Mykonos with Costa croisière: the glamorous stopover par excellence

Allow 3 to 4 hours to explore the city on foot, or more if you combine it with a beach or cultural visit. Costa offers a range of options, from relaxation to a historic excursion to Delos: the choice is yours.

Douceur de vivre and bougainvillea

On arrival, Mykonos dazzles. The light is raw, almost unreal, and the town, all white and blue, seems tailor-made for contrasts. We disembark on a mythical, multi-faceted island, where Greek traditions rub shoulders with the festive madness of the jet-set. Our guide starts in the center of Chora, a maze of whitewashed alleys dotted with colorful shutters, tavernas and exuberant bougainvillea. Everything here is photogenic, almost too good to be true.

The Jet Set’s legendary rendezvous

But Mykonos is also a story of icons. It was in the 60s that everything changed. Aristotle Onassis and Jackie Kennedy fell in love with the island. The world’s most glamorous couple settled here, attracting international high society in their wake. A certain Galatis, a Greek designer of natural elegance, organizes sumptuous evenings here, bringing together stars, artists and jet setters from all over the world.

Frank Sinatra, Anthony Quinn, Maria Callas and Grace Kelly are just a few of the legendary guests at these legendary parties. Mykonos became a mecca for chic and excess, without ever denying its Greek charm.

Today, the tradition continues. Jeff Bezos, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Dua Lipa and Kylie Jenner regularly turn up to enjoy the island’s unique ambience. Parties start on the beach at Scorpios or Nammos, then go on until dawn, sometimes in private villas hidden in the hills. The party here is not vulgar: it’s golden, sunny, electric.

Romantic stroll through the old town

And yet, behind the glamorous veneer, the soul of Mykonos persists. Cats sleep on the steps, Byzantine churches ring out in the sunset, and the locals are as welcoming as ever. In Little Venice, you can watch the waves from a balcony suspended above the water. Higher up, the wooden-roofed mills of Kato Mili dominate the island. Once used to grind wheat, they are now frozen, but their white silhouette remains one of the most photographed symbols of Mykonos. The view of the bay from up here is spectacular.

For those who wish to enrich their visit, the sacred island of Delos is only a few minutes away by boat: a major archaeological site, once the center of the Greek world, which Costa offers on some of its excursions.

But whether you come for the history, the idleness or the sleepless nights, one thing is certain: Mykonos leaves no one indifferent. It seduces, bewitches and sometimes exhausts – but always with elegance.

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