Milos Island is known for its colorful and unique beaches (and I have a detailed beach guide you can check out here if you’re interested!) but there is so much more to see and do on the island. Milos has quite a few beautiful and charming villages and plenty of history with its roots in mining and its fair share of archaeological discoveries. Having only spent 5 days on Milos, I know that I barely scratched the surface on spots to check out but I’ve compiled a short and sweet list of some of the villages and historical spots that we got to visit with a little information on each as well as my personal opinions and some photos! I hope this combined with the beach guide can help you plan a decent itinerary for your trip if you’re headed there soon!
First let’s start with villages:
Plaka
Plaka is the capital of Milos situated on a hillside with amazing views of the Gulf of Milos and traditional Cycladic architecture. It is one of the prettiest villages on the island in my opinion. This is definitely one of the villages you go to if you’re on the hunt for the traditional white and blue colors of the Cyclades and old narrow cobblestone streets and alleyways. Definitely be sure to take a stroll through the alleyways and to grab some gelato or have a meal (or a few!) here during your stay. I highly recommend grabbing a bite to eat at Diporto which was one of my favorite restaurants there. I believe it is a dad, mom, and son running the place and they were all so friendly, genuine, and had excellent customer service skills (especially the son). The food was fantastic as well and I highly recommend the goat with lemon and rice. Definitely try to get there early enough to snag a seating out in the alleyway instead of inside the restaurant. It really elevated that whole authentically Greek experience being able to sit out on the cobblestone streets and people watch while eating. It also wasn’t quite within the busy center of the village so crowds passing by never felt overwhelming. Plaka is also great for shopping and there are many cute little shops to explore. Only motorbikes are allowed on the narrow streets but there is a parking lot right before entering the village for cars. Be prepared for a good amount of stairs while you are exploring this village. The highlight of Plaka is catching sunset at the Kastro (Venetian Castle) and/or the church along the way (Panagia Thalassitra). When you park in town you take a right before really entering the village streets and follow the street to the end where you will see stairs leading up to the castle. It is approximately 200 steps up based on my research. We decided to stop at the church as the view was still stunning and there were a good amount of people already heading up to the castle and I didn’t feel like competing for any spots. A sunset viewing is a must when visiting the Cyclades and this is definitely one of the best spots on the island to catch one!
Joe pretending to be a local haha
Tripiti
Tripiti is close to Plaka and also a great place to go if you’re seeking those traditional blue and white colors and cobblestone streets. It’s also a great place to go if you’re trying to find more peace and quiet as most tourists gravitate towards Plaka. There are a few cute cafes and bakeries and also windmill homes. Some of the homes can be rented out from what I saw during my research of places to stay. Trypiti is close to the Roman Theater, the Catacombs, and also the road to Klima. I would definitely take a stroll through Trypiti and have a nice quiet lunch while in the area. I recommend Ta Glaronisia which has a nice view of the water and excellent food. They are known for their gyros and you can see the meat on the spit in the kitchen. They have a lot of other options though besides gyros and I enjoyed everything that we ate there.
Klima
The colorful fishing village of Klima is a must-see during your stay on Milos. I wrote about Klima in my beaches and swimming spots guide so I am going to be reiterating the same information here. Klima is the largest traditional fishermen village on the island and also the most colorful. While on our boat tour our guide gave us a little background on the houses (syrmata’s). He said the ground floor is where the fishermen stored their boats & the 2nd level is where they would reside. He said that they would paint them the bright colors so they could spot the house easily from the sea and also sometimes to match their boat colors. It’s pretty cool because when we visited the village we saw people painting them so it’s well preserved and looks bright and fresh. A lot of people just rent them out now but learning about the history of these colorful fishing villages was definitely interesting. Walk along the beach and be greeted by many cats in the area. They have a little donation box for food, water, spaying/neutering, and medical expenses for the kitties. There is a small church here as well. You can get to Klima by taking a foot trail near the catacombs and ancient roman theater area or you can drive up and park your car along the road about 100 meters away and walk the rest of the way. If you eat at the restaurant there you can use their parking lot I believe.
Adamantas
Adamantas (also referred to as Adamas) is where the main port is located and is a very central location on the island. This is where we stayed at so we would be close enough to most destinations and also have a lot of options at night when it came to food and shopping for essentials. The actual port area itself gets quite busy but if you stay on the outskirts of Adamas it makes for a peaceful and well located homebase. We stayed at Lithos Luxury Rooms which was perched above the port with a great view of the water and villages and was very peaceful and quiet. I have a blog post on Lithos Luxury Rooms that you can find here. It only took a less than 10 minute scooter ride to the port so we were conveniently located in the center of the island but escaped the noise and crowds at night. If you are looking for some entertainment and nightlife on the island, this is the place you would go to. There are also two small swimming beaches in the area, Lagkada and Papikinou. The mining museum and the Church of Agia Triada are also in town.
