Useful things to know for your Mykonos trip

Mykonos is a stunning island in the Cyclades. It’s known for its party atmosphere and lively nightlife but it can also be a really chill, laid-back holiday. We paired our four night stay in Mykonos with four nights in the neighbouring island of Paros and I have to say, I preferred Paros overall. However, Mykonos definitely had the better beaches! If you’re planning a trip to Mykonos, here are some useful things to know.

Where to stay

There are so many fantastic areas to stay in Mykonos, depending on whether you’re looking for nightlife or easy access to a beach. We wanted to be within walking distance of Mykonos Town but not in the town itself. We chose to stay at Bill & Coo Coast Suites, which is part of the Leading Hotels of the World group. They actually have two locations in Mykonos, the other one is in Agios Ioannis Diakoftis and has a private beach. Our hotel only had a pool but was in very close proximity to a beach and just a 10 minute walk to Mykonos Town. We could also use the beach at the other hotel – but for a price (more on that later in the post).

The rooms at Bill & Coo Coastal Suites were really spacious and well designed. They also had a fantastic breakfast in the morning. They make all their pastries on site and they were honestly incredible. The pancakes too were out of this world. We ate well every breakfast!

Getting to and from the airport or ferry port

If you’re staying in or near Mykonos Town (Chora) then it’s really easy to reach by bus from both the airport or the New Port, if you’re arriving by ferry. There are regular buses, run by Ktel, and the tickets are inexpensive. You can buy your ticket from the ticket booth or on the bus itself. The bus stop for Mykonos Town is called Fabrika and it’s around 15 minutes from the airport. From the New Port to Fabrika takes around 30 minutes. You can access the full bus timetables for the whole of the island here.

There are of course taxis that can take you to and from the airport or the New Port but taxis in Mykonos are quite expensive. Taxis are also available via Uber. To give you an idea of costs, we pre-booked a taxi to the airport via a local company and the cost was €40 for a 10 minute drive.

Getting around Mykonos

Honestly, the best way to get around the island is to have your own transport. There are buses and water taxis so having your own transport is not essential but it makes getting around and exploring at your own pace, much easier.

Many tourists hire RTVs (rough terrain vehicles) as you only need a driver’s licence for them. We hired a scooter, as we prefer two wheels to four – especially when there’s a bit of traffic! Note though that you have to have a valid motorbike licence to hire a 125cc scooter. If you don’t, then they’ll only hire you a 50cc one – which has barely any power. There are rental companies all over the island so even if you’ve not booked in advance, you’re likely to find one pretty easily – especially if you’re visiting near the end of the high season like we did.

There are taxis, which are available via the Uber app, however they are quite expensive. Also, Mykonos is not a huge island so taxis are also limited.

There’s more to Mykonos than Mykonos Town

Mykonos Town is gorgeous and of course has the iconic windmills, narrow paved streets, the old port and Little Venice. Do you know how Little Venice got its name? In the 18th century, wealthy sea captains and merchants built colourful houses on the waterfront, with Venetian-style balconies which were inspired by the Venetian rule which began in the 13th century.

There’s lots to see in Mykonos Town, including visiting the beautiful churches. Some are really tiny! In fact, when you drive around Mykonos there are small churches literally everywhere. Apparently many of them are or were family-owned and built as places of worship or to house the remains of family members.

Whilst you can spend loads of time exploring Mykonos Town, there are others places worth seeing. If you want a taste of local life head to Ano Mera village, which is inland. The day we visited they had a little market on. It’s also home to the 16th-century monastery, Panagia Tourliani which you can visit. There are a few restaurants around the Square if you want to stay for lunch or dinner. And as you’re on an island, you’re never far from a beach so you can fit this in before or after a swim. And if you fancy something a bit different and not beach-related, you can visit a local farm and see the animals, do a wine tasting and enjoy a lunch prepared from Hellenic recipes.

Mykonos is pretty windy

This was something I definitely wasn’t expecting and clearly hadn’t done my research as Mykonos’s nickname is ‘island of the winds’. I guess maybe the windmills should’ve given it away!

The wind wasn’t a big issue when we visited, it just meant it felt cooler at night so you may need a light jacket or something – again, something I hadn’t packed. Also, on certain sandy beaches if you’re not on a sunbed then the sand can sting a little!

