By Blaise Jaeger · Updated October 24, 2026

Why Visit Mykonos?

Mykonos is a small, dry, windswept island in the Cyclades, and it packs more into its 85 square kilometers than almost any island in Greece: a whitewashed town of lanes and chapels, Little Venice and its houses built over the water, the windmills above the harbor, a south coast of sandy bays, a wild north coast, and Delos, one of the great archaeological sites of the ancient world, half an hour away by boat.

It is also the liveliest island in the Aegean, and the most expensive. I spent more than ten summers there, so this guide is not a list of everything: it is the beaches I went back to every year, the table I would still cross the island for, the hotel where I booked next summer’s room before leaving, and the practical things I wish someone had told me the first time. For the rest of the country, see my Greece travel guide.

Mykonos at a Glance

• Where: the Cyclades, in the central Aegean, between Tinos, Naxos and Paros, with Delos just off its west coast.
• Main town: Mykonos Town, also called Chora, on the west coast, around the Old Port.
• Getting there: about 40 minutes by plane from Athens, or 2 h 40 to 5 h by ferry from Piraeus or Rafina. The airport is about 4 km from town.
• Getting around: buses from town to the main beaches, sea taxis along the south coast, scooters, quads and cars.
• Best for: beaches, sunsets, nightlife and a day trip to Delos.
• Best time: June and September for warm sea with fewer crowds; July and August for the full party season, with the meltemi wind.
• Budget: among the highest in Greece in summer, especially in August.

My Mykonos: More Than Ten Summers on the Island

I first saw Mykonos at about thirteen, traveling with my mother, and it was on that trip that I visited Delos for the first time. I came back with friends at the end of the 1990s, and then, from 2005 to 2015, almost every August. It became my summer island for more than ten years.

Most of those summers were spent at the Rochari Hotel, on the hill just above Mykonos Town. It had a custom I loved: at the end of each stay, you booked your room for the following summer. From its terrace I watched the sun go down over the town, the harbor and the cruise ships more times than I can count.

Those were the years of the legendary Pierro’s, the bar that made Mykonos nightlife famous. Many sources say it closed in 2005, but I was there with friends on August 26, 2006, and the photo below proves it was still open. It has since closed for good.

After 2015, my summers moved to my house in Corfu, but I went back to Mykonos in June 2023 and found the island I remembered: the same light in Little Venice, the same pork chop at Kiki’s, and the same view from the Rochari. That day is the scooter itinerary further down this page.

Best Things to Do in Mykonos

Little Venice at sunset

Little Venice is a row of old captains’ and merchants’ houses built right on the sea, with wooden balconies hanging over the water, on the western edge of Mykonos Town. Most of the ground floors are now bars and restaurants, and at sunset every terrace fills up. On a windy evening the waves break against the walls, which is when I find it most beautiful.

The windmills of Kato Mili

Across the small bay from Little Venice, the windmills of Kato Mili stand in a line on the ridge above the town. They are the symbol of the island today. Walk up at sunset for the view back over Little Venice, then come down through the lanes of the Kastro quarter.

Getting lost in Mykonos Town

Chora is a maze of whitewashed lanes, blue doors and bougainvillea, designed, the story goes, to confuse pirates. Its main shopping street is Matoyianni, lined with boutiques and bars. Don’t miss the Panagia Paraportiani, a whitewashed complex of five churches from the 16th and 17th centuries at the edge of Little Venice, and look out for Petros the pelican, the island’s mascot since 1958: today’s pelicans are his successors.

Boni’s windmill and the museums

Above the Old Port, the restored Boni windmill is the heart of a small open-air agricultural museum, with a threshing floor and a dovecote, and one of the best views of the harbor. In town, the Archaeological Museum displays finds from the necropolis of Rhenea and the 7th-century BC Pithos of Mykonos, decorated with scenes from the fall of Troy; the Aegean Maritime Museum and the Folklore Museum complete the picture of an island of sailors.

Ano Mera and the Panagia Tourliani

The island’s only real village inland, Ano Mera, is a different Mykonos: a quiet square, tavernas, and the Panagia Tourliani monastery, founded in 1542 and rebuilt in the 18th century, with a carved wooden iconostasis. It is 15 minutes by bus from the Old Port and a good stop on the way to the north-coast beaches.

Armenistis lighthouse

On the north-west tip of the island, the Armenistis lighthouse was built in 1891 after a shipwreck. The road up is short, and the sunset over Tinos and Delos is one of the quietest on the island.

Delos: The Day Trip You Should Not Skip

Delos is the reason Mykonos was on the map long before the beach clubs: the mythical birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, and for centuries one of the holiest places of the Greek world. The whole island is an archaeological site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990, and nobody may stay overnight. I first went with my mother as a teenager and have been back several times; it never feels the same twice.

