Mykonos

1. ~9:30a→The maze of Chora

   The whitewashed labyrinth of Mykonos Town — built to confuse pirates, now a maze of bougainvillea, blue doors, boutiques, and the little Paraportiani church.

2. ~11:30a◇Boutiques & Greek design

   Mykonos is a serious shopping island — Greek and international designers, handmade leather sandals, and jewellery along Matogianni street.

3. ~1:00p●Seaside Greek lunch

   Fresh grilled octopus, a Greek salad with Mykonian kopanisti (spicy cheese), and an ouzo at a table over the water in Little Venice.

4. ~4:00p✦A beach-club afternoon

   The Mykonos institution — Scorpios or Nammos for the see-and-be-seen scene, a daybed, and a long lunch that drifts into music.

5. 7:00p◆Sunset at the windmills & Little Venice

   The iconic hilltop windmills and the waterfront bars of Little Venice for the island's famous sunset, a cocktail in hand as the sky burns.

6. 9:00p✦Matsuhisa Mykonos (or a celebrated table)Anchor table

   Nobu Matsuhisa's island outpost — black cod miso and Aegean-influenced sushi on a terrace over the sea. The marquee meal; book ahead, and dress for the scene.

Chora is a glorious maze — getting lost is the point. Mykonos runs late and stylish: beach clubs into sunset into dinner into the night. Book the big tables and beach clubs well ahead in summer.

1. ~10:00a✦The famous beaches

   The glamorous south-coast strands — chic Psarou and Platis Gialos, the party energy of Paradise and Super Paradise, each with its own scene.

2. ~1:00p●A beach taverna lunch

   Fresh fish by the kilo and a chilled Assyrtiko at a beachfront table, the Aegean a few steps away.

3. ~3:00p✦A quieter cove

   Escape to a calmer beach — Agios Sostis or Fokos in the north, no sunbeds, just clear water and a single taverna.

4. ~5:00p✦A catamaran or watersports

   A sunset sail along the coast, or windsurfing on the breezy northern beaches the island is known for.

5. ~8:30p●Dinner in town

   Back to Chora for modern Greek in a courtyard — grilled catch, slow-cooked lamb, and a Santorini white.

Mykonos beaches each have a personality — Psarou for glamour, Paradise for party, the north for wind and quiet. The meltemi wind can howl in summer; the south coast is the sheltered side.

1. ~9:30a✦Boat to Delos

   A short boat to the sacred island — the mythological birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, and one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece, uninhabited and atmospheric.

2. ~10:30a◆The ruins & the Terrace of the Lions

   An entire Hellenistic city — the marble lions, the House of Dionysus mosaics, the theatre, and the sanctuary, with the Cyclades spread all around from the hilltop.

3. ~1:00p●Lunch back on Mykonos

   Return for a long lunch — a taverna in the inland village of Ano Mera, away from the coast, for honest Mykonian home cooking.

4. ~3:30p◆Panagia Tourliani Monastery

   The ornate 16th-century monastery in Ano Mera — a carved marble bell tower and a baroque iconostasis, the island's spiritual heart.

5. ~7:00p✦A quieter sunset

   A clifftop bar on the less-frantic side of the island for the sunset and a glass of wine, away from the Little Venice crush.

Delos is unmissable for history — book the morning boat (it runs only by day and not at all if seas are rough). Bring water, a hat, and sun cover; there's no shade among the ruins.