops.

You can book a hotel any place in Milos here:
Booking.com

 

Any trip to the Greek Islands should include Milos. Here is the perfect 3 day itinerary!! Share on X

What is your favorite Greek Island? Where should I go next time??

Pin it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer:  Wandering Redhead uses affiliate links so if you book something through a link I provide, I may receive a small commission that goes towards the costs of running this blog. This is AT NO EXTRA COST to you.