The main points
- Boat tours around Milos start from Adamantas, in the centre of the island, and you can walk along the port and find the boats lined up.[1]
- Check availability on your listing for the starting time, and give yourself a margin on the quay before the crew calls you aboard.[2]
- Klima village sits about 5 kilometres from the port of Adamas, and Sarakiniko Beach is five kilometers from Plaka, both easy stops on the way to the harbour.[3][4]
- The Kleftiko and Polyaigos day booked from this site is from US$185, with other Kleftiko cruises listed from US$152.[2][5]
- Boats come back to the same quay you left, and the sailing season runs from late spring through early autumn, May to October.[6]
- Top choice Kleftiko & Polyaigos Meals from US$185 Rated4.82 from 282 reviews[2]Duration10 hours[2]Live guideEnglish[2]RouteSarakiniko, Poliegos, Kleftiko[2]Free cancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours[2] Check availability
- Guided Cruise with Lunch from US$152 Rated4.96 from 781 reviews[5]Duration9.5 hours[5]Live guideEnglish, French, Greek[5]RouteKlima, Agathia, Kleftiko[5]Free cancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours[5] See this tour
- Sailboat Tour with Lunch from US$144 Rated4.92 from 1,913 reviews[7]Duration10 hours[7]Live guideGreek, English[7]RouteSarakiniko, Poliegos, Kleftiko[7]Free cancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours[7] See this tour
All of them till today start from Adamantas, located in the center of the island. You can walk along the port and find all the available options.
Book the full day for Kleftiko and Polyaigos
Know before you leave
- Meet at Adamantas, in the centre of the island, where the boat tours start[1]
- Starting times are shown when you check availability on the listing[2]
- Give yourself a margin on the quay; boarding is busiest in the last stretch before departure
- Keep your booking confirmation on your phone so check-in on the quay is quick
Where the boat actually leaves from
Adamantas is the harbour town on Milos, the place the ferries come in and the place the day boats work from. Boat tours around Milos start from Adamantas, which sits in the centre of the island, and you can walk along the port and find the available options.[1] That is worth holding on to if you have never been here: you are not driving to a remote jetty at the end of a dirt track, you are going to the busiest stretch of waterfront on the island, where the tavernas face the water and the road runs right along the quay. The town curves around a deep bay, so the boats stay in view from almost everywhere in the centre.
The meeting point is a piece of quay rather than a terminal with a gate and a desk. Boats tie up along the harbour edge, crews stand at the stern, and passengers gather on the concrete beside them. Come down to the water, read the names on the hulls and look for the boat that matches your booking. The Kleftiko and Polyaigos Swimming With Meals day booked from this site runs 10 hours with a live English speaking guide.[2] Hand over your booking reference, step aboard, and the day begins.
One small habit makes the morning easier. Read the boat name on your confirmation, then match it to the hull in front of you. The quay is lined with similar-looking vessels and the crews are busy. Start with the boat that carries your operator's name, and simply ask if you are unsure. Once you are aboard and the lines are cast off, the harbour slides away behind you and the day is properly under way.
Arriving on the morning ferry
Ferries from Athens and the other Cyclades dock at Adamantas, and some travellers step off one boat and onto another the same morning. If that is your plan, you are already in the right place. The harbour road runs from the ferry pier past the day boats, and the walk between them is short and flat, with your bags rolling behind you the whole way. You will see the masts and the awnings as soon as you come down the ramp, and there is no need to cross the island first.
Give yourself room in the plan anyway. Look at your listing before you travel: starting times are shown when you check availability.[2] A night in Adamantas before the trip takes the pressure off the morning, and the town is pleasant in the evening, with the water a few steps from most of the rooms. The Meltemi, the strong seasonal northerly wind that blows from late spring to early autumn, often peaks in July and August.[10]
The town itself rewards an early arrival. Coffee on the waterfront, a look at the fishing boats tied up beside the day boats, and a slow walk to the far end of the quay fill an hour without any effort. If you are staying up in Plaka or one of the hill villages, allow extra time for the drive down and for finding a space, then enjoy how close everything is once you are there. Shops, cafés and the harbour itself sit shoulder to shoulder along the same waterfront road.
The quay at Adamantas, where the day boats tie up along the harbour road.
Getting in from elsewhere on the island
Milos is larger than it looks on a map, but the drives are short and the road down to the harbour is easy to follow. Klima village is about 5 kilometres from the port of Adamas, and Sarakiniko Beach, the most well-known shore on the island, is five kilometers from Plaka.[3][4] Both fit neatly into a morning that ends at the quay, and both are the kind of stop you can make without rushing.
