Chora Mykonos Town

At a glance: West coast of Mykonos, the island’s capital, built around an old fishing harbour. Around 4 kilometres from the airport and 3 kilometres from the new port at Tourlos. A dazzling maze of whitewashed lanes, bougainvillea and windmills, and the busiest, most central base on the island. Best suited to travellers who want to be right in the middle of the shops, restaurants and nightlife, with beaches a short bus ride away.

Is Mykonos Town worth visiting

Mykonos Town is where most people picture themselves the moment they book a trip to the island, and it lives up to that image easily. Whitewashed houses with bright blue and pink shutters line a genuine labyrinth of narrow lanes, opening onto small squares, chapels and boutiques at almost every turn, all built deliberately confusing to slow down pirates centuries ago. It suits travellers who want to be at the centre of everything, walking distance from the harbour, the windmills and Little Venice, with easy bus connections out to the beaches when needed.

Highlights

• Little Venice, a row of 18th century houses with wooden balconies built directly over the sea, one of the most photographed spots in the Cyclades
• The seven surviving windmills of Chora, built by the Venetians in the 16th century to mill grain using the island’s strong summer winds
• Panagia Paraportiani, a striking cluster of interconnected whitewashed churches on the site of the old Kastro
• Matoyianni Street, the town’s main shopping street, lined with boutiques, jewellers and art galleries
• The old harbour itself, still the social heart of the town by day and night

A maze built to confuse

The narrow, winding lanes of Chora were laid out deliberately confusing, designed centuries ago to disorient pirates raiding the coast and slow down any attack before it reached the town’s centre. That same layout, centred on the old fortified Kastro district, now shelters some of the town’s most striking sights, including the Panagia Paraportiani church complex, a listed cultural monument and one of the finest examples of Cycladic religious architecture anywhere in Greece. Little Venice grew up along the town’s seaward edge in the 18th century, its two storey houses built with foundations directly in the water, while the seven windmills on the hill above once provided a vital part of the local economy until they stopped operating commercially in the mid 20th century.

Where Mykonos Town is

Getting to Mykonos Town

From the airport: Mykonos Town is about 4 kilometres away, around 10 minutes by taxi or car.

From the new port at Tourlos: Around 3 kilometres, a short taxi or bus ride into the centre.

Getting around once there: See getting around Mykonos and Mykonos taxi for onward travel to the beaches, and the Mykonos bus timetable for scheduled services.

Arriving on Mykonos: For ferry routes and flight options to the island itself, start with how to get to Mykonos.

Where to eat

Mykonos Town has the widest choice of restaurants and bars on the island, from casual waterfront tavernas to fine dining rooms tucked into the old lanes. Little Venice is especially popular for a sunset drink or dinner with tables looking straight out over the water.

Where to stay

Mykonos Town suits travellers who want to be central, with the shortest walk to restaurants, shopping and nightlife, though rooms here tend to cost more than those further from the centre. For a private villa with a pool elsewhere on Mykonos, see Mykonos villas with a private pool.

Beaches near Mykonos Town

Ornos Beach, one of the island’s most family friendly beaches, is around 2.5 kilometres away and easily reached by bus or a coastal walk. Agios Sostis Beach offers a quieter, less developed alternative a little further along the coast.

Best time to visit

July and August bring the busiest crowds and the liveliest nightlife, particularly in the evenings around the harbour and Little Venice. Late spring and early autumn offer the same scenery and a good number of open restaurants, with noticeably fewer people filling the narrow lanes during the day.