Your First Time in
Mykonos, Greece
Mykonos is the most self-aware place I have ever been. It knows exactly what it looks like and it leans into that completely. The white walls, the bougainvillea spilling over every doorway, the windmills on the hill above the water. It is genuinely beautiful and it is also genuinely expensive and those two things are not unrelated.
We came in on a cruise with no fixed plan. We had originally booked a guided day trip to Delos, the ancient island just off the coast of Mykonos, but canceled it and decided to spend the day on Mykonos itself instead. Wandering, eating, photographing, exploring the narrow streets of the town. That turned out to be exactly the right call for the kind of day we wanted.
One thing worth knowing before you go: coming straight from Santorini will make the prices sting more than they otherwise would. The food in Santorini was some of the best I had in all of Europe. Mykonos does not match that and charges more for the attempt. Go in knowing it and you will enjoy the day more than if you arrive expecting the same thing at a higher price.
Mykonos is worth a day. Once is enough for a first visit and once is also completely satisfying. It is one of those places that delivers on the photographs without necessarily making you desperate to come back.
What to See and Do on Your Visit to Mykonos
Mykonos Town (Chora)
The heart of the island and where you will spend most of your time. A maze of narrow whitewashed streets with no logical grid, no street signs on most lanes, and no real way to get properly lost because you will always eventually find yourself back at the water or a familiar landmark. Flowers spill over doorways and walls. The stone floors are worn smooth. The buildings are blindingly white in the midday sun. It is exactly what you picture when you picture a Greek island and it delivers on that image completely.
The best way to experience it is to wander without a plan. Pick a street and follow it. Duck into shops if something catches your eye. Stop for coffee when you find somewhere that looks good. Let the town reveal itself rather than trying to navigate it efficiently. That approach works here better than almost anywhere.
The Windmills (Kato Mili)
The most iconic image of Mykonos. Five windmills sitting on a hill above Little Venice, dating back to the 16th century when they were used to grind grain for ships passing through. They are no longer operational but they are well preserved and the views from the hill over the town and the harbor are genuinely good.
They are worth seeing and worth photographing. They are not awe inspiring in the way that the Acropolis or the Santorini caldera are awe inspiring. They are a Mykonos moment. Stand there, feel the wind, take the photo, and move on.
Little Venice (Alefkandra)
A row of medieval buildings sitting directly at the water's edge, colorful wooden balconies hanging over the sea, bars and restaurants lining the waterfront. It is called Little Venice because the buildings appear to rise directly out of the water the way Venice does. The comparison is generous but the setting is genuinely beautiful.
Worth walking through and stopping for a drink if the mood is right. The prices are high even by Mykonos standards. The sunset from here is supposed to be spectacular if your timing works out. Arrive early to get a waterfront seat if that is the plan.
One of the most photographed churches in Greece and genuinely worth the stop. Five chapels built into each other over several centuries, all covered in white stucco, sitting on the edge of the Kastro neighborhood. It looks like something that grew organically rather than something that was designed and it is one of those details about Mykonos that sticks with you.
Delos Day Trip
We skipped Delos and spent the day on Mykonos instead which was the right call for the day we wanted. That said Delos is one of the most significant archaeological sites in the entire Greek world, the mythological birthplace of Apollo and Artemis and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you are returning to Mykonos or have more than one day it belongs on the list. Ferry transfers from Mykonos take about thirty minutes each way.
The Beaches
Mykonos has some of the best beaches in Greece. Elia Beach is one of the largest and most accessible. Paradise Beach is the famous party beach. Agios Sostis is quieter and more remote. None of these were part of our day but with more time they are the reason many people come back.
Getting To Mykonos
Mykonos is accessible by flight and by ferry, and like Santorini it is also a popular cruise stop with its own specific arrival logistics.
Cruise ships dock at the New Port of Mykonos, about two kilometers from Mykonos Town. Shuttle buses run between the port and the town center and are the easiest way to get in. Taxis are available at the port as well. The walk into town is possible but long enough in the heat that the shuttle is the better call.
