Questions about Mykonos

I'm looking for a little advice from someone who's experienced with Mykonos. Mykonos is one of our stops, and we're considering doing it on our own. Our cruise is very port intensive, and at most stops we're taking tours that are more for the history and the architecture, but we would like to be a little more relaxed at Mykonos.

Can we get to a lot by just walking around, or should we arrange for transportation? If so, do you reccommend public transportation ( bus or taxi) or should we look to hire a car. Though I'm game to try the scooters, my friend is terrified and refuses to try. We especially would like to go to Old Towne because we're under the impression that there we could wander the streets viewing the shops, and then find a few friendly taverns or restaurants with a view of the windmills to enjoy the local cuisine.

Is this possible, or are we over estimating what the guide books are telling us? We only have the afternoon in port, so we'd like some "insider info"!:D

You will likely be docked right at the town... either a short shuttle bus ride or a 10 minute walk away.

Since you only have the afternoon, I think you are on the right track with planning to just take in the town.

If you enjoy walking, stroll up the winding, narrow streets, working your way away from the water. You'll be rewarded with some spectacular views and along the way will get to see some great houses, chapels, windmills, tavernas, etc. Then wander back down to where the tavernas line the shore and take in "Little Venice".

We found the bus stop and went to the beach for an hour - an interesting ride and nice to get in for a swim. (This excursion took approx. 2 hours.... a 20 min. bus ride each way, plus beach time.)

Mykonos is also a great place to catch up on your email - there are a few internet places at extremely low prices.

Mykonos is very small ... most of the town is wrapped around a small, picturesque bay / harbor. You can catch a local bus from the dock to town for about $1.00 ... or the ships (we were on Princess) run a shuttle for about $5.00 RT ... or you can walk (it's only about a half mile) - but take care - the road is narrow without sidewalks and traffic can sometimes pass pretty close.

Do the town on foot is the best way. Rent scooters only if you want to get out of town and visit the other side of the island. The windmills (tourist attraction) are just a short walk uphill on the other side of the half moon bay.

Definitely doable on your own. This is what we did and we have a lovely day in Mykonos. The shopping is good there also. I got a nice gold key bracelet there. You can rent scooters if you like and head to the beach area.

We found a nice outdoor restaurant near the windmills and we sat and enjoyed the views. Tried some Greek beer (it was good & I hate beer) and a greek salad and some spinach pie. Food was excellent here. I don't remember the name of the restaurant though. It was at the foot of the road going up to the windmills on the right side near the water.

It was fun walking through all the white-washed little nooks and crannies and browsing in all the small shops.

It is a very short walk from the dock to the shop area. You will have plenty of time to visit there. It is not a big island. If you are going to do some walking, wear comfortable shoes as it is very hilly. We walked quite a ways up the hill past the windmills. Great photo shoots here also.

Enjoy your visit.

Mary

Thanks everyone! I knew I could count on you! :D

It sounds like I'll be able to do just what I planned with little trouble. I'll try to keep this thread going for a while so more can give their insights too!

I agree with all the others. Walking around was wonderful, especially in such a picturesque location. I did not think you need to rent scooters. First, the town is easy to navigate. Also, there are so many alleyways to explore that you woulkd miss so much. Just sitting at the dock in the little town with your feet in the water was marvelous. Very beautiful port to visit!

Thanks for the great info!:D

Now for those of you who have explored Little Venice and the like, any specific place you reccommend for a meal or consider a "must" experience?

I found a travel guide this weekend that claimed that "Mykonos has many art galleries and lovely boutiques." Is this true, or is there just a limited amount? It also mentioned only a couple of taverns, and I was under the impression that there are quite a few, so I'd like some insider opinions!:)

Art - there is a very popular tavern in Little Venice with a balcony overlooking the water - sorry, I don't recall the name but you can't miss it when you are strolling down the alley in Little Venice. We had already eaten when we came across it, so can't comment on the food (when we were wandering up the alleys above the town, we came across a small deli that had delicious gyros.) And there were loads of taverns lining the beach.

Lots of boutiques.... jewellery, art, etc. You could spend days wandering in and out of them:)

A few years ago I visited Mykonos on Orient Lines; & the ship provided a free shuttle to a parking lot just below town. We immediately walked along the water's edge to Little Venice. We spent the whole day exploring there; never made it "into town". The best way to explore is just get lost in the labyrinth of alleyways. There are hundreds of little galleries, boutiques & quaint restaurants (w/ a few picturesque churches in between). Even though I didn't see "town", I don't feel like I missed a thing.

