Things to do · Mykonos · Greece
16 best things to do in Mykonos
16 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Mykonos are Little Venice, Kato Mili windmills and Delos. Of the 16 picks below, 8 are free, 2 work on a rainy day and 5 suit children. Allow about 4 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Little Venice
- Free sights
- 8
- Good on a rainy day
- Archaeological Museum of Mykonos
- Time to see the highlights
- 4 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little Venice | Mykonos Town (Chora) | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Kato Mili windmills | Mykonos Town (Chora) | 30 minutes | Free |
| Delos | Delos | Half a day | Mid-priced |
| Paradise and Super Paradise beaches | South coast | Half a day | Mid-priced |
| Panagia Paraportiani | Mykonos Town (Chora) | 20 minutes | Free |
| Archaeological Museum of Mykonos | Mykonos Town (Chora) | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Aegean Maritime Museum | Mykonos Town (Chora) | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Chora's lanes and Matoyianni street | Mykonos Town (Chora) | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Armenistis Lighthouse | Agios Stefanos | 1 hour | Free |
| Ano Mera and Panagia Tourliani Monastery | Ano Mera | 2 hours | Free |
| Platis Gialos and Psarou | Platis Gialos and Psarou | Half a day | Mid-priced |
| Agios Sostis | North coast | Half a day | Free |
| Ftelia | North coast | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Agios Ioannis beach | Agios Ioannis | Half a day | Low cost |
| Elia beach | South coast | Half a day | Low cost |
| Rhenia boat trip | Rhenia | Full day | Expensive |
The 16 best things to do
Waterfront · Mykonos Town (Chora)
1.Little Venice
A row of 18th- and 19th-century captains' houses in the Alefkandra quarter built right on the water, with painted wooden balconies hanging over the sea. Bars and restaurants fill the ground floors, and on windy days waves splash the tables. It is the island's classic sunset spot.
Find a seat by 6pm in July or August for sunset, or watch from the rocks below the windmills for free.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Couples
- After dark
- Views
- Photo spot
Landmark · Mykonos Town (Chora)
2.Kato Mili windmills
A row of whitewashed, thatched windmills stands on a low ridge above Little Venice, built from the 16th century onwards to grind grain using the Aegean's strong winds. They frame views over Chora, Little Venice and the sea.
Visit early in the morning for photos without crowds, or at golden hour from the Little Venice side.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Views
- Photo spot
- Kids
Historic site · Delos
3.Delos
The tiny island where Apollo and Artemis were said to be born was a major sanctuary and later a busy trading port. Today it is an open-air archaeological site with the Terrace of the Lions, mosaic-floored houses, temples and a theatre, plus a museum holding the original lion statues.
Take an early boat, bring water and a hat, and climb Mount Kynthos for the view over the ruins; there is very little shade.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Boats leave from Mykonos Old Port and can be cancelled in strong wind; buy boat and site tickets in advance in high season.
- History
- Iconic
- Kids
- Outdoors
Beach · South coast
4.Paradise and Super Paradise beaches
Two sandy south-coast bays famous for beach bars and parties that start in the afternoon and run late in high season. Paradise has a long beach with clubs and a campsite; Super Paradise is a steeper cove with a more mixed, LGBTQ+-friendly crowd.
Take a sea taxi from Platis Gialos instead of driving; parking is scarce in July and August.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- After dark
- Outdoors
Religious site · Mykonos Town (Chora)
5.Panagia Paraportiani
Five chapels built between the 15th and 17th centuries merge into one sculptural white church in the Kastro quarter, on the site of the old castle gate. Its asymmetrical, rounded shape makes it one of the most photographed churches in Greece.
Combine it with Little Venice, a two-minute walk away, and visit at sunset when the walls glow.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Photo spot
- History
Museum · Mykonos Town (Chora)
6.Archaeological Museum of Mykonos
A small museum near the New Port road displaying finds from the burial pit on neighbouring Rhenia, where graves from Delos were moved during its purification. Its prize is a 7th-century BC storage jar decorated with one of the earliest known depictions of the Trojan Horse.
Visit before Delos to understand the island's history, or on a windy day when boats are cancelled.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Art
Museum · Mykonos Town (Chora)
7.Aegean Maritime Museum
A small museum in a traditional house in Chora with ship models, navigation instruments, maps and engravings about Aegean seafaring. The old lantern mechanism from the Armenistis lighthouse stands in the garden.
Children who like boats enjoy the ship models; it is a good stop during the heat of the day.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Street · Mykonos Town (Chora)
8.Chora's lanes and Matoyianni street
Chora's narrow, twisting lanes were laid out to confuse pirates and break the wind. Matoyianni, the main street, is lined with boutiques, jewellers and bars, while the side lanes hide chapels, bougainvillea-draped staircases and small squares. Petros the pelican, the island's mascot, often wanders the harbour.
