Mykonos: things to do, beaches and how to get around

Things to do in Mykonos: the short list

Thirteen things, roughly from unmissable to nice to have. The first six fit into three days.

1. Watch the sunset from Little Venice, with the sea at the foot of the balconies, then walk up to the windmills.
2. Get lost in the lanes of Mykonos town in the early morning, before the shops and the day-trippers open up.
3. Take the boat to Delos, the birthplace of Apollo in Greek myth and one of the great sites of the ancient world, 30 minutes from the old port.
4. Spend a day on the south coast beaches, hopping between them by sea taxi from Platis Gialos.
5. Book one beach club, Psarou for the glamour, Super Paradise or Paradise for the party, and ask the sunbed price first.
6. Have lunch in Ano Mera, the inland village, after a look at the Tourliani monastery.
7. See Paraportiani, the lumpy white church at the edge of the Kastro quarter.
8. Sail the south coast or Rhenia on a catamaran, with swim stops and lunch on board.
9. Eat your way through the Chora on a food walk, from the bakeries to the souvlaki counters.
10. Drive to Fokos or Agios Sostis, north coast bays with no sunbed rows, and queue for lunch at Kiki's Tavern.
11. Catch a sunset at Armenistis lighthouse, on the north-west tip, away from the crowd in Little Venice.
12. Visit the small museums of the Chora: the archaeological museum, the Aegean Maritime Museum and the folklore museum by Paraportiani.
13. Windsurf at Kalafatis on the east coast, where the meltemi is an asset.

Mykonos tours: Delos, catamaran cruises and food tours

Delos is the one trip almost everyone takes, and there are two ways to do it. The guided morning tour gets you the boat, the ticket queue sorted and an archaeologist to make sense of the ruins, which are hard to read on your own. The plain return boat is the cheaper option if you would rather go round with a guidebook.

For a day on the water, the Rhenia catamaran sails past Delos to the empty beaches of the island next to it, with a meal and drinks on board and a transfer from your hotel. The famous beaches cruise runs along the south coast instead, with lunch, and the sunset cruise does the same stretch in the late afternoon, with a barbecue and the sunset on the way back.

The food tour is a good first evening: two hours through the Chora and Matoyianni street with ten tastings, which also teaches you the lanes you will use for the rest of your stay.

See more activities in Mykonos

Mykonos town: Little Venice, the windmills and Matoyianni street

Mykonos town, which everyone on the island calls the Chora, is a maze of whitewashed lanes built to confuse pirates and the wind, and it now confuses visitors. Everything worth seeing is within a 15-minute walk: Little Venice and the windmills on the west side, the Kastro quarter and Paraportiani by the sea, the old port to the north and Matoyianni street running through the middle. Our map of Mykonos places all of it, with the two bus stations.

Go early. Between about 10:00 and 18:00 on a cruise day the lanes are full, and the town is at its best before 9:00, when the shops are still shuttered and the cats have the steps to themselves, and again after dark, when it fills with people going out.

Little Venice in Mykonos: sunset and where to sit

Little Venice is the row of old captains' houses on the west edge of town, with wooden balconies hanging directly over the water. It is the most famous sunset spot on the island, which means that the bars along the waterfront fill up an hour before and drinks are priced accordingly. Arrive early and order one drink for the whole show, or watch from the rocks and the lane below the windmills, which costs nothing. On a windy day the waves break against the terraces, so sit back from the edge.

For the view from above, 180° Sunset Bar sits on the hill over the old port, a steep 15-minute walk up from Little Venice. It opens in the evening, and walk-ins have been charged about €30 with one drink. Reserved areas carry a minimum spend, so check its website before you climb.

The windmills of Mykonos (Kato Mili)

The windmills stand in a line on the low ridge just south of Little Venice, a five-minute walk up from the waterfront. They once ground the grain that ships stopping at Mykonos loaded for the voyage, and they are now the island's postcard. There is nothing to visit inside most of them: the point is the view back over Little Venice and the bay, best in the hour before sunset.

Matoyianni street and the lanes of the Chora

Matoyianni is the main lane through town, lined with boutiques, jewellers and bars, and busiest after dinner. The side lanes off it are the real Mykonos town: white walls with painted steps, bougainvillea, tiny chapels and blue doors. You will get lost, but the sea is never more than a few minutes away to reorient yourself. Petros, the town's pelican, is usually somewhere near the old port.

Paraportiani church and the Kastro quarter

Paraportiani is a cluster of chapels built into one another, whitewashed so many times that it looks moulded rather than built. It stands in the Kastro quarter, on the spot where the town's medieval castle once was, between the old port and Little Venice. Next to it is the folklore museum, in an old house, and a short walk away along the harbour are the archaeological museum and the Aegean Maritime Museum, all small enough for an hour on a hot afternoon.

