Milatos Cave
Milatos Cave
4.5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
301 reviews
Excellent
147
Very good
99
Average
43
Poor
10
Terrible
2
mariasopa
Vilnius, Lithuania18 contributions
Oct 2022 • Couples
As it is said in comments that to find this cave is kinda hard but it is very worthy. There is no parking for cars or bikes (leave them on road in a safe place) and go up the hill with arrow showing “cave”. A lot of goats are around and they have bells so the walk to cave is very unique. The cave itself is amazing, it has a small chapel inside. Recommend this place 120%!!
Written October 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hildana L
Frankfurt, Germany2 contributions
Jun 2023
A great historical cave to visit. The 5 - 10 min walk to the cave is very beautiful. If you only imagine what happed there when the war was going on you get a strong feeling cause you can still see the black colour from the fire on the top of the cave. After the cave ride we went down to No Name for a coffee and a Beer and then went back to Sisi! Great day!
Written June 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Julie P
Barnsley, UK45 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
Although it was a steep climb up to the cave it was worth it. Our guide gave us head torches which helped. We saw bats flying around inside the cave. Low headroom at times but great historical trip
Written August 20, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LaurenT894
Seasalter, UK53 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
Make sure to read the information board at the start of the trail that leads to the cave. It was a beautiful walk along the edge of the cliff but make sure to wear decent shoes as it’s quite uneven. Such a tragic part of history so being in the cave feels quite eery. Bring a torch or use your phone torch and kind your head! The little church inside is a lovely memorial to those who perished here. Definitely worth a visit.
Written September 22, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Adie L
Isle of Wight, UK12 contributions
Aug 2020 • Family
This place was crazy! I ignored the other posts and wore flip flops (big mistake).
There's a shear drop from the church off the cliff edge inside the cave which was pretty scary.
Could've gone down into the cave alot further than I did but it was slippery.
Take a bright torch if you can but we'll worth a visit
There's a shear drop from the church off the cliff edge inside the cave which was pretty scary.
Could've gone down into the cave alot further than I did but it was slippery.
Take a bright torch if you can but we'll worth a visit
Written August 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mona W
4 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
If you are interested in history of Crete, this place is a must see. The path to the cave is in good condition, but bring good shoes and a flashlight for inside the cave. To see the Altar containing the bones of the victims was very moving and sad. Not a „fun place“ but interesting.
Written July 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Geobar01
Manchester, UK1,494 contributions
Sep 2013 • Couples
Milatos Cave (no admission fee) can be a little difficult to find even with a map as the best available from stores in the area are still at a scale of 1:100,000 that don’t show in detail how to get there and local road signs could be better. If you find yourself in Milatos as we did then you still have about 3km to go and have quite possibly taken a wrong turn. There is a blue sign for ‘Milatos Cave’ that seems to be angled towards the road down into Milatos itself at a ‘T’ junction. Rather than head towards the village if coming from the West or Sissi side, you should head straight on paralleling the coast and watch out for more signs. At a sharp bend where you see a lay by with advertisements for various local tavernas on the rock face you should park up, this being the best spot along this stretch of road to leave your car, quad bike or scooter. The path leads up off the road a little way back around the bend but when we visited there was an unfinished building close by above the road and a path leads up to and past the front of it joining that from the road, so if you park in the lay by this will cut off part of the walk along the road. Continue to follow this path along the left (East) slope of the small gorge that appears in front of you, with good views along the coast. This path ends at the cave entrance so you can’t go too far and once there you will see it as an elongated hole in the rock face just above you and easily reached unless you have mobility problems.
Although a number of reviews emphasize the need for a torch the cave is still worth a visit without one, especially if you take a few minutes to let your eyes adapt to the poor light inside. Once you have, if you want to look back through any of the bright sunlit openings I would suggest the simple expedient of keeping one eye shut when you do as it will help when you turn back into the cave. Without a torch you need to take extra care as the cave floor is uneven but it’s not hard to make your way to the charming little chapel a short way in and to a second opening in the rock face that faces it. None of these are railed off so take some care if you go to the edge at any point. Apart from this, if you back track to the point where you entered the cave you will notice an opening about a meter off the floor to the left and a little way in as you entered. Clamber up this point and follow through an initially lower opening, shortly after which you should be able to stand most of the way. There are further openings in the rock face here and you will find yourself about 3-4m above the path. The openings here admit enough light to see by without a torch and you will be able to enjoy more of the cave.
