Soul-City: [noun] A place of interest or city in some country in some part of the world that fuels the spiritual or immaterial self in a way to reveal happy energy not felt elsewhere. Well, that’s a term and definition I coined after we took a trip to Mykonos! To be honest, Mykonos made us so happy. At every bend, I would squeal “So cute!”, “Look at those stairs!”, “Ah, such a cute moped” and so on. I went from being a 3 decade old to 3 years old in a fraction of a second. Mykonos is definitely my soul city. In this complete travel guide to Mykonos, we cover everything that made us fall in love with the island.
Mykonos is known for being a party island, with all the beaches and beach shacks and music and discos and parties happening all around. But there is more to it. The gorgeous white buildings, colorful doors and stairs, unique architecture, shopping, and a relaxed vibe. And did I tell you that everything is painted white with a little bit of color popping here and there? Even the stone pathways are painted white. Can you believe that? It gives a fresh look and feels like nowhere else.
Reaching Mykonos
We saw a lot of tourists coming in for a day as a part of cruise ships. Our plan was to stay on the island for a couple of days.
Mykonos has a domestic airport and a port. We reached Mykonos from Santorini through water via a ferry and flew out of Mykonos to Athens. Check this link for ferry and Skyscanner and Ryanair for flights and compare prices before booking. A lot of times, flights are cheaper and faster as compared to ferries.
Where to stay in Mykonos
We like to stay in Airbnbs just to get a little bit more feel of the city we are traveling to. Our room had a beautiful rooftop and an amazing view of the old port.
I would start my morning by getting to the rooftop and soaking in some Myconian vibe. With the morning sun’s rays, I could see hustle bustle all around with locals selling fresh vegetables, men and women going about their life on mopeds, tourists pouring in from cruise ships, birds chirping, souvenir shops, and restaurants getting ready for the day. The rooftop also made for an excellent breakfast stop.
At night we would get blankets and lie down on the rooftop and count the countless stars, try to identify constellations, and chat about the day and trip. Small memories that we will never forget!
Things to do in Mykonos
Beach time
If you don’t enjoy the beautiful beaches of Mykonos, I think your trip is incomplete. The water is crystal clear and beautiful ombre blue unlike anywhere else. We say, rent an ATV and go beach hopping. Paradise beach and super paradise beach are the famous ones. But then there are so many and in the right season, it would be swamped with people.
We went to Mykonos in late October and all the parties and beach shacks close down by September end as the water starts getting colder and the tourists start reducing. There were a couple of beach shacks open in Paradise beach and we had such a fun relaxed time. Swimming in water, getting tanned, ordering drinks and food while just sunbathing and doing nothing.
It reminded us so much of Goa. I got carried away to a limit that I totally forgot I was in Greece and called a guy selling selfie sticks on the beach as ‘Bhaiya!’ (Brother in Hindi). I and Raga started laughing like crazy immediately after I shouted that word and I got back to reality. To our surprise, he kind of understood and came towards me acknowledging it, and said – ‘Selfie stick chahiye?’ (Do you want a selfie stick?). Turns out he was a refugee from Pakistan selling these small items to survive. Small world, but another memory that we would remember for a lifetime!
Explore the old town
Get lost in the alleys of Mykonos! You will never feel like leaving. We must have taken like a million photos and it still didn’t feel enough. Such a charming island.
Little Venice
Enjoy sunset at Little Venice with a view of the windmills. It might be swamped with people during peak season, but in October it was calm. We would say, get inside one of those fancy restaurants and enjoy a drink as the dusk begins to crawl in.
We met an Australian guy (photographer maybe?) at the windmills who was very patiently taking photos of the whole scene and we got talking about the gear, photography, Greece, etc. He very generously allowed me to use his lens for a while to experiment and I think the below photo was taken from his lens.
How could we skip this little piece of information from our Complete Travel Guide to Mykonos? Well, one of the most Instagram famous bars that you should experience is Kastro’s Bar in Little Venice. You will know why it’s famous when you get there.
Sample Greek food
Eat loads of Gelatos and Greek food because who knows what the world has in store for you tomorrow? This travel guide to Mykonos can’t be complete without food recommendations. We would recommend, I Scream for some delicious ice cream and La Casa for some lovely dinner.
Get Goofy
Last but not the least, go mad taking photos in front of the colorful doors. I went on a mission and came back with 20 photos in front of beautiful doors. What I am going to do with them, I don’t know yet (maybe a collage or something), but it was so much fun not being a grown-up!
Experience some crazy rains, weather Gods permitting
Few hours before we were due to leave for Athens, it rained and the whole island got washed. Everything became shiny white again, devoid of any dust. A very rare scene on the island as opposed to Dublin , the rain was heavy and lasted about an hour. The clouds over Mykonos looked blue, dark, and mysterious. The locals were happy. We got chatty with one of the restaurant owners where we took shelter from the rain and he told us a bit more about the rains.
It was very sad that we had to depart with just a lovely place, but then there is always hope for next time. Someday we will return because Greece is our happy place on earth.
Read Also:
- Postcard from Rome
- Two beautiful days in Positano
- The sun-kissed beaches of Algarve
- Postcard from Santorini
- Our Mykonos Vlog
- Exploring Venice in Winter
- Postcard from Hallstatt
- Moroccan Blue pearl – Chefchaouen
Hope you found our complete travel guide to Mykonos helpful.