The island splits three ways: the noise and boutiques of Chora, an easy beach base near the water, or the undeveloped north. Here is how to choose, which hotels suit which mood, and when wind and crowds work for or against you.
Mykonos gives you three fairly different holidays on one small island, and the trip works best if you decide which one you are actually after before you book a room. You can stay in Chora, the main town, and walk everywhere into a dense, loud, good-looking maze of shops, bars and restaurants. You can take a room on one of the sheltered south-coast beaches and let the day organise itself around a sunbed and the sea. Or you can head to the thinly built north and the inland village of Ano Mera, where the island slows down and the wind does most of the talking.
The other early choice is how you arrive. Mykonos has its own airport with direct summer flights from Athens and much of Europe, and it has frequent ferries from the Athens ports of Piraeus and Rafina. Flying is quick and, booked ahead, often no dearer than the boat; the ferry is slower but part of the pleasure. This guide walks through the lay of the land, where to base yourself, a set of real hotels sorted by character rather than price, the beaches by mood, when to go, how to get around, and the half-day trip to Delos that most people build a day around.
In this guide
The lay of the land
Mykonos is one of the smaller Cyclades, and its size is the first thing to grasp. You can drive from one end to the other in well under an hour, so nowhere is truly remote, but the roads are narrow and summer traffic is real, which makes short distances feel longer than the map suggests.
Chora, also written Hora and usually just called Mykonos Town, sits on the west coast and is the centre of everything. The old harbour, the Kato Mili windmills, the Little Venice waterfront and the Matoyianni shopping street all sit within a few minutes of each other. The airport is a short drive inland to the south. Ferries dock at the New Port at Tourlos, a couple of kilometres north of town, while the Old Port in Chora is now used mainly by the small boats to Delos. The best-known beaches line the south coast, where the headlands give shelter from the summer wind. The north coast faces that wind head-on and has stayed comparatively wild. Ano Mera, roughly in the middle of the island, is the one proper village away from the coast.
Where to base yourself
Your base sets the tone of the whole trip more than the hotel does. Three broad choices cover it.
In and around Chora
Basing yourself in or just above the town puts the restaurants, the shops and the nightlife on your doorstep, and it means you do not need a car or a taxi to go out for dinner and a drink. The trade-off is exactly that noise, plus the crowds that fill the lanes from late morning until the small hours in peak season. Streets in the old town are pedestrian and deliberately confusing, so expect to carry bags the last stretch to your door. Little Venice, the row of old sea-captains houses built right at the water on the town southwest edge, is the postcard corner and one of the standard spots for a sunset drink.
On the south-coast beaches
Ornos, Psarou and Platis Gialos are the beach bases closest to town, all on the sheltered south coast and all a short drive from Chora. They suit people who want to wake up near the sand, walk to a beach club or a taverna, and still reach town easily in the evening. Ornos in particular works as a compromise base: it has a proper beach, a working village feel, its own restaurants and good bus links. Further east, Elia and Kalo Livadi are longer and calmer, better if the beach itself is the point and you are happy to drive in for a night out.
The quiet north and inland
The north coast and the middle of the island are where to go if crowds are the thing you most want to avoid. Beaches such as Agios Sostis and Fokos are largely undeveloped, reached by car and short on facilities, which is precisely their appeal. Ano Mera, the inland village, is built around the Panagia Tourliani monastery and a pedestrian square of tavernas, and it gives you a quieter, more everyday version of the island. The cost of the calm is distance: you will drive for dinner in town, and you will want your own wheels.
Mykonos rewards a decision. Pick the town for its noise, a beach for its ease, or the north for its quiet, but pick one, because trying to have all three at once is how the island wears you out.
Where to stay
Mykonos has one of the deepest benches of high-end hotels in Greece, and the useful way to sort them is by where they sit and what kind of stay they set up, not by a nightly rate that shifts with the calendar. The places below are all established, verifiable properties. Book early for summer; the best rooms on this island go months ahead.
Walkable to town
- Belvedere Hotel Mykonos sits on the hillside just above Chora, a short walk down into the lanes. It is the choice for people who want town within reach but a pool, a spa and a view to come back to, and it is known for its spa and its sushi restaurant.
