Indulge in Greece's Most Exclusive Island Escape
You deserve the finest that Mykonos & Santorini has to offer. From premium accommodations to exclusive experiences, every detail of this package has been crafted for discerning travelers who appreciate quality. Expect nothing less than exceptional service and unforgettable luxury.
Discover the wonders of Mykonos & Santorini, a captivating destination that offers unique experiences, rich culture, and memorable adventures. Whether you're seeking relaxation, adventure, or cultural immersion, Mykonos & Santorini promises to exceed your expectations with its warm hospitality and stunning scenery.
7 nights in Mykonos & Santorini — day by day, fact-checked
Land at Mykonos airport, take your private transfer into Chora, and settle into the car-free old town on foot. What you do this evening depends entirely on your arrival time.
Your pre-booked private transfer meets you at Mykonos airport. Chora is about 4 km away, roughly a ten-minute drive. The old town is a car-free maze of stepped lanes, so keep bags light. What you do this evening depends on your arrival time. Sunset falls around 20:30 in late July.
Pre-booked private airport transfer, supplied in the package. Mykonos airport (JMK) is about 3.5 to 4 km from Chora, roughly a ten-minute drive.
Check your arrival time. Chora is pedestrian and stepped; the last stretch to the hotel is on foot through a no-car labyrinth, and luggage is carried, not wheeled.
For the last week of July, sunset in Mykonos is around 20:32 and civil twilight ends about 21:02. Plan a Chora or beach-club sunset around 20:30.
Island taxi fleets are tiny and you cannot rely on hailing one at peak times. App coverage is thin on the islands, so keep to pre-arranged drivers or a licensed taxi app such as Uber or FREE NOW, which dispatch licensed cabs.
Renting a quad or moped to get around Chora. The FCDO flags serious injury and death in quad accidents, no helmet means a fine and licence confiscation, and the old town is car-free anyway.
Euro cash for the transfer tip and any kiosk stop; cards work almost everywhere, but kiosks, church boxes and small spots are often cash-first.
A walkable first full day in Chora: the whitewashed old-town maze, the Kato Mili windmills, and Little Venice at the waterfront, then a booked dinner as Greek meals run late.
The attraction on Mykonos is Chora itself, a pedestrianised whitewashed labyrinth of narrow paved lanes and blue-windowed houses. It is free, no ticket, walked on foot. The Greek tourism board calls it one of the most beautiful in the Cyclades. Go early, before the midday heat and the day's crowds build.
Chora is a free, open old town, no ticket. The draw is the car-free maze of paved lanes and blue-windowed houses, not a ticketed museum.
Carry a cover-up for shoulders and knees if you step into any chapel; entry can be refused to the improperly dressed.
Do sightseeing early morning and evening and keep the fierce midday hours for shade, pool or beach. The FCDO advises avoiding peak sun and packing a hat, sunscreen and water.
Wheeling a large case through Chora. The lanes are stepped and car-free, so luggage is carried; this is a walking-only old town.
Little Venice and the Kato Mili windmills sit at the western edge of Chora, both free and open. The waterfront houses stand against the sea; the windmills overlook the Aegean. Both pack out at golden hour. Come early for a waterfront table or watch from the windmill row.
The Kato Mili windmills and Little Venice are free open-air landmarks in Chora, no ticket, no guide. The tourism board calls the windmills the island's trademark.
Little Venice is the sunset crush on Mykonos; it fills at golden hour, around 20:30 in late July. Arrive early or reserve a waterfront table ahead.
Meals run late Greek-style, dinner from about 20:30 to 21:00 onward, and many venues are quiet before 20:00. Reserve a sunset-time table direct with the venue rather than turning up.
Assuming a Little Venice sunset table is a walk-up in peak season. Book direct or via the hotel concierge; reserve direct rather than relying on a booking app.
A sea-view Greek seafood taverna trading since 1969 on the Chora waterfront, walkable from the old town, serving a Greek seafood platter, ouzo-shrimp spaghetti and homemade moussaka.
The casual souvlaki and gyros counterpoint to the island's expensive dining, calling itself one of the most popular souvlaki spots in Mykonos.
The one ticketed Cycladic must-see: a licensed excursion boat from Mykonos Old Port to the uninhabited sacred island of Delos, governed entirely by the boat timetable. Beach-only travellers can skip it.
