From scenic sunset viewpoints, boho beach clubs, and picturesque areas to explore...I'll take you through the BEST things to do in Mykonos, Greece. Discover the musts and what NOT TO MISS!
Mykonos is a destination every person should visit. It's by far one of the most memorable places I've been. Some might think Mykonos only offers parties and beach clubs, but there is so much more to this island than that.
Mykonos has become one of the most popular “Insta” destinations. Scroll through your Instagram feed and I can guarantee you’ve seen pictures of whitewashed buildings, narrow streets, and boho boutiques.
Jake and I had been planning to go to Mykonos for a while and had our dates picked shortly before this destination seemed to blow up on social media.
After seeing this spike in popularity I became nervous that we were about to visit a destination that 1) didn’t live up to its expectations with all the edited and photoshopped pictures that have become a norm on social media and 2) that our long-awaited Greece vacation was about to explode with higher than average crowds of tourists.
Surprisingly, my worries never came to fruition.
We visited in mid-May which meant we beat the crowds.
Jake and I were commended by locals for choosing May as opposed to the summer months. Give it two weeks, June, and the street that took us 2 minutes to walk down would take 30 minutes with the summer crowds.
My concern that Mykonos would not meet its hyped-up expectations with all the perfect photos on social media was also unwarranted. This island was as picturesque and charming as I could have ever dreamed. Seeing it in person was more lovely than the photos.
Now let’s move on to the good stuff and why you're here. After exploring this tiny island for 5 days it was easy to come up with the 10 BEST things to do in Mykonos, Greece!
This map shows the best things to do in Mykonos, Greece. Click the icon at the top left to see a list view of each pinned location. Click the top right button to enlarge the map. Click the star to save to your own Google Maps account. To access this map once saved (after clicking the star), open Google Maps (on your phone/computer/tablet), click the menu button, go to "your places", select "maps", and you will see this map listed.
1. Wander Mykonos Town - aka: Chora
Hands down one of my favorite things to do in Mykonos! The main town of Mykonos is Chora; often referred to as Mykonos town.
Chora is a maze of narrow streets, whitewashed buildings with shutters and railings painted in a rainbow of colors, small restaurants, boutique and designer shopping, and an endless supply of photo opportunities.
Don’t bother with street names as many don’t have them. Get lost in all the twists and turns knowing this area is small. It’s kind of like Venice. You don’t have to worry about getting lost because at some point you will either find yourself at the sea or a familiar landmark.
A good starting point is the Little Venice area right on the water (Negrita Bar Mykonos is the starting point of Little Venice).
Pick any street that goes inland and start from there. Wander towards m63 bar & bistrot. This is a particularly picturesque area.
2. Sunset cocktails in Little Venice
Little Venice is a long stretch of buildings nestled against the ocean wall. You'll find restaurants and bars lined up together, each offering an open patio with ocean views and similar (overpriced) menus.
I wouldn’t recommend eating here as you will find better and more affordable spots elsewhere, but this is the perfect spot to grab a pre-dinner cocktail and watch an incredible sunset.
Go at least 30 minutes before sunset during shoulder season and an hour in summer.
Plan to spend around €15 for cocktails and €10 for the cheapest wine. Scarpa and Negrita are two good options.
SEE MY OTHER Mykonos blog POSTS:
GREECE 10 DAY ITINERARY | ATHENS, MYKONOS, PAROS, SANTORINI
BEST BEACH CLUB IN MYKONOS – SCORPIOS MYKONOS
MYKONOS VS. SANTORINI | WHICH SHOULD YOU VISIT?
3. Visit the windmills
Mykonos was one of the first places in Greece to use windmills. You'll find many throughout the island.
The most convenient place to see 5 intact windmills is Kato Mili (listed as Windmills of Mykonos in Google Maps).
These windmills were used to grind grain back in the day for ships sailing from Mykonos.
Arrive early, around 7:00 am, to see these windmills lit with the golden glow of sunrise and little to no tourists.