Cruisingmimi, I think I know the restaurant you mentioned. Sounds like the place we had lunch too. They had outside seating under a canopy right on the water. It was called Restaurant Alefkandra (sp?). Great food. We will be back there on Oceania's Regatta in April & very much look forward to spending the day doing exactly the same thing. :)

Hi Liv4cruisin,

Sounds like the same place! If you are following the water (on your right) you come right to it. You can see the windmills up the hill from there. I usually look at names of places but didn't this time. Food was excellent here.

We just walked from where our ship was docked. There were busses but it was a nice pleasant short walk. Lots of sights along the way.

Just a warning to those who consider walking into town. We were on Brilliance last year and were docked about 10 minutes by bus outside of town. The road was narrow and twisty and there was no shoulder for much of the way. We saw some people walking, and they didn't look like they were enjoying themselves. For us, it was worth the 3 euros or so to take the bus, especially since we spent so much of our afternoon walking around the town and getting lost in the many sidestreets. By the time we were ready to return to the ship, we were tired. :)

I already suggested this on another query about Mykonos but here it is again. My husband and I are big fans of the utterly charming British movie, Shirley Valentine that was partially filmed in Mykonos. Last June we arrived on the Galaxy where got a taxi and asked to be taken to the beach where Shirley Valentine was filmed. In a less than ten minute drive we arrived at a wonderful taverna overlooking the sea where we had a lovely lunch of calamari,Greek salad and Mythos beer. There is a sign that says Shirley Valentine was filmed here. Of course we took pictures. We walked along the beach which was lovely. When we were ready to go back to town the owner called us a taxi which arrived in five minutes. We had more than enough time to wander the streets, go to Little Venice, see the windmills but we had also done something out of the ordinary.

Linda

P.S. If you haven't seen the movie, rent it and you'll wish you were in Mykonos right now.

Thanks everyone - keep it coming!:D

Host Karen - Does the Brilliance always dock in the same area? I'm curious because that's my ship. Considering what you said, I might rather take the bus ... was it a local bus or a transport through the cruise line?:rolleyes:

Art Explorer, that I don't know, having sailed there only once. BOS and Windstar were docked that day in the same place. There is another dock area where the bus left us off, but it seemed to be for inter-island boat traffic only. If the ship had been docked there, it would have been a safe two-minute walk into town.

The buses appeared to be chartered by the cruiseline exclusively for the ship (separate buses for BOS and Windstar). The price was $4 per person each way and we bought tickets at Guest Relations before we debarked. If we hadn't used our tickets, we could have returned them for a refund.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, there were people who walked, but I wouldn't have done it despite being in good shape. The road was twisty and narrow without a shoulder for much of the way, and obviously there's a lot of bus traffic along the road. Also it was in the upper 80s, and I would not have wanted to start my tour of the town being dusty and sweaty.

If you would like some more information about our visit to Mykonos on Brilliance, here's a link to my review of our sailing. It might give you an idea of what to expect if you are on the same itinerary.

Have a great time. Mykonos and Santorini were our favorite ports!

Karen

Host Karen,

Thank you very much - your link to your personal review was an extra bonus, and very much appreciated!:D

It sounds like you had an awesome time on the Brilliance - even though with your heavy port schedule you must have been exhausted! Many of your stops are the same as mine, and I'll definitely use your advice about the excursions!:)

Host Karen is right about the walk from the pier to town. That is assuming they use the pier,, because sometimes due to port congestion you might still be tendered right into town if the ship is forced to anchor in the harbor. We have done the walk from the pier and as Karen said, it is a bit long for some folks. Fortunately, there are shuttle buses that run from the pier to the town. Keep in mind that Mykonos is a popular place because of its night life and very good beaches. The best beaches are a bus ride (or taxi ride) from town and many do have facilities.

Hank

Samatha Brown on the travel channel just did a show on Mykonos, it was very good if you get a chance you should watch it.

Art Explorer, the Med cruise was our favorite so far. And you're right, we were exhausted! DH was moaning in advance that I wasn't taking him on a real vacation because I was going to force him off the ship at every port. As it turned out, he happily got off the ship so we could explore the area and try out the local food. Our favorites ports were those where we weren't on organized tours: Barcelona, Florence, and Mykonos. We made sure to eat lunch locally in each port, and that really added to the trip. We are hoping to go back in 2007, but next time we plan to do the Venice itinerary.

Glad the review will prove to be a help. So much of the anticipation of this cruise for me was tied up in the planning, and this board and other posters' reviews were of tremendous help to me. I only try to give a little back when I can.

Karen

Sailor Girl -

Thanks for the info! I obviously missed it, so I'll have to check out her website.:)

Host Karen -

Cruise Critic is a great resource because of people like you - many thanks!:D :D :D :D

( Florence and Barcelona were one of my "must sees" for this cruise, and any info you care to share about those will also be greatly appreciated!)

