Kleftiko from Milos: Sailing Boat or Catamaran – Which Trip Is Worth It?
Updated October 22, 2026 · 5 min read
The short answer. For most visitors the semi-private all-inclusive sailing tour to Kleftiko is the better starting point: eight hours, lunch and drinks, snorkelling gear and a small inflatable boat ride into the caves, from €100.1, rated 4.8 from 978 reviews. Take a catamaran if you want a shorter day or a boat with more deck space, and accept that you will pay more for it.
Kleftiko is the white-cliff bay at the south-west tip of Milos. Its name comes from the Greek word for thieves, and the caves are said to have sheltered pirates. There is no road to it, so every visit means a boat. That is why the real question is not whether to go, but which boat to go on.
What the choice actually changes
The hull matters less than people assume. What differs from trip to trip is the length of the day, how long you stay at Kleftiko itself, what is included, and how many other passengers share the deck.
The sailing trips on GetYourGuide are cheaper. There are 22 sailing trips starting at €85, and the 13 catamaran cruises start at €145. The cheapest sailing option is a four-hour trip on a traditional boat that visits Sykia and Kleftiko; a full sailing day usually runs five to ten hours.
| Trip | Boat | Duration | From | Rating · reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-private all-inclusive sailing tour to Kleftiko | Sailing yacht | 8 hours | €100.1 | 4.8 · 978 |
| Half-day morning catamaran cruise to Kleftiko | Catamaran | 6 hours | €165 | 4.8 · 435 |
| Kleftiko, Sykia and Klima luxury catamaran cruise | Small-group catamaran | 5.5–7 hours | €155 | 4.9 · 241 |
| Small-group yacht tour to Kleftiko, Sarakiniko and Poliegos | Open yacht | 5 hours | €136 | 4.8 · 140 |
| Sunset catamaran cruise with a Kleftiko visit | Catamaran | 5.5 hours | €145 | 4.8 · 89 |
The sailing trip: longest day, lowest price
The semi-private sailing tour is the second most-reviewed trip on the island, behind only the Polyaigos day tour. The listing describes a stop of about two hours at Kleftiko with lunch, swimming and snorkelling, a ride through the caves in a small inflatable boat, and swim stops at Kalogries and Agios Dimitrios beaches. It leaves from Adamas port, with guides in English, Greek and Italian.
The catch is the word “semi-private”. According to the listing, the yacht takes 20 to 26 people depending on the day. Expect a full boat in July and August, not an intimate charter. If you want real privacy, the private options cost more: a private half-day trip to Kleftiko is €250 per group of up to five but has only one review, and the private morning cruise to Kleftiko and Sykia Cave is €800 for up to eight.
The catamaran: shorter and dearer
The half-day morning catamaran is the one to choose if eight hours on a sailing boat sounds like too much. It leaves in the morning, stops for a swim at Kalogries Bay, spends two hours at Kleftiko and is back in Adamas around 3:15 p.m., according to the listing. Lunch is prepared on board. According to the booking page, the operator does not take children under 7, pregnant women or wheelchair users.
The luxury catamaran with Sykia and Klima adds sunbeds, shaded lounges, paddleboards, a toilet on board and unlimited drinks, with a choice of morning or sunset departure. It excludes hotel transfers unless you arrange them separately, and the booking page lists pregnant women and people with pre-existing medical conditions as not suitable. Read that line before you book.
The open yacht: more coastline, less certainty
The small-group yacht offers three routes and picks one on the day depending on wind: a round cruise in mild weather, a south cruise when north winds prevail, and a north cruise from Pollonia when southerly winds prevail. Only the first two reach Kleftiko. At €136 for five hours it costs less than any of the catamarans, but you should treat Kleftiko as likely rather than guaranteed.
Wind decides more than the boat
Every operator reserves the right to change the route. One catamaran listing says that in strong north winds it may switch to the south coast, boarding at Agia Kyriaki and swimming at Gerakas, Kleftiko and Tsigrado, and that above force 5 on the Beaufort scale the tour may end at Agia Kyriaki with a transfer back to Adamas. Strong north winds, known as the meltemi, are most common in July and August.
Practically: book the boat trip early in your stay, so a cancelled day can be moved. If you leave on a ferry that same evening, note that the Polyaigos day tour says it is not suitable for ferries departing before 8:30 p.m.
Which to book
- Most people: the semi-private sailing tour, for price, hours at sea and the review count.
- Short on time or restless on boats: the half-day morning catamaran.
- Sunset in the same trip: the sunset catamaran, or read our guide to the sunset cruise from Adamas.
- Polyaigos as well as Kleftiko: see Polyaigos and Kimolos by boat.
- Tight budget: the four-hour traditional boat, with only 31 reviews behind it.
All listings offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure. Check dates and prices for the sailing tour to Kleftiko.
