Instead of

Santorini

Oia, Santorini, Greece · 36.461° N, 25.376° E

Oia’s sunset is a stadium. The caldera path is beautiful and packed shoulder to shoulder by late afternoon. The Cyclades have other islands with the same light and a place to put your bag.

A chapel on the rim of the Santorini caldera, above the sea — Norbert NagelCC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Cyclades, Greece36.726° N, 24.446° E

Milos

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Food: Grilled octopus in Mandrakia or fish in Pollonia
Sports: Island football, if a game is on

Crowd level: Easy. Busy only at the obvious hour

Best season May, June, and September. August still fills the famous coves by late morning.

Milos is volcanic, pale, and still a fishing island. Sarakiniko’s white rock looks lunar and, outside the posted hour, you can hear the water. The ferry from Athens takes longer than Santorini’s airport dash. That is the point.

The short version

In 1820 a farmer on Milos found the marble that became the Venus de Milo, near the ruins of ancient Melos. The statue left for France. The island’s older trade was obsidian, then bentonite. The coast you swim from is that geology.

Food nearby

Grilled octopus in Mandrakia or fish in Pollonia

Eat where the boats are, not at a caldera cocktail bar you invented by habit. A short menu and a plastic table is the right room.

A game nearby

Island football, if a game is on

Milos football is local and small. Skip a Super League night in Athens. A harbor swim is the better use of the afternoon.

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Map for Milos

Cyclades, Greece36.628° N, 24.920° E

Folegandros

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Food: The second square in Chora

Crowd level: Quiet. Room to linger

Best season Late May to June, and September. Winter ferries are sparse. Plan the boat before the mood.

The Chora sits on a cliff, white and closed against the wind. There is no cruise pier doing the work for you. You walk the squares, climb to the church, and eat when the kitchen is ready.