Milos
Covers 18 European islands, from Crete and the Cyclades to Sicily, Sardinia, Mallorca, the Canaries, Madeira and the Azores, with euro prices converted to dollars on a dated rate.
UpdatedThis page carries dated prices, schedules or seasonal facts checked on the date above, and that window has now passed. Re-check the sources at the foot of the page before you book.
Milos is the island of the Cyclades that photographs least like the others. It is volcanic, so instead of one kind of beach it has dozens of different ones: white pumice at Sarakiniko, red and ochre cliffs at Firiplaka, sea caves at Kleftiko reachable only by boat. It is also where the Venus de Milo was found, the statue of Aphrodite now in the Louvre.
It is smaller and quieter than its neighbors. ELSTAT counted 266,677 arrivals in hotels, short-stay rentals and campsites in the Milos regional unit in 2025, a figure that also covers Sifnos, Serifos and Kimolos. Most of those were in rooms and apartments rather than hotels, and that shapes the cost: the cheapest room rated 3 stars or better in Adamas on Kayak for July 14, 2027 was $291. Compare Naxos or Paros if price matters more than scenery.
At a glance
- Best for
- Couples and active teens who want boat trips, snorkeling, cliff coves and quiet village evenings
- Skip it if
- You want nightlife, a resort with a kids' club, or a winter trip
- Getting there
- Fly Athens to Milos (MLO), or ferry from Piraeus in about 2 hours 30 minutes to 7 hours
- Hotel, mid-January
- $220 at the only 3-star-or-better hotel with a rate in Adamas on Kayak for January 13, 2027; $291 on July 14, 2027
- Island size
- About 58 square miles (151 km2), horseshoe-shaped around a deep bay
In this guide
How Milos scores
Six factors, scored 0 to 10 the same way for all 64 islands. Our verdict on this island is “it depends”, which takes 0.4 off the weighted average. How we score
- WeatherData · 20%8.1
- Beaches & seaEditors · 25%8.0
- Things to doEditors · 25%6.5
- Getting there from the USData · 10%3.6
- ValueData · 10%4.3
- Room to breatheData · 10%5.1
Weather month by month
Best months by our weather score: July, August, September. Daytime highs, rain and sunshine are 2016–2025 averages at Milos Airport (Open-Meteo historical weather archive); sea temperatures are 2022–2025 averages for the nearest sea area (Open-Meteo marine archive).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 58 | 59 | 62 | 67 | 73 | 82 | 86 | 85 | 80 | 73 | 67 | 61 |
| Sea °F | 63 | 62 | 62 | 63 | 66 | 73 | 77 | 79 | 77 | 73 | 69 | 66 |
| Rain (in) | 2.8 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 2.9 |
| Weather score | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 6.4 | 9.0 | 9.8 | 10.0 | 9.6 | 7.4 | 5.3 | 3.7 |
The numbers behind the score
- Gateway airport
- Milos Airport (MLO)
- US nonstops
- None. No US nonstop to MLO (Milos Island National Airport); connect via ATH (US nonstops to Athens: JFK, EWR, plus seasonal ATL, BOS, CLT, ORD, DFW, PHL, IAD; Delta DTW from June 8, 2027 and Alaska SEA from May 12, 2027)
- Distance
- 7,003 mi from Los Angeles, 5,005 mi from New York
- Passport
- Needed for US citizens
- Hotel, one night
- $220 on Jan 13, 2027 · $291 on Jul 14, 2027 (Adamas (Adamantas))
- Visitors a year
- 266,677 overnight visitors (2025)
- Bringing a dog
- Possible: EU pet rules: ISO microchip implanted before a rabies shot given at least 21 days before travel, plus a bilingual EU animal health certificate from a USDA-accredited vet, endorsed by APHIS and used within 10 days of arrival; no quarantine.
Hotel prices: Cheapest double in a hotel rated 3 stars or better within about 2 miles of the Adamas center, 1 night, 2 adults, total with taxes and fees as Kayak showed it (public rates only; Greece's climate resilience fee may be added at checkout), Kayak, checked 2026-10-20. January: Milos Inn & Maisonette (3-star, via Hotels.com), the only 3-star-or-better hotel with a rate; unrated rooms started at $58. July: Santa Maria Village (4-star, via Hotels.com). Kayak returned priced results for 35 stays on January 13 vs 68 on July 14.. Visitor figures: ELSTAT, Arrivals in hotels, short-stay accommodation and campsites by regional unit, 2025 final data (Tables 3 and 15).
