Milos is a showstopper. At once relaxed and exciting, friendly and strange, spectacular adventures are within easy reach on this multifaceted volcanic marvel.
Last updated: 30 Jul 2024
Straddling the South Aegean Volcanic Arc, the same forces that birthed Santorini created less heard of Milos nearby. A masterpiece of nature epitomising graceful beauty, quite poetically, this is also where the Venus de Milo was unearthed. Filled with unusual sites steeped in history and cinematic beauty, it won’t be long before the multitudes trample on its magic.
Our first visit was as a couple. Then, we had the freedom to sail unencumbered, climb ropes through cliff crevices to reach (then) semi-secret beaches, and muck around in abandoned sulphur mines. We toured the island like first explorers.
Nine years later, we returned with two toddlers and a less adventurous itinerary. Other things have changed as well: cruise ships have arrived, you need reservations at restaurants, and the price of sunbeds have climbed to €25 – €50 a pair (as of our last visit in 2024). Still magnetic, we’re now uncovering the family-friendly side of the insta-famous island sensation.
With an array of alluring and varied beaches appropriate for tots and teens, many are the land and sea adventures to be had in landscapes both stunning and strange. It’s also prefect for kids with a rock and crystal fascination, and early lessons in volcanology and geology.
LAY OF THE LAND (& WHERE TO STAY WITH KIDS)
With children on hand, we’re always on the lookout for a beach house set steps away from dreamy seas. Having so far escaped runaway development, and because of its unique geology, these are not plentiful on Milos. The alternative? We would look for accommodation options in Pollonia (with a basic beach of its own), hilltop Plaka (and neighbouring Trypiti), and Adamantas (the main port with Papikinou beach nearby), in that order.
— ADAMANTAS (MAIN PORT) —
Adamantas harbour is the busiest village in Milos, and where to stay if you prioritise convenience. A marketplace of boutiques, tavernas, cafes and tour agencies, it’s a convenient base for drives to Milos’ major sights, and a main departure point for the island’s popular boat tours.
Especially in the peak summer months of July and August, families might prefer the quieter end where Papikinou beach starts. Not the most impressive beach on the island, it has some plus points: the waters of the protected bay are still and clear, while a dense line of tamarisk trees just meters from the sea offers essential shade from the sweltering sun. It’s the perfect set-up for picnics and quick dips. Hyper popular farm-to-table O! Hamos! is also in the area with sunbeds and umbrellas on its beachfront.
— POLLONIA – PELEKOUDA —
A 20-minute drive from the main port of Adamantas, Pollonia’s intimate bay is perfectly set up for families. Built around a small beach cove backed by a seafront playground (where the girls spent many evenings, nevermind its lackluster state), all your basic amenities are within close proximity. Pollonia is also where the boat to Kimolos (for day trips) depart from.
Small and sophisticated, a smattering of shops and smart waterfront restaurants draw a nightly crowd of sunbaked diners from luxe villas nearby. Insider tip: accommodation on the stretch of road where Nefeli Sunset Studios is situated promises mesmerising sunsets that easily rival Santorini’s.
— PLAKA —
Picturesque Plaka is Milos’ quiet hilltop capital where life for the island’s 5,000 strong population converges. Unlike the more recent harbour town developments of Pollonia and Adamantas, the ancient village is a quintessential Cycladic-style beauty with traditional appeal. A puzzle of narrow alleyways flanked by whitewashed houses, boutiques and cafés open in the morning, shut for the 2pm siesta, and open again from 6pm to welcome the Mediterranean’s famous late summer nights. After sunset, the village bursts into a nocturnal playground of indulgent dining, drinks, live music (at Kyra in the square on select days, and Kri Kri) and shopping for holiday adornment.
From the parking space at its foot (next to a playground), the initial ascent up is steep. Strollers may be more of a hindrance than a help here, and good walking shoes are best for navigating its streets.
