Milos to Kimolos Day Trip: Ferry, Timings and What to Fit In

Kimolos has one small summer bus line and a road network that switches from asphalt to dirt without warning. That is the appeal. While Milos has been steadily discovered, its neighbour is still the sort of place where goats have right of way.

I have crossed in June and in late September, and September is better in almost every respect. There are fewer people on the boat, softer light on the castle, and a village that feels lived in rather than performed.

How Do You Get From Milos to Kimolos?

By Local Ferry from Pollonia (about 20-25 minutes)

The crossing runs from Pollonia on the north-east coast of Milos to Psathi on Kimolos. It is a small local boat, the Osia Methodia, nothing like the big Piraeus ferries, and takes roughly 20 to 25 minutes. When the meltemi is up it can be choppy, and sailings are occasionally cancelled. Frequency is seasonal, with several returns a day through summer, thinning sharply either side, and the timetable is redrawn each year. Tickets are bought at the port, not online, and cost 2.40 EUR one way for an adult.

It does carry vehicles. The operator's own 2026 fare table prices a motorbike at 1.90 EUR under 250cc and 2.90 EUR over, a car at 9.60 EUR under 4.25 metres and 13.00 EUR over, alongside the 2.40 EUR adult passenger fare. Tickets are not bookable online at all: you buy at the ticket office at either port. Whether a hire company will let you put their quad, scooter or car on it is a separate question again. The general pattern on Milos is that Kimolos is treated as the one exception to the usual "vehicles stay on Milos" rule, but insurance terms vary by agency, so ask before you book rather than assuming.

By Boat Trip from Milos (full day)

Several Milos boat tours run day cruises taking in Kimolos and uninhabited Polyaigos next door, where the swimming is better by some distance, along a cave-riddled coast that shelters Mediterranean monk seals. What you do not get is the village: a boat trip shows you Kimolos from the water, the ferry shows you Kimolos.

What Can You See in One Day?

Kimolos is small but neither flat nor compact. Psathi to Chorio is about fifteen minutes uphill from the port, which is fine in the morning and less fun at three in the afternoon; everything beyond that is a genuine trek on foot.

There is a bus, which surprises people. A single local operator links Psathi with Chorio and the main beaches, Prassa, Bonatsa, Aliki and Klima, several times a day through high summer. Do not build the day around it, though: the published timetable covers the peak weeks only, the operator warns its own times can change, and what runs outside high season is not clear. Check it on the day and treat it as a bonus rather than a plan.

On foot, a realistic day is: walk up to Chorio, get lost in the alleys for an hour or two, drop down to a nearby beach, eat, walk back for the boat.

With wheels, you can add one distant thing. Kimolos Moto, on the Psathi-Chorio road, and Allways Car Rentals, based at Psathi, both currently rent scooters, quads and small cars, so you can hire on arrival, though fleets are small; indicative 2026 rates run roughly 15-30 EUR/day for a scooter and 25-50 EUR/day for a quad or buggy. Regular hire cars are typically not insured on dirt roads, so an ATV or 4WD is the sensible choice for the far corners. A taxi exists, though the driver may decline the rougher tracks. Kimolos has no scheduled public bus. That has been the position for years, and nothing found for this update suggests it has changed, though a phone check with the Kimolos municipality before you travel costs nothing.

Chorio and the Castle

Chorio is where nearly everyone on Kimolos lives: a knot of white lanes, bougainvillea and an improbable number of churches, built around several small squares rather than one big one. The name means literally "the village", unusual in the Cyclades where the main town is normally a Chora. It does not feel staged; the cafes have locals in them.

At its heart is the Kastro, a Venetian castle of the 14th to 16th centuries, and not a castle in the turrets-and-moat sense. The outer ring of houses is the wall. Blank-backed dwellings join shoulder to shoulder, the older ones nearest the edge. Much of it has collapsed, which is part of the atmosphere. Inside are a church of 1592, a bar, a few rooms to let and a small Folk and Maritime Museum of everyday Kimolian objects assembled by a local doctor. A separate Archaeological Museum stands opposite the Panagia Odigitria church. Both keep unpredictable hours. Treat either as a bonus rather than something to build the day around.

