We spent four nights in Milos and it might have been the best stretch of our entire Greece trip. That’s saying something, because the original plan for our boat day around the island fell apart the morning of, and we ended up figuring it out on the fly at the port. It turned into one of the best parts of the trip. Here’s exactly how the four days went, what we’d change, and the one warning we wish someone had given us before we drove a rental car down a “shortcut” Google Maps found for us after dark.
How many days do you need in Milos? We did four nights and felt like we saw the island properly without rushing. If you’re tight on time, three nights is doable if you’re willing to skip one beach day, but we wouldn’t go shorter than that. There’s more here than the typical “day trip from Santorini” crowd realizes.
Why Milos Is Worth Adding to Your Greece Trip
- Great for beach hopping (every beach looks totally different)
- One of the best islands for a boat day (especially Kleftiko)
- A really good mix of scenery, villages, and food
Milos was the least touristy island on our trip, which made us feel like we experienced the Greek culture more.
Getting There and Our First Night
We landed after about 30 hours of travel total, so by the time we got settled that first night we were running on fumes. We still went to Nostos Seafood on the harbor in Adamantas, a spot literally built out over the water. It was genuinely one of the cutest restaurants we visited on the island, and we wish we’d had the energy to appreciate it the way it deserved. If your travel day is long, don’t skip it, but maybe don’t schedule it for the night you’re most exhausted if you can help it.
Picking up our rental car at the airport and dropping it off at the port were both painless. One thing worth doing regardless of whether your rental company asks: take your own photos and a walk around video of the car before you drive off. We’d recommend it every time as basic coverage for yourself.
Where We Stayed: The Cheaper Call That Paid Off
We knew we’d be renting a car for at least part of the trip, so we booked an Airbnb about 6 minutes from the port with a view looking down over the harbor, at $682 total for four nights. It was further from the harbor than most of the listings we’d been eyeing, and that distance is exactly why the price worked. Places walkable to the port ran noticeably higher for less space and less privacy. Because we already had a car, the extra few minutes cost us nothing.
In four nights we never saw or heard another guest anywhere else on the property, and it had two separate private patio terraces. Our host left a spread in the fridge when we arrived: a bottle of wine, fruit, water, and a cheese and cracker board, and even left a dessert for us one night during the stay. If you’re renting a car anyway, this is the trade we’d make again: give up walking distance, keep the money, get more space.
Renting a Car is NOT Optional
Even if you’re staying within walking distance of the port, rent a car for at least part of your stay. Milos is spread out, several of the best beaches aren’t reachable any other reasonable way, and the island rewards moving around. One warning: watch out for GPS “shortcuts.” On our way back from Klima one night, Google Maps routed us down a dark, narrow path that turned out to be built for ATVs, not rental cars. We made it back fine, but we wouldn’t recommend testing that route yourself after dark.
Day 1: Moon Beach, Firiplaka, and the Ladder Beach
We started at Sarakiniko “moon beach”, which lived up to every photo we’d seen. We enjoyed tanning on the rocks by the swim area, and then climbed a bit further to explore the cliffs and take in the views. It does get more crowded midday but never felt too chaotic.
Next was Firiplaka, a great classic Milos beach with chair/umbrella rental and a small beach bar. If you walk further down, you can cross over rocks or wade through the water to see the red and white striped cliffs further along, and this area of the beach is a lot less crowded as well.
We ended the day at Tsigrado, also called “ladder beach,” and the name is accurate. Getting down involves two separate ladders, and the last one stops a lot of people before they reach the bottom. You need decent grip and long enough legs to manage the ladders comfortably. It’s a beautiful little cove once you’re down there, but go in knowing what you’re signing up for.
We ate at the famous Sirocco where you can hand pick your fish and have it cooked in the hot volcanic sand oven. This was probably Chris’s “must do” experience of the trip and we loved it! They made it a whole experience, so I highly recommend going here. Make reservations well in advance, as we saw about 10 couples get turned away with over a two hour wait!
Day 2: Beach Hopping (Originally Meant to Be Boat Day)
This was supposed to be our boat day… but the northern winds had other plans.
