Milatos: Beaches, Stays, Things to do

Milatos is a coastal village in the Lasithi region of eastern Crete, 16 km east of Hersonissos and 34 km north-west of Agios Nikolaos. Milatos sits on the western fringe of the Mirabello province and has held on to many of its traditional features, with a working fishing port and ancient olive groves on the ground behind it. The coastal settlement 1 km north of the village is known as Beach of Milatos, or Paralia Milatou in Greek, and the shoreline there is speckled with small rocky inlets, some of them suitable for swimming.

Heraklion (HER) is the nearest airport to Milatos. The village suits a visitor who wants the north coast without the resort strip: the cave beside it carries one of the harder chapters of Cretan history, the Selinaris gorge comes out beside it, and the busy beaches of Malia sit far enough away to be a day trip rather than a neighbour.

Things to do in and around Milatos

6 outings sit within 5 km of Milatos, listed below from nearest to furthest.

1. Visit the Milatos cave. The cave stands 1 km from the village and is the reason the area is known across Crete: a significant massacre of local people by the Ottomans took place in it in 1823.
2. Swim from the rocky inlets. Milatos beach lies 1.3 km away at Paralia Milatou, where small rocky inlets break up the shoreline and several of them take swimmers.
3. See the Minoan settlement at Boufos. The Sissi (Boufos) settlement is 3.4 km from Milatos, above the sandy Boufos beach in Harkoma bay.
4. Stop at the Selinaris monastery. St. George Selinaris monastery stands 3.5 km from the village and carries the same name as the gorge.
5. Drive or walk the Selinaris Gorge. The Selinaris gorge drains the valley west of Vrachassi on the eastern slopes of Selena Mount and comes out near Milatos, 3.5 km away. Its dense vegetation can be taken in from the car or on a leisurely walk, and the old National Road still winds through it parallel to the new one.
6. Spend an afternoon in Sissi. Sissi, 4.4 km away and 45 km east of Heraklion, keeps a natural harbour of calm deep-green water and tavernas in narrow streets. Its main road of small hotels, rented rooms and snack bars ends at a little port.

Beaches near Milatos

5 beaches lie within 11 km of Milatos, and they run from rocky inlets to the busiest resort sand in the Heraklion area.

• Milatos lies 1.3 km away, the village’s own shore at Paralia Milatou, a line of small rocky inlets with swimming in some of them and a fishing port alongside.
• Sissi follows 3.3 km away, a predominantly rocky coastline with only a few sandy stretches. The sea is typically choppy, so the calm swimming is inside the harbour at Limani, a small beach with a few umbrellas and showers, while Harkoma bay to the east holds the well-kept sand of Boufos.
• Potamos sits 7.8 km away, a quiet, well-kept sandy beach 3 km east of Malia, named after the small river beside it. The Malia wetland and the Minoan Palace of Malia keep its eastern end undeveloped, and it stays calmer than the main beach in town.
• Malia stretches 9.7 km away, the eastern end of a 6 km bay that starts at Stalis, with fine sand, shallow clear water, sunbeds, water sports and beach bars in front of Malia town. This is the busiest and most developed resort beach on this part of the coast.
• Skotini opens 10.7 km away, at the mouth of the Skotini gorge north of Finokalias village, in one of the most secluded corners of the island.

Where to eat in Milatos

Eating in Milatos happens in the village and down at the shore settlement, with the nearest tables 1.2 km from the centre.

• Socrates Apartments & Restaurant has rooms and a restaurant, 1.2 km out.
• No Name Restaurant & Bar is a restaurant and bar, 1.3 km out.
• Sergiani Milatos stands 1.3 km out, at the beach settlement.
• The Falcon (Το Γεράκι) sits 3 km out.
• Kivernitis Taverna is a taverna 3.9 km out.

Getting to Milatos

Milatos is reached from the National Road between Heraklion and Agios Nikolaos, which runs along the Selinaris gorge and passes the exit of it beside the village. Hersonissos lies 16 km west and Agios Nikolaos 34 km south-east, and Heraklion (HER) is the nearest airport.

The neighbouring towns give the village its services and its day trips. Neapoli, 6.9 km away in a valley of olive groves, is 54 km east of Heraklion and 15 km west of Agios Nikolaos, and it became the administrative centre of the Lassithi Prefecture during the Turkish Occupation, having begun as a small village called Kares that the Venetians rebuilt and renamed Kenourgio Chorio. Malia is 9.9 km away on the same coast, about 35 km east of Heraklion.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Milatos in Crete?

Milatos lies on the north coast of eastern Crete, 16 km east of Hersonissos and 34 km north-west of Agios Nikolaos. The village belongs to the Lasithi region and stands on the western fringe of the Mirabello province.

Does Milatos have a beach?

Milatos has a shore settlement 1 km north of the village, Paralia Milatou, rather than one long beach. The coast there is broken into small rocky inlets, several of which are suitable for swimming, and a fishing port works alongside them.

What happened at the Milatos cave?

A significant massacre of local people by the Ottomans took place at the Milatos cave in 1823. The cave stands 1 km from the village and is what the area is known for.

Can you walk a gorge from Milatos?

Yes, the Selinaris gorge comes out near Milatos, 3.5 km from the village. The gorge can be taken slowly on foot or seen from the car, and the old National Road runs through it alongside the modern one.

Is Milatos quieter than Malia?

Milatos is much quieter than Malia. Malia beach, 9.7 km away, is the busiest and most developed resort beach on this stretch of coast, while Milatos keeps a fishing port, olive groves and rocky inlets.

Which airport is nearest to Milatos?

Heraklion (HER) is the nearest airport to Milatos. The road in from the airport is the National Road east towards Agios Nikolaos, which runs along the Selinaris gorge to the exit beside the village.