Looking to plan a trip to Milos this summer? In this guide, I am sharing everything you need to know to spend the perfect 3 days in Milos and see the best of this beautiful island- including the best things to do and my restaurant and bar recommendations in Milos. My personal itinerary is at quite a relaxed pace, and I didn’t hire a car which does limit how many places you can visit in this time. However, I have included other places to visit, things to do and restaurant and bar recommendations in different areas.
Greek Island hopping around the Cyclades will always be my favourite holiday. I first did this holiday in 2022 as part of a 4 month trip around Europe, but I didn’t manage to visit Milos this time. I decided to make sure I included Milos in my summer trip in 2024, and I am so glad that I did. This island is probably one of the most beautiful places I have been to, with its clear turquoise waters, stunning and unique beaches and incredible food, you definitely need to make sure you add Milos to your Cyclades island-hopping itinerary.
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How to get to Milos
Milos does have a small airport but it only has flights arriving from Athens. When I am island-hopping I always choose to take the ferry.
You can fly into Athens, Mykonos or Santorini and get the ferry to Milos. I usually just check flights on Skyscanner to find the cheapest flight and then check Ferryhopper to make sure the ferry timetable aligns. I have the ferry hopper app which made it really easy as all of my tickets for all trips were saved in one place.
A key tip is to make sure to book ferries in advance and check the ferry timetable for your entire trip as I found the ferries weren’t as regular in and out of Milos as they are in some of the other islands.
3 Day Milos Itinerary
Day 1: Arriving in Adamas
I then checked into my hotel in Adamas which is the main port and a stunning village with lots of lovely cafes, bars and restaurants. When doing an island hopping trip, I always like to stay near the main town/ ferry port to make it easier on travel days. I would particularly recommend this if you aren’t renting a car. However, it is more busy and probably more touristy than other towns in Milos.
Other popular towns to stay in:
- Plaka which is the capital
- Pollonia which is a really beautiful fishing village
I then spent a couple of hours exploring Adamas, it has a really pretty harbour area, lovely restaurants and some really cute shops as well. I had lunch at Mikros Apoplous which is an amazing seafood restaurant located right on the harbourfront with the most stunning view of the sea. I would definitely recommend this restaurant for lunch or dinner.
I then had a couple of hours so I headed to Papikinou beach which is about a 20 minute walk from Adamas. This isn’t one of most beautiful beaches in Milos, but it is really convenient when staying in Adamas, it was fairly quiet and the sea is really shallow so great for relaxing and for families.
For dinner, I would recommend O! Hamos! Tavern which is located right by Papikinou beach. You can’t reserve here so be prepared to wait in quite a long queue or go at lunch when it is less busy. This restaurant feels really authentic, it serves traditional meals using all local products, the menu is hand written which I loved and it is in a lovely location opposite the beach with a view of Adamas.
Day 2: Full Day Boat Tour to Kleftiko
This was definitely my favourite day of the trip. Kleftiko has probably the bluest waters I have seen, stunning cliffs and rock formations, and caves; it should definitely be included on your Milos itinerary! It is known for being a shelter for pirates, however that does mean it is quite difficult to get to. You can’t drive to Kleftiko, and the walk is dangerous so the most popular way is by boat.
I booked the boat tour the day before in Adamas with Aquatta Boat Tours.. Make sure to visit a few different shops as they have different itineraries, prices, food included so see which trip works for you. You could also book the trip before you arrive on Get Your Guide.
First we started off with coffee and breakfast at Aragosta coffee shop.
- The boat trip started in Adamas harbor, and took us around the beautiful coastline. We passed Klima so we were able to see the beautiful colourful houses, and then Sykia Cave. We stopped at Kleftiko which is where you spend most of the time. We had a lovely Greek lunch, went snorkelling, jumping off the boat. We were also taking into a few caves. Then we had another stop at Kalogries where we were able to go snorkelling again. It then dropped us off at Paleochori Beach and there was a mini bus waiting to take us back to Adamas.