Unlike Santorini there is no tender boat and no cable car. You dock, you get on a shuttle or taxi, and you are in town within ten minutes. The logistics are straightforward.
Coming from a Cruise Ship
Coming by Flight
Mykonos Town itself is entirely pedestrian. No cars, no scooters, no shortcuts. You walk and you get used to it quickly. The streets are narrow enough that a car would not fit anyway.
For getting around the wider island the local bus network covers the main beaches and villages at reasonable prices. Taxis exist but can be difficult to find during peak hours and expensive when you do. Renting an ATV or scooter is popular and gives you the most flexibility for exploring beaches and quieter parts of the island away from the crowds.
One practical note worth knowing. Mykonos Town is genuinely easy to get turned around in. The streets do not follow any logical pattern and most of them do not have visible signs. This is part of the charm and also occasionally frustrating. The town is small enough that you will always find your way back to the water or a landmark eventually. Embrace it rather than fighting it.
Getting Around the Island
Where to Eat & Drink on Your First Trip to Mykonos
Mykonos will surprise you with the bill before it surprises you with the food. Coming straight from Santorini made the sticker shock worse than it might have been otherwise because the quality in Santorini was exceptional and the prices in Mykonos were significantly higher without a clear reason why. The food is good. It is not better than what you will find elsewhere in Greece and in some cases it is slightly less fresh. You are paying for the location and the name of the island more than what is on the plate.
That is the honest version. Go in knowing it and you will enjoy the meals more than if you arrive expecting Santorini prices with Santorini quality.
We ended up here for lunch and ordered a salad hoping to find something close to what we had in Santorini. It was good. It was not that. The food is well prepared and the setting is pleasant but the price to quality ratio is the Mykonos experience in a single meal. Worth going if you want a sit down lunch in a nice spot. Just check the menu prices before you sit down.
A bakery worth stopping at. We had a cake here that was genuinely moist and delicious, something Greek and specific to the place in a way that felt less tourist facing than most of what is available along the main streets. The kind of stop that costs almost nothing and ends up being one of the more memorable eating moments of the day. Find it, go in, order whatever looks good in the case.
We ended the day here and I will be honest about it. The service was bad. The drinks were mediocre. The crowd felt like it existed primarily to be photographed rather than to actually enjoy being somewhere. It did not ruin the day but it was the least genuine thing we did in Mykonos and the most Mykonos thing we did in Mykonos at the same time. Go if the photo is the point. Do not go expecting a great drink or warm service.
Fresh seafood if you can find it at a price that does not make you wince. The closer to the water and the further from the main tourist strip the better the value tends to be.
Something from a local bakery. Il Forno di Gerasimo delivered on this and it is the kind of eating that costs very little and tastes genuinely good. Look for places where locals are actually eating rather than places designed to catch the eye of people walking past.
Greek coffee anywhere that is not on the main tourist waterfront. Same coffee, fraction of the price, better atmosphere.
What to Try at Least Once in Mykonos
What to Pack for Your First Trip to Mykonos
Mykonos is a walking destination with a lot of uneven cobblestone terrain and very little shade in the main town. Unlike Santorini, there is no serious hike, which means you have more room to dress for the island rather than the trail. Mykonos has a reputation and the visitors it attracts tend to lean into it. That is worth packing for.
The Aegean climate means warm to hot temperatures from late spring through early fall. May and June are comfortable. July and August are hot and crowded. The wind on Mykonos is notable, the island sits in the path of the meltemi winds that blow through the Cyclades in summer, which makes the heat more bearable but also means a light layer can be useful in the evening even when the daytime temperature is high.
