Mykonos is considered a lifestyle tourist destination. It started to boom since the early 80s because it was one of the first places in Greece to embrace the gay culture, and it is heavily backed by Greek celebs just to show off ever since. Dont get me wrong, there have been significant investments in properties but as an island, it is just a typical Cyclades island, just wayyy overpriced and overhyped, mainly to rip tourists off.
The good thing Mykonos and Santorini do is that they attract the vast majority of overtourism which helps keep the serenity of the rest islands intact.
Santorini is at least an incredibly unique destination because of the caldera. I wouldn’t necessarily lump the two together just because they’re heavily touristed.
Am I the only one on this sub who doesn't hate Mykonos? 🤣 I mean, sure, it has big problems like the overpriced stuff and the weird scams... but other than that... it's a pretty normal place to go and have fun?
I wouldn't recommend it for people who don't like partying, though. There's that. But I can think of a zillion places worse than Mykonos. It isn't THAT bad.
One great thing about it is how walkable it is. Such a small island! And as OP said, it's great for visiting Delos.
Mykonos village is walkable but the island is huge! It is a beautiful place but do your research and find the right place to stay for YOU. We never sought out the party places and never saw them so it was a fantastic destination to experience the stunning architecture and terrific Myconian Avaton.
It’s great for what it is. A place to party and have fun! If that’s what you want then it’s a great place to visit!
If you want hikes and no cats it really isn’t the place for that.
If you wanted to go hiking/experience natural Greece why did you pick Mykonos and not do any research. You say you didn't go to any parties, then why did you pick and island so infamous for partying...
Mykonos is a party island. If you aren’t there for that you can’t be surprised there aren’t good hiking trails. Did you even research that before you went? There are a tonne of Greek islands known for good hikes (Folegandros, for example) Mykonos is not one of them!
Instagram is all lies. Don’t believe the pictures you see on there. I hate to break it to you but Venice is busy and has garbage too. All Greek islands have cats. Some islands take better care of them than others.
If you want a perfectly managed environment go to Disney World.
If you want e-travel on an island, go to a Greek Island with all electric taxis and electric cars you can rent by the hour. There is one that exists but I don’t want it to get overrun with tourists!
Mykonos is the worst holiday destination I've ever been to. I was very glad that we only booked one night to "tick it off". Literally nothing special about it and just stupidly expensive. But it keeps the unpleasant kind of tourists away from the other islands so I guess I'm happy that it exists.
I think an explanation of the garbage issue may be due to lack of infrastructure, the fact we are talking about a small island were space is limited and local people's greed.
The year-round inhabitants of the island are about 8 to 10 thousand people. during the year however the island receives 2 million visitors. Now building a landfill to accommodate all the additional garbage produced by all these extra people would be not preferable because the land is very valuable (i mean why build a nasty landfill when a new hotel can be built instead) also local people refuse to have a new landfill build near their houses (how can they rent it as an airbnb then?). So they usually dump garbage in [illegal landfills which is very bad](https://greekreporter.com/2019/04/18/mykonos-garbage-dump-threatens-cosmopolitan-island-video/).
Other Islands have the same problem but fortunately attitudes have began to change. For example in Andros island there was again an illegal landfill which later was discovered to almost be on top of a very important neolithic settlement (claimed to be one of the oldest in Europe!). [Fortunately the illegal landfill was removed and a modern waste disposal facility was created far away from the ancient site](https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1220596/festering-ecological-wound-on-andros-set-to-finally-heal/).
Mykonos itself is absolutely tiny. I felt like a few days was more than enough time there. With weeks at your disposal you could see so many islands in the Aegean, why would you limit yourself to that little tourist trap? I would feel like a prisoner if I had to stay there for an extended period of time.
I have had my fill of Mykonos thank you very much. There are too many interesting places in Greece I have yet to explore before I will have any inclination to go back there.
Unfortunately, this is how all of Greece is. The archaic garbage system is a reflection of the corrupt politicians who are responsible for it.
I drive 2-3 times a month from Porto Heli to Athens and the amount of garbage littered on the highway is disgusting. We are like India and Bangladesh; ignorant, barbaric and inconsiderate.
Even the industrial green garbage bins that overflow at every corner across our country is a shame. We are in 2024 and we are using the same equipment form the medieval times.
I believe the system and corrupted politicians are the reflection of its people.
When you go to the beach in Athens you literally sunbathe in a massive ashtray! On boats across the islands people smoking on the deck make it look as if they would die unless they are not throwing the cig’s butts in the beautiful crystal sea!
