A few words about the island...

THE MAGICAL SCENE...

Milos is located approximately in the middle of the route from the port of Piraeus to the island of Crete. It is the 5th largest island of the Cyclades. The distinctive port of Milos, Adamas, is one of the largest natural ports in the Mediterranean. In combination with the mineral wealth of the island, it was the main factor for the island's significant development in history and culture and the economy of the inhabitants.

Boat lines connect the island of Milos with the port of Piraeus on a daily basis, in 3 to 7 hours. There is also an airport with daily flights during summer. Milos is also connected by boat with the Cycladic islands of Ios, Sikinos, Folegandros, Santorini, Naxos, Mykonos and Syroς, and also with the islands of Kasos, Karpathos, Halki, Rhodes and the cities of Heraklion and Sitia in Crete.

There are approximately 5,000 permanent inhabitants, a population which grows significantly in summer. Most live in the eight villages of the island, the capital of Plaka, Plakes, Triovasalos, Pera Triovasalos, Tripiti with the windmills, Pollonia, Zephyria and Adamas.

The soil is volcanic and not very green, and there are more than 75 splendid and unique beaches with clear blue waters, either sandy or with white, red, yellow or black rocks that you will not find anywhere else in Greece.

History of Milos

According to Greek mythology, the first inhabitant of the island was Milos, a young prince from Cyprus, sent by goddess Aphrodite. What is certain is that the island has been inhabited since the Neolithic period (7000 BC) and soon became rich thanks to the obsidian stone, a rock mainly used to build weapons.

During the Bronze Age (2800 BC - 1000 BC), the island was an important node in the Cycladic world. In 1000 BC the ethnic group of Dorians also settled on the island. The inhabitants of Milos fought the Persians on the side of the rest of the Greeks, but in 415 BC they were destroyed by the Athenians, who did not tolerate their non-alignment during the Peloponnesian War.

Until 311 BC the island belonged to Macedonia, then to Egypt. Thanks to the powerful Ptolemaic fleet, freedom and security at sea helped the island's economic growth and the flourishing of the arts. Representative examples of this era are the Venus of Milos (Louvre Museum) and the imposing Poseidon, 2.5m high (Archaeological Museum of Athens).

The marble ancient theater of Milos stands as a witness of the Roman civilization and, since the 1st century AD, as Christianity spread, the Catacombs, the largest in Greece and among the most remarkable in the world. The Venetians dominated the island from 1207 until 1580, when Milos, together with the other islands of the Aegean Sea, was occupied by the Turks. At that time, pirates often found shelter in the famous caves of the island. In 1832 Milos was united with Greece.

Milos Sightseeing

• The Archaeological Museum of Milos is housed in a neoclassical building designed and constructed in 1870 by the famous German architect Ernest Chiller. There you will see a copy of the exceptional statue of the Venus of Milos which is in the Louvre Museum. There are also exhibits from the 6th century BC until the Roman and the Hellenistic era. Grave pithos, impressive vases, obsidian tools and weapons, coins, as well as plaques with the ancient alphabet of Milos, consisted of 21 letters, and many more, will travel you back to antiquity.
• The Church of Aghia Triada, near the beach of Adamas, built in 824 AD, hosts the Ecclesiastical Museum. The only hagiography gallery found in the temple dates from the 14th century.
• The Folklore and Historical Museum of Milos, in Plaka, is housed in a building characteristic of the 19th century traditional architecture. Wax figures with traditional costumes, hand-woven textiles, utensils and tools, make up the scenery of old times.
• The Milos Mining Museum, located in Adamas, aims to highlight the mining history of Milos, which dates from the Neolithic era. Information and images on mining, instruments and tools used throughout the centuries, as well as minerals and fossils will certainly make a lasting impression on you.
• The Naval Museum of Milos, addressed to both experts and non-experts, presents exhibits carefully collected by old seamen, dating from the Neolithic period with tools made of obsidian stone and the naval battle of Salamis, to the newer years.
• Unique in size in Greece and one of the most remarkable catacombs along with Rome and the Holy Land, the Catacombs of Milos are located on a slope near the village of Tripiti. They were discovered in 1840 by illicit antiquity dealers. There are three catacombs and their total length is 185 m. We can see tombs and sites where the first Christians performed mysteries, and also inscriptions above the graves of the first Christian martyrs.
• On the east side of the island, in the bay of Paliorema, there are old quarries where sulfur was mined (sulfur mines) and the remnants of the factory that operated until 1956.
• In Adamas there is one of the largest conference centers in Greece, "George Iliopoulos". It is built on an area of 10 acres with many back offices and modern facilities and can accommodate up to 320 conferrers.
• As a volcanic island, Milos has many hot springs. The source of Lakkos in Adamas, located in a cave, is recommended as a healing bath for all kinds of degenerative osteoarthropathy, myalgia and neuralgia. At the modern spa facilities you can enjoy a spa or steam room. It is open from 15 July to 15 October, from 7:00 to 13:00.
• During the Crimean War (1853-1856), France, as a friend and ally, created a military cemetery in Milos, on the coastal area of Bombarda, in Adamas, for the burial of the French sailors who lost their lives during the war.
• The French Cemetery, known to the locals as "Fragomnimata" (French graves), situated at the entrance of the port of Adamas, is for us a place of memory and honor to those who died for our freedom. Inside the cemetery still remain important inscriptions and the site is an attraction for French tourists. I cite one of these inscriptions as an example: LA FRANCE A SES MARINS ET SES SOLDATS MORTS ET INHUMES A MILO 1897 (France to its sailors and soldiers who died and who were buried in Milos in 1897) (At the entrance of the harbor, overlooking the sea.)