Mykonos and Delos: Glitz and Glamour versus Ancient Ruins

We arrived on Mykonos in the late afternoon after a full day of travel from Nafplio. As mentioned in our Nafplio post, it rained throughout our travel day but the rain stopped on Mykonos about 5 minutes before we jumped in a cab to our hotel. (Or at least as close to our hotel as the taxi could get in the maze of pedestrian streets and stairs of Mykonos Town.) So we were able to photograph the iconic windmills and Little Venice in the “golden hour” evening light and see one of the island’s famous sunsets.

We didn’t visit Mykonos just to see the windmills, nor were we there for its famous beaches, nightlife, and party scene, although we did want to see why this particular island approaches Santorini as the most visited of the Greek isles. Instead, our primary reason for visiting was as a jumping off point to the UNESCO WHS of Delos, an uninhabited island just a 30-minute boat ride away.

The crowds on Mykonos were a complete shock after the laid back vibe of Nafplio. (As were the prices!) And truth be told, it was tough to figure out what all the fuss is about. Mykonos only has ~11,000 permanent residents but gets over 2.4 million visitors per year, peaking at some 80,000 visitors per day in July and August. To handle the influx there are tens of thousands of service workers during the season who come from all around Greece and nearby countries. There is very little chance of an authentic Greek islands experience here!

The next morning, e hopped on a boat for our tour of Delos. This island sanctuary was literally the central religious and cultural hub of Greek civilization for roughly 1,000 years, from the 8th century BC until its decline in the 1st century BC. (The Cycladic Islands form a circle (“cycle”) around Delos.) The ancient Greeks believed that their gods walked among them and Delos was revered as the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, twin offspring of Zeus. The temples, treasuries, and palatial homes (such as the House of Dionysus and the House of the Trident) were splendid. The archaeological museum on site is also fine, and now houses the originals of the Naxian Lions; it’s copies that now line the famed Terrace of Lions. Amazingly, fewer than 5% of visitors to Mykonos make the trip to Delos!

Upon our return to Mykonos, we had the afternoon free to stroll the alleyways popping in to artsy souvenir shops and the occasional church. In the evening, there was another beautiful sunset and dining on delicious seafood before climbing the stairs to our hotel.

The following day, we had a few hours to spend before catching our ferry to Sifnos and we decided to stay in Mykonos Town. There are a few archaeological and historical sites on the island, but we chose to see some of the local churches and visit an interesting private museum, the Aegean Maritime Museum. A local Mykonian spent a small fortune turning a house into a museum of naval history, recalling a time when the Greeks of the Cyclades were explorers and traders (and often warriors) rather than hoteliers and restaurateurs. A small but intriguing museum with a lovely, quiet garden complete with the 1890 Armenistis Lighthouse, moved to the museum when it was replaced with a modern unmanned version. (Apparently restored to full working order, although not sure why you’d illuminate a lighthouse in a garden in the middle of town!) As proof positive that Mykonos is about the parties and not exploring Greek history and culture, while Delos attracts just 5% of Mykonos visitors, the Aegean Maritime Museum welcomes only 0.5%.

Mykonos and Delos provided an extremely interesting study in contrasts, but soon enough it was time to retrieve our bags from our hotel and board a ferry for our next island, Sifnos.