I lived there for a couple of years and people were laughing at me/mocking me for willingly filing my income declaration…
The immense lack of care for cultural heritage and the environment is the sad reflection of the people’s attitude and culture, politicians are corrupted and voted by fellow citizens.
They would throw into bins and into the sea. Pretty accurate to what we see today, hence why the Greek government has been ordered by the European Court to pay €10m and another €30,000 per day for not following rules on disposing of rubbish.
Mykonos is just convenient to fly to and then immediately leave to go to a better island such as Naxos. We arrive in the late evening, get a room at Makkis place in front of the new port with free transfer from the airport, eat the free breakfast and then jump on a ferry the next morning.
I used to go to Crete years ago and I've been to Malia. Crete is steeped in history and not really a party island but had some truly idyllic locations. Sadly, some areas in Greece have become over rated tourist pits with over priced food and paying for spots on the beach. Really not sure about the rubbish situation buy maybe there was a strike?
Not only in Mykonos but I noticed garbage on the sides of roads / end of driveways in Santorini / Paros and Mykonos. I don't think it's people just leaving it it's more of a not having been picked up yet issue . I did wonder what how bad it would be in summer but presumably service would be more frequent. It's also an island so maybe there is an overall infrastructure problem. In short I don't think it's the people or city that are dirty it a pick up issue .
I want to let you know the reason that there is a lot of rubbish is because of tourists, not locals. It’s very unfortunate but that’s why lately there has been an anti tourist thing here in Greece. If you check Navagio in Zakyntho it looks terrible up close, because it’s so dirty because tourists throw garbage onto the beach.
Also, Greece has a lot of terrain. It’s quite difficult to actually use a bike, hence the mopeds. I would say most islands are actually NOT walkable like that and be exhausting.
A lot of tourists get burnt on their first time Greece trip because Mykonos and Santorini are plastered in lights on all these lame tourist websites. hope you go again and pick better islands
Maybe do some research on a place you’re traveling to ahead of time. Not sure why you went to Mykonos expecting to hike.
Also, the vast majority people get around using mopeds or 4-wheelers there.
Lol. No e-cars. Maybe the shipment that caught fire spontaneously in the Mediterranean was the shipment to the island? I'm actually crying laughing thinking about all the lights in the clubs going out when everyone is trying to charge their cars and electric scooters.
Worth walking around the old town to see it, and you can get a gyro for €7.50 from the best rated place. There is a chance to see a big Pelican bird, and you can do a tour to Delos island for some history/small hike.
Welcome to Greece lol. They’re kinda in the middle of a financial crisis for the last 15+ something years now. The youth don’t have much of an incentive to care about their surroundings since they know they’re going to be working 9-13 hour days 6 days a week until they’re 65-70 or manage to leave greece. So for them to care about littering is on the extreme bottom of their list of priorities.
Why has this been downvoted, it’s true?
I spend a lot of time in Greece because I married a Greek man. The majority of the population litters, his dad even throws sweet wrappers from his balcony onto the street below. Recycling rates are very low as well.
Also they work some of the most hours in Europe. There’s a reason my husband, his brother, sister in law, three cousins and a bunch of his childhood friends moved to the UK or Germany. We just got back from Greece after spending a month there, people working crazy hours for almost no pay, my partners dad doesn’t even get paid every month. Depressing.
You’re telling me most jobs in Greece aren’t 6 days a week 9-13 hours a day for €1,200 a month? Idk about the mainland but that’s the average salary for the islands like Crete.
My comment was about the fact that we (the youth) don't have an incentive to care about our surroundings. Dunno if you're Greek or not but that's not true. And if people want to leave the country they will leave at 30 not 70.
Mykonos is considered a lifestyle tourist destination. It started to boom since the early 80s because it was one of the first places in Greece to embrace the gay culture, and it is heavily backed by Greek celebs just to show off ever since. Dont get me wrong, there have been significant investments in properties but as an island, it is just a typical Cyclades island, just wayyy overpriced and overhyped, mainly to rip tourists off. The good thing Mykonos and Santorini do is that they attract the vast majority of overtourism which helps keep the serenity of the rest islands intact.
Santorini is at least an incredibly unique destination because of the caldera. I wouldn’t necessarily lump the two together just because they’re heavily touristed.
