Practical Information for Milos

Milos has an airport and there is at least one flight a day from Athens. Most people come by daily ferry or highspeed from Pireaus. The ferry takes from five to seven hours, depending on how many stops it has to make beforehand. The highspeed takes about three or four hours. There are daily connections to Sifnos and several connections a week to Santorini, Folegandros, Sikinos and Serifos. There is a midnight ferry to Crete, Karpathos, Kassos and Rhodes that goes three nights a week in the summer.

Many people combine Milos with Sifnos less than an hour away by highspeed ferry and under two hours by regular ferry. Aegean Thesaurus Travel on Sifnos has good rates on all the hotels and more importantly the ferry schedules to coordinate your itinerary. Their website lists the hotels they work with and has photos and descriptions. They are very knowledgeable about the island and can book hotels in Athens as well so it is a good idea to work with them rather than trying to piece everything together on your own or with a variety of travel agents.

There are a number of car-rental and motorbike rental agencies on the island and one or the other is recommended. It is a big island with lots to see. You can rent them locally or if you want to make sure you have one when you arrive contact Aegean Thesaurus Travel  and the car will be waiting for you when you get off the ferry or delivered to you at your hotel. There is a local bus system that goes to all the other towns and many of the beaches. The terminal is in the main square in the port of Adamas right in front of the Portiani Hotel. Right next to it is the taxi station. The excursion boats are located right at the docks in front of the Hotel Portiani. Each one has a map of where they stop and in the evening there is usually someone there to tell you where they go and why you should take that boat in particular. We took the Delfini which left from Kypos on the other side of the island because we did not want to spend the whole day on the boat. My friend Sakis from the Hotel Atalos in Athens took the Catamaran and he raved about it.

Adamas has a pharmacy, lots of cafes and restaurants, super-markets, gift shops, ticket offices for the ferries, several excellent traditional bakeries and two facinating shops that sell traditional food from the island: one across the street from the Portiani Hotel and the other on the main street that leaves the port going towards Plaka. The second one is run by Panaiotis Vichos who is a sort of traditional foods celebrity and I strongly suggest stopping in there to see what he has or to taste his delicious wine. Anything you can find in Adamas you can also find in Plaka (except a beach). There is a laundrumat in Adamas so for those who have been doing their laundry in the sink there is relief in Milos. There are two internet cafes in Adamas but I could only find one of them. Be sure to visit the Mineral Museum too.

Maps of the island are available at any of the travel agencies and also in the hotel lobbies. There are several local guidebooks. We bought the Milos Island Tourist Guide which is full of historical and current information and great photos. You can buy it in any bookshop but we happened to buy ours in Sifnos. Someone in Milos is doing a thriving business-card and brochure business and you can find information on restaurants, excursions, cafes and everything you need just by picking up every one you see. Also the Welcome to Milos Island free info book is very helpful.

To book a holiday in Milos I highly recommend Aegean Thesaurus Travel right next door on the island of Sifnos.

I visited Milos several years ago and you can read about my misadventures at www.greektravel.com/greekislands/milos.html

Return to Milos Index