Milos, a gem in the Aegean Sea, offers a tranquil escape on a charmingly small scale that showcases the allure of Greek island life.

We fell totally in love with the island when we visited for 5 days in August 2023 before a friend’s wedding. The island's unique volcanic origin shapes its dramatic coastlines and provides stunning beaches. Life here moves at a leisurely slow pace and the food is outstanding. Milos is a tiny island, so small that we spent the whole time getting around on a quad bike and managed to explore most of it.

In this guide, we will discuss the different areas of the island and tell you where the best places to stay in Milos are.

Oh, by the way, the food is AMAZING here!

The main towns in Milos

There are 3 main towns in Milos:

Adamantas (or Adamas)
Plaka
Pollonia

Adamantas (Adamas)

Best for travel convenience

As Milos' main port and a central hub, Adamantas is the best place to stay if travel convenience is your top priority. It’s the town where the ferry comes in to and all the bus routes on the Island go via this town.

Adamantas also has a large number of ATV and car rental companies and plenty of restaurants and bars for you to enjoy. It’s also right on the coast and next to the long span of Papikinou beach.

If you’ve booked a boat tour then you will be leaving from the port in Adamantas.

Plaka

The capital - the most common place for tourists to stay

Plaka, the capital, is the buzzing tourist heart of the island. Plaka is located at the top of a large hill and the vibe is like many other quaint European old towns and thankfully cars can’t drive into central Plaka. There are numerous bars, restaurants and cafes to explore in the town. You can also get some incredible views of the Island and the Aegean Sea from Plaka, particularly at sunset; just be prepared to tackle quite the incline for the best view.

If you want to be close to Plaka but want a bit more of a rural and local experience, you should consider staying in the local towns of Trypiti and Triovasalos. These are just a short ATV trip away from Plaka (it’s essentially 1 big town with 3 areas) but offer a bit more of a quiet, rustic and local feel.

(We stayed in Triovasalos during our trip and we thought it was perfect).

Pollonia

In the North East of the Island, Pollonia strikes a balance between tranquillity and luxury. The village itself is quieter and a more traditional village but expect lots of fancy hotels and beach clubs in the area as well.

Places to stay in Pollonia are on the pricier side but the exquisite hotels and villas offer an unmatched level of comfort and style right by the sea.

Zefyria

For a more off-the-beaten-path stay you can stay in Zefyria which is a town in the centre of the Island. It used to be the capital (or chief town) before the title was given to Plaka.

Local Life in Milos’ Fishing Villages

For a truly unique stay, consider the fishing villages of Klima, Mandrakia and Firopotamas. These villages used to be thriving with fishermen who built shacks on the shoreline to store their boats and equipment. Many of these shacks have now been converted into places to stay for tourists as well as holiday homes.

When we were visiting these villages we managed to peak into some and they looked incredible. A very unique stay right on the water! It won’t come as a surprise that these colourful houses by the sea attract tourists and photo shoots.

Get off the beaten path

Aside from the places we’ve mentioned above, you will find a large number of villas, hotels and Airbnb’s dotted all around the island. If you want somewhere that is truly remote you can stay anywhere in Milos and have a great time. It’s a small place so as long as you have a car or ATV, then nowhere is out of your reach.

Getting Around Milos

Get a car or ATV to get yourself around the Island - ATVs (quadbikes) are better as you can drive up much closer to places, manoeuvre into smaller car parks spaces and get to certain parts of the island that cars can’t get to. Book ahead online for better rates, you’ll still be able to get them once you arrive but they will cost more and in peak season you may have to shop around for availability.

We hired an ATV and loved the freedom it gave us, allowing us to really embrace island life with the wind in our hair.

Make sure you get a powerful one (450cc for a couple). A smaller 150cc quad will be cheaper but will struggle on the steeper roads. You can only get to the Eastern and Western parts of the island on ATV as the roads aren’t good enough or cars

If driving isn’t your thing then you can also get buses to most of the main parts of the Island but the bus timetable can be hard to navigate. Each stop has a timetable but the timetable only tells you when the bus is leaving the first station so it comes down to guess work (we’d advise checking Google Maps), estimating how long the drive would be and then be at the stop at that time. Each bus journey costs €2.

Milos bus timetable and routes

Conclusion

Milos offers a diverse range of accommodations, from the buzzing streets of Plaka to the quaint fishing villages where you can immerse yourself in the local way of life. Choose a spot that resonates with your travel style and prepare for an unforgettable stay on this enchanting island.