What to do in Mykonos DIY?

[DonRobertoSanJuan]

If we rented a car in Mykonos, what places are worth seeing? We don't need to go to a beach (have plenty of them here):D

[Fblack]

I am not sure I would rent a car. They had a bus that took us right near town for a fee. If you tender, you will be dropped off right in town. We just took a nice walk around and out to the Wind Mills. Did a little shopping, stopped for lunch. Just a leisurely day.

[goldiemom]

You might want to DIY to Delos. Easy ferry ride over, tour the ruins and then ferry back. After visiting Delos, I had time to walk around the town, visit the wind mills, poke by head into some churches and do a little shopping. Wonderful DIY day.

[weaselwatchr]

We were going to do Delos but the seas were bad the day we were in port and the ferry was not running.:(

[scarlett81]

You and I had some of the same questions. After reading a bit more, I've decided to do Mykonos DIY and take the ship's shuttle into the main town area. I debated the car rental, but since its a small island I think we can use the ship's shuttle and get around via taxi if we need to.

I'm thinking if its a nice day, some time at the beach would be great. If its not, just a stroll around, shopping and dining will be a good quiet day after long days of touring other ports.

[mcleonella]

Hi scarlett81... could you share how much the ship's shuttle bus is?

 

My group of 3 is looking to do the beach from the morning to the afternoon, and then grab a late lunch in Little Venice before heading back to the ship. Trying to budget out costs.

[World Gallery]

You and I had some of the same questions. After reading a bit more, I've decided to do Mykonos DIY and take the ship's shuttle into the main town area. I debated the car rental, but since its a small island I think we can use the ship's shuttle and get around via taxi if we need to.

I'm thinking if its a nice day, some time at the beach would be great. If its not, just a stroll around, shopping and dining will be a good quiet day after long days of touring other ports.

 

How can we find out if our ship, the NCL Spirit, will have a shuttle? I do not see it on their shore excursions list. They only have 3 options for tours and they don't even have Delos. We are there from 2:00 to 9:00 PM. When I called, nobody seems to know. They say that this is a new route for the NCL Spirit. We dock outside of town at the newer port.

 

Was the ship shuttle you took included in the list of Shore Excursions?

[scarlett81]

I'm going to go over to the Crystal board and find out re my itineraries shuttle fees and options, and get back to you. I realize since it may be a different line than the one you're taking, it may not help but who knows, might help give some idea of what to expect. As for NCL, I don't know, sorry I can't help. I'm sure someone over on the NCL boards could answer.

[mary k]

I am not sure I would rent a car. They had a bus that took us right near town for a fee. If you tender, you will be dropped off right in town. We just took a nice walk around and out to the Wind Mills. Did a little shopping, stopped for lunch. Just a leisurely day.

do you recall how far the closest beach was from the town? we would like to see the windmills...walk around too but thought we can relax at the beach for a couple hours....let me know if you know...thanks!

[tom_uk]

do you recall how far the closest beach was from the town? we would like to see the windmills...walk around too but thought we can relax at the beach for a couple hours....let me know if you know...thanks!

 

It's about two miles to Platy Gialos, which is the nearest decent beach. It's a family beach so the bars, restaurants and hotels are at the back of the beach and are quiet. Other beaches - Paradise or Super Paradise - are louder. You can get to Platy Gialos or Paradise on buses. It only takes about ten minutes and it's cheap - €1.50 each way or something like that.

 

We thought the windmills were disappointment; the sails have been taken off them and they've been turned into holiday rentals!

[Carnevale]

How can we find out if our ship, the NCL Spirit, will have a shuttle? I do not see it on their shore excursions list. They only have 3 options for tours and they don't even have Delos. quote]

 

Are you going to be there on a Monday? If so, I think that Delos is closed. I haven't been there yet but will on our cruise in August. I wondered why our ship didn't have a tour to Delos and then discovered it is because we'll be there on a Monday.

[Slackermommy]

Yup. Delos is closed on Mondays. We are on Norwegan Spirit too, and there on Monday. SO disappointed! How could such an amzing place be closed the day we ar there.

