Mykonos island
Mykonos island is one of the most popular tourist destinations worldwide famous for the crazy parties, the amazing white-washed main town, and the paradisiacal beaches!
Fairly possessing the title of the most glamorous and cosmopolitan Greek island, Mykonos combines luxury and amusement in every single corner of the island.
Mykonos Town
Mykonos Town (Chora) is a stunningly picturesque Cycladic town with a maze of tiny streets and whitewashed steps lanes, houses, and churches gathered around its harbor in the middle of a wide bay. Although the streets are lined with little shops, boutiques, art galleries, cafes, stylish bars, and restaurants, Mykonos Town has not completely lost its identity.
Despite the island’s rapid growth and development, it’s traditional Cycladic architectural style and character has remained firmly intact, thanks to the island’s strict building regulations.
Attractions in Mykonos Town
The Windmills are one of the most iconic landmarks in Mykonos offering a magnificent view of Little Venice and some great shots for your Instagram feed.
Little Venice is famous for its picturesque medieval two and three-story houses, which stand like a wall above the sea, with their colorful wooden balconies. This spot is the perfect place to enjoy a cocktail during sunset time.
Panagia Paraportiani is an impressive whitewashed church that dates back to 1425 and definitely the most popular and multi-photographed of all the churches in Mykonos due to its unique architecture.
Petros the Pelican, the island’s mascot, can sometimes be found at the waterfront or even up in Little Venice.
Mykonos beaches
Mykonos beaches with the fine golden sand and the crystal clear waters will for sure seduce you! The best beaches are on the south side of the island and sheltered from the prevailing northern wind. Most of the beaches have taverns and restaurants and are well equipped with deck chairs and parasols.
Some of the most popular ones are:
-Psarou: This upmarket beach is popular amongst the Greeks.
-Platis Gialos: Busy family and touristic beach. Jet Ski rentals are available.
-Paranga: At about 5 PM the beach gets really noisy with several beach bars.
-Paradise: Paradise Beach is known for its parties with several beach bars.
-Super Paradise: Very popular for its parties and the gays part on the right where nudity is quite common.
-Elia: Elia is one of the larger beaches on Mykonos. It is a well-organized beach and various water sports (ski and jet-ski).
-Ornos: Busy family and touristic beach. It gathers many for its sunbeds and umbrellas. The sandy beach slopes gently into the sea.
There are several other magnificent beaches on Mykonos island that are farther away such as Kalo Livadi, Agios Sostis, Panormos, Agrari, Kapari, Ftelia, Lia, and many more…
Mykonos Nightlife
Mykonos is the top destination for active and crazy party nightlife in Greece. The island boasts the best party scene in the Cyclades, with modern vibrant bars and exciting beach clubs. Presenting a cosmopolitan and fun atmosphere, clubs in Mykonos are trendy, play great music of all types, mainly dance hits, and do not close before dawn.
Many bars and nightclubs can be found in the city, proving that the reputation of Mykonos to be a party island is not just fame, it is a fact. As soon as the sun goes down, the capital’s narrow streets filled with the crowd ready to party and dance all night long. There are countless trendy cafes and bars are located in Little Venice which becomes a very noisy and lively area during night time.
For “spring break” style party beach venues, the top choices are Paradise beach and Super Paradise beach. In both beaches, there are more upscale beach venues with a pool, beachfront sunbeds, and DJs.
For full-service venues go to Paraga beach where you’ll find SantAnna, and nearby Scorpios, with a program of global music by famous DJs.
Delos island
Delos is a little island, characterized by an amazing history, open to visitors who wish to catch a glimpse of its archaeological site. Being situated close enough to Mykonos, plenty of boats transfer daily tourists and natives from one to the other. During ancient times Delos was regarded as a holy place, being, according to Mythology, the birthplace of two Olympian Gods, Apollo and Artemis.
Delos was preserved through the centuries due to the fact that it remained uninhabited since the 7th century AD and due to its remote location. Nowadays, the entire island is designated as an archaeological site. The Hellenic Ministry of Culture monitors the condition of the monuments and constantly provides for their protection, conservation, and presentation. Therefore, the property not only maintains its integrity but also, constantly enhances and highlights the values for which it was designated a World Heritage site.
You can visit Delos by boat from Mykonos port, leaving from 9:00-10:00 daily, and from Delos up to 19:30.
How to get to Mykonos
Mykonos is a very well connected destination where you can travel to either by boat either by plane from many places.
By boat: From the Greek mainland ferries and high-speed hydrofoils run daily from Piraeus and Rafina port. The journey between the port of Piraeus (Athens) and Mykonos takes between 4h and 5h 30min, depending on the type of ferry you are taking. Mykonos can also be reached directly from other islands in the Cyclades. There are boat connections from Syros, Andros, Tinos, Paros, Naxos, Ios and Santorini, Crete, Rhodes, Chios Lesvos, Samos, and Ikaria.
By plane: Mykonos has an airport, about 4km away from the main town. There are daily flights from Athens airport (35 minutes) by Olympic Air and Aegean Airlines. In high season there are also frequent direct charter flights from many European airports.