Delos is an uninhabited archaeological island reachable only by licensed excursion boat from Mykonos Old Port, walkable from Chora. Boats run to a fixed timetable; the morning departure is 10:00, returning 13:30. The site has no shade, cafe or shelter. Take a hat and water; midday July sun is fierce.
Licensed excursion boat from Mykonos Old Port (Deliana Pier) in Chora, walkable or a short pre-arranged transfer. Crossing is about 30 minutes each way. Boats depart the Old Port, not the ferry New Port at Tourlos.
Delos site and museum open summer (1 April to 30 October) 08:00 to 20:00; the traveller's July window falls in the open summer season.
Gate ticket for site plus museum is 20 euro, bought on site. A self-guided round-trip boat ticket is 25 euro; a half-day guided tour is 79 euro adult and includes the 20 euro entry, skip-the-line tickets and audio.
The morning individual departure is 10:00, returning 13:30, running from 1 April; an afternoon service around 17:00 runs 2 May to 26 October. The island has no overnight stay, so you are committed to the return sailing.
Take the 10:00 sailing, wear a hat and carry water. The site is fully exposed with no shade or facilities and July midday heat is fierce; the guided option is good value because it bundles the 20 euro entry.
Missing the last boat. Sailings are on fixed departures and there is no hotel or overnight stay, so a missed return strands you; plan the visit around the sailing time.
If you only want beaches and villages, skip Delos; for you it is a half-day of ruins in the sun. It rewards genuine interest in antiquity and mythology, not a box-tick.
The licensed operator running the scheduled boat from the Old Port to the UNESCO site, birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, with a good-value guided option that bundles the site entry.
A beach day on the island's south coast, where the marquee beach clubs and a remote off-strip taverna both require a pre-arranged driver and, for the clubs, a reservation.
Psarou Beach sits a short pre-arranged transfer from Chora. Nammos is the marquee beach-club restaurant here, serving Mediterranean and Japanese-fusion dishes, fresh fish and sushi. A peak-season table or sunbed needs booking well ahead. This is an ultra-premium, see-and-be-seen venue; expect very high prices and sunbed minimum spends.
The south-coast beaches, Psarou, Ornos, Platis Gialos, Paradise and Elia, are a short pre-arranged transfer or taxi from Chora, not a self-drive.
Beach clubs sell sunbed and day-bed reservations, often with a minimum spend. Reserve ahead direct or via the hotel concierge; do not walk up in July or August.
For an off-strip lunch instead, Fokos Taverna on the remote northeast coast does home-style cooking away from the crowds, but it is remote, so arrange transport, and bring cash as the signal is unreliable there.
Turning up at a marquee beach club without a booking. A peak-season table or sunbed at a venue like Nammos is effectively mandatory to reserve, and prices are very high.
Cards, contactless and Apple or Google Pay work at the beach clubs; carry some cash for tips and the remote spots. Decline any card-terminal offer to charge in sterling and choose euro.
The marquee luxury beach-club restaurant on Psarou, Mediterranean cuisine with Japanese fusion, fresh fish and sushi; a see-and-be-seen venue where a peak-season booking is effectively mandatory.
A genuine off-the-strip lunch on the secluded northeast coast at Fokos beach, home-style seasonal cooking that is also a pottery artshop, on the remote northeast coast.
The move day, anchored to the high-speed ferry. Your private port transfers handle both ends; the crossing is the package's one long leg and is weather-sensitive, so the day is built around the sailing.
Your private port transfer takes you to the New Port at Tourlos, north of Chora, for the high-speed ferry to Santorini. The catamaran crossing runs roughly two to three hours to Athinios port. Catamarans are weather-sensitive; rough seas can delay or cancel. Build slack and keep the transfer flexible.
Private port transfers, supplied in the package, handle both ends. The ferry departs Mykonos New Port at Tourlos, about 2 km north of Chora, and arrives Santorini's Athinios port, about 8 km south of Fira.
The crossing is the package's one long leg, run by high-speed catamarans (SeaJets, Golden Star), fastest about 2h10m, typically 2 to 3.5 hours; up to around 8 daily crossings in peak season.
High-speed catamarans are weather-sensitive; rough seas from the July and August meltemi wind, and short-notice strikes, can delay or cancel sailings. Build slack into the move day.
Exact departure times and fares shift by date and are supplied with your package; take them from your ATOL documents rather than a third-party timetable, and keep the private transfer flexible.
Scheduling anything tight against the ferry. Because rough seas can delay or cancel the catamaran, never plan a same-day onward flight tight to the crossing; leave real margin.
