Mykonos Greece Tours — Frequently Asked Questions
The questions that come up before a booking, grouped the way they tend to arrive: how the booking itself works, what happens on the day, the Delos ticket, arriving off a ship, and the practical rest. Start with visitor information if the trip itself is still open.
Booking a tour on Mykonos
How do I book Mykonos Greece tours?
Every tour here books through its operator's own listing, and Mykonos Greece booking takes a date, a headcount and a card. You pay the operator, not us, and the confirmation comes straight back from them. Most of these products confirm instantly; two ask for up to 48 hours.
How far ahead should I book a tour on Mykonos?
Between June and September, three to five days ahead is sensible, because the boats cap between twelve and twenty-five guests and the small-group vans at twelve to fourteen. In May and October a day or two is usually enough. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before means booking early costs you nothing if the plan changes.
Can I cancel a Mykonos Greece reservation?
Yes. Every tour listed here refunds in full if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start time, so a Mykonos Greece reservation is not a commitment you cannot unwind. Inside 24 hours there is no refund, and cut-off times run on Greek local time. Several of the boats add their own clause: if the operator cancels for weather, you are offered another date or your money back.
How much do Mykonos Greece tours cost?
The range here runs from $44 for the sunset party boat to $183 for a private half-day with your own driver-guide, all per person. Mykonos Greece ticket prices cluster around $120 to $150 for a boat day with a meal and drinks, and around $60 to $130 for a half-day on land. The private tours quote per person with a two-traveller minimum rather than per vehicle.
Do these prices include hotel pickup?
Some do and some do not, and the cards say which. Seven of these products bring you from your hotel or your ship in the fare; on the rest you make your own way to a named meeting point. One catamaran includes the transfer only if you send your pickup details at least 24 hours ahead.
Are these prices per person or per group?
Every price you see here is per person. That holds for the private tours too, which quote a per-head fare with a minimum of two travellers rather than a single price for the vehicle. What changes on a private booking is that nobody outside your party joins you.
What happens if a tour does not fill?
Four of these boats carry a minimum-numbers clause, which lets the operator cancel if too few people book. If that happens you are offered a different date or a full refund, and the operator contacts you rather than leaving you at the dock. It is rare in July and August and more likely at the edges of the season.
Can I book for one person?
On most of them, yes. Nine of these products sell a single seat; the four private tours and the food tour set a minimum of two travellers, which is stated on their cards. If you are travelling alone, the group boats and the small-group land tours are the ones to look at first.
Do I need to print anything?
No. Every operator here accepts the confirmation on a phone, and several send the exact meeting point by message the evening before. Take a photo ID as well: the party boat is over-eighteens only, and two of the sailing yachts collect passport details at booking for the passenger insurance.
On the day
Where do Mykonos tours meet?
In seven different places, which is why the meeting point is on every card. The boats leave from Tourlos at the New Port, from the Old Port, and from jetties at Ornos, Platis Gialos, Paraga and Agios Ioannis Diakoftis. Land tours meet at Fabrika bus station, the Manto Mavrogenous statue or the cruise terminal gate, or collect you from your door.
What happens if the meltemi is blowing?
The route moves, usually to the sheltered south coast, and three of these operators write that into the listing rather than spring it on you. The meltemi is a dry north wind that runs from June to September and is strongest in July and August, at force five to seven. It eases overnight, so a morning departure is the calmer one.
Will a boat trip be cancelled in wind?
Sometimes, and if it is you are offered another date or a full refund. Most days the crew simply change the itinerary and sail the south coast instead, which is what the captain's-discretion clause on these listings is for. Book a morning sailing in July or August if a fixed plan matters to you.
What should I bring on a boat day?
A towel, first of all, because two of these cruises exclude them in writing and a third asks you to bring your own. Add sunscreen, a hat, a light layer for the return leg and shoes you can get wet. Cash is worth having for the Delos ticket and for anything bought ashore.
Are towels provided on the cruises?