[World Gallery]

How can we find out if our ship, the NCL Spirit, will have a shuttle? I do not see it on their shore excursions list. They only have 3 options for tours and they don't even have Delos. quote]

 

Are you going to be there on a Monday? If so, I think that Delos is closed. I haven't been there yet but will on our cruise in August. I wondered why our ship didn't have a tour to Delos and then discovered it is because we'll be there on a Monday.

 

No, we are there on Saturday, June 9th from 2:00 - 9:00. Could it be because we are there later in the day? This is really confusing and I can't understand what NCL was thinking.

[texancruzer]

We sailed on Celebrity when we visited Mykonos so not sure if my info would be accurate for other lines.......but, they charged $ 8.00 per person for the shuttle into town. They ran pretty consistently and it was very convenient.

 

The reason Delos is not on the excursion list for the cruise that is there from 2 pm until 9 pm is the time frame involved. Delos is open from 8:30 am to 3 pm. The ferry ride is 30 minutes so the time frame is just all off.

 

Remember when visiting Greece right now that due to financial woes many sights are closing earlier or opening later...... or have days where they will be closed completely. Unfortunately ya' just have to work around their problems right now.

 

ps: sometimes the port stop time frames are really screwy....... but we are at their mercy !

[World Gallery]

Thanks for the info. That explains why the tour isn't offered. Hopefully NCL will have a shuttle. When I called, nobody knew anything about a shuttle or the cost. Was the $8 one way? If not, it will cost us $112 just to get into town (we have 5 kids). I can handle $56.

We may just end up walking to the beach close by.

[texancruzer]

No, $ 8.00 and you can ride it all day....... and they ran every 20 minutes or so.

[mary k]

It's about two miles to Platy Gialos, which is the nearest decent beach. It's a family beach so the bars, restaurants and hotels are at the back of the beach and are quiet. Other beaches - Paradise or Super Paradise - are louder. You can get to Platy Gialos or Paradise on buses. It only takes about ten minutes and it's cheap - €1.50 each way or something like that.

 

We thought the windmills were disappointment; the sails have been taken off them and they've been turned into holiday rentals!

Thank you! thats helpful.....sounds like a nice beach and close to get to.....we have 18 days to go

[wismergirl]

We sailed on Celebrity when we visited Mykonos so not sure if my info would be accurate for other lines.......but, they charged $ 8.00 per person for the shuttle into town. They ran pretty consistently and it was very convenient.

 

The reason Delos is not on the excursion list for the cruise that is there from 2 pm until 9 pm is the time frame involved. Delos is open from 8:30 am to 3 pm. The ferry ride is 30 minutes so the time frame is just all off.

 

Remember when visiting Greece right now that due to financial woes many sights are closing earlier or opening later...... or have days where they will be closed completely. Unfortunately ya' just have to work around their problems right now.

quote]

 

 

Thanks for the very useful info regarding Mykonos & Delos! We will be sailing on Celebrity Equinox in July on a Tuesday between 7 am and 6 pm. Sounds like we may be able to do Delos if everything goes well then.

 

Do you have a trip report for other ports that you visited? We only had the Istanbul & Ephesus tours booked and we are still looking for tours we can do in Greece and Italy.

[texancruzer]

Thanks for the very useful info regarding Mykonos & Delos! We will be sailing on Celebrity Equinox in July on a Tuesday between 7 am and 6 pm. Sounds like we may be able to do Delos if everything goes well then.

 

Do you have a trip report for other ports that you visited? We only had the Istanbul & Ephesus tours booked and we are still looking for tours we can do in Greece and Italy.

 

We actually were on Celebrity Solstice the cruise we visited Mykonos. We have done RCL Brilliance, Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Equinox cruises in the Med. Since they change the itineraries I am not real sure of your exact ports......

