Milos, Greece: A 4-night itinerary for couples who want beaches without the crowds

We came to Milos on a recommendation. A few friends had been and said the same three things: beaches, food, repeat. No lengthy pitch. No caveats. Just “go.”

They were right. Milos is one of the best Greek islands we’ve visited – and we’ve visited a few. It delivers everything the popular islands promise, without the crowds that make those islands exhausting. For couples with limited annual leave, that balance matters.

Here’s exactly how we did 4 nights, what it cost, and what we’d do differently.

---

Is Milos worth It? Here’s what we think

Milos is a volcanic island in the Cyclades. It’s known for its beaches – over 70 of them, each one different. Some are sandy and calm. Some are rocky and wild. One looks like the surface of the moon.

What surprised us was the price. Restaurants, drinks, car hire – it was all more affordable than we expected. That’s partly because Milos hasn’t hit the same level of tourism as Mykonos or Santorini. The local businesses haven’t had to price gouge yet.

That said, it’s not a party island. There are good restaurant-bars and late nights are possible. But if you’re chasing clubs and packed beach bars, Milos will disappoint you. It’s built for people who want to slow down – just with really good food and seriously blue water.

---

How do you get to Milos, Greece?

The standard route: Fly into Athens, then take a ferry or a short domestic flight to Milos.

The ferry from Athens (Piraeus port) takes around 4–7 hours depending on the service. The flight is under an hour. Milos does have its own airport – fair warning, it’s tiny. When we stepped onto the tarmac, it genuinely looked like someone’s backyard. It’s functional, but don’t expect much.

We came from Mykonos. We took the SuperJet service by SeaJets – a fast ferry that took just over three hours. We departed at 4:40pm and arrived before 8:00pm. It’s a smooth, comfortable ride and the booking is straightforward online.

Worth noting: the standard advice is to arrive 30 minutes before departure. In practice, we aimed for 30–45 minutes to be safe. The ferry terminals in Greece can get busy and you don’t want to be rushing.

For Australians and other long-haul travellers: Build in at least one night in Athens either side. Piraeus is a short metro ride from the city centre. Treat the Athens stopover as part of the trip, not a layover.

---

When should you go?

Go between May and September. That’s when the weather is good, the ferries run reliably, and everything is open.

We went in August. It was warm and sunny every day – but not unbearably hot. Milos can get windy, and some days it did. That’s not a complaint; it actually made the beach days more comfortable. Just know that wind can pick up, especially at exposed beaches like Sarakiniko.

Outside of peak season, some restaurants and businesses close. We can’t speak to what the off-season experience is like.

---

Milos Greece: Where to stay and the best area to base yourself

Milos Bay Suites

If you’re trying to figure out the best area to stay in Milos, the answer for most couples is Adamantas – the main town. It’s where the ferry port is, where the restaurants are, and where you’ll start and end most days. That’s where we based ourselves, at Milos Bay Suites, and it was a good call for the way we travel.

Here’s why we chose it: it’s under 1km from the ferry port and about 600-700m from the main strip in Adamantas. When you arrive on a late ferry, tired and hungry, you want to walk to your accommodation – not deal with taxis. And when you’re heading out for dinner each night, you want to be close to the restaurants. Milos Bay Suites ticked both boxes.

It also has parking, which matters when you hire a car.

What it looks like: Very Greek. Curved white walls, white and grey tones throughout, clean and spacious. The place has two rooms, a kitchenette, one bathroom, and a small balcony. One room had a proper bed. The other was a lounge and kitchen area with a pull-out bed. It worked perfectly for four people.

Fair warning: it’s two rooms, not two bedrooms. That’s an important distinction. Read the listing carefully before booking.

Cost: We paid USD ~$1,050 (AUD $1,680) for 4 nights between two couples. That’s roughly USD ~$525 (AUD $840) per couple, or around USD ~$130 (AUD $210) per couple per night.

Would we stay again? Yes – but with one caveat. We were out from morning to night. The accommodation was a place to sleep, shower, and eat a takeaway. If you’re planning to spend time at the property itself – reading by a pool, lingering over breakfast – you’d want something more upscale. For us, it did exactly what we needed.

