History, Culture & Beaches Await You On the Greek Island Of Milos

Milos, Greece

Ancient Greece has always been a subject that has fascinated me, so when my friends and I decided we wanted an island holiday, I threw Greece into the hat immediately. We decided on the beautiful island of Milos, where the famous Venus de Milo was found back in 1820. It would be the perfect beach getaway, mixed with some fascinating history.

Something that a lot of the guidebooks (well, websites in these days) said was that these islands off the coast of Greece were beautiful in summer but incredibly busy. This seemed less than ideal so we opted to go out of season, which is good for the budget too. October seems like the perfect time of year – the summer crowds have left but the weather is still warm enough for long, lazy days on the beach. It’s also not so hot that exploring the island is so draining.

The town of Adamantas, more commonly referred to as Adamas, is the largest one on the island and offers the most options in terms of accommodation and restaurants. This is also closest to the airport and the harbor where the majority of the ferries dock. It’s where we chose to call home for our week on the island.

We took a tiny plane from Athens International airport over to the island – so small it had old-school propellors on the wings. The ferry is also a great way to travel because you get to see the amazing Mediterranean Ocean and several other islands along the way. However, it was quite a long journey from the port of Piraeus at between five and seven hours, and we wanted to get started with our beach trip.

We spent the first couple of days walking through the town and to the closest beaches. Then we wanted to get more adventurous, so we hired a car from the rental place on the Main Road. The woman who owned the place was from Zimbabwe and had retired to the island nearly twenty years earlier. She had some great stories to tell. In places like Milos, it’s always worth taking the time to chat to the locals.

With our little hatchback, we headed off to the amazing beaches like Sarakiniko and Firopotamos (our favorite), and then up to the other town of note, Pollonia. It was fun because all the road signs were written in the Greek alphabet and none of us knew how to read it.

One day, we went in search of some of the famous ancient history the region has. We walked around the catacombs, up through the Plaka and then stumbled upon the site where the Venus de Milo was found, which was one of the mega bonuses of the trip. It was completely by chance that we spotted the plaque on a rock on the side of the road. You also have to climb through bushes on an overgrown path to see the actual site. It’s a little bit of a letdown but felt pretty cool to stand there for someone who loves ancient Greek history.

Milos truly is a stunning place with a lot of culture, history and charm. It’s well worth a visit any time from early spring through to autumn.