Weather
Comfortable shoes you can walk cobblestones in for several hours. The streets are uneven and slippery in places and completely flat thin-soled shoes will cause you problems by midday. Something with a little grip or structure underfoot makes the difference, even if it is still a sandal. I wore platform sandals and was completely fine. Sunscreen and a hat. Mykonos Town has almost no shade and the midday sun is strong. Sunglasses. A small crossbody bag or daypack, nothing heavy. Cash for bakeries, smaller shops, and street vendors. A portable charger because you will take a lot of photos. A light layer for the evening if the wind picks up.
Core Items for Mykonos
The Wind Was Just Passing Through
Standing at the windmills, the wind came off the Aegean and I started thinking about where it had been before it reached me. How far it had traveled. What it had passed over on the way. And then I thought about how far we had traveled to be standing in exactly that spot at exactly that moment, and how the wind was just passing through the same as we were, and how neither of us would be there for long.
It is not a profound thought. It is just the kind of thought that only comes when you are somewhere far enough from your ordinary life that your mind finally has room for it.
Veranda at the end of the day was the most Mykonos thing we did. Beautiful setting, mediocre drinks, a crowd that seemed to be there primarily to document being there rather than to actually enjoy it. We fit right in for about forty five minutes and then got back on the ship.
That is Mykonos in two moments. One that arrived quietly and one that did not need to. Both were worth having.
Itinerary for Your First
Trip to Mykonos
Mykonos is the rare destination where having no plan is actually the right plan. The town is small enough that you cannot miss the main things and wandering without a fixed itinerary is genuinely the best way to experience it. That said a loose structure helps if you are working within cruise ship timing.
Before You Go
Morning: Into Town and the Windmills
Take the shuttle from the port into Mykonos Town. From the drop off point walk toward the waterfront and get your bearings before you start moving with any direction.
Head toward Kato Mili, the windmills on the hill above Little Venice. The walk from the waterfront takes about ten minutes. Go earlier rather than later when the light is better and the crowds are thinner. Stay longer than you think you need to. The wind comes off the Aegean and there is nowhere else on the island where you feel it quite like that. Take the photo. Then put the phone down for a minute.
From the windmills walk down into Little Venice. The row of buildings at the water's edge is worth seeing even if you do not stop for a drink. The Panagia Paraportiani Church is a five minute walk from here and worth a stop. It is one of the most distinctive buildings on the island and easy to miss if you are not looking for it.
Midday: Lunch and the Narrow Streets
Find somewhere for lunch. Check the menu before you sit down. Nice n Easy is a solid option if you want a proper sit down meal in a pleasant setting. Just go in knowing the prices reflect the island more than the food.
After lunch give yourself the rest of the afternoon to wander. This is the actual itinerary for Mykonos. No specific route, no must see stops beyond what you have already done. Pick streets that look interesting and follow them. Go in and out of shops. Stop at Il Forno di Gerasimo for something from the bakery case. Find a coffee somewhere off the main tourist strip where a local might actually sit.
The town is small enough that you will cover most of it naturally if you wander for two or three hours without trying to. Let it happen that way.
Late Afternoon: Wrapping Up
If the timing works and you want a sunset drink Little Venice is the place. Arrive at least thirty minutes before sunset to get a waterfront seat. The view is worth the price of a drink if you know going in what you are paying for.
If the sunset timing does not work with your ship schedule skip it without regret. Mykonos is beautiful enough in the afternoon light that you will not feel like you missed the defining moment of the day.
Make your way back to the port shuttle with enough time to get back to the ship comfortably. Do not cut it close.
If You Have More Time
A second day opens up the beaches and the Delos day trip. Delos is thirty minutes by ferry from Mykonos and one of the most significant archaeological sites in the Greek world. We skipped it and do not regret it for a single day visit. For a second visit it would be the first thing on the list.
Check your tender or shuttle schedule and count backward from your return time. Mykonos Town is compact and a full day is more than enough to see everything.
Bring cash. Bakeries, smaller shops, and street vendors are often cash only and some of the best things you will eat and buy in Mykonos will not take a card.