Mykonos - Delos

[Chouka]

Hello everyone,

 

My girlfriend and I will be on the Brilliance of the Seas for the June 3rd sailing. One of the ports of call will be Mykonos. Does anyone have any information to share on Delos? I have read that Mykonos is forgettable compare to Santorini (where I was last year and will be again this cruise) So is Mykonos even worth a walktrough? And is Delos (the only shore excursion available) worth the expense? Can Delos be done easely on our own? Any information would be appreciated!

 

Thanks in advance!

[cruisemom42]

If your ship is scheduled to arrive in the morning, Delos is easy to do on your own by arranging to take the ferry over and back. It's definitely worth a trip if you like history. Delos was a huge deal in the classical world; it is the place where Apollo and Artemis were supposed to have been born and it was a major sanctuary, shipping center, and bank during the Greek Classical period. (In fact, the Greek city states all joined in the "Delian League" -- named for Delos). There is a nice amphitheater, houses with mosaics, the famous avenue of lions, and other ruins. Also a small but nice museum with sculpture, mosaics, and other findings from the ongoing archeological research.

 

Mykonos is nice too -- whoever said it was forgettable was giving it a bum rap. It is very picturesque with the winding streets, windmills, whitewashed houses, etc. It just does not have the "aaahhh" factor setting of Santorini. It's fun to walk through the streets, do a little shopping, and have a nice glass of wine or beer in one of the tavernas.

 

You can do both Delos and Mykonos if your ship is there for most of the day. Do Delos first. If you don't arrive until noon or later, you will probably be best off taking the ship's excursion to Delos in order to be assured of getting a ferry (Delos closes up rather early; I think the last ferry back may be at 4pm?).

[CathyCruises]

Delos is one of the most memorable places I have ever been--we missed it on our last trip because we docked just as the last ferry was leaving. If you get to Mykonos before noon, don't bother with the ship's tour--you can just hop the ferry and meander about on your own--it is a very special place!

 

Cathy

[CaroleLee]

Delos is one of the most memorable places I have ever been--we missed it on our last trip because we docked just as the last ferry was leaving. If you get to Mykonos before noon, don't bother with the ship's tour--you can just hop the ferry and meander about on your own--it is a very special place!

 

Cathy

Hi-need your help,

Where do you purchase ferry tickets for Delos?

Cost?

How far is the ticket office from the cruise docks?

Cost of admission to Delos?

Thanks

Carole

[cruisemom42]

Hi-need your help,

Where do you purchase ferry tickets for Delos?

Cost?

How far is the ticket office from the cruise docks?

Cost of admission to Delos?

Thanks

Carole

 

The ticket office is the same place where the ferries depart -- at the pier in Mykonos town. (If your ship tenders you in it will be very close, if your ship docks, you will have to walk or take a shuttle into town).

 

The ticket for the ferry is 12 euro according to my notes but it may have increased slightly. I think there may be a separate admission to Delos itself in addition to the ferry.

[Hlitner]

Your ship does not even get into Mykonos until the afternoon when your best bet would be to go to a beach or browse the shops and cafes in town. There are no ferries over to Delos in the afternoon. Your ship will probabaly offer a tour to Delos and they will actually tender you into the island before you even get to Mykonos. They will than provide a boat to run you from Delos over to Mykonos where you can walk around town and than head back to the ship. Although I do not normally recommend ships tours, in this situation it will be the only way you can go to Delos.

 

Hank

[CaroleLee]

The ticket office is the same place where the ferries depart -- at the pier in Mykonos town. (If your ship tenders you in it will be very close, if your ship docks, you will have to walk or take a shuttle into town).

 

The ticket for the ferry is 12 euro according to my notes but it may have increased slightly. I think there may be a separate admission to Delos itself in addition to the ferry.

 

Thanks for the info. I am a history buff and Delos will be (one of many) highlights for me.

Carole

[agabbymama]

Thanks for the info. I am a history buff and Delos will be (one of many) highlights for me.

Carole

 

I'm not sure about weather conditions in June, as we went in October. But just a word of caution, don't get your heart set on Mykonos, to the point that you will be greatly disappointed if you miss the port. Our Captain tried two different times, and the winds were just to strong to ensure a safe docking. He aborted and announced at 5:30 am, that we would be bypassing Mykonos and sailing on to Athens. So while Mykonos was one of the reasons I chose the itinerary I did, I didn't get to see it and had to be satisfied we made all the other ports.:(

[wurmine]

An other warning: If it is windy, the boats do not go over to Delos. I spent a week on Mykonos last summer and on two days, it was too windy, so no boat went.

If found Delos very interessting- the atmosphere is nice. If it is a hot day; take some water. To see at least most of the sights, you will need about 2,5 hours if you skip the museum. Mykonos Town is very nice also, or you go either to one of the party beaches or a more remote one :) A drink in "Little Venice" is a must as well, I ´d say.

[tom_uk]

A drink in "Little Venice" is a must as well, I ´d say.

 

I recommend Katerina's Bar.:o

[Chouka]

Thanks a million for all your replies and information.

 

Cheers!

 

Chouka ;)

[allmotormark]

wanted to find out if there is something i can get that will tell us what we are looking at when we go to Delos , like a guide/map i like history and like to know what i am seeing when i am looking at it. i have searched but couldn't find anything

[Queenk2]

Since our ship docked at 3pm, we had to take a ship tour to delos, and although it was very nice, the museum was closed. SOOO, if you cannnot get there before noon ...skip it, it just is not worth the expense of the ship tour. We had a very nice and informative guide, but most of the important artifacts have been removed to the museum.

Karen

[cruisemom42]

wanted to find out if there is something i can get that will tell us what we are looking at when we go to Delos , like a guide/map i like history and like to know what i am seeing when i am looking at it. i have searched but couldn't find anything

 

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/greece/delos.htm

 

Here is some good information with links to more. Somewhere I have a walking tour in my notes from 2006; if I can find my source I'll post it here tomorrow.

[cruisemom42]

Since our ship docked at 3pm, we had to take a ship tour to delos, and although it was very nice, the museum was closed. SOOO, if you cannnot get there before noon ...skip it, it just is not worth the expense of the ship tour. We had a very nice and informative guide, but most of the important artifacts have been removed to the museum.

Karen

 

That's interesting. When I did the Delos tour with Princess (due to docking at noon), the museum did stay open until our tour ended; probably around 5pm. I wonder if this is a result of the cutbacks in funding by the Greeks that have been mentioned....??

 

At any rate, don't feel bad about the museum being closed. While there are a few nice representative finds from the site, the best pieces have all been taken to the National Archeological Museum in Athens.

[Queenk2]

We were on Celebrity..perhaps THEY didn't pay enough..LOL!

Karen

[allmotormark]

thanks for the link