 

I will say that in Istanbul we used the tram and did the city DIY. Actually we have been to Istanbul twice (Solstice and Equinox) and did DIY both times. It is so easy to do and cheap --- we really try to pick and choose our port plans so that if a port is easy to do DIY we do so.....then we splurge on those ports that are just not DIY friendly OR where we want to do something really special.

 

Let me know all your ports....I'll be happy to let you know what we did there and how we did it......... Ephesus we used E*** tours both times we were there and had spectacular days both times...... :D

[HoustonGal]

If we rented a car in Mykonos, what places are worth seeing? We don't need to go to a beach (have plenty of them here):D

 

Mykonos is a great town to just stroll, shop, and enjoy a beer or wine on the coast. It is a bit of a steep climb up to the windmills, but great views from there, and we shopped on the way up and down, very nice silver jewelry there. Hubby bought a Greek key ring he loves, for less than $20 a couple of years ago. Son rented a scooter for an hour. Rental is on road at top of the town, just ask. He said the island is very small. Not many taxis, mostly tiny alleyways for foot traffic. Lovely place to just chill!

[micruz]

We are taking Celebrity Solstice sailing on June 4 to Ephesus June 10th. Looking to save some money and find a good tour outside of ship's excursions. Who did you use in Ephesus and what did you do there?

 

Also visiting Rome, Naples, Mykonos, Santorini, Athens, and Valletta if you have any suggestions.

 

Thank you!

[wismergirl]

We actually were on Celebrity Solstice the cruise we visited Mykonos. We have done RCL Brilliance, Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Equinox cruises in the Med. Since they change the itineraries I am not real sure of your exact ports......

 

I will say that in Istanbul we used the tram and did the city DIY. Actually we have been to Istanbul twice (Solstice and Equinox) and did DIY both times. It is so easy to do and cheap --- we really try to pick and choose our port plans so that if a port is easy to do DIY we do so.....then we splurge on those ports that are just not DIY friendly OR where we want to do something really special.

 

Let me know all your ports....I'll be happy to let you know what we did there and how we did it......... Ephesus we used E*** tours both times we were there and had spectacular days both times...... :D

 

 

We'll be docking Santorini, Mykonos, Athens and Naples other than Istanbul & Ephesus. Any tour suggestions would be helpful.

[texancruzer]

We'll be docking Santorini, Mykonos, Athens and Naples other than Istanbul & Ephesus. Any tour suggestions would be helpful.

 

All wonderful ports ! Some we liked more than others of course, but all great!

 

I can only impart our experiences ...... as we don't always do a "tour" ......but sometimes prefer to wander and relax depending on where that port is on our itinerary.......

 

Santorini: we actually took the donkeys up....unplanned but one of those experiences we look back on and smile a big grin ;) At the top we hailed a taxi (a nice new Mercedes) and made arrangements to be driven to Oia, have him wait for us, and drive us back. We paid 50 euros for the package deal and it was well worth it to know we had a ride back after reading of others taking the bus and having great difficulty getting on or not being able to hail a taxi..... once back in Fira we shopped and had a nice dinner and watched the sun set.

Mykonos: we purchased the ship shuttle tix ($8 pp) and just wandered that day. Up to the windmills, thru little Venice, thru the twisty windy streets, stopping for a gyro (YUM!) and along the harbor. We thought about taking the ferry to Delos but this was to be a "downtime day" for us.

Athens: been twice. First time we took the metro in (fast, cheap and easy) and did the Acropolis and Plaka. Cut short our day due to illness (me and half the ship had bad head colds) Took a taxi back (which took a lot longer than the metro :roll eyes: Second time: we were there right after the bad riots last November so we played it safe and took the ship tour "Athens on your own" which is basically a bus ride into town. We were really afraid of taxi and metro strikes that day - it worked for us at the time but not my first choice. The metro is truly easy and we like to DIY this port.

