The villages of Milos

Fortunately the population on Milos has been stayed well in bounds. There are only a few places where you could call anything, strictly speaking, a small village and these are also restricted by and large to the eastern side of the island. By contrast, you could confidently describe the western side (Chalakas) as almost uninhabited since here you will find only small settlements and therefore also only very rudimentary infrastructure. There are almost 5,000 inhabitants in total registered on the island but the number of them that live here permanently is probably lower.

The two main opposite poles are the villages of Adamas (also: Adamantas) and Pollonia. Whereas Adamas, as a strategically located port in the Bay of Milos forms a proper traffic node and also provides most of the available accommodation for holidaymakers, Pollonia offers its rustic fishing village in a remote location to all those who prefer to seek peace and who can get by with less infrastructure.

Milos Adamas

Adamas

Milos Pollonia

Pollonia

North of Adamas, on a kind of high plateau, are situated the villages of Triovasalos, Pera Triovasalos, Plakes, Plaka and Tripiti. They have by and large merged and they form a whole. The transition from one village to the next is not always clearly identifiable and if you rely on a map or even try to find out where you are by the village signs, instead the confusion becomes greater. Here one might mention the name of Karodromos which occurs quite often but which does not appear in any travel guide. This is a part of Triovasalos which extends along the main road. You often come across such names for parts of villages or remote settlements used as names of independent villages in Milos.

Tripiti and Plaka are distinguished from the other villages by their exposed positions since they cluster almost on the western scarp of the high plateau and therefore dominate the route into the Bay of Milos. Here many locations offer an impressive panorama and sunsets in particular create a unique postcard backdrop when the sea between Fourkovouni, Cape Vani and Antimilos sparkles red in the evening and everything else blurs to a dark silhouette.

Milos Tripiti

Tripiti

Milos Plaka

Plaka

The villages on the high plateau with a total of about 3,000 inhabitants are the true heart of Milos. Here you find public authorities and schools, specialist shops of every kind, the hospital and some original tavernas and coffee bars that are favoured by the locals. Because of its typical Cycladic architecture and its special location under the Kastro Hill, only Plaka is increasingly orientated towards tourists and takes this into account with a large number of souvenir and jewellery shops, restaurants and modern cafés.

Lastly, I would like to mention two more villages which you should visit, for different reasons. In any event, you must see Klima with its colourful sirmata (traditional boathouses). Zefiria, on the other hand, doesn't provide much to look at but with its large Church of St. Mary and a very good taverna it also offers enough of a reason for a visit.

Milos Klima

Klima

Milos Zefiria

Zefiria

Update 08/19