If you plan on visiting the cave you should take a good head or hand torch with you as it will allow you to get a good deal more from it. If you choose to buy a torch while on holiday you may find that your choice is limited, those on offer not ideal though still very helpful and we found they were generally quite expensive. The cave had a series of lights strung across the roof in various parts when we visited but they don’t seem to have been used for some time. There is no guide here and so you are free to wander on your own responsibility. The floor is uneven and a little slippy and the cave floor is dusty so don’t dress in your best. To go further into the cave follow around to the left of the chapel and you will find openings that will let you go further. There is almost no light apart from that from your torch for much of this so take care.
The cave itself is quite rugged looking with the roof apparently supported here and there by rough ‘pillars’ of stone extending between floor and ceiling. If you like the chance to explore without restrictions or enjoy visiting caves then you will probably enjoy Milatos Cave as much as I did. If you don’t then there is still the chance to visit a lovely and out of the way chapel with good views on the way to and from it so Milatos Cave is worth making the effort to see it if you have the chance. If you want take photographs bear in mind the ability of most caves to soak up light. You can use a flash but without a really powerful one or the use of slave flash strategically placed you won’t illuminate the depths of the cave system and the foreground rocks may be quite washed out. If you have a stacking option this is well worth trying, with the camera capturing several images in a rapid burst then stacking them to produce a better exposed image, a method well known to astro photographers. If your image includes one of the openings so that you can see outside remember that the great difference in light levels between the dark interior and sunlit exterior will have to be taken into account. You can ignore the interior and allow it to provide a dark frame in the form of the cave mouth, take a series of exposure and treat them as a HDR image in post processing using software such as Photoshop or you can simply bring out more of the detail near the cave mouth to add some interesting detail, again in post processing. If using Photoshop the ‘highlights and shadows’ settings may be of help. Remember that bracketing your photos will provide you with more options later. You can of course also opt for long exposures using a tripod or other support but you still need a light source and in the darker reaches of the cave you’ll have to take one. Wide angle lenses and settings tend to do best here.
All in all, we enjoyed our visit to Milatos Cave and wondered whether the unfinished building I mentioned earlier might be intended as a future visitor centre as the cave is well worth visiting. If it is then make the most of the cave as it is now because in future you may find an admission charge and perhaps more importantly lose some of the freedom to explore that you have now. We encountered a handful of people passing in and out but it was by no means busy and parts of the cave you will almost certainly have to yourself if you want to explore and enjoy.
Although a number of reviews emphasize the need for a torch the cave is still worth a visit without one, especially if you take a few minutes to let your eyes adapt to the poor light inside. Once you have, if you want to look back through any of the bright sunlit openings I would suggest the simple expedient of keeping one eye shut when you do as it will help when you turn back into the cave. Without a torch you need to take extra care as the cave floor is uneven but it’s not hard to make your way to the charming little chapel a short way in and to a second opening in the rock face that faces it. None of these are railed off so take some care if you go to the edge at any point. Apart from this, if you back track to the point where you entered the cave you will notice an opening about a meter off the floor to the left and a little way in as you entered. Clamber up this point and follow through an initially lower opening, shortly after which you should be able to stand most of the way. There are further openings in the rock face here and you will find yourself about 3-4m above the path. The openings here admit enough light to see by without a torch and you will be able to enjoy more of the cave.
If you plan on visiting the cave you should take a good head or hand torch with you as it will allow you to get a good deal more from it. If you choose to buy a torch while on holiday you may find that your choice is limited, those on offer not ideal though still very helpful and we found they were generally quite expensive. The cave had a series of lights strung across the roof in various parts when we visited but they don’t seem to have been used for some time. There is no guide here and so you are free to wander on your own responsibility. The floor is uneven and a little slippy and the cave floor is dusty so don’t dress in your best. To go further into the cave follow around to the left of the chapel and you will find openings that will let you go further. There is almost no light apart from that from your torch for much of this so take care.
The cave itself is quite rugged looking with the roof apparently supported here and there by rough ‘pillars’ of stone extending between floor and ceiling. If you like the chance to explore without restrictions or enjoy visiting caves then you will probably enjoy Milatos Cave as much as I did. If you don’t then there is still the chance to visit a lovely and out of the way chapel with good views on the way to and from it so Milatos Cave is worth making the effort to see it if you have the chance. If you want take photographs bear in mind the ability of most caves to soak up light. You can use a flash but without a really powerful one or the use of slave flash strategically placed you won’t illuminate the depths of the cave system and the foreground rocks may be quite washed out. If you have a stacking option this is well worth trying, with the camera capturing several images in a rapid burst then stacking them to produce a better exposed image, a method well known to astro photographers. If your image includes one of the openings so that you can see outside remember that the great difference in light levels between the dark interior and sunlit exterior will have to be taken into account. You can ignore the interior and allow it to provide a dark frame in the form of the cave mouth, take a series of exposure and treat them as a HDR image in post processing using software such as Photoshop or you can simply bring out more of the detail near the cave mouth to add some interesting detail, again in post processing. If using Photoshop the ‘highlights and shadows’ settings may be of help. Remember that bracketing your photos will provide you with more options later. You can of course also opt for long exposures using a tripod or other support but you still need a light source and in the darker reaches of the cave you’ll have to take one. Wide angle lenses and settings tend to do best here.