Pollonia
Pollonia is a cute fishing village that is the perfect destination for families staying on the island to make their homebase. Similar to Adamantas, Pollonia has a variety of cute restaurants on the water, a decent amount of lodging options, and a shallow swimming beach with trees providing shade. It’s definitely a village worth visiting for a nice stroll or a delicious seafood lunch on the water. Unfortunately we didn’t explore much because by the time we reached the village after a day of sightseeing we were just so tired. We had an awesome lunch though and our server was so nice and talkative. We got a free shot too!
Our view at lunch
Firopotamos Village/Beach
I mention Firopotomos more in-depth on my Milos beaches guide and I definitely think this beach/village is a must-see on your trip. It was my favorite beach on the island! The small traditional fishing village is picturesque and beautiful situated against the most stunning beach with crystal clear water and soft white sand. There is also a church, some old ruins, and rocky cliffs to explore as well. You can read more details about this location on my beach guide linked at the beginning of this post but I thought I would add this beach/village onto this list in case you skip my beach guide one. Do yourself a favor and spend some time here! The pictures speak for themselves!
Mandrakia is another popular beautiful fishing village on the island but unfortunately we didn’t get to stop by. Add it to your list if you can!
Now let’s talk about a few historical sites…
Ancient Roman Theater & Milos Catacombs
If you’re a history buff you definitely need to make a stop at the Ancient Roman Theater and the Milos Catacombs which are right by each other. The Milos Catacombs are one of the most important early Christian Monuments of worship and burial sites in Greece. It’s a short tour but very interesting. From the parking lot you walk down several flights of stairs to the Catacombs. If you continue walking further down you’ll reach the Ancient Roman Theater. The Roman Theater is perched above Klima and has a terrific view of the water. Based on my research the Roman Theater was built during the Hellenistic Period. Part of the theater has since been reconstructed. Even if you are not a history buff it is still very much worth coming here for the view and the beautiful architecture. I really loved the marble and the acoustics here are very good. I have read that there are performances held here sometimes but I haven’t done a lot of research on any of the events. The discovery of the Aphrodite of Milos is also supposed to be near here.
View on the way to the theater
The Catacombs. No flash photography allowed.
The view from the parking lot
Agios Ioannis Siderianos Monastery (St. John’s)
There are plenty of churches you can visit while in Milos and all are beautiful but I wanted to highlight this one since it is a bit harder to get to and in a remote location. This monastery is in pretty good condition for being in such a remote area and is only accessible by a dirt road on the western side of the island. Based on my research, legend has it that some locals locked themselves in the monastery during a pirate attack. They prayed to Agios Ioannis (St. John) for protection and the door supposedly turned from wood to iron hence the name (Siderianos means iron in Greek). Our boat tour guide pointed out this monastery and we decided to check it out when we spent a day driving through the west side of the island. If you do decide to venture off to the west coast proceed with extreme caution. The roads and terrain are very rough and conditions can be extreme with the heat. The endangered viper is also located here so be very careful if you are doing any hiking in the area and watch where you step. The west coast as well as Paliorema on the east coast are also often times in the “no service zone” for rental companies meaning their insurance will not cover you for any damages to the quad/vehicle and often times will charge high costs if you break down and they have to come out and get you. It’s definitely a fun adventure though and a little eerie being out in such a remote location. You’ll also pass by some beautiful isolated beaches and very tiny mountain villages and homes which are few and far between. Personally I thought it was a great experience and I am glad we decided to brave the roads.
Old Sulphur Mines at Paliorema
I mentioned this beach and abandoned mine site more in-depth on my Milos Beach Guide but thought I should reiterate it here for the historical aspect. Thiorichia means sulfur mines in Greek and this abandoned sulfur mine and factory is situated on the beautiful Paliorema Beach. Paliorema Beach is beautiful with golden sand that almost has a reddish tint to it as well as stunning blue waters and red volcanic rocks. The sulfur mine and beach combined make for a very unique landscape and experience. It is interesting to walk around and explore the abandoned mine and buildings. There are a variety of unused rusty materials laying around as well as old mining wagons on rails and an old mine entrance (I would stay out of it for safety sake). If you can make it down here safely I would highly recommend putting this spot at the top of your list. The history here is fascinating and it is a strange but beautiful site.
The Ancient City of Phylakopi
This was also briefly mentioned in my Milos Beaches Guide post. This archaeological site is located near Papafragkas Beach. According to my research, Phylakopi used to be one of the most important settlements in the Aegean. To be honest I didn’t read about Phylakopi until we got back from our trip so I didn’t even know what we were looking at while we were there. I believe this picture below is facing towards the ruins though.
Well, there you have it! These are just a few of the many villages, churches, and historical sites on Milos. I wish we had time to visit even more but hopefully this will help you prioritize your trip if your time on Milos is very limited! Let me know in the comments if you’ve been to Milos or plan to go soon! This concludes my Milos series of our Greece trip and I hope you enjoyed it! Next up will be a Crete series, a post or two on Athens, and then I’ll be blogging about our summer adventures exploring home! Can’t wait to share more adventures, stories, tips, and photos!
Until next time,
Kelsie