- Cavo Tagoo is cut into the cliff just north of Chora on the road toward the New Port, with an infinity pool above the sea and many suites that have their own plunge pools. It is close enough to walk into town, and firmly in the see-and-be-seen bracket.
- Bill and Coo is a small, adults-focused hotel above Megali Ammos beach, roughly a twenty-minute walk from the centre of Chora, with a well-regarded restaurant and a calmer mood than its closeness to town suggests. It also runs a separate seafront outpost over at Agios Ioannis.
On the beach
- Santa Marina, a Luxury Collection Resort occupies its own peninsula above Ornos Bay, with what it describes as the island only private beach, a few kilometres from town. It is a full resort, geared to people who plan to spend most of their days on site.
- Mykonos Grand is a large resort on Agios Ioannis beach on the southwest coast, the stretch that looks across to Delos and is known for its sunsets.
- Katikies Mykonos is a design-led hotel on the same Agios Ioannis side, all white lines and suites with private pools, aimed at couples wanting quiet and a view rather than a walk to nightlife.
Design-led and set apart
- Kalesma Mykonos stands on the hills of the Aleomandra area near Ornos, built to read like a low Mykonian village of suites and villas, each with a private terrace and pool and a wide view over the southwest of the island. It is for people who want space and calm and do not mind driving to town.
The beaches, decoded
Almost every Mykonos beach worth the name is on the south coast, and most come with organised sunbeds, a bar or a full beach club. The differences are of degree and of mood. Here is the shorthand.
Organised and glossy
Psarou and Platis Gialos are the polished, well-run beaches close to town. Psarou is the small, deep-glamour cove that draws yachts and a well-known beach club; Platis Gialos is broader, lined with hotels and sunbeds, shallow and calm enough to please families and couples alike. Neither is where you go to be alone.
The party beaches
Paradise and Super Paradise are where the island daytime club scene lives, with big-name DJs, all-day music and a crowd that skews young. Super Paradise is also long established as clothing-optional at one end. Both are good fun on their own terms and hard work if what you wanted was a quiet swim.
Longer and easier
Elia and Kalo Livadi are among the longest beaches on the island, both organised but more spread out and generally calmer than the party strands. They tend to work better for families and for anyone who wants a full day by the water with lunch at a taverna rather than a soundtrack.
Undeveloped and quiet
Agios Sostis and Fokos, on the north side, are the antidote. There is little or no organised service, you reach them by car, and you bring what you need. In exchange you get the version of a Cyclades beach that most of the island left behind.
For the sunset
Agios Ioannis, on the southwest coast facing Delos, is one of the standard places to watch the sun go down over the water, and it has tavernas set up to make an evening of it.
When to go
Mykonos runs on a short, intense season. Most hotels, beach clubs and restaurants operate from roughly late April or May to October, then the island largely shuts for winter, when many places close entirely and the weather turns grey and windy. Within the open season, the month you choose changes the trip more than anything else.
The single most important local factor is the meltemi, the strong, dry north wind that blows across the Aegean in summer. It is strongest and most persistent in July and August, can blow hard for several days at a stretch, and it is why the sheltered south-coast beaches are the reliable ones while the north coast is not. The wind also keeps the peak-summer heat honest; without it, August would be far heavier going.
| Period | Weather and sea | Crowds and wind | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late May to June | Warm days, sea warming up, long light | Quieter, wind usually lighter | The best all-round balance |
| July to August | Hot and dry, warm sea | Busiest and priciest, strongest meltemi | Nightlife and full-tilt beach clubs |
| September | Warm, sea still holds summer heat | Thinning crowds, easing wind | Swimming and sightseeing together |
| October | Cooler, sea cooling, clubs winding down | Quiet, some closures begin | Low-key trips and better value |
| November to April | Cool, wet and windy | Most of the island closed | Not really the season |
If you can, aim for the shoulder: late May and June, or September. You get warm water, workable temperatures, thinner crowds and a lighter wind, and the island still has its full cast of restaurants and beach clubs open. July and August deliver the fullest version of Mykonos, with every club and DJ in play, but also the heat, the highest prices and the hardest wind.
Getting there and getting around
Flying or taking the ferry
Mykonos Airport, code JMK, sits just outside Chora and takes direct flights from Athens through the year and from much of Europe over the summer. Flying is the fast option and, booked ahead, often no dearer than the boat. The alternative is the ferry from Athens, which for many people is part of the trip rather than a chore.
