Table of Contents:
LESS ANCIENT
MODERN MYKONOS
SHOULD-SEE MYKONOS.
According to Greek mythology, Mykonos gets its name from the first ruler, Mykonos. He was a son, or a grandson, of the god Apollo born on nearby Delos.
The island is the setting of the great battle between Zeus and the Giants. And where Hercules did battle with the giants. According to the legend, the large rocks all over Mykonos are their petrified corpses.
Ancient Mykonos.
According to Herodotus, the Carians are probably the first inhabitants of the island.
They seem to be from the coast of Asia Minor and were the first settlers on several of the Cycladic islands. The time period may be around 1300 B.C.
The Ionians from Athens appear in records in the early 11th century B.C.
The neighboring island of Delos is an important pilgrimage site making Mykonos an important supply center. Outside of income from supplying Delos, Mykonos is a poor island and not a destination. The island had limited water and therefore raising livestock or agriculture was limited.
Less Ancient.
Mykonos, like the rest of Greece, would come under the control of the Romans circa 100 B.C.
With the splitting of the Roman Empire circa 330 A.D., Greece and its islands fall under the Byzantine Empire. They will remain there until the 12th century.
In 1204 during the Fourth Crusade, Constantinople falls and Greece becomes a land grab.
The Venetian nobleman Andrea Ghisi scoops up most of the Cyclades making himself the lord.
During the 1300s, Mykonos, and most of the Mediterranean will be victims of the Great Catalan Company. These mercenaries ravage every port in the Aegean.
By the end of the 1300s, Venice takes control of Mykonos. It is still a backwater.
The Ottomans.
The admiral of the Ottoman fleet, Hayreddin Barbarossa, takes control of the island circa 1537.
The Venetians will continue to fight for the Greek islands for the next two hundred years. When they lose the castle of Tinos, they give up on the islands.
Despite its lack of water and local produce, Mykonos grows as a trading center. Ships sailing from Constantinople, Athens, and other Aegean ports call on the island. This makes it a target for the numerous pirates targeting the trade routes.
During the French Revolutionary Wars, a minor skirmish takes place in Mykonos harbor. The British navy bombards a French ship until it surrenders.
The 1821 Greek Revolution against the Ottoman Empire pulls all of Greece together.
Manto Mavrogenous, a rich aristocrat living on Mykonos, spends her family’s fortune for the cause.
She began her own navy of two ships, at first to defend the island from pirates. By October of 1822, they repulse Ottoman Turks, attempting to land on the island.
Eventually, she would increase the fleet to six ships, while supporting infantry companies on the mainland.
She later put together a fleet of six ships and an infantry consisting of sixteen companies.
By the end of the revolution, she was penniless. She would die alone in a borrowed home on Paros circa 1848.
Today, Mykonos’s main square (Mavrogenous square) contains a bust of her.
The island’s economy, after Greece became a country, was strong from sailing and trading activity. The 1904 opening of the Corinth Canal will pull much of the port’s traffic creating a slump.
After the Wars.
Like most of Greece, it would also feel the impact of the First World War. After the war, many islanders would leave Mykonos to find work in Athens. The same would happen after the Second World War.
After the war, tourism would get a boost from people trying to see nearby Delos. But it was the international “jet-set” that really put Mykonos on the map in the 1960s.
Aristoteles Onassis, owner of Olympic Airlines, would build an airport so he could fly there. Soon celebrities including Marlon Brando, Grace Kelly, Mick Jaggar, and Richard Burton would summer here. Jackie Kennedy would visit, cementing Mykonos as a destination. In 1968, she would marry Onassis.
In the 1970s, fashion designers, artists, actors, singers, and models would discover Mykonos. Its Mediterranean location requiring a jet or a ferry to reach made it a bohemia where they could be themselves. It also began attracting the gay community of Europe, looking for a place with fewer social rules.
In the 1980s, the celebrities would move on to other islands, but the gays would remain, making Mykonos one of the most popular gay destinations in Europe.
When the gays move in, property values go up. Mykonos is no exception. By the turn of the century, Mykonos is one of the most expensive Mediterranean islands to visit.
Today, Mykonos does not suffer as a backwater. Pre-Covid, more than 200,000 guests were arriving by plane. Massive cruise ships purge thousands of guests for the day, and ferries seem to arrive every hour.
Similar to Santorini, the island talks about controlling the numbers, but no real plans are in place.
What is in Mykonos for me?
See and Hear.
If you are feeling adventurous, venture into one of the beach clubs. Here is where the “beautiful” people go, so there is often great “people watching”. You will hear (and feel) the music, but not the waves.
Taste and Smell.
Stroll the back streets of Mykonos (Chora) town. In small markets, you can find local cheese made from cow’s milk. Try it. Follow your nose, and maybe you will find the baker with the oldest wood-burning ovens on the island.
