Guide to The beautiful Aegean Sea Island: Mykonos

Paralia Panormos is situated 7-kilometer North-East of Mykonos is one of the most relaxed and coziest beaches of that region. It is not a very populated beach as it is one of the lesser-known places of Mykonos. It is very easy to get into the sea as it is shallow and is situated in a protected bay. The chances of getting hurt are very low as there are no rocks at the bottom of the sea; it is sandy. Due to its safe nature, taking a dip in the sea is one of the best things to do in Mykonos.

There is an attractive and upscale beach bar-restaurant at the center of the beach. There are few spas where you can go for a relaxing massage, which is one of the things to do in Mykonos.

Panormos is located in the northern part of the island, and it is best to visit it when the south wind is blowing. There are many ways to get to Paralia Panormos beach, and there are bus services from Old Port bus station, it is available every 2 hours from Mykonos. Hiring a car and driving down to Paralia Panormos is one of the best things to do in Mykonos.

Paradise Beach is the most famous beaches among all beaches of Mykonos. It is credited for bringing tourism to Mykonos in the 70s. In the 1970s, it was known as the beach of hippies and the later as mostly gay. There are sunbeds and umbrellas all around, where you will find people relaxing with a drink in their hand. If you are looking for a beach party experience, this is the perfect beach for you and visiting it is one of the best things to do in Mykonos. Usually, by night the beach turns into a club with people dancing to music on the sand and rocking until dawn.

The well-known and popular Cavo Paradiso is located on a hill overlooking the beach. It is a large complex having a restaurant, a beach bar, and a pool, and the best part are it works like a night club. There are diving centers, organized camping and water sports available in Paradise Beach. The camping is located behind the beach.

Paradise beach is 6 km south of Chora and located between Super Paradise Beach and Pranga Beach. You can take a bus or taxi boat to get there. You can reach on foot from Platis Yialos.

Platis Gialos is popular mostly because of the number of hotels on the sand with beach view. It is popular during summers because of the turquoise waters and golden sand. This 30 m wide and 300 m long beach is full of umbrellas and sun loungers along its length. There are many water sports centers which offer various water activity, including parasailing, banana boat, Jet Ski, etc. A lifeguard is present to watch over the safety of the bathers. If you are someone who enjoys water sports, then indulging in some water activities is one of the best things to do in Mykonos. There is a harbor that offers boat tours and Yacht trips. If you want you can rent your boat as well.

The restaurants are lined at a stretch here where you can enjoy Greek food and international food while enjoying the view of the beach. There are bars where they serve beach-inspired drinks. You can book the sun loungers and sunbeds in advance.

There are many buses from Mykonos town, which take 15 minutes to reach Platys Gialos. From Paradise Beach and Praga, you can reach by walk within 15-20 minutes. You can even take the boat-taxi to reach this beach.

Ornos Beach is the most crowded, popular, and one of the trendiest beaches of Mykonos. It is one of the 2 starting points for small wooden boats that ferries people to multiple beaches of the southern part of the island. The beach is sandy, large, and the water is clear, attracting a lot of travelers there. There are many sunbeds with parasols all around available for rent. The southern part of the beach is shallow with a sandy bottom, so it is safe to get into the water and play around. Staying here on the beachside is one of the Things to do in Mykonos that you should consider.

The Ornos beach is filled with beachfront restaurants serving the best dishes. You will get enough options to have a good drink or coffee, lunch, or dinner. There are some supermarkets and a few tourist shops where you can buy souvenirs to take back home. There is a school where you can learn diving, windsurfing, and sea-skiing for you to explore.

Ornos is only 2.5 km from Chora, making it easily accessible. You can catch a bus that leaves every hour from Mykonos town. You can even travel by boat taxi available at various beaches to reach here.

The crystal-clear water of Super Paradise beach makes it one of the most frequented beaches of Mykonos. Previously frequented only by gays and naturists, it is no longer the same. You will usually find no nudity here these days. Just like Paradise Beach, it is known for its party scene. Dancing on the shores of the Super Paradise beach is one of the things to do in Mykonos that you can’t miss for sure.

