The Cyclades' most glamorous island: the white maze of Mykonos town (Chora), the windmills and Little Venice's sunset bars, Paradise and Psarou beach clubs, and the boat to sacred Delos, the birthplace of Apollo and one of Greece's great ancient sites, 30 minutes away. Dear in July and August, with cruise crowds in town. Flights from Athens take 40 minutes; ferries from Rafina 2.5 to 5 hours, from Piraeus 4.5 to 6. Indian restaurants in town. A summer island: almost everything shuts from November to March.
Highlights
- Sunset at Little Venice and the windmills
- Boat to ancient Delos
- Chora's white lanes
- Beach clubs at Paradise and Psarou
- Ano Mera village
- Armenistis lighthouse
Things to do
- Delos by boat: the sacred islandMorning · 4h 30m
- Chora lanes, Little Venice and the windmillsEvening · 3h
- Beach-club afternoon at Psarou or ParadiseAfternoon · 4h
- Boat trip to the south coast beachesMorning · 5h
Tours & tickets
Tourisma may earn a small commission if you book — it never changes your price.
When to go
Best time: May – June, September
Worth knowing
Meltemi Winds: Ferries Cancelled
The meltemi, a strong north wind, blows for days at a time in July and August (force 6-8). The high-speed boats are cancelled first, and sometimes the port authority stops every sailing. Leave a spare day before your flight home, prefer the big conventional ferries on windy days, and pick the sheltered south-facing beaches.
Worth knowing
Cruise-Ship Crowds
From May to October several cruise ships a day can land thousands of passengers, who fill the caldera paths of Fira and Oia (or Mykonos town and Little Venice) from about 10:00 to 17:00. Walk the paths early, see Oia's sunset from Imerovigli or a boat, and check the port's cruise calendar when choosing days.
- Orthodox Easter (Pascha) — Greece's biggest festival: candlelit Good Friday processions, the midnight Resurrection service on Saturday with fireworks and church bells, and lamb roasts on Sunday. Corfu's is the most famous, with clay pots thrown from balconies on Holy Saturday morning. Greeks travel home, so ferries, flights and hotels fill, and shops, museums and sites close or shorten hours from Good Friday to Easter Monday. Book well ahead.
- Dekapentavgoustos (the Assumption) — The feast of the Virgin Mary and the peak of the Greek summer holiday: village festivals (panigiria) with music and food the night before, a great pilgrimage to Paros' Church of a Hundred Doors, and every ferry and island room full in the week around it. Athens empties and many of its shops close.