- If you get sea sick, I would definitely recommend taking a sea sickness tablet before going on the boat. The Cyclades are known for being windy, so the boat trips can be quite choppy.
After the boat trip we got an icecream from Aggeliki which was amazing. Then we had dinner at Milos Rustic Souvlaki which was in such a beautiful location on the harbour in Adamas. Finally we went for a cocktail at Akri Bar and then ended up in Plori Club.
Day 3: Sarakiniko Beach
Sarakiniko Beach has been on my bucket list and Pinterest board for the longest time so I was so excited to finally visit. It is one of the most unique beaches I have seen. The landscape just being white rocks looks like you are on the moon. I would recommend going early in the morning before the crowds if you want to get the best photos, as it was busy by the time I got there. You can easily get the bus to Sarakiniko Beach from Adamas, the bus timetable is published online here. The bus is cash only, and they don’t run that frequently.
We spent a few hours here swimming and you can also go cliff jumping. There isn’t any bars/restaurants at this beach so we took some food with us, we stopped at Artemis Bakery and the shop in Adamas before heading to the beach.
Then we visited Pollonia which is a stunning fishing village with traditional, white washed houses, a small harbour and lots of seafood tavernas. We actually got a taxi to and from here, we took a number we saw in Adamas as there are not many taxi’s in Milos and they are quite expensive.
Finally, we headed back for dinner at Nostos Seafood Experience in Adamas which is also in a stunning location on the harbourfront.
How to get around Milos
Milos has a fairly good bus system which is linked to the most popular spots on the island. If you are using the public transport and not hiring a car, I would recommend staying in Adamas as this is where the central bus station is.
A lot of people do hire cars or even quad bikes to get around the Greek Islands. I personally wouldn’t recommend this as most of the people we met on our trip were in road accidents with their quad bikes, and one was with their car. However, hiring a car does make it a lot easier to visit all of the places you would want to, particularly in the evenings going to different towns for dinner.
Other recommendations
Things to do:
- Exploring Plaka- I actually didn’t end up making it to Plaka on my trip and I really wish I had more time to explore this town. Lots of people we spoke to said it was really beautiful, has little cobbled streets, lots of lovely cafes and restaurants. Here you can see the Church of Panagia Korfiatissa and Venetian Castle where you can see beautiful views of Plaka and the beaches.
- Firopotamos Fishing Village- this is a stunning fishing village with little colourful boathouses, a beach and beautiful clear water. This is where you often see videos on TikTok of the little houses leading onto the sea.
- Mandrakia- another beautiful fishing village with small colourful houses on the sea front.
- Klima- although I saw Klima from the boat, next time I definitely want to go and visit and have a walk around.
- Beaches- there are lots of stunning beaches in Milos I didn’t get to visit including: Tsigrado beach, Fyriplaka Beach, Papafragas beach, Paliochori Beach
- Day trip to Kimolos- this is a small island just off Milos. You can get the ferry from Adamas or Pollonia.
- Visit the Ancient Theatre and Catacombs- these are the most historic sites on the island.
Restaurants:
- Sirocco- Paleochori Beach
- Medusa- Mandrakia
- Astakas Cafe– Klima
- OKTO- Trypiti
- Alevromilos- Adamas
- Avli-Milos- Plaka
- Archontoula- Plaka
- Gyros of Milos- Adamas
- Akrotiri- Pollonia
- Yialos- Pollonia
- Enalion- Pollonia
- Bariello- Trypiti
Bars:
- Verina Cocktail Bar- Plaka
- Mosaic- Plaka
- Aqua Loca Beach Bar- Paliochori Beach
- Deep Blue Beach Bar- Paliochori Beach
- Utopia Cafe-Bar- Plaka
- Fiki Cocktail & Wine Bar- Plaka
The best time to visit Milos
The peak summer season in Milos is from June to September. I would recommend visiting in this time as the weather will be the best, and the restaurants and bars will have the best atmosphere. Compared to other islands in the Cyclades like Santorini, Milos is less well known so even in mid-July, it never felt too busy anywhere.