Mykonos, Greece
Shore Excursion and Port Review

efschlenk

This island has a reputation for being party central, especially for gays, nudists, and hedonists in general. Early in the season we found it quite tame and very beautiful. The town itself is very picturesque, with a maze of narrow white-washed (and flower-bedecked) alleys, great views of the waterfront (colorful boats and tame pelicans), windmills (near little Venice, overlooking the town), and more jewelry and designer shops than one can shake a credit card at.

Beaches are the famous reason for visiting Mykonos. To avoid crowds, go in the morning and take a bus to the communally owned Kalifatos beach on the southeast side of the island (Paradise and Super-paradise beaches are more popular but much more crowded). Again, the bus service is excellent and cheap. The north bus station is around the corner and slightly up the hill from the parking area where the ship’s shuttle drops one off (the ship is docked about 10 minutes ride plus 5 minutes walk from the town center). The Kalifatos beach bus (2 Euros, 20 minutes) leaves around 10:00am and returns around 1:30pm. If you miss it, the Elias beach bus leaves from the same stop around 10:30am, but there is no natural shade on that beach (beach chairs and umbrellas, about 7 Euros together, can be rented on all beaches). There were only a dozen people on the Kalifatos beach when we were there, but it must get very crowded in high season (although less so than more famous beaches) because there were more than a hundred windsurfers and several hundred beach chairs waiting to be rented).

After a morning at the beach and a rest on the ship, take an evening walk along the waterfront before dinner on the ship. The view back to town from the windmills is especially beautiful in the evening light.

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