We’d booked our boat trip through Viator, and when the tour got canceled due to the northern winds, the only notice came through WhatsApp. We were checking texts and the Viator app, not WhatsApp, and missed it completely. We showed up at the port and waited about 30 minutes before another tour guide, noticing we were still standing around, kindly called our operator to confirm it had actually been canceled. The upside was that the port was full of other guides, so we started asking around. Douglas Tours had space for the next morning and actually ended up cheaper than our original booking.
Obviously this changed our game plan for the day but we quickly realized we could do our itinerary we planned for the last day instead. So beach hopping! We started at Plathiena Beach, which had chairs, a beach bar, and a setup nice enough that we could have stayed the whole day. The wind was strong enough though that we decided to keep moving and see what else was around.
Five minutes away was Firopotamos, which also had umbrellas and chairs for rent, cheap by comparison at around 10 to 20 euros. There are small ruins here and houses built close enough to the water that we watched one man run out the front door chasing his shoes after the ocean pulled them off the porch. This ended up being our favorite combination of beach and buildings on the whole trip!
Also nearby was Mandrakia, more of a small harbor than a beach, but worth the stop. We ate lunch at Medusa here, which is supposedly Justin Bieber’s favorite spot on the island. It was good enough to believe it!
Our last beach of the day was Agia Kiriaki, which is where we stayed longest. This had some of the clearest water we saw all trip, with striking white rock formations, and we got in some of the best snorkeling of the whole island here. There is a bit of a walk from the nearest tavern and it also had no chairs for rent if that matters to you.
That night we drove to the vibrant colored Klima fishing village and it exceeded expectations. We hadn’t made a reservation, but got a table last minute at Astaka Cafe Restaurant, right in the fishing village, and had a great sunset view over the water while we ate.
Day 3: Boat Day (Do Not Skip This)
This is the highlight of Milos.
Our boat day was the original plan for day two, but we moved it here after the wind forced a swap. The only trade off was that the route stuck to the calmer southern side of the island to avoid the wind, instead of the full island loop we’d originally booked.
We still got to Kleftiko, which is the single stop on Milos we’d tell anyone not to skip. We would have been genuinely disappointed to miss it. Between Kleftiko and Moon Beach, those are the two views that make the island worth the trip on their own. We were transferred out to Provata Beach to board, which looked like a great higher end beach in its own right if you wanted to come back separately.
If your boat tour gets canceled: this is the closest thing to a splurge verdict from the whole trip, and it came from adaptability, not budget. Our original tour would have cost more for the full island loop. Douglas Tours ended up cheaper for the southern route, and we still got the one thing that mattered most, Kleftiko. If yours falls through, don’t assume the day is ruined. Ask around the port before you leave. If there’s one thing I wouldn’t wait to book, it’s this. Spots on some of the sailing excursions that I was looking at were filling up fast. If you are looking for a place to start, this is the best full island sailing trip I found: Milos Full Day Sailing
Dinner that night was at Barriello, our last night on the island, and we somehow ended up seated on a private balcony with a full sunset view. After dinner we made time to explore Plaka, and it was worth building into the itinerary last minute. It felt very different than walking around the port town!
Day 4: Ferry Departure
We dropped our rental car off at the port about 1.5 hours before the ferry. We chose a spot right across from the ferry terminal to sit and eat breakfast, so we could relax and not stress about missing the ferry, because let me tell you these ferries will leave without you!
What I’d Prioritize Most
If you only have a few days, this is what I’d focus on:
- Boat day to Kleftiko (non-negotiable)
- Sarakiniko early in the morning
- Kilma fishing village at sunset
Quick Take
Milos is one of the easiest islands to enjoy. It’s flexible, not overly crowded, and gives you a completely different feel than places like Santorini we visited in the same trip.
If you’re building out a Greece itinerary, I would highly recommend adding Milos to your list. I go into more detail on our overall Greece itinerary below:
14 Days in Greece: Island-Hopping Milos, Santorini, Paros, and Athens
How to Fly to Greece Using Points (Step by Step Guide)
Santorini: The Perfect First-Time Itinerary
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