Mykonos Old Town

Mykonos Old Town, known locally as Chora, is the whitewashed main settlement of the Cycladic island of Mykonos in Greece. It is a tight maze of narrow alleys, deliberately laid out in the past to confuse pirates and to break the strong summer meltemi winds. Visitors wander between cube-shaped houses with blue and red shutters, bougainvillea-draped balconies, small chapels, jewellery and fashion boutiques, galleries and tavernas. Landmarks include the Kato Myli windmills on the ridge above the sea, the Little Venice quarter where houses overhang the water, the Panagia Paraportiani church, the Archaeological Museum, the Aegean Maritime Museum and the Folklore Museum. The old harbour, where fishing boats and ferries dock, is a lively place to start, and the resident pelican Petros is a long-running local mascot. Because street signs are few and routes loop, many visitors simply follow the lanes and rely on the sea or windmills as orientation points. A visit of three to four hours covers the main sights, though a full evening is common for dinner and sunset drinks. The best photo angles are from the windmills at golden hour, from the Little Venice waterfront at sunset, and from the quieter upper lanes in the early morning when light is soft and the alleys are empty. Crowds are heaviest from late morning to late evening in July and August, especially when cruise ships are in port, while dawn and the shoulder months of May, June and September are noticeably calmer. Pedestrian-only lanes mean taxis and buses stop on the edge of the old town, so comfortable shoes are useful on the polished stone paving.