• Boats: from the Old Port of Mykonos Town, opposite Agios Nikolaos church. Several departures a day in season, fewer on Mondays, weather permitting. The crossing takes 30 to 40 minutes. Buy your ticket at the kiosk by the boats and check the return times.
• Site: open 8:00 AM to 7:30 PM in summer (shorter hours from late September). The €20 ticket covers the site and the museum, where the original Naxian lions are kept.
• Tips: take the first boat, bring water, a hat and good shoes: there is almost no shade, and you will walk for two to three hours. Climb Mount Kynthos for the view over the Cyclades.
• Official information: hours and prices on the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades website.

The Best Beaches in Mykonos

Mykonos has more than 30 beaches. The south coast is sheltered from the meltemi and organized with sunbeds and beach bars; the north coast is wilder and windier. These are the three I went back to, year after year.

Elia: the longest beach on the island

Elia is the longest sandy beach in Mykonos, on the south-east coast, with a green hillside behind it and a clear, shallow sea. It has rows of sunbeds and tavernas, but it is long enough to stay relaxed even in August. It is the last stop of the south-coast sea taxis, and buses run from the Old Port.

Super Paradise: the party beach

Super Paradise is a deep bay with turquoise water and a rocky shore, framed by bare hills. It is a party beach in the afternoon, with music and the Jackie O’ Beach Club, and it is one of the island’s best-known gay-friendly beaches. Come in the morning if you want the water to yourself.

Agios Sostis: wild, and Kiki’s above it

Agios Sostis, on the north coast, is the opposite of Super Paradise: no sunbeds, no umbrellas, no music, just a sandy cove and clear water. There is no bus, so you need a scooter, a quad or a car. It was my favorite morning swim, before lunch at Kiki’s, just above the beach.

The other beaches in brief

• Paradise: the original party beach, below the Cavo Paradiso club.
• Psarou: small, chic and expensive, the see-and-be-seen beach.
• Platis Gialos: long, sandy and family-friendly, and the main hub for the sea taxis.
• Ornos: calm and close to town, good with children.
• Fokos and Ftelia: wild north-coast beaches, windy, for those with a vehicle; Ftelia and Kalafatis are the windsurfing spots.

A Perfect Day in Mykonos by Scooter

On June 1, 2023, I spent the day riding around the island by scooter, and it was the best summary of what I love about Mykonos. Here it is, almost hour by hour.

• Around noon, Agios Sostis: ride north and swim in the clear water of the cove.
• 12:30 PM, Kiki’s Tavern: wait in line at the blue gate, then lunch in the shade above the beach.
• 2:30 PM, Elia: cross the island to the south-east coast for the afternoon on the longest beach.
• 6:00 PM, back to town: the pool of the Rochari, with the whole town below.
• Night, Jackie O’: down to the waterfront below the Paraportiani for the evening.

A scooter costs up to about €35 a day. Ride carefully: roads are narrow, sandy at the edges, and busy in August. Non-EU visitors need a motorcycle license from their home country.

Three days in Mykonos

• Day 1: Mykonos Town, Little Venice, the windmills, sunset and dinner in Chora.
• Day 2: the morning boat to Delos, back for a late lunch, then the south-coast beaches by sea taxi.
• Day 3: the scooter day above: Agios Sostis, Kiki’s, Elia, and a last sunset.

Where to Eat in Mykonos

Kiki’s Tavern, Agios Sostis

If you eat in one place on Mykonos, make it Kiki’s. There is no sign, no electricity and no reservations: you wait in line on the path above Agios Sostis beach, sometimes for a long time, and the wait is part of the ritual. Then you sit under the trellis facing the sea, and you order the pork chop. It is, quite simply, incredible, and the reason I would still cross the island for lunch. Kiki’s opens around lunchtime and closes at dusk.

What to try

• Kopanisti: the island’s soft, peppery cheese, spread on bread or rusks.
• Louza: cured pork, seasoned with pepper and herbs, served in thin slices.
• Onion pie with the local tyrovolia cheese.
• Amygdalota: small almond sweets found all over the Cyclades.

In town, prices are high everywhere near the water. The best value is a few lanes back from the harbor, and the best setting is Little Venice at sunset, for a drink rather than dinner.

Mykonos Nightlife

Mykonos earned its reputation at night. The evening starts with the sunset in Little Venice, moves on to the bars in the lanes of Chora around midnight, and ends at dawn, in town or at the beach clubs of the south coast.

• Pierro’s: the bar that started it all, in the heart of Chora. It was still going in 2006, when the photo above was taken, and has since closed.
• Jackie O’: on the waterfront below the Paraportiani, with drag shows every night in season. Its sister, the Jackie O’ Beach Club, is on Super Paradise.
• Cavo Paradiso: the big open-air club on the cliff above Paradise beach, open since 1993, from midnight to sunrise in summer.

