Mykonos is mostly known as the cosmopolitan, glitzy party island in the Greek Aegean Sea.  It maybe a wild, loud party mecca at night but we found that if you explore Mykonos during the day, when the party vampires are asleep, you’ll discover that Mykonos is just like any charming, idyllic Cyladic village where whitewashed walls glitters under the sun, where the maze of tiny alleys are full of charm at every turn and where the locals are still as laid back as island dwellers should be. 

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The whitewashed buildings of Mykonos glistens under the sun.

 

Despite the influx of tourism, luxury shops, trendy bars and boutique hotels, Mykonos has retained its Cycladic identity. Its traditional architecture remains very much intact.

 

The boats on the bay and the whitewashed homes on the hill.

 

   If you start early in the day, you’ll have the pleasure of meeting many locals hanging out by the  Old Port. They have maintained their laid back lifestyle despite all the excitement and development that tourism brought to their island.

 

 A fisherman docking his boat at the harbor.  Despite its glamorous tag, Mykonos is still a fishing village at heart.

 

 Fish fresh out of the boat for sale at the harbor.

 

 A chuch standing guard on the harbor.

 

 Worth visiting is Church of Panagia Paraportiana, the most important church in Mykonos. It is consists of four chapels.

 

 Facade of Church of Panagia Paraportiana

 

 A glistening cafe by the harbor.

 

A bright red door.

Quiet residential alley in the village of Mykonos (also called Hora).

 

An alley in the village of Mykonos.

 

 Steps in an alley of Mykonos.

 

 Passing through narrow alleys.

 

 We met these friendly children as we were wandering around the maze of Mykonos neighborhood. Keith entertained them with his magic tricks.

 

 Beautiful family we met in the village of Mykonos.

 

 The windmills of Mykonos were used to grind wheat from 16th century to mid-20th century. Today, around 16 of them still stand and serve as iconic landmarks of Mykonos.

 

 The homes in Little Venice, one of the charming neighborhood of Mykonos.

 

 Little Venice is surrounded by charming cafe/bars. Later in the day, they will be filled with sunset watchers.

 

 A quiet time at a Little Venice cafe with view of the windmills.

 

 A family enjoying a walk along the harbor late in the afternoon.

 

 We also enjoyed a walk along the harbor ourselves before heading to Little Venice to see the sunset.

 

A colorful, fruity sunset cocktail in Little Venice.

 

 Sunset watchers in Little Venice. Sunset time is a mlld party time.

 

We took our place in our favorite spot La Scarpa, where the comfy cushions made sunset viewing more pleasurable.

 

Sunset in Mykonos

 

Walking in a shopping alley after sunset.

 

A quiet lounge early in the evening.  Late at night it will be rocking and rolling with party aficionados.

 

 A quite lounge by the harbor.  If you want to enjoy the trendy lounge/bar without being overwhelmed by party crowds, early evening is the best time go.

 

 Mykonos has a lot of quiet, laid back restaurants to choose from.

 

 The typical mode of transportation in the island.

 

On a party mode or not, you can’t go to Mykonos and not check out one of its beaches.

 

 Mykonos has beaches that cater to every crowd, taste and scene. Some beaches are exclusively for gays, some beaches cater to families, etc. We chose Paradise Beach, which caters to all sort of crowds. It’s also only 15 minutes bus ride from the town center.

 

 If you’re ready to leave the idyllic mode and in a mood to party without waiting for late night hours, the beach is the place to go. By 4:00 pm, people started dancing to the music blasting in full volume.

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