Where Milos ranks
Who Milos suits, and who should skip it
Milos suits couples who want sunsets from Plaka, seafood in Adamas and long days on the water. It suits active teens too: snorkeling, kayaking in the sea caves, and swimming between the white rocks at Sarakiniko. See how it compares in our couples ranking.
It suits families with small children less well. Several of the best beaches are reached down rough tracks, ladders or by boat, and there are no large family resorts. There is also no nightlife to speak of; that is Mykonos.
Where to stay: Adamas, Plaka or Pollonia
- Adamas is the port, with most of the restaurants, car rentals and boat tours. On Kayak, the cheapest room rated 3 stars or better within about 2 miles of the center was $291 for July 14, 2027 (a 4-star listing), taxes and fees in.
- Plaka, the hilltop capital, has the Kastro and the sunset view, and a few small boutique hotels.
- Pollonia, a fishing village in the northeast, is the quiet base and the ferry point for Kimolos.
Most beds on Milos are unrated rooms, studios and apartments, which Kayak lists without stars. That is why the 3-star floor is high. In winter the picture is starker. For January 13, 2027, Kayak returned priced results for just 35 stays, against 68 for July 14, and only one rated 3 stars or better: $220. Unrated rooms started at $58. Many Cycladic hotels close from November to April.
Beaches: dozens, all different
- Sarakiniko: smooth white volcanic rock and a narrow inlet; more rock than sand, and exposed when the north wind blows.
- Kleftiko: white cliffs, arches and sea caves on the southwest coast, reached by boat tour or kayak.
- Firiplaka: a long sandy beach under colored cliffs, sheltered from the north wind.
- Tsigrado: a tiny cove reached down a rope and ladder.
- Paliochori: sand and pebbles with warm volcanic water seeping into the shallows.
- Provatas: a sandy bay with shallow water, the easiest choice with children.
- Papafragas: a deep rock inlet on the north coast.
Our score is 8 out of 10: some of the most striking swimming spots in Greece, with the caveat that many need a car, a boat or a scramble, and wind decides which coast works each day.
Things to do
- A boat day around the island to Kleftiko and Sykia cave, with swim stops.
- Plaka and the Kastro: climb to the church at the top for the sunset over the bay.
- The Catacombs of Milos, an early Christian burial site near Trypiti.
- Ancient Melos: the Roman theater and the spot where the Venus de Milo was found.
- Klima and Mandrakia: fishing villages of boathouses, called syrmata, painted in bright colors at the waterline.
- The Milos Mining Museum in Adamas, about the island's long mining history.
- Kimolos: a short ferry from Pollonia to a quieter island next door.
Our things-to-do score is 6.5 out of 10: excellent water days and villages, but beyond them a handful of sights.
When to go
June and September are best: warm sea, calmer days and boat tours running. July and August are busy and the meltemi, the strong north wind of the Aegean from about mid-May to mid-September, can cancel boat trips to Kleftiko and make the north coast beaches rough. On those days, head to Firiplaka, Provatas or Paliochori on the south coast. In winter much of the island closes. Check the monthly table below, and our September ranking.
Getting there from the US, and what you need
No airline flies nonstop from the US to Milos (MLO). Fly to Athens, which has nonstops from New York JFK and Newark, and seasonally from Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Philadelphia and Washington Dulles, with Detroit and Seattle added in summer 2027. Sky Express flies Athens to Milos on small planes.
Most visitors take the ferry from Piraeus. Blue Star Ferries sails daily in about 4 hours 35 minutes from $47 (€42), Minoan Lines in about 4 hours from $49 (€44), and the cheapest deck fares on the route start around $37 (€33), per Ferryhopper. Milos also links to Santorini in 1 hour 50 minutes to 5 hours 10 minutes, from $18 (€15.99).
US citizens need a passport valid three months beyond departure from the Schengen area; no visa for 90 days. The EU Entry/Exit System records fingerprints and a photo on arrival; ETIAS is not yet operating. See our passport guide.
