Mykonos is a Greek Island known for its’ parties, beaches, sun, and the iconic town. When visiting Mykonos Town on a cruise, you will likely be crunched for time time so it’s important to maximize your visit! Thankfully the town is easy to explore on foot and without any need for booking an excursion or tour. Here are my top tips for visiting Mykonos Town on a cruise!
Read More: Full Review: 10 Day NCL Epic Mediterranean Cruise
1) Docking, Tendering, and the Sea Bus
Visiting Mykonos on a cruise brings in unique considerations than visiting via other means. When in Mykonos, you will either be docking or tendering. From my understanding, there is only one cruise ship dock in Mykonos, so if there are several ships in port that day you will likely be tendering. We ended up docking in the morning and having to tender back to the ship in the afternoon, so I got to experience both. If docking, you will dock here and be required to take a free shuttle into Mykonos’ Old Port. The street into town is tight with no shoulder, and pedestrians are not allowed. Therefore all cruise ship passengers are required to take the shuttle. In my experience, they did a good job at keeping the busses running very regularly and we didn’t have to wait for a bus.
If tendering, the tenders will drop you off and pick you up here, in the Old Port. It’s about a 10-minute walk into the heart of town and is a really convenient location. When tendering back to the ship, make sure you allow yourself plenty of time in the line. Our line wrapped all the way around the street back to the beach, and we waited about 45 minutes.
There is also the Sea Bus in Mykonos, and is an option for those with limited mobility. The Sea Bus runs between the Cruise Port (here), the Old Port (here) and town (here). It is €2 each way for a ride and can be a good option if you don’t want to take the cruise ship shuttle or walk into town. You can pay right at the docks and do not need to reserve in advance.
2) The Iconic White Stone Streets
Visiting Mykonos on a cruise opened my eyes to one of those “Instagram vs Reality” moments. Those iconic stone streets with the white grout? It’s not exactly how it appears! The streets are actually all stone and that white outline is just paint. It was a little bit of a disappointment seeing this reality, as it felt a little fake to me! However, the look is still there and it’s still beautiful. That white paint however? It’s surprisingly very slippery! We visited on a sunny day with no recent rain, and it was still slippery! If you’re visiting on a wet day (or if it recently rained), be really careful, especially going up and down the streets that are on a bit of an incline.
3) Just Wander!
Mykonos Town is not large, and is the perfect place to “get lost!”. You can wander up and down the streets and never be actually be lost. Put down your Google Maps and just wander wherever your heart tells you to. Turn down new streets and alleys and just explore. No street in town is anything short of spectacular, so no matter where you go, you’re in for an eye treat! As a general “grounding” rule of thumb, if you want to head back towards the water, just walk downhill and you’ll get there pretty quickly.
4) Beaches in Mykonos Town
If you’re looking for a beach day in Mykonos Town, you may be a little disappointed. There are a couple beaches in town, but they are small and will inevitably be crowded. Paralia Choras is the largest beach in town. If you’re looking for a local beach day, finding a spot here will be your best bet. Gialos Beach is located right along the main promenade in town, but is much smaller. These are good options if you’re looking for an easy trip to a beach, but I’d recommend getting out of town to some of Mykonos’ other beaches if you’re looking for a quiet, relaxing beach day. However, these two in town were perfect for us to dip our feet into and we walked in just up to our shins. It was refreshing enough and a nice quick stop before continuing on with our day!
5) Public Restrooms
When you gotta go, you gotta go. And when you’re out traveling and exploring for a full day, finding a public restroom can be like finding gold. In Mykonos, we only found one during our entire day of wandering. It is located here, right on the water by Little Venice. They cost €1 to use, which is pretty standard in Europe (and in my opinion, is a good deal in such a hot spot). Pin this so you’re prepared when nature calls!
6) Don’t Pet the Cats!
When visiting almost anywhere in Greece, it won’t take you long to realize the herds of cats that live on the streets. Mykonos is no exception to this, and you’ll find dozens of cats roaming throughout Mykonos Town. While it may be tempting to pet them- don’t! I leaned in to take a selfie with one and got hissed and swatted at. Later in the day, we watched a small child reach to pet a cat and got attacked. They are strays and you have no idea what diseases they may be carrying. Don’t pet them!
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