Mykonos

Glamorous beach clubs, whitewashed streets and legendary party scene.

Mykonos is the Cycladic island that combines whitewashed Aegean beauty with the most glamorous and expensive nightlife scene in Greece — a place that attracts a international crowd of affluent party-goers alongside families and couples who come for the beauty of Chora (the main town), the excellent beaches and the proximity to the sacred island of Delos. Mykonos Town (Chora) is genuinely beautiful beneath the crowds — a labyrinth of whitewashed lanes, bougainvillea-draped doorways, dozens of tiny churches (365 allegedly, one for every day of the year) and the famous row of windmills on the hill above the Little Venice neighbourhood, where cafés and bars cantilever over the sea. The Paraportiani church, a whitewashed asymmetric assembly of five chapels built over three centuries, is the island's most photographed monument. The beaches — Super Paradise, Elia, Paradise, Platis Gialos — range from quiet and family-oriented to internationally famous beach clubs playing music until 4am. Delos, a 30-minute boat trip from Mykonos, is one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece — a sacred island of Apollo, its ruins of temples, mosques, houses and the famous Terrace of the Lions are extraordinary and almost entirely deserted. Mykonos is extremely expensive; budget carefully. Visit May–June or September for the best balance of weather and manageable crowds.