Top Things To Do In Mykonos, Greece
Mykonos truly delivered on our expectations. This little island is as picturesque as you can imagine! From every corner to every alley you walk, there is beauty everywhere. Here are our top favorite things to do while visiting Mykonos.
LITTLE VENICE
This cute neighborhood is perfect to grab a bite or a drink. There are numerous restaurants and bars right on the edge of the sea. We visited Little Venice many times, but our favorite was to watch the sunset. (Make sure to get their early to grab a seat). This neighborhood is lined with colorful buildings along the sea (hence the name Little Venice).
WINDMILLS
You can not miss the iconic windmills of Mykonos! Although they are no longer in use, they give you sweeping views of Little Venice, Chora and the harbor in the distance. The windmills are very photogenic and they are also a great place to watch the sunset. Caution…it might be very windy! Hold on to your hats and cameras!
TRY SOME GREEK COFFEE
This is for all my coffee lovers out there. When in Greece, try the coffee! There are 3 main types popular in Greece. Freddo, Freddo Cappucino, and the Freddo Espresso. The Freddo is iced coffee, water and sugar (you can have milk added if you want). The Freddo Cappucino is espresso topped with frothy milk and also served cold over ice. The Freddo Espresso is whirled espresso served with ice. Have one of these drinks to help you cool off on a hot day.
SHOPPING
There are tons of shopping options in Mykonos. From high end shopping, buying souvenirs to bring back home, or those popular leather sandals that are made right on the island, the options are endless! Just make sure you bring enough luggage space for all the things you might want to bring back home.
GET LOST WANDERING THE BEAUTIFUL ALLEYS OF MYKONOS
The best thing you can do is spend an entire day walking through the streets and alleys of Mykonos. This by far is the best way to see the town. Lose yourself among the white alleys and streets filled with blue, white and bugambilias all around town. Mykonos Town a.k.a. Chora is very walkable, it helps that streets are closed to cars so you can walk around the entire town with out worry. There are many trendy bars, restaurants and shops to keep you busy an entire day! Just make sure to bring your camera and enough battery.
OLD PORT
If you decide to walk around Mykonos Town, which you should, stroll around the Old Port. It has a small section to swim and many restaurants. We were walking around and decided to sit down in an ice cream place to relax. It is less crowded than the other part of Mykonos.
VISIT THE CHURCHES
Although there are many churches in Mykonos, Paraportiani Orthodox Church is by far the most famous one and trust us, it is very hard to miss.
DON’T MISS THE NIGHTLIFE
Paradise Beach is known for its beautiful soft sands, blue waters…and we can’t forget the party scene. On Paradise Beach you will find the famous Tropicana Beach Bar, which starts the party around 4-5pm and doesn’t end until wee hours of the night. If you still have some energy left, head to Cavo Paradiso and you might find a well known DJ playing for the night. The Paradise Beach area is well developed. Paradise Beach Hotel and Tropicana’s offer the whole package! You can book a stay at one of these places, enjoy their food and drink the night away with the house DJ playing the latest mixes. Tropicana’s was once named “the hottest beach club in the world”. Mykonos definitely gives Ibiza a run for its money! Another cool and laid back place is Scorpios. Scorpios is located near Paraga Beach. Lets not forget about Super Paradise Beach… a bit further away and tricky if you don’t have a car or if you are not staying it the area. Be warned: some of these beaches are nudists so don’t be surprised.
How to get to Paradise Beach: Bus transportation is available from Chora to Paradise Beach. A one way ticket will cost you €2 ($2.33 USD) per person.
If you are planning on staying in Mykonos Town (Chora), don’t worry as there is also plenty of nightlife around town and in Little Venice.
BEST TIME TO VISIT MYKONOS
If you want the best and lowest fares, visit Mykonos in the September or October timeframe. Be warned: the end of October starts the “Off Season” in Mykonos. Lot’s of businesses and restaurants will start closing and the island will be a lot quieter. June, July and August are the busiest months. If you visit during this time you will experience lots and lots of tourists and higher hotel prices. You also however will be able to experience many Greek festivals and the party and beach party scene is at it’s peak.
TIP: If you want the low rates, but still want to experience everything Mykonos has to offer visit during the beginning of September. The beach parties end towards the end of September and they don’t start up again until June. Visiting during the beginning of September can give you the best of both worlds, lower rates and experience all of Mykonos.
If you want full details of best times to visit Mykonos, check out this site. It has great information for year round visits.
FINAL BUDGET TIPS:
Looking for good and affordable food options? Our favorite spot was Jimmy’s Gyros. You’ve got to give them a try! If you stay near Paradise Beach, the Tropicana and Paradise Beach hotels also have good food at good prices.
If you are up for some adventure, renting an ATV is highly recommended! Very affordable and gives you flexibility to discover the island on your own.
There are many free things to do in Mykonos, take advantage of them.
If you are flying out to Greece, take advantage and visit the other incredible islands like Santorini. You probably will be flying into Athens, if you have the time spend a day or two there and soak up the history of ancient Greece!
Looking for Things To Do In Santorini? Click here.
Need a Budget Guide to Athens? Check it out!
GREECE
LANGUAGE:
Greek
In Mykonos you will find many locals that speak English.
CURRENCY:
Euros
Download the XE Currency App to get live exchange rate info anytime, anywhere!
CREDIT CARDS AND BANKS
Cash is best for buying at small shops or street food as these do not accept credit cards.
ATMs are readily available. We preferred EuroNet ATM (blue/yellow) since no fees were charged from our bank or EuroNet. We also always took our banks conversion vs the ATM’s since the exchange rate from our bank was very good.
VISA REQUIRED FOR US CITIZENS:
Greece is part of the Schengen Agreement. This means that U.S. citizens may enter Greece without a visa for stays of up to 90 days for tourism or business purposes. For more details on the Schengen Area click here.
(Make sure to check with your local embassy for visa updates.)
SAFETY
We found Greece to be very safe. Take normal precautions like you would in any other city in the world.
TRANSPORTATION
We decided to book our accommodations in Paradise Beach since we found a cheap stay. It also did not hurt that we were only minutes away from the beach and the party spots! The local bus stopped by a store right in front of our hotel. This was very convenient and allowed us to get to Mykonos Town very easily and cheap. The cost of the local bus was €2 ($2.33 USD) per person/each way. We avoided taxis since they are expensive and there are not a lot of them on the island. You can also use the bus to go to other beaches. If you want low cost transportation, ask around for the local bus.
Island Hopping? When visiting Greece, people tend to visit more than one place. Normally everyone flies into Athens and starts their journey there. Regardless of how you get from one place to the other, there are only two choices. 1) Take a ferry 2) Fly.
Ferry: These run frequently between islands. (Double check the schedules during off season since they might change). The cost of our ferry from Santorini to Mykonos was an estimated €57 ($66.03 USD) per person/one way. It takes about 2.5 hrs to get from one island to the other. There are many ferries available throughout the day. We recommend to purchase your ticket in advance since it can be done online. We used Golden Star Ferries. The ferry is very comfortable and comes with an assigned seat. There are also snacks and drinks you can purchase.
Flying: Use Skyscanner.net to check for flight tickets in advance for inexpensive options.