Mykonos: The Windmills, the Beaches, and a Port Town That Repays Getting Lost In

Mykonos has two disembarkation points. Larger ships use the New Port (Cruise Port) at Tourlos, 3 km north of town; a shuttle bus runs every 20 minutes to the Old Port waterfront for €2 each way. Smaller ships anchor in the Old Port and tender directly to the town waterfront. From the Old Port: the five Kato Mili windmills are a 10-minute walk along the waterfront; Little Venice's canal-side bars are immediately below them. The bus station near the Old Port runs service to south-coast beaches — Paradise and Super Paradise in 20–30 minutes. The Delos archaeological site boat departs from the Old Port waterfront (30-minute crossing, boats run from 9am; buy tickets the morning you arrive, not in advance).

Buses from the South Bus Station (Fabrika) in town run to Paradise Beach (15 min), Super Paradise (20 min), and Agios Stefanos Beach (10 min). North Bus Station covers Tourlos New Port and Agios Stefanos. Taxis in Mykonos are in short supply and negotiate fares aggressively — agree before boarding. ATVs and scooters are available from rental shops near the South Bus Station. The boat to Delos departs from the Old Port; the journey takes 20–30 minutes and the boat runs at specific times (not on demand) — check the schedule at the harbour. Delos entry is €12.

Paradise Beach and Super Paradise are the island's famous party beaches on the south coast — loud, well-serviced, and crowded in high season. Psarou, also on the south coast, is calmer and has a few quieter beach clubs. Agios Sostis in the north is the island's best quiet beach: no facilities, no music, gravel-and-sand mix, turquoise water, and a good walk from the road — worth the logistics if you want to escape the scene. Elia Beach (east coast) is the island's longest beach, accessible by bus or water taxi from the Old Port, with better facilities than Agios Sostis but less of the party atmosphere than the south coast.

Greece tipping: 10–15% at restaurants, rounding up for taxis. Mykonos is the most expensive island in the Greek islands — a lunch at a basic café in the main square runs €25–35 per person, and restaurant dinners are €50–80+. Delos boat round trip is €20; entry €12. The windmills at sunset (Kato Mili) are free and the best spot on the island for photographs. Nightclub entrance fees at Paradise Beach clubs start at €30 in season. Budget accordingly: Mykonos rewards those who budget for it and punishes those who don't.

**Joanna's Nikos Place** — Greek taverna · $$ · Ornos Beach, 15-min cab from tender pier

One of the consistently praised tavernas on the island for straightforward, non-tourist food: fresh fish from the daily catch, good Greek salads, and local wine. The beach setting at Ornos is calmer than the main town. Worth the cab ride.

**Funky Kitchen** — Greek casual · $ · Mykonos Town

The local alternative to the Matogianni Street restaurants: a small kitchen doing gyros, wraps, and quick plates at prices that make sense. Good for a fast, affordable lunch before the beach.

**Krama** — Greek fine dining · $$$ · Mykonos Town

The most ambitious restaurant in Hora: a modern take on Greek cooking in a handsome space. The octopus carpaccio and slow-cooked lamb are particularly good. Reservations essential; this is a destination dinner rather than a casual lunch.

**Remezzo** — Greek · $$ · near Little Venice

In the old quarter near the famous Little Venice waterfront, with a terrace looking toward the windmills. Reliable mezze and grilled fish at reasonable prices. The grilled octopus and local Assyrtiko wine are the things to order.

**M-eating** — Modern Greek · $$ · Mykonos Town

A good modern Greek option in the town center: solid execution on the classic dishes (fava, grilled seafood, tiropita) alongside a few more contemporary preparations. More consistent than the tourist-facing restaurants nearby.

Mykonos has been inhabited since at least the third millennium BC; Neolithic and early Bronze Age settlements have been found on the island. Ancient mythology identifies the island as the burial ground of the giants slain by Heracles, and names it after Mykonos, grandson of the god Apollo. In classical antiquity, Mykonos was eclipsed by its tiny neighbor Delos — a low rocky islet visible to the southwest — which was considered one of the holiest sites in the entire Greek world. According to tradition, Delos was the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, and the island hosted a major Panhellenic sanctuary and one of the Aegean's busiest trading ports from the 7th century BC into the 1st century AD.

Mykonos itself changed hands repeatedly through the centuries of Mediterranean imperial succession: Athens, Macedon, Rome, Byzantium, the Duchy of Naxos (a Frankish crusader state in the Aegean), then Venice, and finally the Ottoman Empire, which held the Cyclades from the 16th century until Greek independence in the 1820s. The famous windmills — 16 survive, clustered on the hill above the harbor — were built by Venetian overlords in the 16th century to mill grain. Mykonos's small size and lack of natural resources kept it poor but also kept it out of the worst moments of imperial conflict.

The 20th century was transformative. A small fishing and agricultural community in 1900, Mykonos began attracting artists, writers, and Athenian socialites in the 1950s. Jacqueline Kennedy's visits in the 1960s brought international attention, and the island's combination of whitewashed cubic architecture, vivid bougainvillea, and liberalness (it became known as one of Europe's most LGBTQ+ welcoming destinations) made it iconic. Today it is one of the Mediterranean's most visited — and most expensive — destinations.

The archaeological site of Delos is reached by a 20-minute ferry from Mykonos Town and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site: the ruined sanctuaries, marble streets, and iconic Terrace of the Lions (carved c. 600 BC, the originals now in the Delos museum) represent some of the best-preserved Hellenistic remains in the world.

