What should I pack for Mykonos?

The marble-paved lanes of Chora (Mykonos Town) are polished smooth by centuries of foot traffic and turn slick when wet or when the meltemi kicks sand across them. Rubber-soled shoes with actual grip matter more here than on most Greek islands. Fashion sandals will betray you on the steep path down from the Paraportiani church area to Little Venice, where the stone is worn concave. Pack one pair of closed-toe walking shoes and one pair of sandals with textured soles. Flip-flops work for the beach. Three pairs covers everything from the Delos ferry dock to a late dinner on Matoyianni Street.

Mykonos sits in the path of the meltemi, the seasonal north wind that blows from roughly mid-June through September. On a strong meltemi day, gusts reach 40-50 km/h and the temperature can feel 8-10°C cooler than the thermometer reads. Today's 22.4°C with clear sky is comfortable, but by mid-July the wind might pin you to a wall outside Little Venice. Pack a thin windbreaker that stuffs into its own pocket. Cotton hoodies catch the meltemi like a sail. Useless here. A fitted nylon shell under 200g is the single most useful layer on the island. For evenings, one light sweater handles the post-sunset drop along the waterfront near Agia Anna beach.

The day trip to Delos, with boats leaving from Mykonos Old Port (30 minutes each way, round-trip around €22), has zero shade for 3-4 hours of walking among ruins dating to 2500 BC. One small canteen sells limited water. Bring a wide-brim hat, SPF 50+ for face and neck, at least 1.5 liters of water, and a light long-sleeve shirt. The white marble at the Archaeological Museum of Delos, founded in 1904, reflects UV hard enough to sunburn the underside of your chin. Polarized sunglasses are not optional on Delos. Pack them in a hard case because the wind will take them off a café table back in Chora. Mind you, the same intensity applies across Mykonos proper. The whitewashed walls bounce light from every direction, and by 11:00 the glare off Platis Gialos beach sand is painful without eye protection.

Paraportiani, the 5-chapel church complex dating to 1475, and smaller chapels around the village of Ano Mera require covered shoulders and knees. One lightweight long-sleeve shirt and one pair of pants that pull over shorts solves this. Mykonos runs casual by Greek island standards, but beach clubs like Scorpios near Paraga and Nammos at Psarou enforce a no-swimwear-at-the-bar rule after dark. One pair of linen trousers and a collared shirt handles every evening restaurant on the island, including the pricier waterfront spots in Little Venice. For swimming, pack quick-dry swimwear. The water at Paradise Beach and Super Paradise Beach currently stays around 22-24°C in late June, warm enough that you won't need a wetsuit. Greece uses Type C and F plugs at 230V. If you're coming from North America, pack a plug adapter and leave 110V hair tools at home.

Some things are cheaper or better to buy after landing at Mykonos Airport (JMK). Sunscreen at the pharmacy on Matoyianni Street runs €8-12 for Apivita SPF 50, a Greek brand that handles humidity and sweat better than most American drugstore options. Straw hats from the shops near Fabrika Square cost €10-15 and tend to sit tighter against the wind than a packable hat from home. Beach towels at souvenir shops near the Old Port run €8-12, saving luggage space. Skip the paper guidebook. An eSIM activated before you land at JMK gives you Google Maps for navigating Chora's unmarked lanes on day one. Water shoes for the rocky entry at Agios Sostis beach (the one locals prefer, north side of the island, no sunbeds, no bar) cost €5-8 at shops near Ornos.