Your private transfer meets the ferry at Athinios port, about 8 km south of Fira, then climbs the switchback road to the caldera villages. Hotels sit down long flights of steps; luggage is carried, not wheeled. Fira, Firostefani, Imerovigli and Oia are pedestrian and cliff-top. Sunset falls around 20:30 in late July.
Private port transfer from Athinios up the steep switchback road to the caldera villages. The inner caldera coast is a sheer precipice; villages are cliff-top and stepped.
Caldera hotels are often reached down long flights of steps and luggage is portered, not wheeled. Flag any mobility limit or heavy cases at booking; movement between elevations is on foot.
For the last week of July, sunset in Santorini is around 20:29 and civil twilight ends about 20:58. Plan the Oia sunset for roughly 20:30 and arrive well ahead.
Fira, Firostefani and Imerovigli sit close along the caldera rim on a walkable but hilly, stepped path, so you can move between them on foot without a driver.
Expecting to wheel cases to the hotel door. The caldera villages are stepped and pedestrian; the last stretch is carried down steps, so pack light and confirm the walk-in.
A caldera day on foot: the roofed Akrotiri excavation as a shaded escape from midday heat, or its indoor companion museum in Fira, then a late dinner in Firostefani away from the Oia crush.
Akrotiri is a Minoan Bronze-Age town buried by eruption, reopened April 2025 after seismic-safety inspections. A modern shelter roofs the dig, so it is walkable in shade during fierce midday heat. Reach it by pre-arranged taxi or hotel car. The gate ticket is 20 euro; hours shift by season, so verify at the gate.
Akrotiri has a car park and is easily reached by taxi or car. It is a covered, shaded site, a good option for the fierce July midday heat.
Summer hours (1 April to 31 October): Tuesday to Sunday 08:00 to 20:00, Monday 08:30 to 15:30; last admission 20 minutes before closing. Hours shift by season, so verify at the gate.
Official gate ticket is 20 euro, reduced 10 euro. Some third-party resellers add a booking or guide fee on top; the official gate fee is 20 euro.
The Museum of Prehistoric Thira in Fira holds the Akrotiri wall-frescoes and finds, open daily except Tuesday 08:30 to 15:30, ticket 10 euro. It is the cool indoor stop when the caldera heat is fierce.
Assuming Akrotiri is still shut. It was closed after the early-2025 Cyclades seismic activity but reopened on 11 April 2025 after safety inspections of its protective roof, and is now trading.
Carry a cover-up for shoulders and knees if you step into a chapel; entry can be refused otherwise. Take a hat and water for any open-air walking.
The buried Minoan 'Greek Pompeii', reopened April 2025 and roofed by a bioclimatic shelter, so it is walkable in shade when the midday caldera heat is fierce.
The indoor companion to the Akrotiri dig in Fira, holding the wall-frescoes and finds; a cool, guide-optional stop for the hottest part of the day.
Greek dinner runs late, from about 20:30 onward. Firostefani, the village just north of Fira on a near-flat caldera-rim walk, is where people eat away from the Oia sunset crush. Book a table ahead in peak summer rather than turning up. Reserve direct with the venue or through the concierge.
Greek dinner runs late, from roughly 20:30 to 21:00 onward, with many venues quiet before 20:00; plan a relaxed evening rather than an early sitting.
Reserve high-demand tables direct by phone or the venue's own site, or via the hotel concierge. Coverage on booking apps is patchy, so reserve direct rather than assuming an app works.
Taverna Simos in Firostefani is a family-run traditional taverna trading since 1989, an easy caldera-rim walk from Fira and away from the Oia crowds; it takes online reservations.
Trying to reserve a Fira strip caldera-edge table for the same night in peak season. These book out days ahead; either reserve well in advance or eat in Firostefani, off the tourist strip.
A family-run traditional taverna in Firostefani since 1989, an easy caldera-rim walk from Fira, serving Santorinian home cooking, moussaka, fava and grilled meats away from the sunset crush.
A traditional taverna on the Fira-Firostefani road off the caldera-edge tourist strip, with lamb kleftiko in a clay oven and sesame-crusted fried feta with honey; a no-reservations, arrive-early spot.
A family-run traditional Greek and Mediterranean taverna in Firostefani, the kind of neighbourhood spot where non-cruise visitors eat away from the Oia crush.
The best no-car day on Santorini: the free Fira-to-Oia cliff walk in the early cool, then the famous Oia sunset handled the sane way, from a booked table or the water rather than the castle scrum.
