Mykonos – Island of the Winds 

I am a beach person and perfect coloured beaches induce happiness in me. After having seen a lot of pictures on social media, I always wished to visit Mykonos. Back then, I considered myself lucky if I ever got a chance to visit this island once in my life. It is a beautiful location with white-blue buildings making it unique and eye-catchy.

Mykonos is a small island in Greece on the west coast of the Aegean Sea. It draws attention from tourists for its beaches and turquoise-coloured water. It is an unparalleled beauty. I can spend my entire life vacationing on this island.

How to reach Mykonos

Mykonos is easily accessible by flights from all over the world. Another option is the ferries which operate every day from Athens to most of the islands in Greece. We chose to travel with Blue Star Ferries and reserved the tickets online. Read the blog ‘29€ Ferry trip from Athens to Mykonos‘ Tip: Carry a hard copy of the boarding pass. There are many agencies near the port where you can buy tickets. But it is better to book online. The departure point was Piraeus port, Athens at 7.30 am. Many ferries operate from this port, so make sure you board the right one. It is advised to be present at least 1 hour before departure. There are cafes and shops at the port entrance just in case you want to have a quick munch.

There are 2 types of tickets-normal and first class. We opted for normal tickets for 29€ per person (inclusive of tax). If you have a first-class ticket, there is a separate seating arrangement with better amenities. Make sure you check-in early so that you get a comfortable seat to enjoy the 5-hour journey. A common luggage room is available for all travellers.

We looked around the ferry as it was new for us. The ferry‘s interiors were quite decent with a couple of restaurants inside. The location was spectacular and we could not stop ourselves from clicking pictures. It was just sea as far as the eye could see. The sight was worth millions. As we went deeper into the sea, it started getting windy and the sea became very rough. We could no longer enjoy the view standing outside.

Seasickness

The sea was so rough that it was difficult to even balance inside the ferry and almost everyone experienced a little seasickness. We had two stops for 20 mins each in the islands of Syros and Tinos. It was 12.30 pm when we reached Mykonos port. 

Accommodation 

We booked Yoga Guest House on booking.com for 15€ per person per night. The approach road to the apartment was steep with broken roads. But who cares, it was a dream location with a dream view. The pictures on the website are not deceiving and look the same or maybe even better in reality.

It had a huge sea-facing balcony which is a visual treat. The host was lovely and welcoming. This is my best accommodation to date.

Mykonos is facing an acute shortage of water. So the host informed us to minimize water usage. The tap water is not drinkable, so buy bottles from a store. Ensure that you dispose of the tissue papers in the bins and not flush them. Don’t be the reason to clog the drainage on the island. 

Bad public transport

Our home was 20 mins walk from the New Port. There is public transport but they are very not convenient with less frequency. So it is better to walk or take a taxi and not spend time waiting for the buses. The walk was nice with the sea on one side and white buildings on the other.  

Reaching Mykonos town (Chora)

From our accommodation, the main square was 20-25 mins walk. It is recommended to walk or hire a taxi. Like mentioned earlier, public transport is not convenient and we never saw a bus go by us as we walked. There is no dedicated path to reach the main square, we had to walk along the main road and then make our way through narrow muddy streets. So be a little careful as you walk.

Exploring Mykonos

Mykonos is such a lovely place that we will require at least 2 days to feel the city and wander the streets. Since we had only one day to explore, we had to make the most of it.

Every corner looked surreal. You will feel all the streets to be the same but yet different. I think there are more cats than humans in Mykonos 😀

The windmills

The 16th-century windmills are a landmark of Mykonos. Even though they look spectacular throughout the day, it is better to visit these ancient structures during sunrise or sunset. There will be fewer people and zero chances of being photobombed by a sea of humans.

The churches

Every street has a church. There are a total of 500-600 monasteries, churches and chapels on the entire island. The famous ones being Panagia Paraportiani, Agia Kyriaki and the Catholic church of Panagia Rodariou.

We just visited the Catholic church of Panagia Rodariou and we did not have enough time to visit the other churches. For us, it was difficult to even recognise because all the churches, buildings and houses looked similar. So just keep exploring and keep counting.

The narrow lanes

All the lanes look pretty with the blue-white colour combination. You can even spot red sometimes. Even the ordinary windows looked nice. We were scared that if we admired the view on the left for too long then we would miss a view on the right.

The pink bougainvillea flowers stood out against the white background. We walked aimlessly and got lost in the tiny lanes. 

Little Venice

This location resembles Venice in Italy. It is called so because of the narrow lanes with many shops, restaurants, and cafes on one side and sea on the other. It is Venice away from Venice.

This is the most romantic neighborhood in Mykonos. You can get the best look of the old buildings standing on the edge of the sea and also the windmills.

When to visit Mykonos?

The ideal time to visit Mykonos is during August – October. The best time to visit any island is during summers. Our visit in November was extremely windy and became very cold after sunset. We did not anticipate the weather and we didn’t carry pullovers. The sea was harsh and we could not even enjoy soaking ourselves in the water. This was a little disappointing. The sunset is also early during winters between 17.00-17.30. We also happened to visit on a Sunday and most shops were closed but luckily a few restaurants were open. We could not enjoy the amazing nightlife. 

Reaching Mykonos airport

Our guest house was close to the airport. The travel time was just 10 mins with no signal and zero traffic. There is no Uber, so we had to hire a private taxi. There are many taxi services and we looked for contact numbers on the internet. Since they speak only Greek, we requested our host to book for us. 

The airport is small and the security check was quick. We flew with Volotea to Munich International Airport for 35€ per person. Better deals can be found on Skyscanner provided you book months in advance. Read our post on ‘How to find cheap flights’ and travel the world. There are cafes and a supermarket just opposite the airport. It was pretty expensive with 6€ for a coffee. We would come back again to visit Mykonos during the summer to experience whatever we missed. So are you ready to visit Mykonos?  Overall experience:⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5 Time of visit: November 2018

”It is better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times” – Anonymous