Best Things to Do in Mykonos

Mykonos is far more than its late-night DJ reputation: when you balance mornings among ancient Greek sanctuaries and whitewashed Cycladic lanes with afternoons in granite-framed turquoise coves, it is one of the most photogenic islands in Europe. Here are the ten experiences that define a visit.

1. Get lost at sunrise in the whitewashed labyrinth of Chora (Mykonos Town). Wander car-free flagstone alleys painted with crisp white lime rings around grey stones, draped in magenta bougainvillea along Matogianni Street.
2. Stand beside the 16th-century Kato Mili Windmills and Little Venice at golden hour. Watch the waves splash against 18th-century sea-captains' balconies beneath the thatched cones of the historic grain mills.
3. Take the 25-minute morning boat to UNESCO-listed Delos Island. Walk through the Terrace of the Lions, the Cleopatra House and the sacred Sanctuary of Apollo on the most important mythological island of ancient Greece.
4. Photograph the sculpted whitewashed domes of Panagia Paraportiani in Kastro. Admire five fused 15th-to-17th-century chapels that look like a sun-melted sugar sculpture above the sea.

5. Hop the southern bays by wooden water taxi from Platys Gialos. Sail along the sheltered southern granite coast between Paraga, Paradise, Super Paradise, Agrari and Elia.
6. Escape to the unspoiled northern coves of Agios Sostis and Fokos. Swim on umbrella-free beaches backed by traditional grill tavernas with zero loudspeaker music.
7. Visit the 16th-century monastery of Panagia Tourliani in Ano Mera. Explore the island's inland village square and its carved Florentine marble bell tower.
8. Watch sunset over Tinos from the 1891 Armenistis Lighthouse. Drive or hike up to the wild north-western cape overlooking the Mykonos, Tinos channel.

9. Sail on a wooden gulet or catamaran to uninhabited Rhenia Island. Drop anchor in deserted neon-blue bays with white sand seabeds west of Delos.
10. Taste peppery kopanisti cheese, louza and onion pie. Dine in a hidden garden courtyard in Chora or under the trees of Ano Mera.