Art Explorer, I'm blushing! LOL

DH and I were discussing our Med experience today, and he agrees that it was a fantastic vacation. On the advice of our TA, we arrived in Barcelona two days early. The city is clean and well-laid out, and while we were careful to keep track of our belongings, we never felt uncomfortable, even when we were out at night. Barcelona is terrific because there is so much to see, but there are also many places to sit and eat or drink or just people-watch. I bought a guide book and a map of the city in advance and studied them well. The first day we walked part of La Rambla and the Barri Gotic during the day, and then wandered up Rambla Catalunya after dinner window shopping and people watching. The following day we walked up Passeig de Gracias to see the Gaudi buildings, then cut across town to Sagrada Familia. From there, we stopped by the Arc de Triomphe, then walked La Rambla again down to the water this time. The weather was perfect and we just took our time and enjoyed ourselves.

In Florence, we took the "Florence on Your Own" excursion because the private tour costs were starting to add up. The bus took us to and from Florence with six hours to spend on our own. We originally planned to do the usual tourist stuff (David, the Uffizi, etc.), but ended up visiting Il Duomo and climbing the steps to the outside of the dome (a must-do even for those -- like me -- who are afraid of heights), followed by an al fresco lunch of sandwiches and wine sitting on a side street outside a hole-in-the-wall wine bar. We then wandered over the Ponte Vecchio to a wine bar I had read about and spent 90 minutes trying Italian wines by the glass and munching on bread and Italian cheeses. There was just enough time to squeeze in a gelato before we had to meet the group. While my boss chastized me for missing the "most important" sights in the city, it was a perfect day for us. We did just what we wanted at our own pace, and as DH said today, "Those statues and museums will still be there when we go back."

I recommend doing your research so you know what's available and what you simply cannot miss, and have a back-up plan in case the lines are too long or the weather doesn't cooperate. I felt comfortable in Europe because I had studied so much I felt I knew what to expect, and I had plenty of options for us to choose from. You also need a day or so to relax, so pick a port or two (if possible) to just wander around in. It feels good to not be on a schedule EVERY day of your vacation.

As you can tell, I'm still very enthusiastic about this trip even though it's been almost a year since we were there. I'm waiting on pins and needles for Royal Caribbean and Celebrity to post their 2007 summer schedules so we can book another trip!

Karen

hostkaren@cruisecritic.com

Host Karen -

You're making it harder to wait till our sail date!:p

Barcelona sounds so full of interesting places that I hope we have enough time - I know I want to view them all! :D

We are taking the same excursion as you did in Florence, and after what you said, I know the day will be well spent and very pleasurable! I was a little disappointed before because we're in port on a Monday, and that means seeing the David is out ( museum is closed on Mondays). The Duomo sounds like it will make up for it!:)

And to get this thread back on track a bit, is there a fee to visit the windmills in Mykonos? One travel book I read made it sound like they were working windmills that you could just observe from the beach, but another made it sound like they were actually part of a museum. Can anyone clarify this, and if there's an entrance fee?

There is plenty to see in Florence even if the museums are closed. There are statues everywhere and many buildings and churches of interest. If worse comes to worse you can shop and then find a sidewalk cafe and people-watch!

As far as the windmills are concerned, we didn't walk up to them, so I don't know if you can go into them. They are not working windmills. Depending on which direction you come from, you might sail right past them. Seeing them on television is how we usually identify Mykonos!

Karen, we're an adult family of 5 couples and are planning on renting two cars on Santorini, do you advise doing this?

Thanks,

SOM

Som,

There are a couple of good tour companies on Santorini. Have you considered booking a tour of the island w/ one of them? I am sure they would have a large van to accommodate all of you. We had 16 people for a tour of Santorini and had 2 vans of 8 passengers per van. Worked out great! Was fairly inexpensive also pp. I believe we paid E50.00 pp for an all day tour. You can sit back and relax and let them do the driving. We saw 2 wineries along the way and got to sample the local wine and/or buy some if you wanted to. Don't forget to visit Oia because it is the best part of visiting Santorini. It's absolutely beautiful there.

You can also take a bus tour of the island.

When our tour was finished we went back to Fira and browsed in all the little shops. We got some good bargains there also. Lots of good food vendors here also.

http://www.greek-islands-santorini-greece.com/

http://www.santoriniprivatetours.com/index.html

(this website will show you Oia and the Santo winery that we visited. The view at the winery is spectacular.

http://www.oceanwavetours.com/maps.html

(this is the company we had for our tour)

http://www.thiratours.com/index.html

(a friend of mine booked this company & she was very pleased w/ them).

Mary

Hi Mary, the thing is we can rent two compact 5 passenger 4 door cars for $13.19 Canadian per person including insurance which is a lot cheaper than 50Euros per person. I was just wondering if anyone had rented a car and liked to drive the Island or should we take a tour for a lot more money?

SOM