Milos

Cyclades

Marble from the nearby island of Paros was used to carve one of the most famous and beautiful statues in the world, the Venus de Milo, a statue of Venus found on Milos.

The Venus Found on Milos

 It came to light on 8th April 1820 when a local farmer found a cave in a field he owned, inside which was half of the statue. The other half was soon found and the whole statue was bought the following year as a gift for Louis XVIII, which is how it found its way to its current home in the Louvre. 

The spot where the first half of the statue was found is marked by a plaque close to the Christian Catacombs, in Trypiti. The Catacombs are the only example of their kind in Greece, believed to contain up to 8000 bodies in the 291 tombs that have been discovered.

Photo by Milan Gonda (see more of his photos on our page Photos of Greece).

Milos Museums

Trypiti is almost a suburb of the main town, Plaka, though to talk of suburbs is misleading as the entire island only has a population of less than 5000, boosted in summer by visiting tourists, though not yet in great numbers. Plaka stands on what is thought to be the original acropolis on Milos, dating back to roughly 1100-800BC. 

The Folk Museum tells the island’s more recent history, with a good collection of fascinating old photographs alongside the inevitable folk costumes and crafts.  Milos also has an unusual museum for Greece, a Mining Museum, which shows the interesting history of the mining of rocks and minerals on the island. Another of the island's museums is the Ecclesiastical Museum, which is by the waterfront in Adamas and is inside the thousand-year-old church of the Holy Trinity (Ayia Triada).

There is also an Archaeological Museum in Plaka, where visitors are greeted by a copy of the famous Venus, while inside are remains from the island’s most significant site, that of Ancient Philakopi. 

Philakopi is towards the north of the island although little remains to be seen as much has been lost to the sea. Two of the finest finds from the site are on show in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, these being a 4th-century BC statue of Poseidon, and a 6th-century BC kouros, a statue of a young man not fated to achieve quite the same fame as the Venus de Milo.

Visiting Kimolos

It's easy to visit the neighbouring little island of Kimolos from Milos, as there are several ferries a day in high season making the 30-minute trip. For more information see our Kimolos page.

Getting to Milos

The most convenient way to get to Milos from outside Greece is usually by taking a flight to Athens and then a flight or ferry to Milos.

Flights to Milos
There are usually one or two flights a day between Athens and Milos with Olympic Air, with a journey time of about 40 minutes.

Ferries to Milos
There are regular ferry connections to Milos from Piraeus and from most of the other Cyclades Islands. Ferried from Piraeus run several times a week (but not daily) with a journey time of anything from 3-5 hours, depending on the service.

Ferries in Greece

Ferries in Greece has an excellent and very thorough website where, in addition to checking ferry schedules and times, you can also book tickets and get lots of useful information about travelling by ferry in Greece.

Where to Eat on Milos

Read this piece from the UK's Guardian newspaper on Marvellous Milos: the Greek island full of fresh flavours.

Where to Stay on Milos

You might like our other Cyclades pages...

  • Antiparos

    Travel information about Antiparos near Paros in the Cyclades Islands of Greece from the Greece Travel Secrets website.

  • Andros in the Cyclades Islands of Greece

    The island of Andros in the Cyclades has fast ferries from Rafina. There are some good beaches and the main town has two interesting museums.

  • Anafi in the Cyclades islands of Greece

    Travel advice and information on Anafi in the Greek Cyclades islands with good beaches, walking, accommodation, tavernas.

  • Amorgos in the Cyclades Islands of Greece

    Travel advice and information on Amorgos in the Cyclades, a dramatic and growing holiday destination with ferries from Athens and other Greek islands

  • Mykonos

    Mykonos in the Cyclades islands in Greece has cheap and luxury hotel accommodation, car rental, ferries from Athens, Santorini, Crete and other Greek islands.

  • Things to Do on Mykonos

    There are plenty of things to do on Mykonos, one of the most popular Greek islands, such as nightlife, beaches, churches and visiting the ancient site of Delos.

  • How to Get from Mykonos to Santorini

    You can get from Mykonos to Santorini, and of course from Santorini to Mykonos, by ferry, by plane (sort-of) or even by helicopter.

  • Schinoussa and Iraklia Travel Guide

    This is the first travel guide to Schinoussa and Iraklia, two tiny islands in the Cyclades, published by Real Greek Experiences.

  • Tinos in the Cyclades Islands of Greece

    The island of Tinos in the Cyclades has several daily ferry connections from Rafina on the Greek mainland and is most famous for the Feast of the Assumption.

  • Syros

    Syros is in the Cyclades islands, with Ermoupoli as its main town and some good beaches, described here on the Greece Travel Secrets website.

  • Sikinos

    Surrounded by bigger and better-known Cyclades islands such as Ios, Naxos and Santorini, Sikinos is a delightfully untouristy island.

  • Sifnos

    Sifnos is one of the smaller islands in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea.

  • Serifos

    Serifos is one of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea, a rugged and mountainous island with a small population.

  • Paros in the Cyclades Islands in Greece

    The island of Paros in the Cyclades is famous for its marble, and on this page you can also see information about flights and ferries to Paros.

  • Naxos in the Cyclades Islands of Greece

    The island of Naxos is the largest of the Cyclades and on this page you can see information about flights and ferries to Naxos.

  • Kythnos

    Kythnos is a small island in the Cyclades in the Aegean Sea, with easy access from Athens and popular with Athenians on summer weekends.

  • Kimolos

    Kimolos is in the Cyclades islands of Greece, close to Milos.

  • Kea

    Kea is in the Cyclades group of Greek islands and this page from Greece Travel Secrets shows how to get there by ferry and what to do when you've arrived.

  • Ios in the Cyclades Islands of Greece

    The island of Ios in the Cyclades group of islands in Greece is noted for its nightlife in summer, as well as its beaches, churches and the grave of Homer.

  • Folegandros

    Travel information from Greece Travel Secrets about Folegandros in the southern Cyclades, close to Sikinos, with flight and ferry information.

  • Delos in the Cyclades Islands of Greece

    The island of Delos in the Cyclades islands is a unique archaeological site, taking up the whole island, and a popular day trip from nearby Mykonos.

  • Cyclades

    Travel information about the Cyclades group of Greek islands including Mykonos, Santorini (Thira), Naxos, Paros, Delos, Tinos, Siros, Milos, Amorgos.

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