Naples: we have been 3 times. Two times we have used APTours. I can highly recommend this company. They provide a top-notch tour for less than some of the other tour companies here. Not sure why the other companies feel they can charge so much more ..... but APTours is my choice for Naples/Amalfi coast. The other visit was the same head-cold trip and we did the museum and a pizza lunch and that was all I could handle..... our original plan was to do Capri..... oh well, next trip :D

Istanbul - two different cruise visits...... DIY here. Tram is fast, easy, cheap and safe. The turkish people are great and we love Istanbul !!! Sights are close together and totally easy to do DIY. Just plan smart (know open hrs and locations) and you can do a lot on your own at your own pace.

Ephesus: Both visits we have used Ekol tours. Again, highly recommend them. Ephesus is best done with a good guide and don't miss the Terrace houses !

 

Hope this helps..... we try to mix DIY with tours and with research and planning both can provide rewarding and fun experiences......:)

[wismergirl]

All wonderful ports ! Some we liked more than others of course, but all great!

 

I can only impart our experiences ...... as we don't always do a "tour" ......but sometimes prefer to wander and relax depending on where that port is on our itinerary.......

 

Santorini: we actually took the donkeys up....unplanned but one of those experiences we look back on and smile a big grin ;) At the top we hailed a taxi (a nice new Mercedes) and made arrangements to be driven to Oia, have him wait for us, and drive us back. We paid 50 euros for the package deal and it was well worth it to know we had a ride back after reading of others taking the bus and having great difficulty getting on or not being able to hail a taxi..... once back in Fira we shopped and had a nice dinner and watched the sun set.

Mykonos: we purchased the ship shuttle tix ($8 pp) and just wandered that day. Up to the windmills, thru little Venice, thru the twisty windy streets, stopping for a gyro (YUM!) and along the harbor. We thought about taking the ferry to Delos but this was to be a "downtime day" for us.

Athens: been twice. First time we took the metro in (fast, cheap and easy) and did the Acropolis and Plaka. Cut short our day due to illness (me and half the ship had bad head colds) Took a taxi back (which took a lot longer than the metro :roll eyes: Second time: we were there right after the bad riots last November so we played it safe and took the ship tour "Athens on your own" which is basically a bus ride into town. We were really afraid of taxi and metro strikes that day - it worked for us at the time but not my first choice. The metro is truly easy and we like to DIY this port.

Naples: we have been 3 times. Two times we have used APTours. I can highly recommend this company. They provide a top-notch tour for less than some of the other tour companies here. Not sure why the other companies feel they can charge so much more ..... but APTours is my choice for Naples/Amalfi coast. The other visit was the same head-cold trip and we did the museum and a pizza lunch and that was all I could handle..... our original plan was to do Capri..... oh well, next trip :D

Istanbul - two different cruise visits...... DIY here. Tram is fast, easy, cheap and safe. The turkish people are great and we love Istanbul !!! Sights are close together and totally easy to do DIY. Just plan smart (know open hrs and locations) and you can do a lot on your own at your own pace.

Ephesus: Both visits we have used Ekol tours. Again, highly recommend them. Ephesus is best done with a good guide and don't miss the Terrace houses !

 

Hope this helps..... we try to mix DIY with tours and with research and planning both can provide rewarding and fun experiences......:)

 

Thanks for the wonderful info! Not sure what to do with Greece as there is so much going on these days. We may just book an RCI excursion to be on the safe side.

[Nebr.cruiser]

We just got back from the Med on Celebrity and had a great DIY day on Mykonos. Since we'd done tours in all the other ports, it was nice to just wander on our own.

 

The shuttle bus was $10 pp, but we decided to walk into town as we like walking. Warning; the road to town is hilly and in some spots has virtually no shoulder, so watch out for traffic. It's not for the mobility challenged, though we didn't find it hard, and we're over 65.

 

We enjoyed the charming streets, the windmills and Little Venice. It was an enjoyable, low-key day.

 

There are several very small beaches on the road to town and a sandy area right in town, however I wouldn't classify them as great. People were using them though.

 

We didn't go to Delos because we were kind of 'ruined out' by then, even me, the archaeology buff! And tired of tours.

 

Quite a few people rented either cars, scooters or ATV's to explore the island.