Skiadi Rock

Skiadi is the island's signature: a mushroom-shaped formation where millennia of wind have eaten away the soft lower stone and left a harder cap sitting on top like a table. It is listed in the Atlas of Geological Monuments of the Aegean, and Kimolians will tell you about it within five minutes of meeting you.

Hike from Chorio, or drive up the dirt road and walk the last 20 to 30 minutes. Signposting is good and the path is smooth enough for sandals. The wind at the top is not a joke. Anything not attached to you will leave without you, and blown grit makes sunglasses more protection than style. For my money the view from up there, out over the western beaches, is the best on Kimolos.

Which Beach Should You Pick for the Afternoon?

The wind decides this, not you. North-facing beaches on Kimolos are unswimmable when the meltemi blows; on those days go south and the sea will be flat.

Bonatsa is the easy answer. The name means calm water, and it delivers a long protected sandy bay, shallow, with cedar trees for shade. Kalamitsi next door is two beaches in one, sandy then pebbly, good for snorkelling.

Mavrospilia on the west coast is the better beach and the harder call: wild, sandy, framed by white rocks, and the island's sunset spot, which is the problem when you have a boat to catch. Prassa in the north-east has postcard turquoise water and a beach bar, but a working mining area sits close by and the trucks bring noise and dust.

Almost none have facilities. More in the Kimolos beaches guide.

Where Should You Eat?

Chorio or a beach taverna. In Chorio, Kali Kardia is the oldest taverna on the island, known to everyone as Bohoris. It stays open year-round and feeds the island's own workers at lunchtime. There is also a grillhouse near the Odigitria church doing local meat. Heading south, the small family taverna at Kalamitsi is the one to aim for: short menu, slow-cooked dishes, vegetables from the owners' garden. Tavernas on an island this size open and close with the season, so check on the day rather than planning around a particular name.

Order ladenia while you are here. It is a flat pie somewhere between focaccia and pizza, with tomato, onion and a lot of olive oil. It is Kimolos's dish; look for it in the Chorio bakeries.

What Should You Know Before Going?

• The last boat back is the whole plan. Measure everything backwards from it. Confirm the time when you buy your ticket, then confirm it again at Psathi.
• Wind cancels crossings. Small ferry, exposed channel. If a strong meltemi is forecast, accept the risk of being stranded or postpone.
• Bring cash and water. Shade is scarce, including on the climb to Chorio.
• Sandals are fine, mostly. The Skiadi path is smooth; the rocky entries at some beaches are not, so water shoes earn their space.

The mistake people make is treating Kimolos as a half-day. You land, you climb to the village, you sit down for lunch, and the afternoon has gone before you have seen a beach.

Is a Day Trip Enough, or Should You Stay the Night?

A day trip works, but it is a compromise. The ferry decides your day, and you leave before the hours when Kimolos is at its best. In the evening the light goes gold on the castle walls, and a local volunteer group screens films up in the Kastro on some summer nights, free.

For live ferry schedules and booking, visit Ferryscanner.

One night changes the trip. Two lets you reach Mavrospilia for sunset, walk out to the thermal-spring beaches at Agioklima and Fidaki, and take a boat round to Polyaigos without watching the clock. Rooms are limited, so see the Kimolos accommodation and eating guide and the full Kimolos island guide. If one spare day is all you have, take it, and go early.

The Milos to Kimolos day trip, a short hop in the Greek Cyclades, runs from Pollonia to Psathi in about 20-25 minutes on a small ferry, 2.40 EUR one way. A small summer bus links the port, Chorio and the main beaches, Chorio is about fifteen minutes uphill from the port, and Skiadi rock needs a long hike or a hired ATV. The last boat back governs the whole day, so check its time before you leave Milos, and expect cancellations when the meltemi blows.

Planning the rest of your island time? Start with our complete Milos travel guide.