Milos Beaches: Firiplaka, Sarakiniko and the Quiet Coves

Milos has many quiet beaches scattered round the island, so there is always one sheltered from the Meltemi wind: when it blows from the north you head south to Firiplaka, Tsigrado, Agia Kyriaki or Paliochori, and when it blows from the south you head north to Mitakas, Sarakiniko or Alogomantra. Roads are generally good but worsen past Empourios, and the western beaches, near most of the island's monasteries, need private transport; the best beach reachable by public transport is Paliochori. Remote western beaches double as unofficial naturist beaches, and the lava formations at Kleftiko are reached by excursion boat, as is quiet Empourios across the bay from Adamas. For towns and getting around, see the Milos island guide. Hire a car to explore Milos at your own pace, covered in our Milos car hire guide.

Group

Cyclades

Most photographed

Sarakiniko

Best by bus

Paliochori

Naturist

Agios Ioannis

Firiplaka Beach

Firiplaka is a beautiful sandy beach in the south of Milos and the writer's favourite. The last stretch is a wide, manageable dirt road down to the Tsigrado–Firiplaka junction, with the final approach on foot over flat rocks from the cottage by the beach. In high season a cantina sells drinks and rents umbrellas, but at the end of May everything was closed, so bring water; there are no trees, though the towering grey, white and red cliffs give some shade at the edges. The sea is shallow and clear and the beach clean, and both naturists and people in swimsuits use it; over a few rocks at the end lies another long sandy beach, and a big rock in the sea makes it a postcard view.

Tsigrado Beach

Tsigrado is another magnificent sandy beach next to Firiplaka in the south, reached over the same dirt road for the last stretch. It sits below high cliffs among rocks in turquoise water dotted with rocks, but the way down is a tricky sand path that can be too steep to climb back up, so the best way in is by boat.

Mitakas Beach

Mitakas Beach is a nice, quiet sandy beach on the north side of Milos, just east of the better-known Sarakiniko and reached from a junction on the Adamas–Pollonia road. One side has former cave-dwellings once used to store boats and a single tree for shade, and a neighbouring bay holds small beaches with 'syrmata', houses built into the rocks.

Agia Kyriaki Beach

Agia Kyriaki Beach is a long, wide sandy beach in the south of Milos, just west of the better-known Paliochori. The exit lies just past the village of Zefiria on the right and turns into a sandy track, worst at the start, or you walk about 30 to 45 minutes from the church. At the end of May there were no sunbeds and no open taverna, but trees give shade; the beach is clean and the clear water a beautiful turquoise.

Paliochori Beach

Paliochori Beach, in the south of Milos on the well-paved road via Zefiria, is rated by many as the best on the island and is among the largest. It is a long, wide organized beach with facilities, backed by two more large beaches (three in all), so it never fills even in peak season; in May some umbrellas were for rent and a taverna was open, and a few accommodations sit behind it. It is also the best beach reachable by public transport.

Fyropotamos Beach

Fyropotamos Beach is a small, clean sandy beach just east of the capital Adamas, prized above all for its picturesque bay with a pretty church and colourful 'syrmata' houses built into the rocks. It is reached by a paved road from Adamas with beautiful views on the way, and has parasols, sunbeds and a small cantina.

Provatas Beach

Provatas is a sandy family beach in the south of Milos, set at the narrowest point of the island. Its shallow water makes it safe for small children, the road runs all the way to a large car park, and it is organized with parasols, sunbeds, several tavernas and a few rooms to rent.

Sarakiniko Beach

Sarakiniko Beach lies in the northeast of Milos, a little west of Mitakas and easy to reach from Adamas or Pollonia. It is famous less for the beach than for its unearthly landscape of smooth white rocks, without a single plant, that make it feel like another planet. Eroded over time by sea, rain and wind, the white rock against the turquoise sea makes Sarakiniko the most photographed spot on Milos, with caves, rocks in the sea and the shipwreck of a cargo boat on its shore, and it is a fine area to walk and explore.

Pollonia Beaches

The village of Pollonia in the north of Milos has two sandy beaches ringed by tamarisk trees, the larger in the middle of the village and the smaller on the northeast side, with a few small pebble coves to the west. The sandy beaches are shallow and safe for small children.

Beaches near Phylakopi

Between the Phylakopi excavation and Pollonia, about 3 km apart, lie two beaches: a pebble beach and, on the other side, a sandy one. One of them is among the most impressive on Milos, reached over a narrow path and looking from above like a turquoise pool or canal enclosed by high white cliffs, with caves.

Alogomandra Beach

Alogomandra, or Agios Konstantinos Beach, is a quiet sandy beach of two parts about 4 km west of Pollonia, reached from a junction on the Pollonia–Adamas road, one part set in a bay with a rock overhanging for shade. It has a small church and 'syrma' boat-houses cut into the rock; on the large beach without the overhanging rock, discreet naturism is allowed when it is not too crowded, though there is little shade.

Pahena Beach

Pahena (Pachena) Beach lies about 3 km from Pollonia and 7 km from Adamas, reached by a signed turn off the Adamas–Pollonia road but hidden from it. It is really three adjacent sandy beaches with striking rocks standing in the sea, some trees for shade and a few houses with a possible taverna, but no sunbeds, umbrellas or shops; discreet naturism is allowed when it is quiet.

Achivadolimni Beach

Achivadolimni is a long, sandy beach behind the salt lake of Milos near the airport, on the south side of the crater. It is mostly unorganized, with only a few trees and parasols at the start, a shallow sea that stays shallow far out, and clear water and clean sand once you walk a hundred metres past the rubble at the beginning. Shade and tavernas are scarce, so bring water and sunblock; it is used by naturists and looks across to the village of Adamas.

Ammoudaraki Beach

Ammoudaraki Beach lies in the west of Milos in the Bay of Triades, where two other beaches have rocky entries to the sea. Its name means roughly 'just sand'; it is reached by car via the village of Ralaki over a very bad dirt track that needs a good car, or by boat, as some tour boats stop for a swim. There are no facilities.

Agios Ioannis Beach

Agios Ioannis Beach is a beautiful sandy naturist beach in the southwest of Milos, in the bay of the same name, reached by a good car over a poor road or by boat. It is really three beaches, the largest reachable by car; above it stands the large, deserted Monastery of Agios Ioannis Siderianos of the Middle Ages, mentioned in 1582, whose 'iron' name comes from a legend that the saint turned its wooden door to iron during a pirate attack, and the pirate's gun is still kept there.

Sykia Cave Beach

Sykia (Sikia) Cave Beach in the southwest of Milos is a white-pebble beach inside a collapsed sea cave, sometimes called the Emerald Cave for the colour of its water. It is reachable only by boat, sailing in through an arch, so most tour boats stop and ferry people in by rubber boat; it is ringed by high white cliffs, perfect for swimming, with clear water.

Lagada and Papakinou Beach

Lagada Beach is a small sandy beach on the north side of the Adamas boulevard, only 100 m from the port, passing a cave and a hot spring on the way, with a church and the Lagada Beach Hotel and pool beside it. On the other side of Adamas the larger Papakinou Beach has umbrellas and sunbeds for hire at a taverna.