What a trip costs
Rated hotels are the expensive way to do Milos: $291 in July and $220 in January at the cheapest 3-star or better on Kayak. Rooms and apartments cost less. Their climate resilience fee is $2.25 (€2) a night for licensed rooms to let and $9 (€8) for short-term rentals from April to October. Hotels charge $5.60 (€5) at 3 stars, $11.20 (€10) at 4 stars and $16.80 (€15) at 5 stars in the same months. Budget for a rental car and a boat day, the two things that make the island work.
Tickets and tours you can book
Adamas: Milos & Polyaigos Full-Day Sailboat Tour with Lunch
Lunch, snacks, soft drinks, white wine and snorkel masks are included; hotel pickup is not. Kleftiko's sea caves are only reachable by boat, so this is the trip to book.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
Milos Small-Group Full-Day Cruise with Snorkelling and Lunch
Meze, lunch, wine, beer, snorkel gear and GoPro photos are included; the route can change with the wind. POLCO Sailing runs it.
Rating as shown on Viator
Milos: Semi-Private Sailing Tour to Kleftiko / All-inclusive
Lunch, drinks, snorkel gear and underwater photos are included; towels and hotel transfer are not.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.
Frequently asked questions
Is Milos worth visiting?
Yes, from June to September, if you want boat days, unusual beaches and quiet villages, and will rent a car. It is less suited to families with small children or anyone after nightlife.
How do you get to Kleftiko?
Only by sea. Boat tours leave from Adamas and Pollonia in summer, and some sea kayak tours paddle there. Trips are cancelled when the wind is strong.
Do you need a car on Milos?
Almost certainly. Buses connect Adamas with Plaka, Pollonia and a few beaches, but many of the best coves are down dirt tracks, and an ATV or car gives you the flexibility to follow the wind.
Is Milos expensive?
For rated hotels, yes: the cheapest 3-star-or-better room in Adamas on Kayak was $291 for July 14, 2027. Unrated rooms and apartments are cheaper and are how most visitors stay.
Which Milos beaches are best when it is windy?
When the north wind blows, which is often in July and August, the south coast is your friend: Firiplaka, Provatas, Paliochori and Tsigrado are sheltered. Sarakiniko and Papafragas on the north coast are best on calm days.
How do you get from Athens to Milos?
Ferry from Piraeus with Blue Star Ferries, Minoan Lines and others in about 2 hours 30 minutes to 7 hours, from about $37 (€33), or a short Sky Express flight from Athens.
Further reading
Official sources
- ELSTAT, Arrivals in hotels, short-stay accommodation and campsites by regional unit, 2025 (final data, Tables 3 and 15) – Milos regional unit (Milos, Kimolos, Sifnos, Serifos) 2025: 74,244 hotel + 186,770 short-stay + 5,663 campsite arrivals; Milos municipality hotels alone 36,757; checked October 20, 2026
- Kayak hotel search, Adamas, Milos – Cheapest 3-star-or-better: $220 (January 13, 2027, the only rated hotel priced) and $291 (July 14, 2027); unrated rooms from $58 in January; checked October 20, 2026
- Ferryhopper, Piraeus to Milos and Milos to Santorini – From $37 (€33), 2 h 30 min to 7 h; Blue Star daily 4 h 35 min from $47 (€42); Minoan 4 h from $49 (€44); Santorini from $18 (€15.99); checked October 20, 2026
- Wikipedia, Milos – Sarakiniko rock formations; Venus de Milo (Aphrodite) found on the island
- Wikipedia, Milos Island National Airport and Athens International Airport airline tables – Sky Express to Athens; no US routes; US nonstops to Athens; checked October 20, 2026
- Greek Law 5177/2025, Article 44 (climate crisis resilience fee), via Taxheaven – Rooms to let $2.25 (€2) and short-term rentals $9 (€8) April-October; hotels by star class; checked October 20, 2026
- US Department of State, Greece travel information; European Commission ETIAS and EES pages – Passport validity, 90-day stay; ETIAS not operating; EES fully operational April 10, 2026; checked October 20, 2026
- European Central Bank reference rate – One euro = $1.1225 on October 19, 2026