Mykonos is best known for its nightlife and fashionable beach scene, but the island works surprisingly well for families who plan around the crowds and focus on what makes it genuinely special. The Chora — the old town — is a whitewashed labyrinth of chapels, bougainvillea-draped lanes, and windmills that children find navigable and engaging. The tiny Church of Paraportiani (actually five interlocked churches built over four centuries) is one of the Cyclades' most photographed buildings and a natural anchor for a morning walk; getting deliberately lost in the Chora's lanes with older children is a pleasure.

Platis Gialos beach on the south coast is accessible by a regular water taxi from the Old Port and has a calm bay, sunlounger rentals, and several family-friendly tavernas. Agios Stefanos on the north coast is quieter and within walking distance of the tender pier, with a shallow entry that suits young children. For the mythology-interested families, Delos island — birthplace of Apollo and Artemis in Greek myth — is a 20-minute boat trip from the Old Port. The entire island is an archaeological site; children who've read Greek mythology find the walk among the Temple of Apollo, the Terrace of the Lions, and the ancient theatre genuinely exciting. Bring hats and water as there is no shade on Delos.

Practical notes: Mykonos ships tender rather than dock; tender queues can be long on busy cruise days, especially in peak season (July–August). The island is compact and relatively easy to navigate. Be prepared for significant heat in summer; early morning activities are more comfortable. Mykonos is expensive relative to much of Greece — budget accordingly for beach clubs and restaurants.

Mykonos has two identities operating simultaneously and it helps to know both before arriving. The first is international — the island has been a destination for European and American travelers since the 1950s, when Jackie Kennedy and Le Corbusier discovered it. Today the beach clubs, designer boutiques, and DJ residencies are the most visible layer. The second is local — a working Cycladic port town with whitewashed cube houses, pelicans wandering the harbor (Petros the Pelican has been a town mascot since the 1950s, and his successors carry the name), and a weaving and fishing tradition that predates the tourism by centuries.

Little Venice (Alefkandra) is the oldest neighborhood: fishermen's houses built directly over the water, their wooden balconies hanging above the Aegean. The quarter gets its name from the resemblance to Venice's canal facades. The seven Cycladic windmills above Little Venice are Venetian-built, dating to the 16th century, and are the essential Mykonos image. The Church of Panagia Paraportiani (Our Lady of the Postern Gate) — actually five churches merged into one asymmetric white mass — is among the most photographed religious buildings in Greece.

Kopanisti (a spicy, pungent fermented cheese unique to Mykonos), loukoumades (honey-drenched doughnut fritters), and fresh seafood are the local food culture. Language: Greek; English universal. Tipping: 10–15%. The island has been openly LGBTQ+-welcoming since the 1970s, earlier than almost any other Mediterranean destination.

After 9pm, when the day-trippers return to their ships, the town's main alleys quiet noticeably. The evening crowd at the harbor waterfront cafés is a different, more relaxed social experience than the afternoon scene.

Mykonos Town (Chora) operates on a tighter geography than most Greek island towns — the white-cube houses and narrow alleys of the waterfront and the Kastro quarter above it concentrate several hundred boutiques, jewelers, clothing stores, and galleries in a space easily walked in an hour. The concentration of independent jewelry designers is unusual: Mykonos has a long tradition of goldsmiths who produce work in the classical Cycladic idiom (spiral motifs, pomegranate pendants, sea-glass settings) that has a genuine regional character rather than being generic Greek tourist jewelry.

The specific Mykonos purchase to seek out is handmade leather sandals. Several workshops in the Old Town produce them to measure using traditional Greek sandal patterns — the flat sole with multiple thin straps crossing the foot. A commissioned pair takes 20–30 minutes to fit and cut and costs €40–80 depending on complexity; they're made from vegetable-tanned leather and will last years. The most frequently cited workshop is Takis Sandals on Matoyianni Street, which has operated since the 1970s.

Sea sponges harvested from the Aegean (genuine natural sponges, not synthetic bath sponges) have been a Greek trade item for centuries. The Dodecanese island of Kalymnos is the center of the industry; sponge merchants throughout the Cyclades carry them. A large natural sponge is more useful and durable than it looks — the honeycomb structure holds water differently from synthetics and the texture is distinctive. They compress well for travel.

Mykonos produces its own loukoumades (honey doughnuts fried to order and dipped in thyme honey with sesame and cinnamon) — these are the correct street food purchase rather than the tourist-grade gyros sold at the harbor front. The original Mylopotas bakery in the Old Town and the small loukoumades stand near the Little Venice watermill are the reference addresses.

Larger ships dock at the New Port of Mykonos; smaller vessels may use the Old Port requiring a tender. The New Port runs a shuttle to Mykonos Town (Hora). Mykonos Town is famous for its whitewashed, winding alleyways — these are narrow, uneven, and impractical for wheelchairs or scooters. The iconic "Little Venice" waterfront strip is somewhat more accessible. Paradise and Super Paradise beaches are reached by taxi or water taxi; beach accessibility facilities are limited. The windmills area involves uneven terrain and gravel paths. What doesn't work: the charm of Mykonos is inseparable from its labyrinthine old town, which simply cannot be navigated meaningfully by wheelchair. Platis Gialos beach is one of the more accessible beach options with a firmer shoreline. Ship excursions to quieter beach spots are the best option.