Get deliberately lost in the early morning, when lanes are empty and freshly whitewashed steps catch the light.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- Photo spot
- After dark
- Architecture
Viewpoint · Agios Stefanos
1.Armenistis Lighthouse
A late-19th-century stone lighthouse on the island's northwest cape, about 6 km from Chora, looking across the strait to Tinos. It is one of the quietest places on the island to watch the sun go down.
Drive or ride up before sunset and bring a drink; there are no facilities at the lighthouse.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Couples
- Off the beaten path
Religious site · Ano Mera
2.Ano Mera and Panagia Tourliani Monastery
The inland village of Ano Mera centres on a square of tavernas and the 16th-century Monastery of Panagia Tourliani, with a marble bell tower and an elaborately carved wooden iconostasis. It shows the island's everyday side away from the beaches.
Visit in the late morning, then stay for a long taverna lunch on the square.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Food
- Off the beaten path
- Free
Beach · Platis Gialos and Psarou
3.Platis Gialos and Psarou
Two neighbouring sheltered bays on the south coast with shallow, clear water. Platis Gialos has a long organised beach with tavernas and is the main sea-taxi port; Psarou is a small, glamorous cove of luxury beach clubs.
Swim at Platis Gialos for easy family facilities, then walk over the headland to see the scene at Psarou.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Outdoors
Beach · North coast
4.Agios Sostis
An undeveloped sandy bay on the north coast with no sunbeds, a small chapel on the headland and a simple grill taverna above the beach known for lunchtime queues. It is one of the few beaches that still feels wild in summer.
Bring an umbrella and water, and come on a day when the meltemi wind is light.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Off the beaten path
- Outdoors
- Nature
Beach · North coast
5.Ftelia
A wide, windswept bay on the north coast that is a magnet for windsurfers and kitesurfers when the meltemi blows. On the hill behind the beach are the remains of a Neolithic settlement, the oldest known on the island.
Watch the windsurfers from the beach on windy days, or swim when the wind drops in the morning.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Active
- Outdoors
- History
- Free
Beach · Agios Ioannis
6.Agios Ioannis beach
A sandy beach on the southwest coast with views to Delos and the sunset, used as a location for the 1989 film Shirley Valentine. It is calmer than the party beaches and has a few tavernas.
Stay for sunset; it is one of the few beaches where the sun drops into the sea opposite you.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Couples
- Kids
- Views
- Outdoors
Beach · South coast
7.Elia beach
One of the longest sandy beaches on the island, on the southeast coast, with a resort hotel, tavernas and organised and free sections. It is the last stop for the sea taxis from Platis Gialos.
Arrive by sea taxi for the scenic route along the south coast's bays.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Outdoors
- Couples
Island · Rhenia
8.Rhenia boat trip
Rhenia, just west of Delos, is a largely uninhabited island with clear coves reachable only by boat. Day cruises from Mykonos usually combine swimming stops here with lunch on board or at a beach.
Choose a small-group boat and check the forecast; trips are cancelled when the wind is strong.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Couples
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Active
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Archaeological Museum of Mykonos and Aegean Maritime Museum |
| History | Panagia Paraportiani, Delos, Archaeological Museum of Mykonos and Aegean Maritime Museum |
| Views | Little Venice, Kato Mili windmills, Armenistis Lighthouse and Agios Ioannis beach |
| Outdoors and nature | Delos, Paradise and Super Paradise beaches, Platis Gialos and Psarou and Agios Sostis |
| Food and markets | Ano Mera and Panagia Tourliani Monastery |
| After dark | Little Venice, Chora's lanes and Matoyianni street and Paradise and Super Paradise beaches |
| With children | Kato Mili windmills, Delos, Aegean Maritime Museum and Platis Gialos and Psarou |
| On a rainy day | Archaeological Museum of Mykonos and Aegean Maritime Museum |
What to book ahead
- Delos: Boats leave from Mykonos Old Port and can be cancelled in strong wind; buy boat and site tickets in advance in high season.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Mykonos?
Little Venice. A row of 18th- and 19th-century captains' houses in the Alefkandra quarter built right on the water, with painted wooden balconies hanging over the sea.
+What can you do for free in Mykonos?
Little Venice, Kato Mili windmills, Panagia Paraportiani, Chora's lanes and Matoyianni street and Armenistis Lighthouse. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Mykonos when it rains?
Head indoors to Archaeological Museum of Mykonos and Aegean Maritime Museum.
+What is there to do in Mykonos at night?
Little Venice, Chora's lanes and Matoyianni street and Paradise and Super Paradise beaches are best after dark.