The Fira-to-Oia caldera trail runs about 10.5 km along the cliff through Firostefani and Imerovigli, taking roughly 2.5 to 5 hours. It is free, no ticket or guide, on paved, cobble and dirt paths with steep sections. Start by 08:00 to beat the heat and the cruise-day crowds. Take a taxi back.
About 10.5 km one-way, roughly 2.5 to 5 hours depending on pace and photo stops, on paved walkway, cobblestone and dirt with steep, uneven sections. Moderate; needs reasonable fitness and proper shoes, not flip-flops.
Start by 08:00. It gets very hot by 11:00 with little shade, and the trail fills with cruise-ship day-trippers through the afternoon; an early start beats both. Do not attempt it in the midday July sun.
No car, ticket or guide required. Walk it one-way Fira to Oia and take a pre-arranged taxi or hotel car back; do not count on hailing one in Oia.
Walking Fira to Oia lets you finish near Oia for lunch. Santorini enforces a daily cruise-passenger cap, but Fira and Oia still swamp mid-morning to late-afternoon when ships are in; go early or evening.
Starting the walk at midday in flip-flops. There is little shade, steep uneven sections and fierce heat by 11:00; wear proper shoes and go at first light.
A hat, sunscreen and plenty of water; the FCDO advises this for any walk in high temperatures, and the trail has little shade.
Oia's caldera sunset is world-famous and the narrow lanes and castle viewpoint pack out dangerously. Sources advise being in position by mid-afternoon in peak season, with thousands of viewers. Book a caldera-edge dinner table or watch from a hotel terrace instead of fighting the castle scrum. Reserve the table well ahead.
Guides advise being in position by roughly 15:30 to 16:00 in peak June to August to claim a spot at the Oia Castle viewpoint, with thousands of viewers and very crowded lanes before sundown.
The castle viewpoint is a free, open public spot, no ticket. The trade-off is the crowd; expect heavy foot traffic on the narrow paths in peak season.
A caldera-view Oia restaurant, Oia Gefsis, states there is no mandatory purchase or cover fee to take the view, unlike many caldera-edge spots that impose minimum spends. Watching from a booked table beats the castle scrum.
Turning up at the castle near sunset expecting a clear view. Peak-season crowds run into the thousands and the lanes jam dangerously; book a caldera table, watch from a terrace, or take the water instead.
For a caldera-view sunset table, book direct with the venue or via the hotel concierge well ahead in July and August; the sit-down dining rooms are reservation-required and fill days out.
The best-value way to take the Oia sunset from the water, escaping the land-side crush, on a semi-private catamaran that also does the volcano, hot-springs swim and caldera-water village views with onboard BBQ and wine.
A caldera-path restaurant in a restored 19th-century captain's home that states no mandatory purchase or cover fee for the view, serving wood-fired seafood, charcoal-grilled lobster and octopus souvlaki.
A fresh-fish taverna in Ammoudi bay at the foot of Oia, its signature the lobster spaghetti, reached down the steps below Oia and well suited to a driver up and down.
Transfer to Santorini airport for the flight home. Everything this morning counts back from your departure time, and the walk up from the caldera hotel with cases needs a real head start.
Count back from your departure time. Allow for carrying cases up the stepped path from the hotel, then the transfer to Santorini airport, about 6 km southeast of Fira. Pre-book the transfer; island taxis are few and cannot be relied on at peak times. Keep some euro cash for a final stop.
Pre-booked private transfer to Santorini airport (JTR), about 6 km southeast of Fira. It is a private transfer, not a leg you arrange yourself.
Count back from your departure. Add time for carrying cases up the stepped path from the caldera hotel before the car even starts; the last stretch is on foot, not a door-to-door road.
Confirm the departure transfer the night before rather than relying on a morning taxi; island fleets are tiny and app coverage is thin, so you cannot count on hailing one at peak times.
Underestimating the walk out. The caldera hotel is reached by long flights of steps, not a road, so leave extra time to carry luggage up before your transfer.
Keep some euro cash for a final kiosk or airport stop, and on any card terminal choose to be charged in euro, not sterling.
Have your passport ready; UK travellers pass through visa-free, and Greek authorities have indicated they will not collect EES biometrics from UK travellers, so no extra biometric step to plan for.
Practical details verified 26 July 2026. Prices and opening hours change — we re-check them monthly, but confirm anything critical before you travel.
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