— TRYPITI —
Quieter Trypiti, a 12-minute walk from Plaka, is scenic and serene. And nestled in a prime spot above the stately Agios Nikolaos church overlooking the sea is 2-bedroom Villa De Veneto. As we set foot on its manicured gardens set below a string of windmills, the girls took off chasing its resident kitties. It’s the type of countryside living we idealise in the city, touched with the magic of bewitching vistas, proximity to Trypiti’s sacred ancient sites, and a huddle of eateries at our doorstep: Monk, a morning staple for morning coffees, Stasi for failsafe pizza and pasta, and Michelin-grade-chef helmed OKTO for an indulgent dinner.
Steps below the village, you can walk downhill to the renovated ruins of an ancient theatre, close to where the Venus of Milos (one of three female stars of the Lourve) was discovered in 1820. The early Christian Catacombs of Milos are a little farther down.
If you’re staying in Plaka or Trypiti, you don’t have to travel far for a swim. Plathenia beach is an 11-minute drive north, with a bar-restaurant to shake-up margaritas for deserving parents while the kids tuck into yoghurt and fruit bowls.
SPECTACULAR SWIMS
It’s a good idea to read the fine print on Milos’ beaches before you load up your car with kids and gear. Sarakiniko, the island’s most famous beach, has only a 10-meter stretch of actual shore. Papafragas and Tsigrado too. Firiplaka is uniquely beautiful with its painterly backdrop, but cumbersome for little legs to get to. It may also be missing the organised comforts of a beach bar providing sunbeds and umbrellas. Operators have come and gone, and for 2024, visitors will have to throw their towels down on the beach. Provotas has accessible and tot-friendly waters, but sunbed prices have climbed to €50 per pair if you’re prepared for the price tag. So what are your best options with kids?
WHAT TO DO WITH KIDS
— SCALE SARAKINIKO —
Sarakiniko has drawn many-a-tourist to the island with its fantastical lunar landscape of wind and wave-scuplted tuff. Not a beach proper, but an inlet with limited sandy shoreline, this is a place for dive-bombing teens instead of frolicking young families.
An adventure with kids here excites for other reasons: visit for their first “moonwalk” over undulating curves and through curious surroundings. Chasing mound after mound to get higher and higher, we realised a little too late that we were ill equipped in slippers on its dusty surface. Visit in sneakers, and after 6pm when the afternoon sun relents. Have an appetite for more? Embark on a hike and hunt for marine fossil treasures within its rock strata, following one of six hiking paths drawn up by a team of geologists, mining engineers, foresters, cartographers and historians for Miloterranean.
Parking at Sarakiniko is available close by the entrance marked by a mobile cantina serving refreshment. It’s the only amenity on the shadeless beach, so arrive prepared.
— A BOAT TRIP —
It’s often said that you haven’t experienced Milos without a boat tour exploring its craggy coastline of cliffs and impressive sea caves that sheltered pirates prior to the Greek Revolution. On our first trip, we boarded the wooden Thalassitra sailboat like proper tourists. As we drifted from cove to cove, a passionate crew beguiled us with tales of the pirates of the Aegean, even serenading us with song and a guitar, then cooking up a storm of soul-warming claypot dishes. Enjoyable, but packed to its seams, and not something I would do again with young children.
A number of yacht cruise companies offer semi-private monohull and catamaran cruises from 10 to 25 persons for a half or full day. Family-run Naya Yachting limits its maximum group size to 14 persons for a 40-foot catamaran. For me, this was the passenger limit to ensure the comfort and shade for all passengers on board. While my girls (4 and 7 years old) fell asleep for an hour or 2 during the full day cruise, they assured me they had a spectacular time and would do it all over again. At €200 a person, I think the trip value is optimised with older children (from 6+ years) who, aside from being strong swimmers (there are 4 swim stops en route), can somersault off the deck.
— THE MINING MUSEUM —
D loves crystals. Collecting them, digging for them in the school playground…So we visit this museum on each trip to Milos with the girls. Small enough for short attentions, the compact but information dense exhibit provides a well-curated background of the island’s mining history, its geological makeup, and has a comprehensive display of regional rocks and crystals. It’s also a good place to bring home a souvenir for fellow crystal-loving friends.