Delos day trip from Mykonos: tickets, hours and boats in 2026

Delos is a small, flat, uninhabited island just west of Mykonos, and in Greek myth it is where Apollo and Artemis were born. It was a sanctuary, then one of the busiest ports of the ancient Mediterranean, and the whole island is now an archaeological site on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The things not to miss are the Terrace of the Lions (the lions outside are replicas, the originals are under cover), the mosaics in the houses of the theatre quarter and the climb up Mount Kynthos for the view over the Cyclades.

The site ticket is €20, or €10 reduced, on top of the boat. Boats leave from the old port in the Chora, not from the new port where the ferries dock, and the crossing takes about 30 minutes. A return boat costs roughly €25 to €30 in 2026, so a visit on your own comes to about €45 to €50 a head. Allow three to four hours on the island.

Delos opening hours in 2026

These are the official hours for autumn 2026. The site is closed from 1 December to 31 March, and on 25 March, Easter Sunday, 1 May and 25 and 26 December. No overnight stay is allowed on the island, and there is little shade: take a hat and water.

Go on your first or second day. The meltemi can cancel the small boats in July and August, and having a spare day saves the trip. The morning boats are the most popular. The late afternoon visit is cooler and quieter.

Ano Mera and the Mykonos countryside

Ano Mera is the only real village inland, 8 km east of the Chora, and the easiest way to see what Mykonos is like away from the beach clubs. Its centre is a square lined with tavernas, and on one side stands the Panagia Tourliani monastery, founded in the 16th century, with a carved marble fountain and a red-domed bell tower. Come for lunch, which costs less than in town. The KTEL bus from the old port takes 25 to 30 minutes and costs about €2.50.

From Ano Mera, roads run north to the wilder side of the island: Panormos and Agios Sostis, then Fokos and Mersini. On the north-west tip, Armenistis lighthouse is a quiet place for a sunset, with the island of Tinos across the strait. You need wheels for all of these.

Above the small beach at Agios Sostis, Kiki's Tavern is the island's most talked-about lunch: no electricity, so it only opens in daylight, and no reservations, so there is often a wait, with a glass of wine while you stand. Plan it for the day you have a car. Near Ano Mera, the Vioma organic farm offers wine tastings, a change of pace from the beach clubs.

Mykonos beaches and beach clubs: Psarou, Paradise, Super Paradise, Agrari, Fokos

In short, the south coast is sheltered, the north coast is not. In July and August the meltemi blows from the north, so the south coast beaches stay calm while the north coast is rough for days at a time. Almost every beach club is on the south coast, between Psarou and Elia. Beaches in Greece are public, so you can always lay a towel on the free part of the sand without paying for a sunbed.

No club publishes its prices, and they change with the month and the row. The ranges below are those reported for peak season 2026. Book ahead from late June to early September, and ask about a minimum spend before you sit down.

Psarou beach and Nammos

Psarou is a small cove next to Platis Gialos, and the most expensive stretch of sand on the island, because of Nammos, the club that takes up most of it. Expect yachts in the bay, a dress code that is never written down and a minimum spend that is. The water is calm and clear. If you only want to look, walk over from Platis Gialos, which is on the bus line and has ordinary sunbeds and tavernas.

Paraga beach and Scorpios

Paraga, between Platis Gialos and Paradise, is home to Scorpios, the club known for its sunset "rituals" with live music, which draws an older crowd than Paradise. Reserve for the sunset session. In the reserved areas you usually order by the bottle. To keep the cost down, spend the day on the public beach at Paraga next door, eat at a taverna on the sand and walk over for the evening.

Paradise beach Mykonos

Paradise is the party beach, with music from early afternoon and a crowd that gets younger as the day goes on. It is on the bus line from Fabrika (about €2.30) and has late buses back in high season, which makes it the easiest of the party beaches without a car. Tropicana has the sunbeds. If you want a calm swim, come in the morning.

Super Paradise beach

Super Paradise is the next bay east, in a deeper cove under a steep hill. The road down is narrow and steep, and the easiest way in is by sea taxi from Platis Gialos. The beach club runs the afternoon parties, and it is one of the cheaper clubs for a sunbed at the back. Mornings are quiet.

Agrari beach

Agrari is a small bay just west of Elia, with a few tavernas, a beach bar and none of the noise of Paradise. It is a good choice for a slow day on the south coast. Sea taxis from Platis Gialos stop there, and by car it is a short drive from Ano Mera.

Fokos beach

Fokos is the opposite of the south coast: a wild bay on the north coast, with no sunbed rows and a single taverna, at the end of a road north of Ano Mera. It is exposed to the meltemi, so pick a calm day, and you need a car or a quad to get there. On a still morning it is one of the most beautiful places on the island.

The other Mykonos beaches: Ornos, Platis Gialos, Elia, Kalafatis

Ornos and Platis Gialos are the family beaches: calm, shallow, lined with hotels and tavernas and 10 to 15 minutes by bus from town. Elia is the longest sandy beach on the south coast. Kalafatis, on the east coast, is the windsurfing and kitesurfing beach. Agios Sostis, on the north coast, has no facilities at all, and people go for exactly that.