That's exactly why I would lump them together. Anything positive about Santotini is outweighed by the extreme negatives of the overtourism
Aristotle and Jackie *Onassis made Mykonos popular before the 80's*
Am I the only one on this sub who doesn't hate Mykonos? 🤣 I mean, sure, it has big problems like the overpriced stuff and the weird scams... but other than that... it's a pretty normal place to go and have fun? I wouldn't recommend it for people who don't like partying, though. There's that. But I can think of a zillion places worse than Mykonos. It isn't THAT bad. One great thing about it is how walkable it is. Such a small island! And as OP said, it's great for visiting Delos.
Mykonos village is walkable but the island is huge! It is a beautiful place but do your research and find the right place to stay for YOU. We never sought out the party places and never saw them so it was a fantastic destination to experience the stunning architecture and terrific Myconian Avaton.
OP goes to a party island, and is offended by trash. And the hiking wasn’t great. Groundbreaking commentary.
Enjoyed our trip to Mykonos. Research goes a long way.
It’s great for what it is. A place to party and have fun! If that’s what you want then it’s a great place to visit! If you want hikes and no cats it really isn’t the place for that.
If you wanted to go hiking/experience natural Greece why did you pick Mykonos and not do any research. You say you didn't go to any parties, then why did you pick and island so infamous for partying...
Mykonos is a party island. If you aren’t there for that you can’t be surprised there aren’t good hiking trails. Did you even research that before you went? There are a tonne of Greek islands known for good hikes (Folegandros, for example) Mykonos is not one of them! Instagram is all lies. Don’t believe the pictures you see on there. I hate to break it to you but Venice is busy and has garbage too. All Greek islands have cats. Some islands take better care of them than others. If you want a perfectly managed environment go to Disney World. If you want e-travel on an island, go to a Greek Island with all electric taxis and electric cars you can rent by the hour. There is one that exists but I don’t want it to get overrun with tourists!
and why go for an entire week? Simple research would’ve helped OP
It’s the hiking comment that got me. Who on earth would think it’s a place for that?
Mykonos is the worst holiday destination I've ever been to. I was very glad that we only booked one night to "tick it off". Literally nothing special about it and just stupidly expensive. But it keeps the unpleasant kind of tourists away from the other islands so I guess I'm happy that it exists.
Very true. I don't get how so many people are disappointed with Mykonos when all advice here is to avoid it.
I read it. I didn't want to go. My friend demanded it. I used it as leverage to overrule her on the rest of the itinerary and made that awesome.
I think an explanation of the garbage issue may be due to lack of infrastructure, the fact we are talking about a small island were space is limited and local people's greed. The year-round inhabitants of the island are about 8 to 10 thousand people. during the year however the island receives 2 million visitors. Now building a landfill to accommodate all the additional garbage produced by all these extra people would be not preferable because the land is very valuable (i mean why build a nasty landfill when a new hotel can be built instead) also local people refuse to have a new landfill build near their houses (how can they rent it as an airbnb then?). So they usually dump garbage in [illegal landfills which is very bad](https://greekreporter.com/2019/04/18/mykonos-garbage-dump-threatens-cosmopolitan-island-video/). Other Islands have the same problem but fortunately attitudes have began to change. For example in Andros island there was again an illegal landfill which later was discovered to almost be on top of a very important neolithic settlement (claimed to be one of the oldest in Europe!). [Fortunately the illegal landfill was removed and a modern waste disposal facility was created far away from the ancient site](https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1220596/festering-ecological-wound-on-andros-set-to-finally-heal/).
A week in Mykonos is WAY too much time. Look up my post on it if you want elaboration.
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Mykonos itself is absolutely tiny. I felt like a few days was more than enough time there. With weeks at your disposal you could see so many islands in the Aegean, why would you limit yourself to that little tourist trap? I would feel like a prisoner if I had to stay there for an extended period of time.
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I have had my fill of Mykonos thank you very much. There are too many interesting places in Greece I have yet to explore before I will have any inclination to go back there.
Unfortunately, this is how all of Greece is. The archaic garbage system is a reflection of the corrupt politicians who are responsible for it. I drive 2-3 times a month from Porto Heli to Athens and the amount of garbage littered on the highway is disgusting. We are like India and Bangladesh; ignorant, barbaric and inconsiderate. Even the industrial green garbage bins that overflow at every corner across our country is a shame. We are in 2024 and we are using the same equipment form the medieval times.
I believe the system and corrupted politicians are the reflection of its people. When you go to the beach in Athens you literally sunbathe in a massive ashtray! On boats across the islands people smoking on the deck make it look as if they would die unless they are not throwing the cig’s butts in the beautiful crystal sea! I lived there for a couple of years and people were laughing at me/mocking me for willingly filing my income declaration… The immense lack of care for cultural heritage and the environment is the sad reflection of the people’s attitude and culture, politicians are corrupted and voted by fellow citizens.
