Mykonos Greece video&text

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It’s easy to enjoy Mykonos town with no planning, no tour, and no guide. This is a stop that lends itself to unstructured free time, just lazing on the beach, wandering, and browsing the shops. It’s the epitome of a Greek island town: busy break water, fine little beach, and inviting lanes.

While tourism dominates the economy, Mykonos still has a traditional charm, thickly layered with white stucco, blue trim, and colorful bougainvillea.

Back lanes offer tranquility away from the cruise crowds. As in many Greek island towns, centuries ago, five mills still stand. The windmills of Mykonos harnessed the steady wind, grinding grain to feed its sailors, perfectly positioned to catch the prevailing breeze.

A tidy embankment is so pretty, they call it Little Venice. Wealthy shipping merchants built this row of fine mansions with brightly painted wooden balconies that seem to rise right out of the sea. Today, these mansions have been refitted as restaurants and bars for tourists enjoying fresh fish and romantic views.

Mykonos’ status in the last generation was as a fashionable destination for jet setters, and it retains a certain hip cache. These days, tacky trinket stalls share the lanes with top-end fashion boutiques. Prices are high, and in season, the island is crammed full of vacationers, but even with four ships in the harbor today, there seems to be plenty of room.