In my last photography guide, I focused on the beautiful island of Paros. Today it's time for another island of the Cyclades, Milos. As you'll learn in this article, it's quite different from Paros, which made it a great next stop on my travels through Greece.
I only had three days on Milos, and I could not explore every photo spot on the island. In the west, you'll find places that can only be reached by boat or with an off-road capable vehicle. Kleftiko is one example. Since I didn't fancy a boat tour, and we only had a regular rental car, I decided to skip the west and save it for another time.
How To Get to Milos
If you travel internationally, there's no direct option to get you to Milos. If you want to fly to Milos, you'll have to switch planes in Athens. Athens airport is the only location from where you can fly to Milos. Be aware that this part of the journey requires you to board a smaller ATR 42-300 / 320 plane. During heavy winds, such flights might be delayed or canceled altogether.
It is what happened to many flights the day we arrived in Milos. We had taken a ferry from Paros. When we got our rental car, the rental agent told us that many customers didn't pick up their rental car because of canceled flights due to strong winds. The ferry ride had also been no pleasure, but at least it got us to Milos.
You can reach Milos via ferry from Piraeus in five to six hours. Those ferries are large and allow you to bring a car if you don't want to rent one on Milos. In addition to that, you can reach Milos from some of the other Cyclades. We took a smaller ferry from Paros, which was also why the ride was so bumpy. The larger car ferries are usually more stable, even on windy days.
I recommend booking the journey from Piraeus with Zante Ferries. We booked our trip from Milos to Piraeus with them. The ferry was spacious, with plenty of open-air decks and seating areas. A faster alternative is via Seajets. But their ferries offer less outside space, and you'll often be confined to the interior of the ferry, which we didn't like so much during the rides we did with them.
Where To Stay on Milos
Staying in the Adamantas area will give you the most flexibility. Via rental car, you'll be able to visit many photogenic places within 30 to 45 minutes. It's also where the harbor is located, and many of the boat tours leave from there.
We were staying in Plaka in the Milos Guesthouse. It's one of the best apartments we ever stayed in during our travels. It has my full recommendation.
If you want to wake up to the waves and jump into the water, check the apartments in Firopótamus.
Photo Spots on Milos
In this part, I will share the photo spots I visited during our stay on Milos.
Plaka Castle
The hill on which the Plaka Castle is situated is visible from many parts of the island. It's a great place to enjoy some 360° views of Milos. Before you reach the top, you'll pass a beautiful church facing the west. It's a great place to photograph the sunset.
Although I didn't stay that long during my visit, I took a photo to document the view for you.
If you plan to visit, park your car in the free parking area. From there, it's a 20 - 25 minute walk to the castle.
Fyriplaka Beach
If you decide to visit Fyriplaka Beach, you'll be amazed by its colorful cliffs. It is a place where you can take photos even on a sunny, cloudless day. Just bring the long lens and zoom in on the details.
Getting to this beach is easy, with either a rental car or scooter. From Adamantas, you'll reach it within 20 - 30 minutes. Only the last kilometer and a short section about half the way to Fyriplaka are unpaved.
In high season Fyriplaka can get crowded, and you'll find next to no shade. That's why I would suggest a visit in the morning or evening.
Sarakiniko
The most popular beach on the island is Sarakiniko. At first, I was skeptical if it could live up to the hype. But I can answer this question with a yes. Sarakiniko's moonlike landscape makes it a great place for photography.
I dedicated most of the sunrises and sunsets I had on Milos to this place, trying to come away with some unique photos. I found both intimate landscape scenes and wide vistas for my photos.
If you visit, make sure to plan in enough time for scouting. You'll find small canyons, structured surfaces, interestingly shaped rocks, and more. And while this place gets crowded during the daytime, at sunset the masses slowly subside. If you want it for yourself, head there before sunrise.
You can reach it in less than 10 minutes by car from Adamantas. There's a large parking lot from where you can walk down to the beach in five minutes.
The Secret Cove
I discovered a spectacular cove during a run along the coast close to Plaka. From the distance, I could already see a massive pillar of rock jutting out of the water. Neither had I seen any photos of it before nor had I read or heard of this location.
As I stood in front of this seascape, I was very excited - from all the places I had visited during my time in Greece, this was without a doubt the best sunset location. As usual, I didn't have any clouds when photographing it. But I'm still pleased by the result.
For this place, I will not give you detailed instructions on how to get there. I call it the secret cove to get you curious, so you start exploring yourself. Above, I already mentioned the area in which you can look for it. From there, it shouldn't be too hard to find.