Mykonos 5 Day Itinerary

A cocktail at a Mykonos beach club costs 18 to 25 euros. A sunbed at a premium beach club runs 50 to 100 euros per day. A taxi from the airport to Mykonos Town costs 10 to 15 euros. The first two numbers are the island being itself; the third is the one genuinely good deal. Mykonos is expensive, Greek locals will tell you it is overpriced, and five days here costs more than ten days almost anywhere else in the Aegean. Know that going in and it stops being a disappointment and starts being a choice.

Day 1: Arrival and Mykonos Town (Chora)

Mykonos Airport (JMK) is three kilometres from Mykonos Town. The taxi rank outside Arrivals charges a flat rate of 10 to 15 euros. The bus stop outside the airport connects to the town centre for under 2 euros if you are not carrying heavy bags.

The Old Town (Chora) is the reason people come. It is a maze of whitewashed cubic houses, blue-domed chapels, and narrow alleys designed to confuse Aegean pirates, a function they still perform on first-time visitors with GPS. The Windmills on the Kato Mili ridge overlook the harbour and appear in approximately 40 percent of Mykonos photographs. They are best in the morning light and worth reaching before breakfast.

Little Venice (Alefkandra) is the row of houses that jut directly over the sea at the edge of town, a few minutes’ walk from the windmills. The sunset bars here, including Caprice and Scarpa, fill up by 7pm in summer. A cocktail runs 15 to 20 euros but the view is legitimately extraordinary. One drink is worth it; four drinks is just expensive.

For dinner in Chora, M-Eating on Kalogera Street does modern Aegean cuisine at a level well above the tourist-facing tavernas on the main square. Plan 50 to 70 euros per person with wine.

Stay: The Cavo Tagoo and Bill and Coo are the premium options, both with infinity pools above the sea (from 400 euros per night in high season). For something more grounded, the Belvedere Hotel on Chora’s edge runs 150 to 250 euros and has an excellent pool bar.

Day 2: Delos

The ferry to Delos departs from the Old Harbour daily in season (typically 9am, 10am, and 11am with return ferries through the afternoon). The return boat costs 25 euros per adult. The archaeological site entry is a separate 20 euros, paid at the site. Buy your ferry ticket at the booth by the harbour the day before in peak season.

Delos matters. It was one of the most sacred sites in the ancient Greek world, an entire island dedicated to Apollo and Artemis, inhabited continuously from about 3000 BC until the late Roman period. The Terrace of the Lions (five surviving marble lions from an original nine or more, dating to the 7th century BC) is the iconic image, but the scale of the ruins is more impressive: streets, houses with intact mosaic floors, temples, a theatre. There is no shade. Bring water, a hat, and sun protection. Allow three to four hours.

There is a small restaurant on Delos for lunch. It is adequate and the only option on the island, so lunch expectations should be calibrated accordingly.

Day 3: Beaches, with a Realistic Assessment

Mykonos has three types of beach. The first is the southern party beaches: Paradise and Super Paradise, loud, expensive, packed in July and August, with bars open from noon. Sunbed hire at the clubs runs 40 to 80 euros per pair. The scene is genuinely fun if this is why you came. If it is not why you came, skip both.

The second type is the northern beaches: Agios Sostis, Panormos, and Agios Stefanos. These are quieter, often free, and the water is the same Aegean blue. Agios Sostis has no beach clubs, no sunbeds for hire, and almost no facilities. That is the point. Take a bus or scooter and bring your own food and water.

The third type is the east-facing beaches: Elia, Kalo Livadi, and Agrari. These are the medium option: beach clubs present but less intense than the south, more sand, and slightly less crowded.

The strong opinion: skip Paradise Beach entirely and spend the day at Agios Sostis followed by a late afternoon at Elia. The contrast between the two tells you something true about what Mykonos actually is beneath the marketing.

Rent a scooter (25 to 35 euros per day) or ATV for beach-hopping; the buses connect the main beaches but schedules are unpredictable in the afternoon.

Day 4: Ano Mera and the Quiet Interior

Ano Mera is a village 8 kilometres east of Mykonos Town and the only settlement on the island that feels like it exists for people who live here rather than people who arrived by ferry. The central square has a few cafes and a taverna where you can eat a proper Greek lunch (grilled fish, horiatiki salad, local wine) for 25 to 35 euros per person instead of 60.

The Monastery of Panagia Tourliani in Ano Mera dates to 1542 and has a carved marble fountain, a carved wooden altar screen, and embroideries that are quietly extraordinary for a building most Mykonos visitors never find. Entry is free; dress modestly.

Evening back in Chora. The neighbourhood behind the main square, away from the tourist lanes, has smaller bars where Mykonians actually drink. Finding one and staying for two hours is more interesting than the famous clubs.

Day 5: Final Morning, Last Beach, Departure

If your flight is afternoon, the morning belongs to whichever beach you did not get to earlier. A final coffee at Bakaliko in the centre of Chora is a good use of the last hour: it is the oldest deli on the island, sells Aegean cheeses and cured meats, and has outdoor seating on the alley.

Allow extra time for the taxi to the airport in high summer, when traffic on the single main road backs up.

Things to know:

  • Book accommodation eight months out for July and August. Seriously. The cheap rooms go first and the remaining options are not cheap.
  • The public bus network (KTEL Mykonos) covers the main beaches and town centres for 1.80 to 2.50 euros per journey. It is slow but functional, and genuinely worth using for the southern and eastern beach routes.
  • Euros only at most small cafes and shops. Cards accepted at hotels, restaurants, and beach clubs. Have cash for the ferry ticket booth.
  • Mykonos is openly LGBTQ-friendly and has been for decades. This is part of its identity, not an add-on.
  • Ferries from Athens (Piraeus port) take four to five hours and cost 30 to 50 euros on a standard ferry, or two hours on a high-speed catamaran (60 to 80 euros). Book on Ferryhopper or directly with operators, not via third-party resellers who add unnecessary fees.
  • Bring reef-safe sunscreen. The Greek government has moved toward restricting chemical sunscreens near protected marine areas, and Delos is one of those areas.