Mykonos

Mykonos is probably the most cosmopolitan island in the world. It has become more famous than Capri and more fashionable than Hawaii. Mykonos lies between Tinos and Naxos. An island with very little vegetation.

The domes and crosses of the numerous churches stand out among the white houses which are shaped like cubes. On the top of the hill you will find 7 lined up windmills with the breeze in their white sails. All the alleyways of the town are paved and all the joints between the paving stones whitewashed.

Every alley looks like a painting, every corner is a revelation. On the right of the harbour the houses come down to the sea’s edge. The foam of the waves beats against their walls, a little below their colorful frames-green, red, blue, brown.

Everything is in contrast : the white houses and the blue sea, the multi-colored window frames- a contrast in the atmosphere which gleams with the freshness of the sea. This is the Venice of Greece, this is its Capri, this is its Honolulu.

If you don’t like the crowds- the vastly varied crowds of Mykonos- don’t go in summer. Choose the quieter time of the year- like early spring or late autumn.

Chora is the most picturesque port in the Cyclades. Here you can see the best expression of the traditional Cycladic architecture. In the white cuboid houses the straight like predominates and is accompanied by French windows in a variety of colors, wooden balconies and stairs.

There is a large number of churches- there are more than 350 on the island. They are also sparkling white but with domes painted in blue or red. In the Kastro quarter, at the end of the harbour is the area particularly worth to visit. It is perhaps the finest example of traditional architecture of the Cyclades.

Near you will find the Folklore museum with a rich and varied collection while the Archaeological museum is in the north – eastern part of Chora and contains the exhibits from the nearby island of Rheneia. One of the finest objects in the Museum is the amphora from the 7th century BC with depictions of the Trojan horse and the Fall of Troy.

There are two references to Mykonos in ancient Greek mythology. According to one version, the island took its name from the hero  Mykonos and the other that it was on Mykonos that Hercules slew the Giants and that the large rocks which lie scattered around the island are their petrified corpses.

In ancient times there were 2 cities on Mykonos; one of which was near the site of the present town. The Ionian came from Athens to Mykonos in the 9th century. From that point on, the history of Mykonos has been the same as that of the other islands of the Cyclades. Initially it was under the rules of Athenians but at that time it took the second place to Delos which was a major religious center for many centuries.