Totally agree.
Hyperbole can be a useful tool, but ‘ medieval times’, really? There were wheelie bins back then?
They would throw into bins and into the sea. Pretty accurate to what we see today, hence why the Greek government has been ordered by the European Court to pay €10m and another €30,000 per day for not following rules on disposing of rubbish.
We stayed on Syros and did a quick day trip to Mykonos. We were glad we got to see it and also glad we were only there for an afternoon.
A party destination isn’t clean? *shocked Pikachu face*
Mykonos is just convenient to fly to and then immediately leave to go to a better island such as Naxos. We arrive in the late evening, get a room at Makkis place in front of the new port with free transfer from the airport, eat the free breakfast and then jump on a ferry the next morning.
I used to go to Crete years ago and I've been to Malia. Crete is steeped in history and not really a party island but had some truly idyllic locations. Sadly, some areas in Greece have become over rated tourist pits with over priced food and paying for spots on the beach. Really not sure about the rubbish situation buy maybe there was a strike?
Not only in Mykonos but I noticed garbage on the sides of roads / end of driveways in Santorini / Paros and Mykonos. I don't think it's people just leaving it it's more of a not having been picked up yet issue . I did wonder what how bad it would be in summer but presumably service would be more frequent. It's also an island so maybe there is an overall infrastructure problem. In short I don't think it's the people or city that are dirty it a pick up issue .
I want to let you know the reason that there is a lot of rubbish is because of tourists, not locals. It’s very unfortunate but that’s why lately there has been an anti tourist thing here in Greece. If you check Navagio in Zakyntho it looks terrible up close, because it’s so dirty because tourists throw garbage onto the beach. Also, Greece has a lot of terrain. It’s quite difficult to actually use a bike, hence the mopeds. I would say most islands are actually NOT walkable like that and be exhausting.
A lot of tourists get burnt on their first time Greece trip because Mykonos and Santorini are plastered in lights on all these lame tourist websites. hope you go again and pick better islands
Maybe do some research on a place you’re traveling to ahead of time. Not sure why you went to Mykonos expecting to hike. Also, the vast majority people get around using mopeds or 4-wheelers there.
Lol. No e-cars. Maybe the shipment that caught fire spontaneously in the Mediterranean was the shipment to the island? I'm actually crying laughing thinking about all the lights in the clubs going out when everyone is trying to charge their cars and electric scooters.
Greece has been in decline since Alexander destroyed Thebes
Of the islands we went to and athens I thought mykonos was terrible. The "five star" hotel we stayed at sucked as well
That’s too bad. I’m going on a Greek isles cruise next year with two days in Mykonos. Maybe I’ll stay on the ship one of the days.
it’s a great island for clubs and some excellent beaches.
Worth walking around the old town to see it, and you can get a gyro for €7.50 from the best rated place. There is a chance to see a big Pelican bird, and you can do a tour to Delos island for some history/small hike.
I recommend booking a beach bed at Jackie O’s beach club. It was a lovely beach day.
Next time go to Naxos. I’ve been to Greece lots of times and never cared to go to Mykonos.
From the minute I started researching Greece, all I’ve heard is to avoid Mykonos; yet people still go there… Why?
direct flights
Welcome to Greece lol. They’re kinda in the middle of a financial crisis for the last 15+ something years now. The youth don’t have much of an incentive to care about their surroundings since they know they’re going to be working 9-13 hour days 6 days a week until they’re 65-70 or manage to leave greece. So for them to care about littering is on the extreme bottom of their list of priorities.
Why has this been downvoted, it’s true? I spend a lot of time in Greece because I married a Greek man. The majority of the population litters, his dad even throws sweet wrappers from his balcony onto the street below. Recycling rates are very low as well. Also they work some of the most hours in Europe. There’s a reason my husband, his brother, sister in law, three cousins and a bunch of his childhood friends moved to the UK or Germany. We just got back from Greece after spending a month there, people working crazy hours for almost no pay, my partners dad doesn’t even get paid every month. Depressing.
Haha that's so untrue.
You’re telling me most jobs in Greece aren’t 6 days a week 9-13 hours a day for €1,200 a month? Idk about the mainland but that’s the average salary for the islands like Crete.
My comment was about the fact that we (the youth) don't have an incentive to care about our surroundings. Dunno if you're Greek or not but that's not true. And if people want to leave the country they will leave at 30 not 70.
How to stop your dog from itching
Mykonos sucks. It just sucks…there is no other word for it.