Check availability and prices on Booking.com →

---

Milos Greece things to do: A 4-night, 3 full days itinerary

Night 1 – Arrive, eat, sleep

We got off the ferry and walked straight to our accommodation. Once we’d checked in and dropped our bags, we ordered souvlaki from Gyros of Milos on the main strip. Friends had told us it was the best souvlaki on the island. They weren’t wrong.

We ate in the room and called it a night. That’s the right move on an arrival evening. Don’t try to cram in a dinner reservation. You’re tired and you have four days ahead of you.

---

Day 2 – Beach hopping by car

This was our main beach day. It started with a mission we hadn’t planned for.

The ATV problem. We wanted to hire an ATV for the day. We didn’t book one in advance and – in peak season – that was a mistake. Every rental place we tried either had nothing available or required a minimum 2–3 day booking. We only needed one day. After a long search, we gave up and hired a small car from Milos Cars Rent A Car instead. The car was fine, but we’d have preferred the ATV for the narrow roads and the experience.

Book your ATV before you arrive. This is the single most important logistical tip in this article.

We also grabbed a savoury scroll from Artemis Bakery in the morning. Solid classic bakery – good pastries, a few sweets. Worth stopping in.

Beach 1: Plathiena Beach. A calm, accessible beach with striking blue water. It even has a ramp for wheelchair access into the sea, which we thought was a lovely touch. Good spot for a first swim of the trip.

Beach 2: The quiet rocky beach (Greek name: Μονάδα Αφαλάτωσης Μήλου). This one was recommended for its privacy. There’s a hike down to reach it, so be prepared. The beach itself is rocky – you’ll want to move fast from the shore into the water because it hurts your feet. But once you’re in, it’s worth it. There are small caves around the headland that you can swim through. We had the place almost to ourselves.

Lunch: Back to the main town for gyros from Gyros of Milos. At around €4 each, two gyros sorted us for lunch. Easy decision.

Beach 3: Sarakiniko Beach. This one gets a lot of attention and it earns it. The landscape is white volcanic rock carved into smooth curves – it genuinely looks like the moon. There’s not much sand; you sunbathe on the rock or float in the water when it gets too hot. Most people jump off the cliffs here, and we did too. It was packed compared to our other beaches, but the setting is unlike anywhere else we’ve swum.

Want to read more about the beaches in Milos? Check out our guide to the Best beaches in Milos

Late afternoon: Cocktails in Adamantas. We met up with our friends and found a restaurant-bar on the main strip for happy hour. Good drinks, relaxed vibe – a solid way to wind down after a day of driving and swimming.

Evening: Plaka and dinner at Methismeni Politia. As sunset approached, we walked up to the Venetian Castle of Plaka (Kastro). The views are genuinely impressive. But here’s what we’d tell you honestly: it’s a steep hike in the heat, and you can’t drive up – the road is blocked. There are spots to get drinks on the walk up, but we were moving fast and missed them.

We were sweating by the time we got there. The sunset was worth it, just about. If we went back, we’d leave earlier and take our time on the way up rather than rushing.

Dinner: We ate at Methismeni Politia, near Plaka. Outdoor seating, beautiful setting at night, and a solid menu. Highlights were the honey saganaki, pastiso, oven-baked lamb and potatoes, greek salad, and chicken in paper. The bill for four people came to around USD ~$75–100 (AUD $120–160).

---

Day 3 – Full day boat cruise

This was the best day of the trip.

We booked a “Guided Day Cruise to Kleftiko with Lunch” through GetYourGuide. The cruise stops at multiple caves and bays around the island. There’s swimming, jumping off the boat, drinks on board, and a home-cooked lunch. It’s a full day on the water.

One stop stood out above everything else. Our skipper took a smaller jet boat to reach Papafragas – a beach tucked inside a sea cave. It’s officially closed to the public due to falling rock risk and difficult access. The only way to get there is by boat, with someone who knows the route. We anchored just inside the cave entrance. The water was a colour we don’t have a word for.

It was the moment of the trip.

Dinner: We tried to get into Oh Hamos that evening but arrived too late – they’d stopped adding names to the waitlist. We went to Nostos Seafood Experience nearby instead. It was a lighter, quicker meal – ceviche, calamari, a pasta dish. Good food, no complaints. We filed away the Oh Hamos miss for the following night.

---

Day 4 – Beaches by bus, dinner at Oh Hamos

We didn’t have the car on our last full day. We took the local bus instead – €2 per ride, which is very reasonable.

