Greece · South Aegean

Plan your Mykonos trip

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Places on the map Kato Mili windmills The row of whitewashed windmills on the hill above Little Venice, built by the Venetians around the sixteenth century to grind grain using the island's near-constant wind. Seven survive, several restored, and the sunset view from the ridge they stand on is the single most photographed scene in the Cyclades. Little Venice (Alefkandra) The row of centuries-old houses built with their balconies cantilevered directly over the sea, originally homes of sea captains and merchants. The bars and cafés wedged beneath them now hold the best sunset seats on the island, at a price that reflects exactly that. Panagia Paraportiani An improbable, lumpy whitewashed church that is actually five separate chapels fused into one structure over several centuries, sitting right where the old town meets the sea near Kastro. It looks almost sculptural rather than built, and is one of the most photographed churches in Greece despite having no single architect or plan behind it. Delos A small, uninhabited island thirty minutes offshore that the ancient Greek world considered the sacred birthplace of Apollo and Artemis — once so holy that no one was permitted to be born or die there. What survives is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Mediterranean: a sprawling sanctuary, a terrace of marble lions, mosaic-floored houses and a theatre, largely unshaded and genuinely vast. Paradise and Super Paradise beaches The two beaches that built Mykonos's party reputation, a short hop apart on the south coast, each organised almost entirely around its beach clubs and DJ sets rather than the sand itself. Loud, crowded and unapologetically about being seen from roughly midday onward. Psarou beach A small, sheltered cove on the south coast that has become the island's VIP address, backed by Nammos and a client list that regularly includes actual celebrities and superyachts anchored just offshore. Expensive, polished and exactly as curated as it looks in photographs. Ano Mera and the Panagia Tourliani monastery An inland village roughly seven kilometres from Chora that still runs on a working, unhurried rhythm, built around an eighteenth-century monastery with an elaborately carved marble bell tower and a small museum of ecclesiastical treasures and embroideries. Armenistis Lighthouse An early-twentieth-century lighthouse on the island's rugged northern tip, built after a 1887 French warship wreck prompted the Greek state to finally light this stretch of coast. The site itself is modest, but the drive out and the views back across the strait to Tinos are the real reward.

01Your itinerary

02Where to stay

Chora (Mykonos Town)

Best for first-timers who want to walk everywhere and skip the nightlife commute

The old town itself — maximum atmosphere, every restaurant and bar within a stumble, and the windmills and Little Venice on your doorstep. Also the loudest, most crowded base in peak season, with narrow lanes that mean real luggage-hauling on arrival.

A boutique Cycladic hotel tucked into the lanes near Little Venice

Look for a small, whitewashed property set back from the main harbour strip — you keep the five-minute walk to sunset without the loudest late-night noise.

€€€€

Check rates

A simple studio above the shops near the old port

A step down in polish buys a genuinely central base at a noticeably lower summer rate than the Little Venice-adjacent hotels.

€€€

Check rates

Psarou & Platis Gialos

Best for a beach-first trip with easy access to the VIP scene

The polished south-coast strip, a short drive from Chora, built around beach-club life rather than old-town wandering. Expect resort-style properties, sea views and some of the island's highest rates.

A resort with direct access to Platis Gialos beach

Paying for sea-view rooms here buys you the ability to walk down to sunbeds before the day-trip crowds arrive by water taxi.

€€€€

Check rates

Ornos

Best for families and anyone who wants quiet nights near, not in, the action

A calmer, more family-friendly bay a few minutes from Chora by car or bus, with a long sandy beach, straightforward tavernas, and noticeably less nightlife noise than the town itself.

A small hotel a short walk back from Ornos beach

Set back a street or two from the waterfront restaurants for a quieter night, still inside a five-minute walk of the sand and the bus stop into town.

€€€

Check rates

Ano Mera

Best for longer stays, budget-conscious trips, and anyone who wants to see the other Mykonos

Inland, unhurried and markedly cheaper, built around an actual working village rather than a tourist strip. You trade beach proximity for a genuinely different, calmer version of the island and a car becomes close to essential.

A family-run guesthouse near the village square

Rooms here run well below the coastal rate for the same dates, at the cost of a ten-to-fifteen-minute drive to the nearest beach.