On one of them, yes, along with sunscreen. Two exclude towels outright and one rents them on board, so the safe assumption is that you bring your own. The includes list on each card is the place to check before you pack.
Is there a toilet on board?
On the larger boats, yes; the sailing yacht with the Delos guide carries two cabins with restrooms, and the party boat and the BBQ cruise both list one. Smaller sailing boats may not. If it matters, read the inclusions on the card before you book.
Can I swim on every boat trip?
On every cruise here except the sunset party boat, which stops once at Agios Stefanos for about half an hour. Swim stops run from ninety minutes to four hours, and almost all of them happen off Rhenia rather than off Delos. Snorkel gear is included on six of them and rented on one.
Is there shade on the boats?
Catamarans have a covered saloon and usually a shaded section of deck; the open sailing yachts have less. In July and August the sun is up for twelve hours a day and the sea breeze hides how strong it is. Take a hat and reapply sunscreen after each swim.
Delos
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 much is a Delos ticket?
20 euros, and that covers both the archaeological site and the museum on the island. It is set by the Greek Ministry of Culture, not by any tour operator, so it is the same whichever boat you arrive on. Reduced and free categories exist under Greek museum rules.
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.
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.
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.
Is Delos open in winter?
Not from 1 December. The site and museum run 08:00 to 20:00 from 1 April to 31 October and 08:00 to 16:00 through November, then close, with visits arranged only on written request. The licensed boats from the Old Port run 1 April to 30 November for the same reason.
Arriving by cruise ship
Which port will my cruise ship use?
Either. Large ships normally berth at the New Port at Tourlos, but the Old Port beside the Chora is also used, and it is decided close to the day. Two of the shore excursions here publish a meeting point for each and confirm which about a week ahead.
Will I get back to my ship on time?
The four shore excursions here are built around it, and two of them guarantee the return in writing. They also refund in full if your ship cannot dock. If you are booking something else, check the duration against your all-aboard time and leave an hour of margin.
What happens if my ship cannot dock?
Three of these products refund the whole fare, and say so on their own listings. One adds that no refund is due if you simply miss the tour because the ship arrives late, which is a different thing and worth reading. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before covers a change of plan.
Can I walk from the New Port into town?
It is about 2.5 km and the road has no proper pavement, so it is not the walk it looks like on a map. The Sea Bus runs the crossing instead: 2 euros per person, about twelve minutes, every thirty minutes and every fifteen when a ship is in, from 1 April to 31 October. A taxi takes five minutes.
Practical questions
Do I need a car on Mykonos?
Not for the Chora, which is closed to traffic and walkable end to end. The KTEL buses reach Ornos, Platis Gialos, Paradise, Elia and Ano Mera on a published timetable, which covers the south. A tour or a hire vehicle is how you reach the north and the lighthouse, where the buses do not go.
Are Mykonos Greece tours suitable for children?
Many are, and the minimum ages here run from none at all to eighteen, so check before you book. Two operators provide child seats and accept strollers; the party boat and two of the sailing yachts are adults only. Mykonos Greece day tours by van tend to suit families better than the open sailing boats.
Are any Mykonos Greece tours wheelchair accessible?
None of these listings describes itself as wheelchair accessible, and it would be wrong to suggest otherwise. One operator states that its First-Class private option can accommodate travellers with mobility issues, and a private vehicle is the route worth asking about. The Chora's lanes are cobbled and stepped in places, which is the real constraint.
Is there a Mykonos wine tour?
Not among the tours listed here — there is no dedicated winery visit in this selection. Wine does come included on several: a bottle of local wine on the private half-day, homemade rose on the Tourlos catamaran, and an open bar of house white and rose on the Rhenia sail cruises. The island does have a working winery if you want to add one independently.
Still deciding?
If the question you have is really which one, the comparison on Mykonos Greece Tours lays every trip out on price, hours, group size and what the fare covers. The guides take the same ground at length, and what travellers said is grouped tour by tour.
Book with the questions answered
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time on every tour here.
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