Mykonos to Delos: How to Visit and Is it Worth it?

Wondering how to get from Mykonos to Delos? If you’re planning on visiting this gorgeous and historic island, here’s everything you need to know.

One of the things I was often asked when booking a trip; to Mykonos was about Delos. “Are you going to Delos?”, “Have you heard about Delos? We booked a guided tour!” and even: “I don’t recommend Delos, it wasn’t worth it.”

The last one in particular really intrigued me because I’ve always loved exploring historical sites, especially in Greece. But, it turned out, this person opted for a self-guided tour around Delos and didn’t enjoy it purely because she wasn’t sure what she was actually looking at!

Hence why I recommend going on a Delos tour from Mykonos.  This is exactly what we did and we loved it and learnt so much about the history of the little island. 

So, if you want to visit Delos from Mykonos and are debating going on a tour, here’s everything you need to know.

✅ For one of the best day trips from Mykonos, I recommend this tour.

Is Delos Worth Visiting?

If you in any way like Greek history, I really recommend a trip to Delos. I do (and my fiance loves it even more), so we were keen to visit Delos during our 3 days in Mykonos. 

Since Mykonos isn’t particularly full of ancient history, Delos allowed us to enjoy the beachy side of the Greek islands, whilst also learning about the past. 

Furthermore, Delos is one of the most important islands in Greece in terms of historical significance. It’s said to be the birthplace of the Greek Gods Apollo and Artemis, the children of Zeus and Leto. This made Delos a sacred place in the ancient world.

The sanctuary on the island was dedicated to Apollo and many of the temples, altars and statues were created in his honour. 

As well as this, the island was also a commercial hub and trading port, especially during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. It became a free port in 167 BC but declined slowly after the 1st century following attacks by pirates and changes in trade routes. 

Over time, it was abandoned completely and fell into ruin. Today, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site, an open-air museum, and one of the best places to visit in Greece.

✅ For one of the best day trips from Mykonos, I recommend this tour.

Where is Delos?

Delos is located in the centre of the Cyclades archipelago in Greece, just a short ferry ride away from Mykonos. It’s only 2.5km away from the popular island so it is a very easy day trip.

I think it took us around 30 minutes to get there and the ferry ride was nice and smooth (this is coming from someone who gets pretty seasick!).

The archaeological site of Delos is in the northwestern part of the island, but the ferry will drop you off right where you need to be.

Getting from Mykonos to Delos

To get to Delos, you’ll need to take a boat or a ferry from the Old Port in Mykonos Old Town. This is the case regardless of whether you’re doing a self-guided tour or booking a tour with a guide.

The Mykonos to Delos ferry is located at the seafront in the port and is super easy to reach. However, this does depend on which part of Mykonos you’re staying in. We stayed in Ornos, so we needed to take a bus to the main bus station and then walk down to the port to catch the ferry.

Of course, if you’re booking a guided tour, then you might need to find your way to the port yourself. Alternatively, the guide might pick you up from your hotel, which is a much easier option. 

Top Tip: If the weather is bad, it might not be possible to visit Delos at all. In particularly high winds, the island becomes inaccessible as the crossing is unsafe.

What to expect from a Mykonos to Delos Day trip

Unless you have a private boat crossing, you’re likely to start your trip on the ferry with everyone else. As I mentioned, the journey is calm and lasts around 30 minutes. 

When you arrive, you’ll need to go through the ticket barrier. You will also have the option to hire a tour guide at this point, which will make learning about the island’s history much easier. You can also purchase a guidebook, which we did as we thought it would give us some extra information.

However, this turned out to be a little unnecessary, as we had a tour guide. The guides were so knowledgeable that we didn’t need the book. But, it’s certainly a good option if you’re on a self-guided tour as it contains a map which will tell you where everything is.

✅ For one of the best day trips from Mykonos, I recommend this tour.

The tour itself

The guide will then take you around the historical site and go into more detail about many of the important spots within Delos. 

This includes the Sanctuary of Apollo which contains the remains of several temples, including the Great Temple of Apollo, and other religious and ceremonial buildings. 

You’ll also visit the Terrace of the Lions, a row of marble lion statues that were dedicated by the people of Naxos around 600 BCE.