A Milos ATV rental is a common way to cover the island's smaller lanes, and if you have a Milos ATV for the week, the port is simple to reach from Plaka, Tripiti or the north coast villages. Public buses and taxis come down to the waterfront road as well. Whichever way you arrive, the last stretch is on foot, along the quay to your boat.
Kleftiko, Milos by car, and where to leave it
Kleftiko, Milos by car is not how the bay works: while most visitors arrive by sea, it is also possible to hike there on your own.[11] The bay sits under white cliffs on the south west coast, and the two ways in are the water and the trail over the headland. That is part of what makes the place feel remote when you finally settle in front of it.
Back in town, parking around Adamantas fills through the morning. The harbour front itself is used for loading, drop-offs and taxis, and people generally leave the car on the streets and open ground behind the waterfront and walk down to the quay. Leave a little extra time for that walk rather than circling the port road, and keep your day bag with you so you are not going back for it.
from US$185
The Kleftiko & Polyaigos Swimming With Meals day is the 10 hour trip booked from this site, with a live English speaking guide.[2]
Buses, taxis and the walk along the quay
Walk the length of the port once when you arrive. It is the quickest way to learn how the harbour works: the ferry pier at one end, fishing boats and day boats along the middle, cafés and shops behind the road. From Adamas to Kleftiko the day boat follows the north coast past Sarakiniko, Glaronisia, Pollonia and Poliegos before turning in to the Kleftiko caves.[2]
Glaronisia is a group of three small uninhabited volcanic islets off the north coast, known for hexagonal basalt columns rising straight from the sea and named for the gulls.[12] Further on, Sikia Cave is a sea cave whose roof collapsed at some point in the past, leaving an open top that shows the blue Aegean sky.[13] Keep a camera within reach on deck.
Luggage, toilets and the last half hour
Leave your suitcase where you are staying and carry a small pack for the day: towel, sun cream, hat, a light layer for the ride home and a dry bag for your phone. Swimming is the heart of these trips, and the sea around Milos in July to September is 23-26°C (73-79°F), described as ideal temperatures for long swims and snorkeling.[9]
The last half hour before departure is the busiest time on the quay, with crews loading food and gear while passengers arrive at once. Be there earlier than you think you need to be, use the cafés and bars behind the harbour road if you want a washroom before boarding, and have your booking confirmation to hand.
Boarding can be busy, so keep your bag on your back until you are settled rather than setting it down on the quay. A small towel on top of your pack keeps your seat dry, and a dry bag for phone and camera is worth the small cost. If you feel the cold on the water, sit out of the wind on the way home instead of in the shade at the bow.
Why the port looks the way it does
Milos is a volcanic island, and the harbour carries the marks of that. Mineral activity began here around 8000 BC with the mining and trading of obsidian, a hard black stone of volcanic origin used to make tools and weapons.[14] The same geology gives the coast its pale banded rock and the water its colour, and it is the reason so much of the island feels raw rather than green.
Kleftiko's name comes from the island's rougher history: the word means stolen in Greek, and the bay was used as a pirate hideout where supplies taken from passing ships were hidden in the caves and coves.[15] Closer to port, Klima village is about 5 kilometres from Adamas and is known for its multi coloured fishing houses, a fine place to wander on the evening after your boat day.[3]
Walk the waterfront in the evening and you can see how much of the town's life faces the sea: the ferry pier, ice being unloaded, tables set out along the road. It is the same strip of concrete that sends boats out towards the caves every morning. Knowing it well before your trip makes the departure feel less like a scramble and more like the start of a good day.
From prices for three Kleftiko boat tours
From prices in US dollars, as listed for each tour.[2][5][7]
From prices in US dollars
From prices in US dollars, as listed for each tour.[2][5][7]
When the boats run and what to expect
Your morning at the port
Get to Adamantas
Boat tours around Milos start from Adamantas, in the centre of the island, so the harbour is the one place you need to find.[1]
Find your boat
Walk the quay and look for your operator's boat. The harbour road runs right along the edge, with cafés and shade just behind you.
Check in
Have your booking confirmation ready and listen for your boat's name. Starting times are shown when you check availability.[2]
Settle in on board
Claim a spot with shade, keep a light layer handy for the ride back, and put sun cream on before the boat turns west.
The day out
Expect a long day on the water: the Kleftiko and Polyaigos trip runs 10 hours with a live English speaking guide.[2]
Book the Kleftiko and Polyaigos day from Adamantas
from US$185Reserve now & pay later