— A POTTERY WORKSHOP —
After days of swimming on repeat, some artistic pursuits might be a good way to break from the beach. Tucked into an alley in the heart of Adamatas, Home of Clay offers clay sculpting and wheel throwing workshops for children (€25 per hour) and adults (€50 per hour). 8-ish years of age is around when hands are deft enough to work on the wheel. It’s a good idea to book ahead 2 or 3 days ahead.
DINING WITH KIDS
Where in Milos can you dine so the kids enjoy themselves as much as the grown-ups? Where there’s space to play, of course. And if they make new friends, everyone may even be hard pressed to leave.
— ASTAKAS KLIMA (KLIMA BAY) —
Our favourite spot to dine on the island by a mile, Astakas Klima is centered on Klima bay, flanked by the brightly painted fishermen houses (“syrmata”) that is the village’s claim to fame. Within the island’s quickly evolving restaurant scene, its quality has stayed consistent, the portions are as generous as they have always been, while easy-going service with sincere smiles puts everyone at ease.
There’s ample space for even the wildest of kids to dash around (or throw stones in the water, or explore the rainbow houses next door) so you can savour your lobster pasta in calm. Also try the zucchini fries – perfectly crisp and cut in the shape of french fries, these were a natural hit with the girls.
Sunset is a beautiful time here. Make reservations if you plan to dine at 9-ish. Otherwise, you might get lucky dropping in if you arrive before 7pm.
— SIROCCO (PALEOCHORI) —
Perched in a corner of stunning Paleochori beach, Sirocco has morphed into a modern chic hotspot since its start as a traditional fisherman’s taverna. If you order sand-baked fish, the kids can watch their foil-wrapped catch go from seafood display to the sand kitchen located steps from the restaurant, where geothermal heat reaches high enough temperatures for a slow 45-minute bake. The menu is otherwise an inspired spin on Greek classics that promise novel bursts of flavour with each spoonful. Run out of diapers? They’ve got you covered in washrooms equipped with changing tables and other helpful parent essentials..
— POLLONIA WATERFRONT —
There’s lots to choose from in the seafront line of restaurants, from Gialos with its time-tested reputation for more Greek fare, to Rifaki closer to the beach so the kids can dip their feet. Sushi restaurant Hanabi is inevitably a western mash-up of cream cheese stuffed maki rolls and the odd Thai Tom Kha soup entry, but it nonetheless offered relief from more tomato based recipes.
— KIPOS (NEAR PROVOTAS) —
Modern, minimal, and seductively laid-back, solitary Kipos is built into a hillside with perfect sea views. All is so serene your attention gravitates to the hypnotising dance of wildflowers and rattan lamps in the breeze. Amidst generously spaced out tables, Little A can strike a ballet pose in between bites of their favourite dish on the island – the rigatoni with smoked pancetta and wild mushrooms. The menu is more broadly European with Greek influences (cod fillet in beer batter might appeal to fish-and-chip loving kids) but all is well-executed. And the final winning touch? Sparkling clean toilets (there’s a baby changing room for kids) I can comfortably bring the girls to on their multiple toilet trip requests.
WHEN TO VISIT
With Milo’s rising popularity, early June and September are good times for dodging peak season crowds and the searing heat of July and August. In June, you get longer daylight hours (the sun sets at around 8:30 p.m.) than in September, and sea waters averaging 22.9°C. In September, swimming hovers around a comfortable 24.5°C with waters comfortably warmed up by the summer sun, but daylight hours are shorter than in June (sunset starts at 7:30 p.m.-ish by mid-September). Finally closing for the main tourist season in October, the island starts opening up to visitors again in May.
GETTING THERE
You can fly into Milos in 45 minutes from Athens. The modest airport also has international connections to and from London and other major European cities in summer.
Alternatively, the high-speed ferry from Pireaus port in Athens will get you there in three-and-a-half hours. It’s a good way to travel if you are tempted to extend your itinerary in the Cyclades with neighbours that are many and alluring.
