• Your Milos Island
    Your Milos Island

Your Milos Island

Milos is located approximately in the middle of the route from the port of Piraeus to the island of Crete. It is the 5th largest island of the Cyclades. The distinctive port of Milos, Adamas, is one of the largest natural ports in the Mediterranean. In combination with the mineral wealth of the island, it was the main factor for the island's significant development in history and culture and the economy of the inhabitants.

Boat lines connect the island of Milos with the port of Piraeus on a daily basis, in 3 to 7 hours. There is also an airport with daily flights during summer. Milos is also connected by boat with the Cycladic islands of Ios, Sikinos, Folegandros, Santorini, Naxos, Mykonos and Syroς, and also with the islands of Kasos, Karpathos, Halki, Rhodes and the cities of Heraklion and Sitia in Crete.

There are approximately 5,000 permanent inhabitants, a population which grows significantly in summer. Most live in the eight villages of the island, the capital of Plaka, Plakes, Triovasalos, Pera Triovasalos, Tripiti, Pollonia, Zephyria and Adamas.

The soil is volcanic and not very green, and there are more than 75 splendid and unique beaches with clear blue waters, either sandy or with white, red, yellow or black rocks that you will not find anywhere else in Greece.

Sightseeing

  • The Archaeological Museum of Milos is housed in a neoclassical building designed and constructed in 1870 by the famous German architect Ernest Chiller. There you will see a copy of the exceptional statue of the Venus of Milos which is in the Louvre Museum. There are also exhibits from the 6th century BC until the Roman and the Hellenistic era. Grave pithos, impressive vases, obsidian tools and weapons, coins, as well as plaques with the ancient alphabet of Milos, consisted of 21 letters, and many more, will travel you back to antiquity.
  • The Church of Aghia Triada, near the beach of Adamas, built in 824 AD, hosts the Ecclesiastical Museum. The only hagiography gallery found in the temple dates from the 14th century.
  • The Folklore and Historical Museum of Milos, in Plaka, is housed in a building characteristic of the 19th century traditional architecture. Wax figures with traditional costumes, hand-woven textiles, utensils and tools, make up the scenery of old times.
  • The Castle of Milos, was built from Markos Sanoudos, first Duke of Naxos in 13th century, to protect the habitants from pirate attacks. You should visit this Venetian Castle in the top of the hill of Plaka and enjoy the marvelous view and one of the most astonishing sunsets of Kyklades.
  • The Milos Mining Museum, located in Adamas, aims to highlight the mining history of Milos, which dates from the Neolithic era. Information and images on mining, instruments and tools used throughout the centuries, as well as minerals and fossils will certainly make a lasting impression on you.
  • The Naval Museum of Milos, addressed to both experts and non-experts, presents exhibits carefully collected by old seamen, dating from the Neolithic period with tools made of obsidian stone and the naval battle of Salamis, to the newer years.
  • Unique in size in Greece and one of the most remarkable catacombs along with Rome and the Holy Land, the Catacombs of Milos are located on a slope near the village of Tripiti. They were discovered in 1840 by illicit antiquity dealers. There are three catacombs and their total length is 185 m. We can see tombs and sites where the first Christians performed mysteries, and also inscriptions above the graves of the first Christian martyrs.
  • On the east side of the island, in the bay of Paliorema, there are old quarries where sulfur was mined (sulfur mines) and the remnants of the factory that operated until 1956.
  • In Adamas there is one of the largest conference centers in Greece, "George Iliopoulos". It is built on an area of 10 acres with many back offices and modern facilities and can accommodate up to 320 conferrers.
  • As a volcanic island, Milos has many hot springs. The source of Lakkos in Adamas, located in a cave, is recommended as a healing bath for all kinds of degenerative osteoarthropathy, myalgia and neuralgia. At the modern spa facilities you can enjoy a spa or steam room. It is open from 15 July to 15 October, from 7:00 to 13:00.
  • During the Crimean War (1853-1856), France, as a friend and ally, created a military cemetery in Milos, on the coastal area of Bombarda, in Adamas, for the burial of the French sailors who lost their lives during the war.
  • The French Cemetery, known to the locals as "Fragomnimata" (French graves), situated at the entrance of the port of Adamas, is for us a place of memory and honor to those who died for our freedom. Inside the cemetery still remain important inscriptions and the site is an attraction for French tourists. 

I cite one of these inscriptions as an example:

  • LA FRANCE A SES MARINS ET SES SOLDATS MORTS ET INHUMES A MILO 1897 (France to its sailors and soldiers who died and who were buried in Milos in 1897)

(At the entrance of the harbor, overlooking the sea.)

Beaches
You won't be able to choose from the around 70 beautiful beaches on the island, so special, with clear blue waters and remarkable colors -thanks to the volcanic rocks of the seabed- as well as white gold sandy beaches. Milos has a good road network, which provides access to most beaches.

Starting from the big natural harbor, Adamantas consists of the beaches of Papikinos and Achivadolimni. At the entrance of the natural harbor is situated the beautiful fishing village of Klima, with its special buildings and dazzling colors.

Depending on your moods and also the wind, you can visit one of the north beaches when the wind comes from the southwest. The beaches there are mostly rocky. Justifiably, the most famous is the Sarakiniko, with its otherworldly scenery, but also wonderful are Mytakas, Alogomandra, Papafragas and Aghios Konstantinos, with caves, natural bridges and small beaches.

Beaches in the east are accessible by land through Pollonia. Most beaches there have pebbles, but there are also many small ones with golden sand, that are accessible by boat. If you choose to take a boat, in a small distance from Pollonia there is the island of Kimolos, as well as the islet Polyaigos.

As for beaches in the west of the island, the road network is without tarmac and you need to take water with you. This part of Milos is recommended for the lovers of the beauty of the wild landscape: Aghios Ioannis, which, together with its twin beaches, is accessible only by sea, the Triades with the three sandy beaches and excellent sea caves, and Ammoudaraki.

On the contrary, for breaches in the south the road network is very good. There are sandy beaches protected by steep rocks. To get to the very picturesque beach of Gherontas, you need to walk, but the dreamy scenery will definitely make up for it. On the beautiful beach of Aghia Kyriaki you will find restaurants, a beach bar and water sports.

The beaches in Paliochori and Provatas have golden red sand and shallow waters. In Provatas you will find restaurants, taverns and cafes. In Fyriplaka, where there is an organized beach, and in Tsigrado (the access to the beach by land is possible only with rope, which makes it quite dangerous) you will enjoy crystal blue waters, gray sand and a dreamy scenery.