Mykonos: style, saints and the sacred island next door

About Mykonos: style, saints and the sacred island next door

By the ULTIMATE Greek Islands Editorial Team

Mykonos is high-brow, fashion-conscious and proudly glamorous, the island where designers, DJs and yachts gather each summer. Yet it was once a poor, windswept farming island, and its real treasures are older than any beach club.

A poor island that learned to shine

For centuries Mykonos was dry, windy and poor, living from farming, fishing and the sea trade. Its captains grew rich in the 18th century, building the houses of Little Venice, and a Mykonian heroine, Manto Mavrogenous, spent her fortune on the Greek War of Independence. Tourism arrived in the 1950s and 60s, when artists and celebrities discovered the white town, and the island has never looked back.

What it is like now

Today Mykonos is the most fashion-conscious island in Greece. Days revolve around beach clubs on the south coast, evenings around sunset in Little Venice and dinner in Chora, and nights run very late. It has long been one of Europe’s most welcoming destinations for LGBTQ+ travellers. It is also expensive: sunbeds, cocktails and taxis cost more than anywhere else in the Cyclades.

Mykonos sells glamour, but its real luxury is a quiet lane at seven in the morning.

The quieter Mykonos

Step away and the island changes. Ano Mera has a village square and a 16th-century monastery; the north coast has wild beaches like Agios Sostis and Fokos; and Delos, the sacred island of Apollo, is a short boat ride from the old port.

Our advice: come in June or September for warm sea and fairer prices, book beach clubs and dinners ahead, walk Chora early in the morning, and give half a day to Delos. Set a budget before you sit down at the famous clubs.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Mykonos: style, saints and the sacred island next door before you go.