Explore Mykonos

A taste of Mykonos

Mykonos is what would happen if you crossed a Cycladic fishing village with St-Tropez. The island has reinvented itself over the past 60 years into the Mediterranean's most reliably glamorous summer destination, with the price tag to match — but underneath the beach-club hype, the actual architecture and light of Mykonos Town (Chora) are sensational. The Alefkandra district known as Little Venice has 18th-century balconies hanging out over the waves; just behind, the five remaining 16th-century windmills (Kato Mili) form one of the Cyclades' most photographed silhouettes at sunset. The labyrinth of paved white lanes was deliberately designed in the medieval era to confuse pirates; in summer they're packed with luxury boutiques, gay bars (Mykonos has been a queer Mediterranean capital since the 1960s), and waterside restaurants. Beach days happen at Paradise and Super Paradise (the party beaches), Psarou and Ornos (the more polished ones), and Agios Sostis (the genuinely quieter alternative). Don't miss the day boat to UNESCO-listed Delos, the uninhabited sacred island where Apollo and Artemis were said to have been born — one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece.