BY AIR
Milos
in the Cyclades is situated on the ancient sea-trading route from
Athens - Crete and Continental Africa. Since the first millennia BC
Milos has been known for its minerals and has always been visited by ships
of many nations. The shoals and shallow seas between the three islands of
Milos, Kimolos and Polieagos have been the cause of many shipwrecks.
Access to Milos is more difficult than to other neighbouring islands and
this is perhaps why it retains its charms and has not been discovered by
mass tourism. The small airport cannot accommodate charter flights only
the little Dornier 'Island Hopper', a twin engined 20 seater operated by 
Olympic
Aviation. These old flying trashcans are to be taken out of service at the
end of 2001. Because of their shortcomings there is not always a reliable
service to Milos. There are currently three daily flights scheduled in the
high season (July-August) and only one at other times. In Autumn 2001
another company will provide more modern aircraft for the Milos - Athens
connection. Next year may also see the realisation of the plan to lengthen
the runway on Milos but in the meanwhile it is probably better to arrive
by sea. If there are problems with the flights and you must spend a night
in Athens look at the page "Piraeus"
or "An
hotel at the foot of the Acropolis" or An
hotel near to the new airport at Spata.
You
will find some helpful information.
BY SEA
The
very comfortable ferries that run a regular service between
Piraeus
through the western Cyclades to Milos and back take about 6-7 hours
depending on the number of ports of call. There are several ferry lines
supplemented by the 'Flying Dolphins' hydrofoils and the recently
introduced high-speed catamarans that take less than 4 hours or 3 hours on
the direct service. Milos is also the port of return for the high-speed
services although there are some ferries that connect onwards to Thira
(Santorini) and Crete. In the following pages I list some important
information on ferry timetables,
transport in Athens and comfortable hotels.