Day Trip to UNESCO-Listed Delos Island: Boats, Terrace of the Lions and Mount Kynthos

Two miles south-west across the strait from Mykonos lies the small, uninhabited granite island of Delos (Dilos), inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1990 and revered across the ancient Greek world as the sacred birthplace of the twin gods Apollo and Artemis. Because ancient Greek religious law forbade any mortal from being born or dying on sacred Delos, and because the island became a booming tax-free Roman commercial port of 30,000 cosmopolitan merchants in 166 BC before being abandoned, Delos preserves an entire Hellenistic-Roman city frozen in stone.

How the Delos Excursion Boats Work

No one is allowed to stay overnight on Delos; all visitors arrive on licensed excursion ferries departing from the pier right beside the tiny church of Agios Nikolaos at the west end of Mykonos Old Port:

• Boat Schedule: morning boats typically depart Mykonos at early in the morning, in the late morning and in the late morning (taking just 25 to 30 minutes), with return boats departing Delos at around midday, around midday and in the afternoon. Catch the early in the morning boat so you walk the unshaded ruins in the cool morning air.

Four Highlights on a 3-Hour Walk Around Delos

1. The Sanctuary of Apollo & The Terrace of the Lions (c. 600 BC): walk down the marble-paved Sacred Way past the base of the colossal statue of Apollo to the famous Terrace of the Lions, where five surviving slim-waisted Archaic marble lions gifted by the island of Naxos crouch facing the dried basin of the Sacred Lake (the original eroded marble lions stand indoors inside the onsite Delos Archaeological Museum, while exact casts stand on the terrace).
2. The Theatre Quarter & House of Dionysus / House of Cleopatra: wander through narrow stone streets lined with two-storey Hellenistic mansions featuring intact peristyle marble columns, deep rainwater cisterns beneath mosaic courtyards (House of the Dolphins, House of the Masks and House of the Trident) and the 5,500-seat marble Ancient Theatre.
3. Climbing Mount Kynthos: follow the ancient stone steps past the Sanctuary of the Egyptian Gods to the rocky summit of Mount Kynthos for an memorable 360-degree view of the surrounding ring of islands.
4. Essential Packing Rule for Delos: there are zero trees for shade and minimal kiosk facilities on the island, bring 1.5 litres of water per person, a wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen and grippy trainers.