Sunbeds are really expensive

Mykonos has incredible beaches! But if you’re someone who likes to lie on a sunbed, be prepared to pay – a lot. Almost every single beach in Mykonos has managed areas where you pay for sunbeds but there are also ‘free’ areas where you can just lie on the beach on your towel. Some beaches have fairly decent sized free areas and others are really small and crowded.

Interestingly the most expensive beach for sunbeds, Psarou Beach, had a pretty big free beach area. This beach is famous for celebrities and its luxury beach clubs. At Nammos, the first row of sunbeds cost €450 and the second row costs €350 – that’s just for two sunbeds and an umbrella! Maybe towels are included but I’m not sure as I definitely didn’t fork out that kind of money for a sunbed! There are also two other managed areas next to it, which I’m sure are way cheaper but are probably still at least €60 – €100.

Even our own hotel, which is part of the ‘leading hotels of the world’ group, had a minimum spend of €100 for guests – for the two of us, not each. Which is ridiculous given we’re staying at the hotel but at least we got lunch out of our €100 and not just a sunbed and umbrella.

Also, do your research in terms of beaches as some are definitely more ‘party’ beaches than others. Super Paradise beach, for example is more of a party beach – they even put on dance shows at around 5pm.

As I mentioned though, there are plenty of free areas and even some beaches that have no managed areas at all, like Agios Sostis beach. This beach is natural and more unspoiled – there are no cafes, bars etc and definitely no paid sunbeds!

There are no pavements

Mykonos Town itself is mainly pedestrianised. You may find a car, driven by a resident, from time to time but you’re fairly free to walk around. However… outside the town, the streets have no pavements at all. Our hotel was less than a 10 minute walk into town but you had to walk along a fairly busy stretch of road with no pavements. Lots of people walk though – you just need to be cautious.

Kiki’s Tavern is an absolute must

Kiki’s Tavern was recommended to me by two friends, one of which has a holiday villa in Mykonos. It was hands down the best meal I had in Mykonos! I highly recommend visiting but there are some useful things to know.

They don’t take reservations – it’s first come, first served. They open at 12:30 but people start queuing for at least an hour before. We joined the queue at about 12 and managed to be one of the last tables seated when they opened. There’s no actual queue – the owner takes your name and how many in your party when you arrive and then somehow manages to remember the order people arrived in! If you have to wait, they bring out free glasses of Greek rosé wine for you to enjoy. They close at 6:30 pm because they don’t have any electricity, so if you want to go for dinner it will be an early one!

The setting is absolutely gorgeous – no matter where you’re seated. We were seated in the upper area near the back and it was still a great table.

The menu is pretty small but there’s plenty to choose from. The starters are only salads, and you can choose two for €12. You’re asked to go inside and choose what you want from about 20 different salads on offer. We chose an artichoke salad and a black rice salad. The portion was huge so big enough to share.

All the mains are cooked on an outdoor grill. I can’t remember all the options but there was grilled sea bass, which my husband ordered, pork chop and octopus, which I ordered. All the mains come with a big salad. The food was absolutely delicious! In terms of wine, they only serve white, red and rosé in 500ml or 1lt. We had 500ml of the rosé and I think it was about €5! Our meal, including a 10% tip, came to around €100.

We had such a great meal at Kiki’s Tavern and I would 100% come back in a heartbeat. There is also the most gorgeous little cove, which the locals call Lovers Beach, where you can swim before or after. If you do have to wait for a table, you can take turns swimming and waiting in line.

Try Greek wine – it’s actually pretty good

Let’s face it. Greece isn’t really known for having good wine. Yes it’s pretty famous for rosé wine but that doesn’t mean its good wine… but that’s definitely changing. We like to have sparkling wine with our dinner and in Mykonos, depending on where you’re eating, Prosecco, Cava or Champagne can be really expensive. One night we tried a sparkling rosé called Akakies, which is from Amyndeon and it was fabulous. And of course it was a more affordable option too. So give Greek wine a go!

There are also several wine tasting tours that you can do in Mykonos, with options to include dinner.

So those are some useful things to know for your trip to Mykonos. I hope they were helpful!

Pin this post