How many days in Mykonos, and the best time to visit

Three to four days is right for most people. Two days covers the town, Delos and one beach. A third adds a day of beach-hopping by sea taxi, a fourth Ano Mera, the north coast or a catamaran. A week is a lot for an island this size, and most people split it with Naxos, Paros or Santorini, which suits the view and the sunsets where Mykonos suits the beaches and the nights out.

The best windows are late May to mid-June and mid-September to mid-October. The beach clubs reopen in late May and are fully running by mid-June, the sea is warm enough to swim from about the end of May, and accommodation costs roughly a quarter to a third less than in August. July and August are hot (29 to 32 °C), packed and windy. September has the warmest sea of the year, and crowds thin from about the middle of the month.

Mykonos in October and in winter

Early October is still warm (around 22 to 24 °C) and the town is lively, but clubs and hotels start closing through the month. From November to April most of the island is shut, and Delos closes from 1 December to 31 March. Winter Mykonos is quiet and local, but it is not the island people come for.

Mykonos from a cruise ship

Cruise ships dock at the new port at Tourlos, north of town, and passengers are shuttled in. The town is busiest from late morning to mid-afternoon on cruise days. With one day, walk the Chora and Little Venice first thing, then take the Delos boat from the old port or a bus to Ornos or Platis Gialos for the afternoon.

Is Mykonos expensive? Prices in 2026

Yes, it is one of the most expensive islands in Greece, mostly because of the hotels and the beach clubs. The island itself can be done for less: the bus, the public beaches, the gyros counters and Delos cost what they cost elsewhere. These are the prices reported for the 2026 season.

• Hotels: roughly €50 to €150 a night for a simple room, €150 to €400 for mid-range, and €400 to over €1,000 in the luxury hotels, more in August.
• Food: about €10 to €12 for a gyros or a quick bite, €25 to €50 a head for a taverna meal, €40 to €80 for three courses in a good restaurant.
• Drinks: a cocktail costs about €18 in town, €20 or more at a beach club, and a beer €7 to €12.
• Beach clubs: about €25 to €110+ for a sunbed, see the table above.
• Getting around: €2 to €2.50 by bus, roughly €5 to €20 a leg by sea taxi, €30 to €70 a day for a small car or a quad, €10 to €20 for a short taxi ride.
• Delos: about €45 to €50 a head on your own, boat and ticket included.

The one trap worth knowing is the bill. Ask the price before you order fish sold by weight, check the sunbed price and any minimum spend at the clubs, and read the menu outside before you sit down in Little Venice.

Getting around Mykonos: KTEL buses, sea taxis and car hire

Mykonos is small, about 15 km end to end, and the bus covers most of what you need. What confuses newcomers is that the town has two bus stations: Fabrika, at the south end of town, for the south coast beaches and the airport, and the Old Port station, on the north side, for the new port, Ano Mera, Elia and Kalafatis.

Mykonos bus fares in 2026

Buy tickets at the kiosks at the two stations, or pay cash to the driver at the stops, ideally with small notes. There is no day pass. In July and August the last buses back from Paradise and Platis Gialos run until about 02:30 to 03:00. Out of season, until around midnight.

Sea taxis from Platis Gialos

Small boats leave from the beach at Platis Gialos and Ornos and work their way east along the south coast: Paraga, Paradise, Super Paradise, Agrari and Elia. They are the best way to hop between beaches without a car, at roughly €5 to €20 a leg depending on the distance. They stop when the sea is rough.

Taxis, quads and car hire in Mykonos

Mykonos has only about thirty taxis, which is the island's main transport problem in summer: book one ahead for an early ferry or flight, as our guide to Mykonos airport explains. A quad is popular and fine for short hops, but the roads are narrow, steep and busy, and a small car is safer for the north coast. Parking in town is hard: use the car parks at the edge of the Chora and walk in.

Where to stay in Mykonos: town or beach

The choice is between the Chora, where you walk home from dinner and the bars, and a south coast beach, where you swim before breakfast and take the bus or a taxi into town. Ornos and Platis Gialos suit families, Psarou and Agios Ioannis suit a bigger budget, and the hotels above the Chora give you the view over the town and the windmills. Our guide to where to stay in Mykonos compares the six areas with hotels at every price.

Getting to Mykonos by ferry and plane

Ferries dock at the new port at Tourlos, about 2 km north of town, linked by bus and taxi. From Athens, most fast ferries sail from Rafina, not Piraeus, which changes where you should spend your last night: see our guide to the Athens to Mykonos ferry. Mykonos is also the start of the classic island hop: the ferry to Naxos takes under an hour on a fast boat, and the ferry to Santorini two to three hours.

The airport is 3.5 km from the Chora, about ten minutes by road, with direct flights from Athens all year and from much of Europe in summer. An hourly bus runs to the Fabrika station. For the rest of the islands nearby, see our guide to the Cyclades.