Mykonos Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
Mykonos is an important Greek island of the Cyclades group, situated in the middle of the Aegean Sea close to Paros.
Contents |
Understand
Mykonos is famed as a cosmopolitan destination amongst the Greek islands and widely recognised as one of the great travel meccas. It is the most touristed island in the Aegean. This means that any visitors should be prepared for loud dance clubs, English breakfasts and over-priced merchendise.
Mykonos is a grand example of unique cycladic architecture set around a picturesque fishing-village bay. Totally whitewashed organic cube-like buildings fit closely together to form a kind of haphazard maze of narrow alley ways and streets. many well preserved windmills and hundreds of tiny red-roofed churches adds a flavor of culture and custom to the scene, enhanced even further by many museums and the historical ancient site of nearby Delos. Though considerably less picturesque than Santorini, visitors to Mykonos will find it comparable to the Greek version of Disneyland. Much of the landscape is obsviously put up for "show" fooling tourist families about its authenticity.
Talk
Get in
By sea
Ferrys and Highspeed catamaran services run daily from Piraeus and Paros. Flying Dolphins (http://www.dolphins.gr) has a 3 1/2 hour trip for around 50 euros each way.
Mykonos can be reached directly from Santorini.
By air
Mykonos has an airport, about 4km away from the main city. The airport has flights for Athens, Santorini and Thessaloniki. The airport can be reached by bus or taxi. In summer - during high season - charter airlines are going directly to Mykonos from many European airports.
Get around
On Mykonos you can get around by scooter, atv, car, or bus. A sophisticated bus network, which takes you to virtually any point of the island.
Additionally taxis operate at constant rate. In the evening, it can be nearly impossible to find a taxi. You can wait hours at the taxi queue in town.
There are now two ferry terminals at Hora (Mykonos), the main sea port on the island. If you are on foot and leaving the island, be certain whether your ferry leaves from the old port (the nearest one to the main section of town) or the New Port (about 10 km to the north).
There is also a third "port" from whence boats to and from Delos depart and arrive, but most travellers won't confuse this with the ferry landings.
See
- The Windmills - the windmills are the landmark of Mykonos.
- Little Venice - a district in Mykonos City, famous for its colourful balconies.
- Petros the Pelican can be found at the waterfront. Originally the pelican was found after a storm back in the 1950s. After Petros died he was so popular that a new pelican was introduced as a successor. Now there are two pelicans inhabiting the island, who can sometimes be found up in the town as well as at the port.
- Archaeological Museum of Mykonos - the exhibition of the museum includes a large number of vases, ranging from the prehistoric to the late Hellenistic period (25th-1st century B.C.), grave statues, stelae and funerary urns from Rheneia, and very few finds from Mykonos.
Do
- Delos Guided Tour from Mykonos [1] - Only a short boat ride away, and history awaits you. A must for all visitors.
Beaches
- Agios Ioannis Beach - a small beach with fantastic snorkling oppertunities. Never got over crowded, deck chairs were available to rent. Great tavern and coctail bar very close. Not a tourist beach. Was used in the film Shirly Valentine
- Paradise Beach - a crowded party beach for the under 30 set, nudity is common. Large pebbly sand is great for windy days.
- Super Paradise Beach - another crowded party beach for the under 30 set. Paradise and Super Paradise may be some sort of quarantine created by the locals. Also popular with gays, and transgenders. Nudity is quite common and practiced in the central beach area.
- Psarou Beach - Half the beach chairs and umbrella require reservations during peak season. Non-reserved chairs are available first come, first served.
- Platys Gialos Beach - busy family and tourist beach. Jet ski rentals available.
- Elia Beach - Rents beach chairs and umbrella for 10 euro. Rentals for Jet ski, watersking, wakeboarding and para sailing are available. Elia is a large beach compared to other Mykonos beaches. Nudity is permitted but not as common as Paradise, Super Paradise and Paranga.
- Paranga Beach - another popular beach. Full nudity is practiced on the right end (facing the water). Becoming more popular for nudists that don't want the party atmosphere of Paradise and Super Paradise.
- Ornos Beach - a quiet family beach. Lots of umbrella's and lounges available for rent. Bathing suit bottoms are required on Ornos. The beach is lined with great restaurants, hotels and a nearby grocery store and town. Some hotels and restaurants are quite upscale. Serviced by bus and boat taxi.
Eat
Mykonos Town
- La Maison de Catherine
- Kalidonios Restaurant
- Aqua Tavernia (in Little Venice)
Ano Mera
The town square offers several traditional restaurants.
Beach Taverns
- Nammos on Psarou Beach - top quality at good prices
- Elia on Elia Beach - large menu, reasonable and very good food
- Ornos has good variety of restaurants. Serviced with boat taxi and bus from Mykonos town
Drink
- Caprice in Little Venice is ever popular and perhaps the most crowded bar on the island. Its beautiful when the surf is up.
- Several balkan nightclubs are open after hours and offer nationalistic songs and trays of flowers to throw at the singers.
Sleep
- Hotel Tagoo [2] - Wonderful place to stay near town, and an excellent value. Recently renovated, it has a pool with a great view and a bar with a relaxed atmosphere. The owners are incredibly hospitable. For more information look at the glowing reviews on TripAdvisor [3]
- the Deluxe Beach Houses [4] - spacious and modern deluxe apartments situated just 50 meters from the beach of Platys Yialos.
- the Mykonos Town Superior Studios/Apartments [5] - comfortable and clean accommodation, with private bath/shower, air conditioning, television, and cooking facilities.
- the Belvedere Hotel [6] - one of the most popular boutique hotels. Most rooms, however, have a poor view.
- the Rochari Hotel [7] - a very nice three star hotel. Pleasant staff and good views from most rooms.
- St Johns Hotel [8] - a beautiful new five star hotel outside of town. Most rooms offer either sea views or a partial sea view.
- Agios Ioannis Beach Resort [9] - Great hotel literally on the beach. the best carrots ever are served in the bbq restaurant.
- Appartamenti Di Lusso Platis Yialos Mykonos [10] - spaziosi e moderni appartamenti (categoria deluxe) situati soltanto 50 metri dalla spiaggia di Plati Yialos.
Its hot on Mykonos during July and August, so you may want to ensure your hotel has air conditioning.
Get out
Delos, an island close to Mykonos is famous for its ancient temples. Daily excursions can be booked in Mykonos. Delos was the most important Panhellenic sanctuary, and, according to mythology, the birth-place of Apollo and Artemis. The first signs of habitation on the island date from the 3rd millenium B.C., and important remains of the Mycenaean period have been uncovered in the area of the sanctuary. In the 7th century B.C. Delos was already a known Ionic centre because of its religious importance as the birth-place of Apollo.
