9 Reasons You Should Skip Santorini and Mykonos and Visit Milos Instead
This Cycladic gem has everything you’d want in a Greek island getaway—stunning beaches, charming villages, and an easygoing vibe.
The island of Milos might not be the first Greek island that comes to mind when you picture a trip to the sun-kissed Mediterranean country, but it should be!
The landscapes here are unreal, with white volcanic cliffs, crystal-clear water, and colorful fishing villages that look straight out of a postcard. It’s the kind of place where you can spend your days swimming in the clearest water, wandering picture-perfect streets, and catching sunsets from a hilltop castle.
I truly fell in love with Milos – it really is the perfect Mediterranean getaway. These are the top reasons that Milos is worth visiting.
9 Amazing Reasons to Visit Milos
1. The Unbelievable Beaches
It’s not coincidence that the beaches are first on this list – Milos’ beaches are seriously incredible. The entire island is filled with gorgeous beach after gorgeous beach, each one surrounded by crystal clear, clean water. Many of the beaches have really unique features or landscapes, too. For example…
Sarakiniko Beach, known for its white, moon-like landscape and excellent cliff-jumping spots, is one of the most unique beaches in all of Europe.
Papafragas Beach, on the other hand, is located between tall cliffs, with passages leading to various caves.
One thing we loved about Provatas Beach was how incredibly calm, clear, and shallow the water was, even when going fairly far out from shore.
And Plathiena Beach was an incredible spot to watch the sun go down. Honestly, you could stay weeks on Milos and never run out of beaches to relax on.
2. The Windmill Guesthouses
Windmills have been part of Milos since the 18th and 19th centuries, built to harness the island’s strong Aegean winds for grinding grain.
Most of the windmills are found near the village of Trypiti, although they’re not in use anymore. Some can be visited as an attraction, and several have been converted into guesthouses.
We stayed in one of these windmills during our time in Milos and it was honestly pretty epic. The windmill sits in the middle of a whitewashed terrace, with a nice sitting area that overlooks the sea and the church in Trypiti. This west-facing view was an incredible sunset spot!
Check prices and availability for this windmill guesthouse here
Inside, the windmill had three levels and the quaintest little rooms. For us, this was a bucket list experience (at honestly very reasonable prices). Which brings me to my next point…
3. Cheaper than Santorini and Mykonos
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly beach holiday, Milos is a solid option, and certainly much, much more affordable than either the much more popular Santorini or Mykonos. While you won’t have absolutely rock bottom prices, your euros can go pretty far here, especially considering what a nice experience you’ll be having.
4. Unbelievable Boat Cruises
When you’re visiting Milos, you absolutely need to save a day to do a full-day boat cruise around the island. This is such an idyllic way to spend a day in Greece and Milos makes for the perfect spot for a Mediterranean cruise.
Case in point: I spent about 4 months total traveling in 2024, and our boat day in Milos was easily one of my top 3 favorite days of the year.
On our boat cruise, we joined a small group of other travelers (there were about 10 of us total), plus a really friendly local couple on their boat, and took off around the island.
We went to beautiful coves and caves, admired the craggly coastline, ate delicious homemade food, and swam, snorkeled, and cliff jumped in the Mediterranean multiple times. The water is unbelievably clear and turqouise and so inviting on a hot summer afternoon.
Normally, the boat cruises will go out to Kleftiko and Sikia Caves – two gorgeous spots with enormous natural stone arches and caves on the west coast of Milos. However, because of bad sea conditions on that side of the island, we had to change our itinerary and go elsewhere.
I really liked that even though we missed the coolest rock formations, we still went to other interesting spots and that the day wasn’t just completely cancelled.
There are a lot of boat cruise options on Milos, but I can highly, highly recommend this all day, small group cruise on Milos. We had the absolute perfect day with them, which was a highlight of our visit to Milos.
Check prices and availability for this boat cruise here
5. The Great Restaurants
One of the best things about Greece is the food, bar none. In fact, I think its been my favorite destination for cuisine (with Vietnam being my second choice).
And the good news is that Milos has excellent restaurants, with great atmosphere and delicious food that’s a combination of traditional Greek cuisine and fresh seafood. Many of the restaurants are beachfront or waterfront, some even with the tables right in the sand.
We particularly loved:
- The Mine Bar in Plaka
- Astakas in Klima
- Nama in Pollonia
- Okto on Trypiti
Seriously, I don’t think we had a bad dish the entire time we were on Milos.
6. Manageable Crowds
There’s nothing that can really put a damper on a fun time like being shoulder to shoulder with other tourists for your entire vacation. Thankfully, while Milos certainly has other tourists, its not nearly as packed as popular spots like Santorini, Mykonos, or even the Acropolis in Athens.
In fact, we visited at the height of peak season, in mid-August, and never felt like there were “bad crowds” during our stay.
7. The Charming Villages
Milos’ villages have a traditional Cycladic style look—whitewashed buildings, narrow alleys, and flowers spilling over balconies. Plaka, the island’s capital, has the prettiest streets and a hilltop castle with unreal sunset views.
Trypiti is another charming spot, known for its windmills and laid-back vibe. Adamas, where the port is, is surprisingly nice for a port town, with waterfront cafes and a relaxed atmosphere.
Then there’s Mandrakia and Klima, the island’s colorful fishing villages, where brightly painted boat garages sit right on the water, making them some of the most photogenic places on Milos.
8. It’s Not a Party Island
Okay, I get that this one will be a con for some people, but for us, it was perfect. Milos is not an island that you go for partying, although there is some nightlife in Adamas. Most of the island is quieter and more laidback, and while there are bars around, it’s not really a party amosphere.
9. It’s Easy to Get To
Milos is part of the Cyclades islands and is well-connected to Athens and other Greek islands. It takes just under 3 hours by ferry to reach Milos from Athens.
Another easy island to visit is Sifnos, a very short distance away and on the same ferry route as the Athens-Milos route. Other easy and popular choices from Milos include Paros, Naxos, Santorini, Mykonos, and Ios.
Milos also does have a small airport, the Milos Island National Airport, but most visitors find it easier to arrive by ferry.
The Wrap Up
Milos is a seriously underrated Greek island destination. Here you’ll find a perfect spot to relax, soak in the vibes, eat absolutely delicious food, and explore incredible beaches. And all without the crazy crowds and higher prices of other spots. For these reasons and more, you need to put Milos at the top of your ‘next destination’ list.
