Mykonos Greece Visitor Information
Mykonos is small enough to cross in forty minutes and awkward enough that the crossing matters. There are two passenger ports, a town closed to cars, a bus network that serves half the island well and the other half not at all, and one ticketed site that sits on a different island entirely. This page sorts out the practical half of a trip. Once you know which port you are landing at, the Mykonos boat tours that leave from each jetty are easier to sort through.
Getting to Mykonos — plane, ferry or cruise ship
Three ways in, and each of them lands you somewhere different. The airport is about four kilometres south of the Chora. Ferries from Piraeus, Rafina and the neighbouring Cyclades use the New Port at Tourlos, roughly 2.5 km north of town. Cruise ships use Tourlos too, most of the time.
| Arriving by | Where you land | Distance to Mykonos Town | What to do next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plane | Mykonos Airport (JMK) | About 4 km | Taxi, bus or a booked transfer |
| Ferry | New Port, Tourlos | About 2.5 km | Sea Bus, KTEL bus or taxi |
| Cruise ship | New Port (Tourlos) or the Old Port | 2.5 km, or a short walk | Sea Bus from Tourlos; from the Old Port you are already there |
Arriving: which port, and what happens next
This is the fact that catches people out, and it is worth settling before you travel. Large ships normally berth at the New Port at Tourlos, but the Old Port beside the Chora is also in use, and which one you get is decided close to the day. Two of the shore excursions listed here publish a separate meeting point for each port and confirm the right one about a week ahead, which is the honest response to a genuinely uncertain fact.
From Tourlos, the road into town runs about 2.5 km with no proper pavement, so it is not the walk it looks like on a map. The Sea Bus solves it: €2 per person, about twelve minutes, every thirty minutes and every fifteen when a cruise ship is in, running 1 April to 31 October. It leaves the cruise dock and the Tourlos marina, and lands beside the Town Hall — which is also where the Delos boats tie up. A taxi covers the same ground in about five minutes.
Sorted out the port? The next question is which tour
Four of the tours here collect you at your ship or your hotel, so the transfer stops being your problem at all.
Getting around the island
The Chora is closed to traffic and walks end to end in twenty minutes, so you will not want a car for it. The KTEL bus network runs from Fabrika and the Old Port to the southern beaches on a published timetable. What the buses do not do well is the north and the east — Armenistis, Fokos, Ftelia — which is where a tour or a hired vehicle earns its keep.
| Getting about | What it costs | Where it goes | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| On foot | Nothing | The whole Chora, Little Venice, the windmills | Cobbles and steps; the lanes are deliberately confusing |
| Sea Bus | €2 one way | New Port ↔ Old Port, 12 minutes | Every 30 min, every 15 when a ship is in; 1 April to 31 October |
| KTEL bus | A few euros a ride | Ornos, Platis Gialos, Paradise, Elia, Ano Mera | Frequent in summer, sparse out of season |
| Taxi | Around €10 port to town | Anywhere, in theory | The island has very few of them; queues form when a ship docks |
| Guided tour | From $58 upwards | The north, the lighthouse, Ano Mera | The only straightforward way to the parts the buses miss |
| Quad or car hire | Varies | Everywhere | Roads are narrow and the wind is real |
What a day on Mykonos actually costs
Nothing on the island itself has a gate on it. The Chora, the windmills, Little Venice, Paraportiani and the beaches are all free to walk up to. The costs are transport, food, and the one ticket that sits offshore.
| What | Price | Set by |
|---|---|---|
| The Chora, the windmills, Little Venice, Paraportiani | Free | — |
| Panagia Tourliani monastery, Ano Mera | €2 per person | The monastery; some tours pay it for you and the cards say which |
| Archaeological Site and Museum of Delos | €20 per person | The Greek Ministry of Culture |
| Licensed guide on Delos | €45 per person on one listing | The operator |
| Sea Bus, New Port to Old Port | €2 one way | The operator |
| Guided tours in this list | From $44 to From $183 | The tour operators |
Admission and tickets — the short list
On Mykonos: there is no admission to pay. The one exception is the monastery at Ano Mera, at €2.
On Delos: €20 covers the archaeological site and the museum together, bought on the island, and no cruise in this list includes it — two of them say so in writing. The site runs 08:00–20:00 from 1 April to 31 October, 08:00–16:00 through November, and closes from 1 December. Full detail is on the Delos page.
On the boats: every fare here refunds in full up to 24 hours before departure, and several add that a weather cancellation by the operator gets you another date or your money back.
How many days you need
A cruise stop, four to eight hours
The Chora and one beach, or the Chora and the north by vehicle. Delos does not fit inside four hours once you have crossed from Tourlos. See the shore excursions built for a ship's clock.
Two nights
One day for the Chora and a beach, one for the water. That is the shape most people should aim at, and it is what the things to do page is ordered around.
Three or four nights
Adds the north of the island, Ano Mera, and a proper day on Delos rather than a rushed one. It also gives you a spare morning if the wind moves your boat day.
Accessibility, honestly
Not one of the tours in this list describes itself as wheelchair accessible, and it would be wrong to suggest otherwise. The constraint is the island rather than the operators: the Chora's lanes are cobbled, stepped in places and too narrow for a vehicle, and boarding several of the boats is by tender. 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 before you book. Two operators provide child seats and accept strollers, which is on their cards.
What to book before you arrive
Three things, in this order. Any boat day between June and September — the cruises cap between twelve and twenty-five guests and they fill. Anything on a cruise-ship day, because the island's supply of taxis and small vans is finite and several thousand people want it at once. Nothing else. The buses do not take reservations, the Chora needs none, and the Delos boat sells tickets at the Old Port on the morning. If your plans might move, the 24-hour refund window means booking early costs nothing.
When you are ready to compare what each fare covers, Mykonos Greece Tours sets them out side by side.
Sources
Checked on 5 September 2026. Hours, fares and timetables belong to the bodies that publish them and they change with the season. The official pages are the place to confirm before you travel.
Ready to pick a tour?
Every trip here refunds in full up to 24 hours before it starts, so you can book the date and settle the rest later.
See Top Tours