4. Paraportiani Church
The Church of Panagia Paraportiani is a Mykonos icon. It’s actually 5 chapels meshed into one building. 4 on the bottom and 1 on the top. It’s covered in white stucco.
I personally think it looks like a bowl of melting ice cream.
Visit at sunrise or sunset when the golden light makes this a dazzling sight.
Fun fact: did you know Mykonos has 365 churches? One for every day of the year!
5. 180 Sunset Bar for the best sunset views in Mykonos
Another must when planning what to do in Mykonos is visiting 180º Sunset Bar. It’s a steep 15-minute uphill walk from Little Venice.
The walk isn’t bad and I did it in flat sandals. I would not recommend this trek in heels.
180 Sunset Bar opens 1.5 hours before sunset and closes around 11:00 pm. The entire place has a major Bohemian vibe with several areas to sit and watch the sunset.
Walk-ins are allowed with an entrance price of €30 (this includes one drink). You'll find a detailed map on the website showing the areas you can reserve and the minimum spend required. The cheapest reservation spots are €70 per person.
There is always a DJ or live music, blankets are available if it gets cold, and the experience is incredible.
We stayed for about 2.5 hours just chilling and enjoying the views and music.
See my Instagram stories featuring this spot. You can find the videos in my Greece highlights on my profile page.
6. Rent a car for the day to hit lesser-known beaches
If you have more than 2 days in Mykonos, consider renting a car for the day or hiring a private driver.
As stated earlier, Mykonos can get crowded. Jake and I spent our first few days using the public bus system…which is great and very easy. One day we decided to rent a car and reach areas not on the bus route.
This was such a memorable day. We practically had the beaches we visited to ourselves. Mykonos is not a big island. You could drive the entire island, make plenty of stops for beach time and pictures, and still have time left in the day when you finish.
Because you can cover the entire island in a day, you have the luxury of not having to map out every detail. Pick a few beaches you want to hit, maybe a restaurant or two, and then just wander from there or get recommendations from locals as you go.
We really liked Fokos Beach and Fokos Taverna.
Visit Mykonos Vioma Organic Farm for a wine tasting and tour.
*Please steer clear of renting an ATV or scooter. The hospitals are filled with tourists each year from bad accidents. Part of the reason is that the roads are very narrow, steep, and have hairpin turns.
The other reason is many people renting these ATVs and scooters have no idea what they are doing and are a hazard to themselves and everyone else on the road. Go the safe route and pay for a small car.
7. Kikis Tavern
This was one of our most memorable dining experiences in Mykonos. You can only get here by car so this would be a great lunch spot for when you have your rental car (or private driver).
The restaurant is only open during daylight hours since there is no electricity.
The owner will most likely be there to greet you with wine and water as you wait. There is no waitlist. The owner boasts of his photographic memory as he points to who will be seated next.
If there's a wait, take a seat or walk down the steps to the small beach below. Make sure at least one member of your party stays by the restaurant though…strict rules you know!
Begin your meal with the salad starter. You'll walk up to the salad bar where each freshly made option is explained. Each person gets to choose 2. Between the two of us, we had the beet salad, fava beans (a specialty of Mykonos), artichokes, and octopus salad. They all were outstanding.
We also had the tzatziki. The bread that came with it was some of the best during our trip.
For mains, we shared the grilled octopus. It was a huge portion and easily splittable. Lastly, we ordered the homemade (melt-in-your-mouth) chocolate cake. Similar to a flourless cake. If you order anything else get the pork chop. It was HUGE and heartily recommended by many.
8. Scorpios sunset music ritual
When asking what to do in Mykonos, many will immediately say “go clubbing”. The typical club environment isn’t for everyone and that's where Scorpios Mykonos comes in.
What an incredible, memorable, unique, "I would do this every time I visit Mykonos", experience.
Scorpios is one of the many beach clubs in Mykonos and it would be hard for me to go anywhere else as this spot was beyond amazing. It easily takes the top spot for the best beach club in Mykonos.