Just like any other beaches of Mykonos, Super Paradise Beach has the Sun Loungers & Sun Beaches with umbrellas spread across the beach. You will get a wide variety of restaurants to choose from. There are appealing bars and cafes as well. If you get tired of all the beach activities, there are some beautiful spas where you can indulge yourself in a relaxing massage. The eclectic crowd on the beach makes it one of the most fun beaches of the island.

There is a shuttle by Super Paradise Club, which departs from Fabrika’s bus terminal that you can use to reach Super Paradise Beach. It is also reachable by taxi-boat and local buses. You can even drive down to this beach, but finding parking might get difficult during peak season.

Elia beach is the largest beach among the south coast beaches of Mykonos. It is a white sand beach with clear water in turquoise color. It is unofficially the official beach for nudists and gays. If you are one, the adventurous, Elia beach is one of the liberating things to do in Mykonos. Though it is a nudist or naturist friendly beach, others are welcome to visit as well. The beach is almost covered with sunbeds and umbrellas, but still, you will be able to find space to lie on the sand in case you want to spread the beach towel and lie down there.

The organized section of Elia beach has many water sports activities like the jet-ski and water-ski. If you are ready to splurge, then there are private villas that are available for rent. The right side of the beach is mostly for the gay community, which is distinguished from the rainbow flag.

The beach is 10 km south of the main town of Mykonos. You can get there by bus as well as a water taxi. From Chora, the bus takes only half an hour. You can even rent a car or bike and drive down, which will take only 25 minutes from Mykonos town.

Lena’s House, a middle-class residence from the 19th century which has been converted into a museum. It is named after the last resident of the house Lena Skrivanou. It is situated at Tria Pigadia on Enoplon Dinameon Street. It will give you an insight into the rich culture of Greece and will give a glimpse of the way of life during the 1800s. You will learn as to how people of Greece lived in that era.

Once inside, you are sure to get back into Mykonos' social history. In the living area have a look at the furniture along with its embroideries and prints. The bedroom, which is filled with Vietnamese furniture is very appealing. While you are here, make sure that you have a look at the woman’s costume from the 18th century. The costumes have been put together by famous designer Giannis Papadakis- Metzikof.

The House of Lena is open only from April to October for the visitors. During that time, it is open from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm daily. Get ready to go back to 19th century Greece by visiting this museum filled with folklore, which is one of the things to do in Mykonos.

The church Paraportiani is one of the most beautiful churches in Greece. It is one of the most photographed churches. Clicking a picture of the church or taking a selfie here is one of the cool things to do in Mykonos. The name Paraportian means standing next to the entrance door, which means that it was next to the castle door when it was built. Even now, it is located near the entrance of neighborhood town Kastro next to the sea, making the name appropriate even today. It consists of small five churches. These churches were built either next to or on top of each other. Agos Efstathios church is at the center of its complex and is surrounded by Agia Anastasia, Agios Sozon, and Agios Anargyros. On top is the Virgin Mary church, and it looks like a dome. The oldest among these is the Agios Anargyros built in the 14th century. The rest of them were built during the 16th and 17th centuries, and the renovations kept happening until 1920.

The church has even attracted moviemakers from all over the world, and there have been countless movies shot here because of its beautiful appeal.

The Aegean Maritime Museum is a non-profit institution founded in 1985. The purpose of opening this institute was to study the maritime tradition and history of this region. This museum building is a 19th-century building located in the center of the town; it is next to Lena’s house. The building was the residence of the legendary Nikolas Sourmelis, who was the captain of the ship Enosis. The place lets you travel through the maritime history of Greece. There are some pre-Minoan ship models, rare maps and engravings, old shipping documents, and ancient artifacts. It also contains coins for the 5th century BC to 5th century AD. Getting to know the maritime history and visiting this museum is one of the exciting things to do in Mykonos. The spacious garden here has few marble gravestones, which are from ancient Delos and Mykonos islands. They are of the lost sailors and those who died in shipwrecks.

The Museum is open from April to October and can be visited daily in that period. Just make sure that you enquire about the time with them directly before visiting.

There are many good hotels to stay in based on your budget. You can either stay in the main city or any of the beachside hotels in one of the many beaches of Mykonos. There are a lot of things to do in Mykonos, which might make your stay hectic, make sure that you make all the bookings in advance. Never the less, Mykonos is an amazing place for vacation and highly recommended for you. So, pack your bags and be assured of a fun-filled one.