All in all, we enjoyed our visit to Milatos Cave and wondered whether the unfinished building I mentioned earlier might be intended as a future visitor centre as the cave is well worth visiting. If it is then make the most of the cave as it is now because in future you may find an admission charge and perhaps more importantly lose some of the freedom to explore that you have now. We encountered a handful of people passing in and out but it was by no means busy and parts of the cave you will almost certainly have to yourself if you want to explore and enjoy.
Written October 20, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jules
Windsor, UK146 contributions
The Milatos cave is a must if you are in the area! Fascinating history and a lovely walk up to it, its got a really sad story attached to it, and you can almost feel the cave has absorbed it. Well worth the visit!
Written October 28, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paul B
Saltburn-by-the-Sea, UK188 contributions
Oct 2014 • Couples
One of the more accessible caves on crete , it has a well made if a little track way leading to its enterance, which has three openings to a quit extensive cave system with many chambers so smaller ones complete with bats.
the history of this place is quite sad as it is were hundreds of inhabitants were massacred by the otterman forces, After invading many of local inhabitants fled to the cave to hide from Hassan Pasha's troops, who were approaching on a bloody war path, ruthlessly destroying villages and slaughtering their inhabitants. Upon discovering where the villagers were hiding, Pasha sent 5,000 troops to surround the cave. The 150 armed men, as well as Cretan rebel soldiers from surrounding villages, valiantly fought to defend the villagers and successfully held back Pasha's men for nearly two weeks. However, the lack of food and water was taking its toll, and many people died. Starvation forced the villagers to attempt a escape. Unarmed and weak, they stood no chance against Pasha's troops, and were brutally massacred. Many slaughtered or trampled to death as they attempted to flee from the cave. Those who were captured were later beheaded or burned to death. According to some sources, some of the captured women and children were sold into slavery.
There now is a shrine just inside to mark this tragic event complete with bones collected after the event from the valley floor.
It was also used by partisans during WW2 according to a very old local man we later met in a taverna.
well worth a visit
hope the extra info helps as there is no information at the site for the visitor
the history of this place is quite sad as it is were hundreds of inhabitants were massacred by the otterman forces, After invading many of local inhabitants fled to the cave to hide from Hassan Pasha's troops, who were approaching on a bloody war path, ruthlessly destroying villages and slaughtering their inhabitants. Upon discovering where the villagers were hiding, Pasha sent 5,000 troops to surround the cave. The 150 armed men, as well as Cretan rebel soldiers from surrounding villages, valiantly fought to defend the villagers and successfully held back Pasha's men for nearly two weeks. However, the lack of food and water was taking its toll, and many people died. Starvation forced the villagers to attempt a escape. Unarmed and weak, they stood no chance against Pasha's troops, and were brutally massacred. Many slaughtered or trampled to death as they attempted to flee from the cave. Those who were captured were later beheaded or burned to death. According to some sources, some of the captured women and children were sold into slavery.
There now is a shrine just inside to mark this tragic event complete with bones collected after the event from the valley floor.
It was also used by partisans during WW2 according to a very old local man we later met in a taverna.
well worth a visit
hope the extra info helps as there is no information at the site for the visitor
Written October 26, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Val_SteveEastSussex
Korcula Island, Croatia41 contributions
Jun 2013 • Couples
The roads to the cave are quite minor and narrow. Once you see the sign, park on the right (on the bend). Walk back to the sign and follow the footpath to the cave, about a 15 min walk. Take a torch as there is no lighting in the cave. The church is worth a look.
Written January 12, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My best advise would be to ask a local. We were at Potamos Beach Bar and the owner was the one that gave us directions. Beautiful country side.
Written September 15, 2019
M G T
Is er een mogelijkheid tot excursie naar The Milatos Caves? Wij verblijven in Stalis, maar willen deze grotten graag bezoeken
Written August 3, 2018
Als je toevallig de buggy tour gaat doen in Malia ga je hier heen.
Written July 30, 2019
σε ποση αποσταση απο το σπηλαιο φτανουν τα αυτοκινητα;
λεωφορειο μπορει να προσεγγισει;
Written July 3, 2018
Λεωφορείο δε νομίζω να μπορεί να προσεγγίσει το μέρος αλλά το αυτοκίνητο μπορείτε να το σταθμευσετε σε απόσταση περίπου 500μ από την είσοδο του σπηλαίου.
Written August 4, 2019
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