Feel.
There are several small museums, many of them tucked in between shops, that will give you a great feel of how life on the island and sea used to be.
Sit on the beach where Shiley Valentine got her groove back. a glass of wine in the country where the grape grows, and watch the sunset.
There may be better ways to end your day, but this one doesn’t suck.
SHOULD SEE SITES
Mykonos Town (Chora)
The maze of whitewashed buildings is not unique to Mykonos. You can find it on most Cyclades islands. Put on your sunglasses and lose yourself in the maze.
Around the Island.
Outside of Mykonos Town (Chora), the only other “town” is Ano Mero. It sits towards the middle of the island on some of the highest ground. This village is not a steep hill town like on some of the neighboring islands.
Lifes a Beach.
The beaches are more agreeable than on many Mediterranean islands, but not as sandy as Florida or the Caribbean. There are the mega beaches, Paradise, Super Paradise, and Kalo Livadi with the Mega beach clubs. Think about going to a nightclub in a bathing suit.
It’s 11 euros for the car valet. Eleven euros for a sunbed, and 11 extra for an umbrella. Then 11 euros for a drink, and… It becomes very pricey for a family.
There is a D.J. present. So even if you want to hear the water, the seagulls, or yourself thinking, it’s not going to happen.
If you want the energy of a club at the beach, these are the beaches for you.
Less of a Beach Party.
For those looking for a day on a beach, instead of a dance floor. Kalafati, on the south shore, is excellent for couples or families. Agios Sostis and Panormos on the east coast are great for sunning, and there are cafes nearby for drinks. Even Agios Ioannis, while crowded, has some breathing space. Except in July and August when the European migration seems to hit every beach on the island.
Mykonos has some nice beaches but is not making the top ten on any “Worlds Best Beaches” lists.
So this does not seem to be the reason to fly 10+ hours from North America.
If you do not go to the beach, you will run out of things to do on Mykonos.
There is something for everyone when it comes to beaches on Mykonos. I suggest aqua socks (which sounds nothing like flip-flops) at all Greek beaches. If there’s a rock in the sand or underwater, my feet always find it the hard way.
Mykonos Accommodations.
Mykonos resorts range from adequate to way over the top, and many are lovely. You can spend less than a hundred per night, or thousands.
Distance from town, amenities, and time of year are all major factors in the prices. Spring and fall are better. Many close for winter.
Mykonos Shopping.
The island has been a trading center for centuries, it still is.
Shop-keepers from Athens open endless shops on Mykonos, but only during the summer season. By October, they are closing up and moving back to Athens.
When the Sun Goes Down.
I love going to the beach when the afternoon is almost over. Some beaches get some partial shade, and the exodus back to hotels begins.
First, you can find parking, which always seems to be at a premium. The water is still warm for swimming. And if you do want a drink or wine, you can get near a bar.
Party animal or not, dinner should never be until after sunset. Enjoy at least one glass of Greek wine or a cocktail as you watch Helios drive his chariot of the sun into the western sky.
There are some very fancy restaurants on the island where you can find an extensive international menu and wine list.
If you have a platinum or black card, don’t leave home without it.
However, I am in Greece. I want Greek food and wine. I look for the beach tavernas where the locals are.
In town, there are some excellent tavernas in side streets as well.
The tourists flock to the waterfront and Little Venice areas to sit on top of each other for O.K. food. Look a little further.
Then a stroll, some people watching or an after-dinner drink by the water.
Find a locals place. For me, it’s the piano bar where the two owners it always make me glad I came.
2021 Update – Rumor is they sold the bar mid-Covid. If so, I hope the new owner knows what they have.
I meet the locals and people from all over.
I Love the Nightlife.
The “Night” life, is the “early AM” life, as it does not start until after midnight.
For the under-30 crowd, and those refusing to grow up, this is the must-be place in Greece.
When I utter my first “When I used to go out,” I know it’s time to head home. Maybe I’m getting old.
The music and people must be fabulous at these clubs. The party often goes on until sunrise.
I know because as I am sipping my coffee and watching the village coming to life, the show begins.
Here they come, stumbling from the clubs, and I am entirely O.K. with being “old.”
Mykonos Summary.
For me, a few places left on the island still remind me of my first visit almost 30 years ago.
Here, you find the local people. And that is Mykonos for me. A simple place. An island to enjoy Greek wine with friends, old and new.
For those needing bling and jet-setting, there is that Mykonos as well.
I like Mykonos, but it is not in my top three. I am not a fan of crowds.
However, offer me a trip there, and I will be outside with suitcases in 20 minutes.
There is something magical that attracts the multitudes.
Probably the best way for you to find out what makes the magic is to experience Mykonos for yourself.