€€

Check rates

Agios Stefanos & Tourlos

Best for a quiet base with town still within easy reach

Low-key bays just north of Chora, close enough to walk or take a short taxi into town but removed from its noise, with sea views back toward the harbour and a quieter, more residential feel.

A hillside apartment with a view back toward Chora and the port

The elevated position here means a sea breeze and a view most Chora hotels can't offer, with the town still a short drive or a fifteen-minute walk away.

€€€

Check rates

Affiliate notePostcardRoute is reader-supported. Some links to Booking.com (stays, flights, car hire, tickets and tours, airport transfers) are affiliate links, tracked through CJ Affiliate: if you book through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend places we would send a friend.

03Tickets & tours

Kato Mili windmills

The row of whitewashed windmills on the hill above Little Venice, built by the Venetians around the sixteenth century to grind grain using the…

Tip Walk up in the late afternoon and stay through sunset; the crowd thins fast once the light goes, and the windmills lit against a darkening sky are quieter and better…

Check rates

Little Venice (Alefkandra)

The row of centuries-old houses built with their balconies cantilevered directly over the sea, originally homes of sea captains and merchants.

Tip Arrive an hour before sunset to actually get a waterfront seat — the good tables fill early and many bars enforce a drink minimum once the sun starts dropping.

Check rates

Panagia Paraportiani

An improbable, lumpy whitewashed church that is actually five separate chapels fused into one structure over several centuries, sitting right where…

Tip Visit in the soft light just after sunrise or just before sunset, when the irregular whitewashed curves actually read as shapes rather than a flat white blur under the…

Check rates

Delos

A small, uninhabited island thirty minutes offshore that the ancient Greek world considered the sacred birthplace of Apollo and Artemis — once so…

Tip Take the earliest boat of the day, bring far more water and sun protection than feels necessary, and budget three to four hours — the site has almost no shade and gets…

Check rates

Paradise and Super Paradise beaches

The two beaches that built Mykonos's party reputation, a short hop apart on the south coast, each organised almost entirely around its beach clubs…

Tip Come early morning if you actually want to swim rather than attend a party — by early afternoon in July and August both beaches are standing room only at the water's…

Check rates

Psarou beach

A small, sheltered cove on the south coast that has become the island's VIP address, backed by Nammos and a client list that regularly includes…

Tip Sunbeds here require reservations and minimum spends in peak season — book a day or two ahead through your hotel concierge rather than turning up and hoping.

Check rates

Ano Mera and the Panagia Tourliani monastery

An inland village roughly seven kilometres from Chora that still runs on a working, unhurried rhythm, built around an eighteenth-century monastery…

Tip Time a visit around lunch and eat in the village square — Ano Mera has some of the island's best-value, most traditional tavernas precisely because it isn't on the beach…

Check rates

Armenistis Lighthouse

An early-twentieth-century lighthouse on the island's rugged northern tip, built after a 1887 French warship wreck prompted the Greek state to…

Tip Go for sunset facing west over the strait rather than for the lighthouse itself, and bring a jacket — the north coast catches the meltemi at full strength even on calm…

Check rates

Day trips from Mykonos

Delos

The essential excursion rather than an optional one — a thirty-minute boat ride to one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece, the…

Day trip

Check rates

Tinos

A short ferry hop north to an island with its own strong identity: a major pilgrimage church, dramatic dovecote-dotted countryside, and a…

Day trip

Check rates

Naxos

The largest of the Cyclades, a couple of hours away by ferry, trading Mykonos's intensity for mountain villages, genuinely excellent local cheese and…

Day trip

Check rates

Rineia

The quiet, uninhabited island just across the strait from Delos, usually combined with it on the same boat trip — a chance to swim in genuinely empty…

Day trip

Check rates

Everything to do in Mykonos

Skip-the-line tickets, guided tours and day trips, all in one place on Booking.com.

Browse all

04Getting there & around

Getting there, and getting around once you land

Mykonos National Airport sits about three kilometres southeast of Chora and takes direct flights from Athens year-round (around forty-five minutes) plus a wide seasonal network of charters and direct flights from across Europe in summer.

Flights

Compare fares into Mykonos and pick dates that suit the days you planned.

Compare flights

Airport transfers

Book a private or shared ride from the airport so the first evening starts at your door, not at a ticket queue.

Find a transfer

Car hire from Mykonos

Only worth it for day trips beyond the city — in town, the plan above works on foot and public transport.

Compare cars