Mykonos
efschlenk
Mykonos, Greece
Shore Excursion and Port Review
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.