The guide also took us to the House of Dionysus and the House of Masks where we saw some very impressive mosaic courtyards. We also visited several public buildings including the Agora, the theatre, and the stadium. 

After the guided tour

After the guided part of the tour, which lasted around an hour, we were also given around an hour of free time to explore the site ourselves. 

I was very grateful for this as I’ve been on plenty of tours before where they talk to you for hours and don’t give you any time to actually explore. And for a site as large as Delos, you need at least an hour of free time.

We had another wander around many of the sites that we’d already seen, read the plaques, took a lot of photos, and also decided to climb to the top of a hill in the middle of the historical site.

This was a pretty tough climb due to the heat, but the views from the top were easily one of the most photogenic places we visited in Mykonos.

When our time was up, we returned to the harbour to meet back up with the guide and get on the boat back to Mykonos.

The best Mykonos to Delos tour

There are several ways to go on a tour to Delos. You can pay for the ferry yourself and then hire a guide once you reach the island, or, you can book a full tour package from Mykonos online. 

The easiest option by far is to book the package online because the company will take care of everything and you don’t have to worry about ferry times and whether there will be a guide available once you reach Delos. 

This is what we did and we really enjoyed it. If you want the best and easiest experience exploring Delos, then I recommend this tour.

However, if you’d prefer to take your own transport, the second option is also a pretty good way to explore the site. 

✅ For one of the best day trips from Mykonos, I recommend this tour.

When is the best time to visit Delos?

Delos is open all year round but the time of day varies depending on the boat schedule and the season. In the summer months, it’s open from 08:00 – 20:00 and, in winter, the site is open from 08:30 – 15:00.

The summer gets very busy. If you are visiting between June and September, I recommend booking tickets well in advance. If you are doing a self-guided trip, you’ll need to get to the port early as the ferry tickets will sell out.

If you’re visiting in the off-season, you’ll not have such a problem with crowding. We visited in mid-October and were able to get everything we needed easily. Although, there was still a bit of a queue at the ferry port in the morning.

All in all, I think the best time to visit Delos is between April and June and September and October.

How much does a trip to Delos cost?

It’s not too expensive to reach Delos, however, it’s definitely not the cheapest place to visit in Greece. A Mykonos to Delos tour will set you back by around £50 per person.

If you opt for a self-guided trip, the return ferry transfer will cost you around  €22 and the entrance to the archaeological site will cost €12. On top of that, the guide will cost around €65, so it’s usually cheaper to buy a package tour.

How long do you need to visit Delos?

We spent around 3 hours on our Delos tour in total, which included the round-trip ferry transfer, the hour-long guided tour, and an hour of free time to explore the site at our own leisure. I personally think this is the perfect amount of time. 

This is another reason that I was so impressed with this tour as they literally gave us exactly enough time to explore the island. I didn’t feel rushed, and I learned a lot about the history.

If you are going self-guided and purchase the guidebook, you may need longer than this as working out the references on the map is quite time-consuming.

But, you’ll also need to consider ferry times. The ferry departs at 9:00, 10:00, 11:30, and 17:00 Tuesdays to Sundays. Returns to Mykonos are at either 12:00, 13:30, 15:00, or 19:30. Monday hours are slightly different and the ferry times also vary by season.

You can see the exact ferry schedule here. I’ve also included the ferry schedule that was updated when we visited in October. As you can see, the times were slightly different, so it’s always worth checking the port before you turn up.

But, usually, even if you get the first ferry to Delos and the first ferry back, you’ll be spending at least 3 hours on the island at a minimum.

✅ For one of the best day trips from Mykonos, I recommend this tour.

Should you visit Delos from Mykonos?

Yes, a visit to Delos from Mykonos is 100% worth it. During our time in Mykonos, we loved our trip to Delos. We learned so much about the island and had the best time exploring its history, and the views from the top are pretty spectacular. 

If you’re really keen on Greek history I highly recommend going on a guided tour. It’s such an incredible historical site – just like the one in Delphi near Athens – and you won’t be able to truly understand what you’re looking at without a guide. 

Plus, you can ask as many questions as you like which is definitely another bonus. 

Either way, it’s one of the best day trips I’ve been on in Greece and well worth a visit.

👉 Haven’t decided where to stay in Mykonos yet? Here are my favourite areas and hotels in Mykonos.