Mykonos: Better than Santorini?

On our European cruise last month, we visited Santorini before Mykonos. The scenery of Santorini was spectacular (see my post here). So on the day we went to Mykonos, I had very low expectations. I figured there was no way any other port could come close to Santorini. I was wrong!

Logistics of Mykonos

Mykonos only has room for one cruise ship to dock, so most ships have to use tender boats that drop you off right at the main town. Our ship, Odyssey of the Seas, was docked at that one port. In theory, docking is better than tendering. However, we had to take a water shuttle to get to the main town, so docking didn’t really save us any time.

Mykonos doesn’t have the dramatic cliffs or the plethora of blue-domed churches that Santorini has.

My husband and I booked a 2-hour walking tour of Mykonos. Our kids chose to stay on the ship and have a sea day (oh, the horror! They might regret that when they’re older.)

My advice: Skip the tour. We had ~20-25 people in our group and it was difficult for us to get around the narrow streets as a group and still hear our tour guide. Some people in our tour opted to drop out halfway through the tour. We wanted to drop out too, but didn’t want to hurt our tour guide’s feelings. We had more fun exploring on our own after the tour.

Exploring Mykonos on our own

After our tour ended, we re-traced our guided tour’s steps, but this time we got to go at our own pace and stop at places. As with Santorini, it’s crazy to me that what looks like a simple staircase to the left of the JackieO’ Town Bar leads to a labyrinth of small alleys with shops, restaurants and amazing water views.

Honestly, I can’t tell you exactly how we spent the whole day in Mykonos. We just kept wandering and finding interesting places to explore.

There are several restaurants right at the water. We ate lunch at one.

The water was so clear. I can see why Mykonos is known for its beaches (Santorini is not).

Shops, churches, small alleys…

We did visit the windmills, which are no longer functioning. Everything is within a short walking distance.

It’s hard to describe why we liked Mykonos so much. It just had a certain charm to it that Santorini didn’t have. Maybe it was because it doesn’t have the huge lines for selfie spots?

I could see us returning to Mykonos for a land vacation someday. In addition to the beaches, the historical island of Delos is a short boat ride away. Mykonos is also known for its night life, although that’s not a draw for us.

Final Thoughts

While Santorini was breathtaking, Mykonos was oozing with charm. My husband and I were both really surprised by how much we enjoyed our day in Mykonos.

If you’ve been to both Santorini and Mykonos, which one did you prefer?