Where to Stay in Mykonos

Mykonos Town is the best base for a first stay: you walk everywhere in the evening, and the buses to the beaches leave from town. The south-coast beaches are better if you mostly want to swim, and the north coast only works with a car.

Rochari Hotel, Mykonos Town

I can only really recommend the hotel where I spent most of my Mykonos summers: the Rochari Hotel. It is on the hill just above town, a short walk down to the lanes and the harbor, with a pool and a terrace that faces the sunset over the whole of Chora. Book early for July and August.

For other options, compare hotels in Mykonos Town on Booking.com.

Getting to and Around Mykonos

By plane

Mykonos airport is about 4 km from town. Flights from Athens take about 40 minutes, and in summer many European cities have direct flights. A taxi to town costs around €15 to €20, but taxis are scarce in high season: book a transfer with your hotel. If you have a night or two in Athens before the ferry or the flight, see my Athens travel guide.

By ferry

Ferries leave daily from Piraeus and Rafina, the two ports of Athens: about 2 h 30 to 2 h 45 by high-speed boat, 4 h 30 to 5 h by conventional ferry. Since 2021, all ferries dock at the New Port, about 3 km north of town; a small sea bus links it to the Old Port in about 8 minutes. Mykonos is also a hub for island hopping: Tinos is 15 to 35 minutes away, and Paros and Naxos less than an hour by fast boat. In July and August the meltemi can delay or cancel sailings.

Getting around

• Buses: from the Fabrika station to the south-coast beaches (Ornos, Platis Gialos, Paradise, Super Paradise) and from the Old Port to Ano Mera, Elia and Kalafatis, for about €2.
• Sea taxis: from Platis Gialos and Ornos along the south coast to Paradise, Super Paradise and Elia, with a day pass at around €20.
• Scooter, quad or car: the only way to reach the north coast, Agios Sostis and Fokos. Wear a helmet.
• Taxis: few, and long waits in summer.

Best Time to Visit Mykonos

The season runs from May to October. June and September are the best months: the sea is warm, the island is lively, and prices and crowds are lower than in midsummer. July and August are the peak, with the party season in full swing, the highest prices, and the meltemi, a strong northern wind that blows most afternoons. August, and above all the week of August 15, is the busiest of all. Most of my summers there were in August: it is unforgettable, but book everything early, and go into town before the cruise passengers arrive.

Mykonos or Paros?

This is the question I am asked most often about the Cyclades. Mykonos has the most beautiful town, the nightlife and Delos; it is also very expensive in summer. Paros, which I have visited several times, is calmer, cheaper and has more villages, with excellent beaches and easy ferry connections to Naxos and the small Cyclades. For a first trip and a few days of fun, Mykonos; for a longer, more relaxed stay, Paros. My Greece travel guide compares the islands.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Mykonos

Is Mykonos worth visiting?

Yes. Mykonos combines one of the most beautiful towns in the Cyclades, excellent beaches and Delos, half an hour away by boat. Go in June or September if you want to enjoy it without the August crowds and prices.

How many days do you need in Mykonos?

Three days are enough to see Mykonos Town, visit Delos and enjoy the main beaches. With a week, you can add the north coast and a hop to Tinos or Paros.

What is the best beach in Mykonos?

It depends on what you want: Elia for a long, relaxed beach, Super Paradise for the party atmosphere, and Agios Sostis for a wild cove with no sunbeds, just below Kiki’s Tavern.

How do you get to Delos from Mykonos?

Boats leave from the Old Port in Mykonos Town several times a day in season, and the crossing takes 30 to 40 minutes. The site ticket costs €20 and includes the museum.

Can you stay overnight on Delos?

No. Delos is an archaeological site and day visits only are allowed: the last boat brings visitors back to Mykonos in the evening.

Do you need a car in Mykonos?

No for Mykonos Town and the south coast, which are served by buses and sea taxis. Yes, or a scooter or quad, for the north coast, Agios Sostis and Fokos.

When is the meltemi in Mykonos?

The meltemi blows mainly in July and August, often strongest in the afternoon. It can delay ferries and the Delos boats, and it makes the north-coast beaches rough.

Is Mykonos expensive?

Yes, it is one of the most expensive islands in Greece in summer, especially in August. Prices drop in June and September, and eating a few lanes back from the harbor helps.

Where is Kiki’s Tavern?

Kiki’s Tavern is above Agios Sostis beach on the north coast. It has no sign, no electricity and no reservations: arrive around midday and expect a line.

Where should I stay in Mykonos?

Mykonos Town is the best base for a first trip. I spent most of my Mykonos summers at the Rochari Hotel, on the hill above town, with a view of the sunset over Chora.