Tsigrado Beach was our first stop. It’s known for having a ladder descent down the cliff face to reach the beach. We hiked to the top, looked down at the water, and decided it didn’t look great that day. We skipped it.

Fyriplaka Beach was next. Bigger, busier, and wavier than the other beaches we’d visited. There were plenty of cabanas for hire if you want shade. We just found a spot on the sand. It was a good beach for a lazy final day – nothing dramatic, just nice swimming.

Dinner: Oh Hamos. We went early this time. We still had to join a waitlist – about 30 minutes – but you can get drinks while you wait across the road, so it’s not as painful as it sounds.

Oh Hamos is the kind of restaurant you don’t forget. The menu is a handwritten booklet. Every table is packed. It’s loud and warm and completely unpretentious. We ordered mojitos, keftedes (meatballs), oven-baked lamb and potatoes, married chickpeas, saganaki, tzatziki, and a chocolate hazelnut mousse to finish.

Honestly, the keftedes and the lamb were exceptional. The mousse was the kind of dessert you think about for days afterwards. The bill for four came to around USD ~$75–100 (AUD $120–160). For what we ate and drank, that felt like a genuine bargain.

---

Where should you eat in Milos?

Here’s the short version:

Gyros of Milos – Get the pork or chicken gyros. The pita is fluffy, the ingredients are quality, and it’s about €4 each. Two gyros is a full lunch. This is your go-to for quick meals.

Oh Hamos – Go early, get on the waitlist, get drinks while you wait. Order the keftedes, the oven-baked lamb, and the chocolate hazelnut mousse. It’ll be the best meal of your trip.

Methismeni Politia – Near Plaka Castle. Outdoor seating, lovely setting at night, good traditional menu. The honey saganaki and the chicken in paper are worth ordering.

Nostos Seafood Experience – Solid and reliable for a lighter dinner. Good if Oh Hamos is full and you don’t want to wait.

Artemis Bakery – Stop in for a savoury scroll in the morning. Nothing more complicated than that.

---

Who is Milos right for?

Go if:

• You’re a couple who wants calm, beautiful beaches and good food
• You enjoy exploring at your own pace without crowds
• You’re island-hopping around Greece and want something less commercial than Mykonos or Santorini
• Budget matters – Milos is meaningfully cheaper than most comparable Greek destinations

Don’t go if:

• You’re looking for nightlife and clubs – it’s not that kind of island
• You have mobility concerns – some of the best beaches require steep descents on rocky terrain
• You won’t hire a car or ATV – the bus works, but the best spots require independent transport

Deciding between islands? Check out another island we visited: Paros, Greece: A 4-night itinerary for couples who want more than just beaches

---

Logistics: Getting around Milos

Hire a car or ATV. This is the only way to access the full range of beaches without being dependent on timetables. The roads are narrow and winding in places, which is exactly why an ATV suits them – but a small car works fine too.

Critical: Book your ATV before you arrive, especially in peak season. We didn’t, and we paid for it with a long morning of searching. Most operators want a minimum 2–3 day booking. If you only need one day, you’ll struggle. Book online before you fly.

We used Milos Cars Rent A Car and had no complaints.

The local bus is a good backup for days you don’t have wheels. It’s €2 per ride and covers the main beaches and towns. It’s not going to get you everywhere, but it’s reliable for the basics.

Taxis exist, but we didn’t use them. We can’t speak to availability or cost.

---

What does a 4-night trip to Milos cost?

We spent around USD ~$1,130 (AUD $1,800) per couple for the full 4 nights. That covered:

• Accommodation (4 nights at Milos Bay Suites, split between two couples)
• Car hire
• The full-day boat cruise
• All food and drinks
• Local transport (bus and ferry)

That’s an honest all-in number for peak season. It felt very good value for what we got.

---

Is there anything the internet gets wrong about Milos?

Not really – which is part of why it surprised us. We’d read that the beaches were beautiful and that the island was less crowded than the big names. That all checked out.

The one thing that doesn’t come through strongly enough in most guides is the transport situation. The ATV and car hire issue is real. You can’t just turn up and sort it out on the day during busy periods. That logistics detail will trip people up.

Everything else – the food, the water, the relaxed pace – lives up to what’s written about it. Milos is one of the top three places we visited on our whole Europe trip. That should tell you something.

---

Summary

---

Frequently asked questions