Mykonos Town absorbs most of the attention and deserves much of it. But the island has a handful of other areas and settlements that provide a different perspective: the quiet inland village of Ano Mera, the family-friendly bay of Ornos, the calm western coast around Agios Ioannis, and the quieter northern settlements that most visitors drive through without stopping. Each has its own character and its own reasons for spending time there.
How the Island Is Organized
Mykonos is small — roughly 86 square kilometers — and most points are within 30 minutes of each other by car. The settlements are not large by any definition: Chora is the only proper town; everywhere else is a village, a coastal area, or a cluster of buildings around a bay.
The distinction that matters most for planning is between the western coast (Chora, Agios Ioannis, Ornos) — calmer, more sheltered, with access to the best sunsets — and the eastern and northern areas (Ano Mera, Agios Stefanos, Kalafatis), which are quieter, less visited, and give a better sense of the island’s agricultural and maritime history.
Practical Tips
- A rental car makes the areas outside Chora genuinely accessible. Public buses run to Ornos and Agios Stefanos but not to most other settlements.
- Ano Mera is worth visiting on foot or by taxi if you don’t have a car — it’s the only other settlement on the island with a genuine village square and working kafeneio.
- The areas along the western coast between Chora and Agios Ioannis are best visited in the late afternoon, when the light is best and the heat has dropped.