Once you arrive on Mykonos you will realize that the day has just as many party options as the night. As such, I’ve organized this section to give you party options for both day life and nightlife. Drinks in Mykonos are expensive; rarely less than 9€, but the good news is, if you are planning to head out at night, there are many supermarkets where you can buy a decent bottle of wine for no more than 6€ and begin your own party before hitting the town. I do not give phone numbers or addresses for clubs and bars, as phones are never answered and the clubs and bars are located virtually on top of one another in Mykonos town.
Day
Beach parties dominate the scene during the day. The most famous parties happen at Psarrou beach, where a hopping bar/club keeps the (mostly) Athenian crowd joyful. On Paradise beach, the Tropicana Bar and the Sunrise Bar cater to a more mixed crowd, and at Super Paradise, two loud bar/clubs on opposite sides of the beach cater to gay and mixed crowds, respectively. All three beaches have sunset parties, starting around 6pm, but it is Paradise Beach’s Paradise Club, with its gigantic swimming pool in the middle of the club, that steals the show with its nightly fireworks and a wild party that lasts until midnight.
Sunset
Back in town, things are less wild and more sophisticated around sunset. For over a quarter of a century, Caprice has been the island’s sunset institution, with chairs lined along its narrow porch overlooking Little Venice, the windmills, and the sea. It is extremely popular with the Athenians (but it has caught on with the rest of the tourists as well). It isn’t rare to come straight from the beach for the sunset and spend the entire night. The indoor area (set like a series of caves, with candlelit corners and a window opening up directly to the sea) is intimate and romantic.
Another must-visit sunset destination is the Oneiro Bar perched on a beautiful deck overlooking the sea. Coming here will also give you a chance to check out the bar scene at the Mykonos View hotel. The CBar Lounge, set in the Belvedere Hotel, offers breathtaking sunset vistas with menu, drinks, and decor by renowned wedding designer Colin Cowie. Back in Little Venice — or “Sunset Central,” as it’s sometimes called — Kastro, near the Paraportiani Church, is famous for its classical music and frozen daiquiris. This is a great spot to watch or join handsome young men flirting with each other. Montparnasse is cozier, with classical music and Toulouse-Lautrec posters. At night this becomes a very popular (mostly with a gay crowd) piano bar. Veranda, in an old mansion overlooking the water with a good view of the windmills, is as laid back as its name might imply. Galeraki has a wide variety of exotic cocktails (and customers); the in-house art gallery gives this popular spot its name, “Little Gallery.” After dark, it turns into a loud and fun bar/club.
With sunset out of the way, most head back to their rooms for a quick shower and change of wardrobe before heading out to dinner and then for after-dark fun.
After Dinner
Aroma bar is popular day and night, as it occupies one of the finest people-watching locations, right on busy Matoyanni Street. It’s a great place for an after-dinner drink. Astra is a legendary bar and elegant lounge, with groovy modernist rooms with wonderful indoor and outdoor seating, and the perfect place to begin the night — or stay all night, as it morphs from a casual lounge to a pumping dance club when some of Athens’s top DJs take over. Right in the entrance of town from the old harbor, the Athenian hot spot, Spanish restaurant/bar/club El Pecado (The Sin), moves to Mykonos in the summer and takes over the old space occupied by the infamous Remezzo. El Pecado has a great tapas bar and very good cuisine, but it is the sangria and the rum-based drinks, combined with the Latin beats (with some Greek as well), that make this such a fun place. Just follow the music.
Uno, a tiny bar on Matoyanni, is a popular destination for Athenians — peek inside to see why, or join in the fun. New Faces, formerly known as Down Under, is popular with a northern European and American crowd under 25, in large part because the happy hour extends from 9pm to midnight. On busy Matoyanni, Pierro’s (www.pierrosbar.gr) is extremely popular with gay visitors and rocks all night long to American and European music. Adjacent Icarus is best known for its terrace and late-night drag shows. During the early evening hours, both bars are so popular that sometimes just walking by is difficult. In Taxi Square, another popular gay club, Ramrod, has a terrace with a view over the harbor and live drag shows after midnight. Even though the island used to have a loud and large gay club, it no longer does, so Pierro’s (after 2am) is the closest you get, which quite frankly, is pretty close, as is Yacht Club. Porta (tel. 22890/27-807), a popular gay cruising spot, is busy from 9pm onward.
The Anchor plays blues, jazz, and classic rock for its 30-something clients, as do Argo, Stavros Irish Bar, Celebrities Bar, and Scandinavian Bar-Disco. They draw customers from Ireland, Scandinavia, and quite possibly as far away as Antarctica. If you’d like to sample Greek music and dancing, try Thalami, a small club underneath the town hall. For a more intense Greek night out, head to Guzel — at Gialos, by the waterfront and near Taxi Square — the place to experience a super-trendy hangout, populated mostly by hip Athenians, with Greek and international hits that drive the crowd into a frenzy, with people dancing on the tables and on the bars. It’s the sort of place that by the end of the night, you feel like you have partied with a group of close friends. Don’t be intimidated if you aren’t Greek. Go and have a blast! If you’re looking for a club before 4am, try Space Club, by Lekka Square. It’s extremely popular with the under-30 crowd, with a large dance floor and theme nights. The 10€ to 20€ entrance fee includes a drink.
If having a quiet evening and catching a movie is more your speed, head for Cine Manto (tel. 22890/27-190), in the Municipal Garden of Meletopoulou, a small oasis of green on this arid island. Films show nightly around 9pm. Many films are American; most Greek films have English subtitles.
After Hours
To continue late into the night, head for Paradise beach (take the bus from town), to either Cavo Paradiso (www.cavoparadiso.gr), on the hill (cover 25€-50€ depending on DJ and event; nightly 2-10am), or to Paradise Club, a large club by the beach (cover 15€-20€; nightly 2-6am). Both clubs are extremely popular, with rotating international DJs, theme nights, huge pools, and great views. If you last until they close, you can just go for a swim and begin the day all over again. After all, sunset is only a few hours away.
For those who want to continue their partying after 4am but don’t want to go all the way to Paradise beach, there is Yacht Club, which is really the cafe by the old port that, for some reason, turns to a popular mixed bar/club after hours. Wild flirting, drinking, and dancing ensue — this is the perfect place to end the night and to finally get together with the object of your affection. Being a mixed place, there is something for everybody here.
If you’re visiting between July and September, find out what’s happening at Anemo Theatre (tel. 22890/23-944), an outdoor venue for the performing arts, in a garden in Rohari, just above town. A wide variety of concerts, performances, and talks are usually planned.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
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