The bohemian decor, service, views, music, crowd, and overall experience were just spectacular.
Look at the calendar and make a reservation for when they have their “music ritual”. You could book your spot for the start of the ritual, 5:00 pm, or make a day of it by reserving sun beds, enjoying lunch, etc.
You could easily spend hundreds of dollars here or get off cheap like Jake and I did.
We arrived at Scorpios at 1:00 pm for lunch reservations. Instead of eating at the restaurant, we ended up eating in the area right next to it that overlooked the beach.
It was mid-May so it wasn't crowded. We ordered a quinoa salad and two espresso freddos for a total of €30 euros. Expensive for Greece but cheap compared to the rest of the menu and other beach clubs.
Instead of paying €100+ for a sun bed, we walked to Paraga Beach (the neighboring beach right behind Scorpios). It’s a public beach so you can either claim your spot of sand or pay for a sun bed.
We were pretty hungry come 4:00 pm and didn’t plan on spending an arm and a leg for dinner at Scorpios Mykonos, so we ate at the highly recommended Tasos Taverna.
We had an amazing meal with our table and toes in the sand for €30. At 5:00 pm we made our way back to Scorpios for our sunset music ritual reservation.
I reserved the Sunset Beach area which is the best spot to see and enjoy whatever band or DJ is playing that evening. You have to buy a bottle as drinks are not served by the glass in any reserved area. We found a €50 bottle of wine and nursed that.
Since we were there for over 5 hours we each ordered a glass of wine, which to our surprise, they happily allowed.
This is not a college party crowd like many clubs in Mykonos. You'll mostly find young professionals in their late 20's, 30’s, and 40’s. People danced and wandered around to the beat of the music. This is a great alternative for those looking for a club experience a little more “refined”.
If you want that crazy party scene, head to Paradise or Super Paradise Beach.
9. Kayak or catamaran tour
One of the best ways to see the many beaches of Mykonos and get some snorkeling in is to do a boat or kayak tour. I prefer the kayak tour as it’s a little more active.
The views you'll see from the water and the experience of paddling from beach to beach is beyond memorable.
Not into the idea of a kayak tour? Do a catamaran tour (private yacht option). Some options even include stops at other islands like Delos!
10. Delos day trip
This ancient island is a 30-minute boat ride from Old Town port in Mykonos and a must for anyone interested in Greek history.
Delos was a significant spiritual destination. Greek legend was that Apollo and Artemis were born here. Temples were built in their honor and pilgrims would come with their offerings.
The island is deserted except for its ancient ruins and its history goes back over 3,000 years.
I recommend hiring a local guide (they meet the arriving boats) or purchasing a good tour book. Read up on your history beforehand and during your self-guided tour.
As always, I’m a big Rick Steves fan and found his Greece book
Tours to Delos and Rhenia:
In summary
I hope this post of the 10 BEST things to do in Mykonos helps plan your upcoming trip. You could easily do everything on this list in 4 busy days or slow it down to 5 days. If you only have 3 days, skip the Delos day trip.
Mykonos Hotel Recommendations
*Some of these hotels are adults only*
Luxury hotels in Mykonos
Midrange hotels in Mykonos
- Portobello Boutique Hotel
- Andronikos Hotel
- Aeolos Resort Mykonos
- Mykonos Bay Resort & Villas
- Vencia Boutique Hotel
Loved the post! How many days would it take to do everything on this list?
4 days if you want to include Delos. If you take out the day trip to Delos, 3 days. 2 rushed days if you skip renting a car and driving around the island.
do you reserve a spot on the sunset beach on the day?
I reserved weeks in advance, I would book before if possible.
Hi Ash, thanks for the guide. I just want to know where is that arch thing with a whole town view. Please let me know, going next may.
We found it on our way to 180 Sunset Bar (it’s just below). Put Kastro Panigiraki (hotel) in Google Maps for directions.