Help with Mykonos

[busypk52]

Traveling to Mykonos in May for first time. Going on Celebrity Equinox. Can someone recommend which is better, renting a car or taking a taxi to see the sites. What would you suggest we make sure and do. We enjoy site seeing, shopping and of course eating.

 

Thanks so much for any help you can give me.

 

Pat from NH

[tom_uk]

Pat, Mykonos is a very small island - perhaps 5 miles north to south, perhaps 8 miles east to west. Also, unless you want to go to a beach, all the sites are in Mykonos town. There are a handful of villages around the island, but the main attraction on Mykonos itself are the town, and the sting of beaches along the south coast. And there are buses from the town to the beaches. So car hire, and even taxis, aren't much of a priority.

 

You haven't said what time of day you'll be there, but many ships do a full day call at Mykonos. Your ship will either dock at a new harbour (Tourlas harbour) about 2 kilometers north of the town, or it will anchor in the main bay. If it docks then the cruise line will almost certainly arrange shuttle buses from Tourlas to the edge of town. It's not that far - a bit more than a mile - but there's no footpath (sidewalk) along parts of the road so it can be a risky and noisy walk. Better to use the shuttle bus, even with the charge that the line will levy for it. Alternatively your ship might anchor in the bay, in which case there will be tenders right into the old harbour in the own itself. (No charge for tendering, of course.)

 

Once you're in the town, the main fun is to lose yourself in the maze of pedestrian alleyways behind the harbour. They're full of shops selling jewellery, clothes, souvenirs... some of these might be worth buying, some won't, but never mind! I think it's fair to say that there are unlikely to be any bargains on Mykonos; if you come across something that's a lot less expensive than it ought to be, then it's probably not what it looks like.

 

In addition to the shops there are restaurants and bars galore. Quite a few of these are also not cheap, especially the ones overlooking the harbour, but I understand that those without a water frontage might not be too unreasonably-priced. We've never eaten in Mykonos town, although we have had drinks (several times) in "Katerina's Bar" which is in the Little Venice area and has a small balcony over the sea - so the drinks weren't cheap. But it was extraordinarily enjoyable, and we have come away each time with great memories.

 

Mykonos is a picture-postcard Cycladic island: white houses, narrow paths, beautiful people. There's no great history on Mykonos itself (Delos is a different matter), nor are there any great buildings. The thing to do is to simply explore and enjoy the moment.

[as19111]

We downloaded this tour onto our MP3 players, and wandered around the town.

 

http://www.discovery-walk.com/

 

We did cruise with some folks who rented quads and ventured further around the island, if you are so inclined.

 

As mentioned above there are many places to eat and people watch. We stopped for a coffee and a tea and shared a baklava along the harbor front...and we won't forget it for a very long time!

[Mooder]

Pat, Mykonos is a very small island - perhaps 5 miles north to south, perhaps 8 miles east to west. Also, unless you want to go to a beach, all the sites are in Mykonos town. There are a handful of villages around the island, but the main attraction on Mykonos itself are the town, and the sting of beaches along the south coast. And there are buses from the town to the beaches. So car hire, and even taxis, aren't much of a priority.

 

You haven't said what time of day you'll be there, but many ships do a full day call at Mykonos. Your ship will either dock at a new harbour (Tourlas harbour) about 2 kilometers north of the town, or it will anchor in the main bay. If it docks then the cruise line will almost certainly arrange shuttle buses from Tourlas to the edge of town. It's not that far - a bit more than a mile - but there's no footpath (sidewalk) along parts of the road so it can be a risky and noisy walk. Better to use the shuttle bus, even with the charge that the line will levy for it. Alternatively your ship might anchor in the bay, in which case there will be tenders right into the old harbour in the own itself. (No charge for tendering, of course.)

 

Once you're in the town, the main fun is to lose yourself in the maze of pedestrian alleyways behind the harbour. They're full of shops selling jewellery, clothes, souvenirs... some of these might be worth buying, some won't, but never mind! I think it's fair to say that there are unlikely to be any bargains on Mykonos; if you come across something that's a lot less expensive than it ought to be, then it's probably not what it looks like.

 

In addition to the shops there are restaurants and bars galore. Quite a few of these are also not cheap, especially the ones overlooking the harbour, but I understand that those without a water frontage might not be too unreasonably-priced. We've never eaten in Mykonos town, although we have had drinks (several times) in "Katerina's Bar" which is in the Little Venice area and has a small balcony over the sea - so the drinks weren't cheap. But it was extraordinarily enjoyable, and we have come away each time with great memories.

