What You Need to Know about the Greek Island of Mykonos
While the Greek island of Mykonos is well known for its festive nightlife, this beautiful destination offers much more than superclubs and round-the-clock revelry. Located in the Cycladic islands, travelers who take the time to explore Mykonos beyond its nightlife will find outstanding dining, charming towns, and gorgeous scenery. Here are just a few things you need to know about this island:
Chora
Chora (Mykonos Town), the biggest town on Mykonos, runs in shifts. In the evening, it brings out the clubgoers who may party until sunrise. When the nighttime crowd heads back to their residences to sleep, Chora reverts to a quaint Greek town. During the day, it is a wonderful place to explore and experience local Greek life. Its labyrinthine layout, some say, was designed to confuse pirates, while others say it blocks strong winds from the Aegean Sea at bay.
The seafront is lined with restaurants and bars, but visitors will find delicious — and quiet — fish taverns along the ouzo and meze. Some say the cats outnumber the people in Chora during the day. This means visitors can take photos of the town’s sites without tourists obstructing their views. Some highlights include the Archaeological Museum, which is filled with artifacts from Mykonos, and the ruins of Gyzi Castle just outside the town.
The Beaches
The stunning beaches of Mykonos draw the rich and famous in the summer. Travelers looking to rub shoulders with the island’s most glamorous visitors should head to Ornos, Paradise, and Super Paradise. However, other parts of Mykonos’s coastline offer a quieter, more secluded beach experience.
Fragia Beach. Only accessible by boat, this remote beach offers the ultimate quiet day of swimming and relaxing in clear waters.
Fokos Beach. There’s no better place for someone who is looking for a day of seclusion. This small beach 12 kilometers north of Chora, which tends to attract nudists, boasts sumptuous sand and green waters.
Merchia Beach. Located 12 kilometers from Chora on the northeastern end of the island, Merchia Beach is one of the most natural locations on Mykonos. There are no man-made facilities, making it an ideal place to watch the sunset.
Little Venice
Possibly the most beautiful spot on Mykonos, Little Venice is also an excellent location to watch the sun set over the Aegean Sea. The neighborhood was built in the 18th century for sea captains and wealthy merchants, and it was named Little Venice because its colorful houses along the coastline resemble their Italian counterparts. Along with its gorgeous topography and views of the sea, Little Venice is filled with restaurants and bars where visitors can enjoy a leisurely Greek meal.
The Windmills
Just outside Chora, visitors can view a series of whitewashed windmills that are among the most photographed sites on the island. The windmills, which can be seen from any high and unobstructed location in Chora, were built by the Venetians in the 1600s. They were a significant part of the island’s economy for two centuries, capturing northern winds to grind wheat. They became less important following World War I and the advent of industrialization, but they remain a symbol of the island’s history as a stop on sea-trade routes. The Windmill of Gernyomos is the best preserved of the group, and it remained in operation until the 1960s.
The Pelicans
While the pelicans of Mykonos are as photographed as the windmills, they can be much harder to find. The current flock’s popularity stems from “Petros,” the island’s first pelican, which arrived in Chora in a storm in 1954 and stayed. Petros died in 1986, and by that time he had become a local celebrity. Since his death, celebrities and institutions such as former American First Lady Jackie Kennedy and the National Zoo of Hamburg have given pelicans to Mykonos. Now, three pelicans reside there and often are the subject of visitors’ photographs.
Panagia Tourliani Monastery
This religious center in the town of Ano Mera was constructed centuries ago and remains one of the most important spiritual sites on Mykonos. Two priests built Panagia Tourliani monastery in 1542, and it was restored in 1767. A dome sits atop the whitewashed church, and its interior is full of religious icons such as a wooden altar screen dating to the late 1700s, and hanging silver incense holders adorned with silver dragons holding red eggs in their mouths. The monastery’s ecclesiastical museum is home to the church’s first bells as well as embroideries, vestments, and wood carvings. Visitors also should consider stopping at the nearby Paleokastra monastery, which is one kilometer away and dates to the 12th century.
The Island of Delos
While Delos is not on the island of Mykonos, it’s only a 20-minute boat ride from Mykonos harbor and is worth a day trip. In Greek myth, Delos is the birthplace of the twins Apollo and Artemis, and it remains one of Greece’s most renowned archaeological sites. The island is inhabited by dragon lizards that the ancient Greeks brought from Africa to recognize Apollo’s title of “Lizard Slayer.” Visitors will see ancient monuments, temples, palazzi, and ruins dating to the 7th century B.C.
