Mykonos Greece Tours
Mykonos Greece Tours › Delos Cruise or Rhenia Swim CruiseUpdated 2026-09-05

Delos Cruise or Rhenia Swim Cruise: Which Mykonos Greece Boat Trip Suits You

Hours, prices and access verified by the Mykonos Greece Tours team — last checked 2026-09-05

Columns and headless statues on Delos, with sail cruises moored off the site

The short answer

A cruise that lands gives you about ninety minutes among the ruins and costs you a €20 ticket on top of the fare. A cruise that passes gives you two to four hours in the water at Rhenia instead. Both anchor at the same island to swim; only one lets you off at the other one.

The difference in one table

A cruise that LANDS on DelosA cruise that SAILS PAST it
Time ashore among the ruinsAbout 90 minutesNone
Extra ticket to buy€20, on the island, cash or cardNothing
Swim time90 minutes to 2.5 hours at Rhenia2 to 4 hours at Rhenia
Typical length5 to 6 hours5 hours
Shade and footingOpen ancient stone, no shade ashoreYou stay on the boat
SuitsAnyone who came for the archaeologyAnyone who came for the water
FromFrom $147From $130
💡 Did you know? The swim stop is at Rhenia on every one of these cruises. Delos is a protected archaeological site and swimming off it is not permitted, so the water is the same either way.

Why this is the real decision

Almost every boat leaving Mykonos advertises Delos in its title or its photographs, and only about half of them stop there. The rest sail past the island — which is a genuinely good hour of the day, because the site is visible from the water — and then anchor at Rhenia for the swim. Both are legitimate days out. They are not the same day out, and the difference costs ninety minutes and €20.

The listings do say which is which. Two of the pass-by cruises write "pass-by Delos (without a stop)" into their own inclusions, and one excludes a drop-off there in as many words. It is simply not the sentence anybody reads before clicking book.

The case for landing

Columns and headless statues on Delos, with sail cruises moored off the site

Delos was the religious centre of the Cyclades and what survives is not one monument but a whole town at ankle height: house floors with their mosaics still in place, a theatre cut into the slope, an avenue of lions, a market square. It is one of the more complete ancient sites in Greece and it is nine kilometres from a beach bar.

Ninety minutes covers the main avenue, the theatre quarter and the museum at a steady pace. Take water, a hat and shoes with a sole: the paths are uneven ancient stone and there is almost no shade. Everything about the ticket, the hours and the closed season is on the Delos page.

The case for staying on the boat

A boat anchored over pale sand in the turquoise shallows off an uninhabited island

The pass-by cruises trade the ninety minutes ashore for time in the water, and they are honest about it. Four hours anchored at Rhenia is the longest swim stop in this list; two hours is the shortest. If your idea of a Cycladic day is the water rather than a lecture in the sun, that is not a compromise, it is the point.

They also tend to include more: several of them put the hotel transfer, the meal and the drinks in one fare, where the Delos cruises quote the transfer separately. And nothing about them requires you to carry €20 in cash.

The things that are the same either way

  • The swim is at Rhenia. Not at Delos, which is protected and where swimming is not permitted.
  • The wind can move you. Three of these operators carry a written captain's-discretion clause and re-route to the south coast when the meltemi is up. See the weather page.
  • Everything refunds at 24 hours. Every boat in this list.
  • Towels are usually yours. Two exclude them in writing and one rents them aboard.
✅ Useful tip. Read the inclusions before the photographs. Two of the pass-by cruises write "pass-by Delos (without a stop)" into their own list, which settles the question in one line.

The third option nobody mentions

You do not have to take a cruise at all. The licensed scheduled boat leaves the Old Port at 10:00 daily from 1 April to 30 November, returns at 13:30, and gives you three and a half hours ashore — more than twice what any cruise allows. Add the €20 ticket and that is your Delos day, done properly, with the swimming left for another afternoon.

The catch is that it is only Delos: no lunch, no swim, no boat to lie on. And on Mondays there is no 11:30 sailing, so the choice is the 10:00 or the 17:00.

Which to book, by traveller

  • Here for the archaeology: the scheduled boat and three and a half hours, or a cruise that lands if you want a swim as well.
  • Here for the water: a pass-by cruise with the longest swim stop you can find, and no cash to carry.
  • Travelling with children: a pass-by cruise. Ninety minutes on open ancient stone in August is a hard sell under about twelve.
  • One day off a ship: a pass-by cruise, or the land circuit. Delos and a ship's clock do not fit together in four hours — see the cruise-passenger guide.
  • Two days: do both, one each day. It is the best use of a Mykonos stay and things to do sets out the rest.

Every Delos tour from Mykonos in this list says in its own inclusions whether it lands or passes.

Every trip named here is compared on price, hours and what the fare covers at Mykonos Greece Tours.

Frequently asked questions

Do all Mykonos boat tours stop at Delos?
No, and this is the single thing most worth checking before you book. Three of these cruises tie up and let you ashore for about ninety minutes; three sail past without stopping and state that in their inclusions. Every card here says which.
Is the Delos entrance fee included in a cruise?
No. Not one cruise here includes it, and two say so in writing on their own listings. The site and museum share a single 20 euro ticket, bought on the island, and you need cash or a card for it. Budget it separately from the fare.
How long do I get on Delos?
About an hour and a half on the cruises that land, which is what the operators publish. The scheduled boats from the Old Port give you three and a half hours on the 10:00 sailing. Either is enough for the main avenue, the terrace of the lions and the theatre quarter.
Can I swim at Delos?
No. Delos is a protected archaeological site and the swim stop on these cruises happens at Rhenia, the uninhabited island beside it. A traveller who expected otherwise records the surprise in a review, so it is worth knowing in advance.
Do I need a guide on Delos?
Not to get in — the 20 euro ticket lets you walk the site on your own. A licensed guide is sold as an option on two of these cruises, at 45 euros on one of them, and one offers a 3D web app in nine languages instead. A traveller on one of these very listings says the self-guided walk was enough for them.

The cruises on both sides of this decision

Read the inclusions before you read the photographs, and the choice makes itself. Whichever way it goes, every one of these refunds in full up to 24 hours before it sails.