The great thing about getting around the Greek Isles is that you can totally choose your own adventure using the ferry systems. For our trip we utilized Sea Jet and purchased our tickets about 6 months in advance. Be forewarned, you will get many text updates about changes in times and boats from the moment you purchase your tickets up until your last departure date. Also, the ferries are not fooling around with their schedule and they wait for no one. One of the biggest moments of anxiety I had during this trip was standing in the hull of the ship with hundreds of other travelers waiting to get off the boat, a horn blaring loudly within.

Employees would grab rolling suitcases and drag them (and you) off the ramp if you were moving too slowly. Thankfully, our group had backpacks so we just weaved in and out of the crowds to get out of the crowd.

I loved the ferry system. Each ride was between 2-3 hours between islands and gave me some much needed time to decompress. I ready 3 books in total while traveling on the ferries.

Mykonos Town

We opted to rent an Airbnb in Old Mykonos Town rather than try to work our way into the town either by driving or public transportation. Cars are not allowed in Old Mykonos. There are several parking lots around the area, but you have to walk in to see the town. Backpacks, again, were our friends. We saw so many people struggling with luggage as they tried to navigate the crowded, cobblestone walkways.

Mykonos Town is a tourist destination. The cruise ships bus in their passengers daily and because of that the streets are packed almost to a point of discomfort in the middle of the day. However, in the early mornings and evenings, I can only describe Mykonos Town as pure magic. It is vibrant and full of life.

We opted to have a dinner at sunset on the water at a restaurant called Nice and Easy. Our transportation guy, who got us from the Ferry Port to the entrance of Old Town had recommended it and it did not disappoint. In addition to the view, it had a great view of the sunset. As soon as the sun set, the bar next to us light up quite literally with sparkles, adding to the magic of the town.

After dinner we spent the evening exploring the town. The white buildings and blue sea made for a gorgeous backdrop and an excellent evening. We literally got lost in Old Town. My favorite stop was Lola Bar. The owner, Dimitri, spent quite some time with our group. I, in turn, spent quite some time trying to convince Dimitri to open up his bar in California.

Clearly, I was living my best life as I also danced with complete strangers, whom I dubbed “Mark and Greek Liza Minnelli.” When we left for the evening Mark told “never stop dancing.” Truer words were never spoken.

Day Trip around mykonos island

We opted to rent a car to see more of the island than just Old Town. Jason did ALL the driving because driving in Greece was an adventure of its own. Roads are narrow and winding, driver’s are aggressive, and I’m not a good driver in the best of circumstances. Google Maps worked great to get us around and to help forecast dangerous turns as we approached them.

Elia Beach was our first stop. The plan was to rent some beach chairs and spend time in the water. We spent about 4 hours here under umbrellas and in the Agean Sea. The water was warm and calm and the sun felt so good! We paid 25 euro per chair and it was totally worth it. We had shade to come back to and food and drink options that came to us.

Ultimately we left go to find lunch in a small town located in the interior of the island called Ano Mera. The town had already started closing up for year and so both of our original food choices were closed for the season when we got there. We traveled the last two weeks of September in hopes of hitting the sweet spot at the end of tourist season. This was really the only time we ran into businesses being closed up. Every other island we went to was still in full summer swing.

After a quick stop at a local grocery store to get road snacks we hit the road to find Armenistis Lighthouse.

The road to Armenistis is not for the weak. It was narrow and turned into dirt as we got closer and closer to our destination. If we did it again, I’d definitely want to take off road vehicles instead of the van we were driving. The lighthouse itself was abandoned and a bit delipidated. But the view!!! Standing at the top of the island looking out to the sea was awe inspiring. We had hoped originally to watch sunset at the location, but, given the roads and lack of street lights, we decided that was not really an option for us.

Mykonos has my heart. It was stunningly beautiful. It was vibrant. It was pure magic. Worth far more attention than a day trip from a cruise ship. Spend the time to really get to know the town and I’m sure you will feel the same.