Mykonos Ornos Beach
Mykonos Little Venice windmills
Mykonos Little Venice glam sunset views
Mykonos Ftelia Beach east of the island

Mykonos

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
6
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
6
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
7
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
4
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
7
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
7
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
60 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
291st/457
Top 70%
continent
Europe
country
Greece
Length of time
1-2 days
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$160 (typically $50 - $260)
Time of year visited
October
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Islands Old town Partying / Lash
All Tags
Beach promenade Beaches Bustling restaurants Sunsets
Wow Factor
Two scores: first is the wow factor which ranges from ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️, and a separate category for the truly "gash". The second is the more analytical travel experience score, which considers 6 varied criteria to give an overall score out of 100.
⭐⭐

Summary

Mykonos is the high end party island for Greece – like Ibiza for the central Mediterranean or Seminyak in Bali – its oozing class, glam and lash … and with the prices to match.  Definitely include it as a highlight for the Cyclades islands – the Little Venice Old Town is worth it alone.  But … don’t prioritise it over Santorini, which is the  🌟🌟🌟 of these islands (see Santorini entry for the details).

 

In a nutshell:

  1. If passing through as part of an island hopping trip, 1-2 nights is enough. Obviously justified longer if you’re flying in and out, and if thirsty for the high end lash.
  2. It’s expensive – price-wise Little Venice is up there with Ibiza, Santorini and Sorrento for high end Mediterranean spots for accommodation and restaurants.
  3. Little Venice is lovely – not just for the high end restaurants but as a wonderful Old Town in its own right.  We enjoyed it in the day, for sunset and walking later in the evening.
  4. Stay in Ornos – its a short taxi / drive away (or 15min walk), gorgeous beach, way more chilled and with beautiful restaurants … fraction of the price. Would recommend.
  5. The east side of the island is nice and way quieter – only takes 15mins or so and you’re in a different world.  Ftelia Beach only half way along felt like a different country.   But . . . if you’re looking for gobsmaking views, go with Santorini.  If big expansive, quiet island Naxos or Crete.
  6. What is Mykonos like in October – weather was perfect (if a couple of days of rain), prices way down on peak season and crowds minimum without being on shutdown. Recommend.
  7. To see how Mykonos fits into a one or two week Greece itinerary – see the 2 week Greece Itinerary post full of the route, things to prioritise and general tips for the trip.
  8. Santorini Dave is a great source of info for Mykonos and the Greek Islands – https://santorinidave.com/mykonos

Highlights of Mykonos

Mykonos - #1 Wandering the beautiful alleyways of Little Venice. Mykonos' highlight

#1 Wandering the beautiful alleyways of Little Venice. Mykonos' highlight

Mykonos - #2 Waking up in a villa on the beach in Ornos. Just a short 5min drive, but felt so much more chilled

#2 Waking up in a villa on the beach in Ornos. Just a short 5min drive, but felt so much more chilled

Mykonos #3 Catching the sunset . . . with the sunset prices 😂. Menu of drinks

#3 Catching the sunset . . . with the sunset prices 😂

Mykonos #4 The beautifully clear water at the beaches all along the island. The Mediterranean may not be as warm as SE Asia etc, but its so much clearer

#4 The beautifully clear water at the beaches all along the island. The Mediterranean may not be as warm as SE Asia etc, but its so much clearer

Mykonos - #5 Going a bit further to the east of the island. Beaches like Ftelia Beach all to yourself and felt like a different world

#5 Going a bit further to the east of the island. Beaches like Ftelia Beach all to yourself and felt like a different world

Mykonos #6 Seeing the windmills of Little Venice. Something between tacky and cute

#6 Seeing the windmills of Little Venice. Something between tacky and cute

Mykonos - #7 Walks along the beachfront at Ornos. Gorgeous

#7 Walks along the beachfront at Ornos. Gorgeous

Mykonos - #8 The Glam?

#8 The Glam?

Experiences Nearby

Wow Factor Score Two scores: first is the wow factor which ranges from ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️, and a separate category for the truly "gash". The second is the more analytical travel experience score, which considers 6 varied criteria to give an overall score out of 100. LowHigh
  • Elite, unmissable
  • World-class, downsides
  • Meets the Wow Factor
  • Worth it
  • Meh
  • Gash

Other Amazing Med Island-Life Spots

Santorini

The Sorrento Peninsula – avoiding the crowds

Hitting both sides of Ibiza

Pintxos in San Sebastian

Wandering the Old Towns of Eastern Sicily

The Aeolian Islands

Boat trips, beaches and exploring the caves around Havar Island

Stepping back in time in Malta

Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences - from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get the Wow Before Everyone Else

Join the newsletter for new travel experiences, fresh rankings, personal notes, and stories from the archive — sent only when there’s something worth sharing.