 

Mykonos is a picture-postcard Cycladic island: white houses, narrow paths, beautiful people. There's no great history on Mykonos itself (Delos is a different matter), nor are there any great buildings. The thing to do is to simply explore and enjoy the moment.

 

Tom, thank you - this is what we are planning to do in Mykonos - just walk and relax and enjoy as many of the other ports on our cruise are more active. How about seeing the windmills? Can we see and/or walk to them from town?

[tom_uk]

How about seeing the windmills? Can we see and/or walk to them from town?

 

Yes, the windmills are above the Little Venice end of town and they're easy to walk to. You'll probably get a map of the town from the cruise line; alternatively, there's this website. 'Alefkantra' is the area generally known by tourists as 'Little Venice'.

 

(I have to say, in my opinion the Mykonos windmills are best enjoyed from a distance. Up close, they're nothing special - the windmills in Oia and Imerovigli on Santorini are better....)

 

Just to whet your appetites for the island, here's a link to a webcam of Mykonos town. Don't forget that Mykonos keeps Greek time! - they're about 7 hours ahead of EST i.e. at noon in NYC it's 7pm in Mykonos.

[Mooder]

Yes, the windmills are above the Little Venice end of town and they're easy to walk to. You'll probably get a map of the town from the cruise line; alternatively, there's this website. 'Alefkantra' is the area generally known by tourists as 'Little Venice'.

 

(I have to say, in my opinion the Mykonos windmills are best enjoyed from a distance. Up close, they're nothing special - the windmills in Oia and Imerovigli on Santorini are better....)

 

Just to whet your appetites for the island, here's a link to a webcam of Mykonos town. Don't forget that Mykonos keeps Greek time! - they're about 7 hours ahead of EST i.e. at noon in NYC it's 7pm in Mykonos.

 

Thanks so much once again. So for the distance view of them, is town not far enough? Will we see them from the ship when we sail in and out?

 

Thanks for the link!!! Getting excited. And, yes, I am even more excited about Santorini!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[velouria]

Thanks for the link! This is terrific!

[MercedMike]

Well, I did not think much of the isle of Mykonos. It is pretty much just another Greek Isle. The main thing I wanted to do there was to take the boat across to the Isle of Delos, Birthplace of Apollo and a major pilgrimage site of the ancient world. If you have any interest in antiquities it is something not to be missed.

 

Check out our review and pics at http://www.bully4.us/med.html

Have a GREAT cruise!

[Mooder]

Well, I did not think much of the isle of Mykonos. It is pretty much just another Greek Isle. The main thing I wanted to do there was to take the boat across to the Isle of Delos, Birthplace of Apollo and a major pilgrimage site of the ancient world. If you have any interest in antiquities it is something not to be missed.

 

Check out our review and pics at http://www.bully4.us/med.html

Have a GREAT cruise!

 

Thanks so much for your pictures and insights. It helps a lot. I got a chuckle out of "just another Greek Isle." For someone who has dreamed all her life of going to the Greek Isles, that's like saying "just another trip to the moon." But my dream finally comes true this May. :) Do you have a favorite Greek Island? I am especially anxious to see Santorini, based only on photos.

[Hlitner]

Although we often rent cars in Europe (including many Greek Islands), Mykonos is one island where we would not waste our time with a rental car. There really is not much to see on Mykonos and we think the primary activities are walking around Mykonos Town (nice place) and perhaps taking a local bus out to one of the fine beaches (we recommend Paradise Beach).

 

Hank

[merr4402]

Although we often rent cars in Europe (including many Greek Islands), Mykonos is one island where we would not waste our time with a rental car. There really is not much to see on Mykonos and we think the primary activities are walking around Mykonos Town (nice place) and perhaps taking a local bus out to one of the fine beaches (we recommend Paradise Beach).

 

Hank

 

Our Ship gets in at 7AM and leaves at 2PM Tue. In May. Could we still pull this off?

[Hlitner]

Our Ship gets in at 7AM and leaves at 2PM Tue. In May. Could we still pull this off?

 

Geez, I hate when they have strange port times. That time frame pretty much eliminates beaches and the reality is that nothing, other then some cafes serving breakfast, will be open before 9 or 9:30. So effectively they are only giving you 3 or 4 hours of useful time. If you are interested in ruins it would make sense to take the tour (offered by your ship) to Delos. Otherwise, have a nice breakfast on board and go enjoy Mykonos town for a few hours.

 

Hank