The Athens ports
Ferries to Mykonos leave from two Athens ports. Rafina is closer to Athens International Airport, so it is the natural choice if you are heading straight from your flight to the island. Piraeus is the big port closer to central Athens and easier if you are spending a night or two in the city first. High-speed boats make the crossing in roughly two and a half hours; the slower conventional ferries take longer but tend to ride the wind better and cost less. On a windy day, sailings can be delayed or cancelled, so leave yourself a buffer if you have a flight to catch on the way home.
On the island
- Buses. The KTEL network links Chora with the airport, the New Port and the main beaches for a few euros a ride, and it is the cheapest way around. Services are frequent in season but do not all run late, so check the last bus if you are out for the evening.
- Taxis. There are famously few taxis on Mykonos, and in high season they are very hard to get on demand. Book transfers ahead where you can.
- Quad, scooter or car. Renting your own wheels is the way to reach the quiet north and the beaches the bus skips. It also means dealing with narrow roads and, in July and August, real trouble parking near the popular beaches. Quads are everywhere and fun, but treat them with respect.
- Sea bus. A small boat shuttles between the New Port and the town, a pleasant way to skip the road when you first arrive by ferry.
Good to know
- Book restaurants and beach-club sunbeds ahead in peak season; the best ones fill days out.
- Carry some cash. It is useful for buses, small tavernas and the Delos site entry, even though cards are widely taken.
- The old town is a pedestrian maze; note a nearby landmark rather than relying on a street name to find your hotel.
- The meltemi can rearrange a day. If it is howling, favour the south-coast beaches and expect possible ferry delays.
- Almost everything runs seasonally. Outside roughly May to October, assume many hotels and restaurants are closed.
Delos, and what else to do
The one excursion nearly everyone makes is to Delos, the small uninhabited island just to the west that holds one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990. In myth it is the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis; on the ground it is a whole ancient town of temples, houses, mosaics and the row of marble lions, slowly excavated since the nineteenth century.
Boats run to Delos from the Old Port in Chora, and the crossing is short, in the order of half an hour. The island has no hotels, little shade and only basic facilities, so you visit for a few hours and come back. The boat ticket and the site entry are separate, and it is worth checking the current timetable before you plan your day, as sailing days and site hours change with the season and the site is not open every day. A guided tour is the difference between admiring old stone and understanding what you are looking at; without one, bring a good plan of the site. Wear a hat and take water.
Beyond Delos
- Ano Mera. The island inland village, built around the Panagia Tourliani monastery, with tavernas around a quiet square. A short, easy trip for a different side of Mykonos.
- Chora on foot. The town itself is the main sight: the Kato Mili windmills on their rise, Little Venice at the water, the small churches, and the shops and galleries along Matoyianni. Go early or late to beat the densest crowds.
- Beach-hopping by boat. Small caiques link several of the south-coast beaches in summer, an easy and scenic way to move between them without the roads.
Common questions
Should I stay in Mykonos Town or on a beach?
Stay in or above Chora if you want to walk to dinner, shops and nightlife and do not mind noise and crowds. Choose a south-coast beach such as Ornos, Psarou or Platis Gialos if you want to wake up by the sea and still reach town easily. Pick the north or Ano Mera if quiet matters most, and plan to drive.
How many days do I need?
Three to four nights is enough to see Chora, spend real time on two or three beaches and take the half-day trip to Delos. Add nights if you want to slow down, seek out the quieter beaches, or split your stay between town and the coast.
Do I need to rent a car or quad?
Not if you base yourself in town or on a bus-served beach and are happy with buses, the odd taxi and pre-booked transfers. You will want your own wheels if you are staying in the north or inland, or if you plan to reach the undeveloped beaches.
When is the best time to visit?
For most people the shoulder months, late May to June and September, hit the best balance of warm sea, open venues, thinner crowds and lighter wind. July and August are the liveliest and also the most crowded, hottest and windiest. Winter is largely shut.
Is Delos worth the trip?
Yes, if you have any interest in ancient history; it is one of the great sites in the Aegean. Go with a guide or a good site plan, check the current boat and opening schedule first, and pick a morning when the wind is not too strong.
