Are Mykonos and Santorini really the same? – How to get there – different ferries – where we stayed – restaurants and bars – how to get around each island – what to see on the islands – party and night life vs exotic and romantic.
After we came back from the Greek Islands (besides going to Cairo and Athens), the most common question from our friends was surprisingly: “What did you like better, Mykonos or Santorini”? Well, at first sight it seems obvious: Crete, for example, is green and big enough to have diversity of nature, landscapes, towns and villages. No one has it in mind to compare it to any other island. This cannot be said about the traditional “blue and white” islands – they are always compared to one another. Are they basically the same? Or is each of them unique? Well, here is our experience.
Both islands (and these are probably the most known among many others in the vicinity) have a famous Greek white and blue color scheme, beautiful landscapes with turquoise water, white houses and picturesque churches with blue domes, and both are highly popular with tourists. But are they really so similar?
How to Get To Mykonos
Let me tell you first, that all the Greek Islands are connected with a very convenient Ferry system.
There are regular “slow” ferries and high speed ferries, and all of them have different classes, which is reflected in the price. We used Blue Star Ferries and Sea Jets. Keep in mind that even if you have the cheapest ticket on Blue Star (The one we used from Athens to Mykonos), just make sure you come early enough to take a seat in the café. It will be a lot more comfortable than being anywhere else, especially on deck. I found it even better than first class! High-speed ferries, such as Sea Jets, are more expensive, smaller and have pretty much only passenger seating area and a couple of kiosks with drinks and sandwiches, but you need a lot less time to get anywhere. It’s worth it though – it takes you from Mykonos to Santorini in only 2.5 hours or so! Here is one of the many web-sites where you can compare prices and buy tickets.
Where We Stayed in Mykonos
The first thing you see on approach to Mykonos are rows of windmills. There are a lot of buses and taxis that go from the port to any hotel in Mykonos Town – we shared a cab with another traveler, so it was worth it – we paid EUR 15 for all of us. Our Hotel Pelican had an incredible view and was well within walking distance to downtown – and cost only $73 a night.
Restaurants and Bars
There are a lot of hills and some mid-sized mountains in the distance, but no high cliffs, which Santorini is famous for. It is easy to get down to the water and everything is within walking distance. Restaurant rates may vary quite a bit, but there are some great places with reasonable pricing, such as Niko’s Tavern.
Everywhere, there is celebration of food, from homemade pasta to the weirdest sea creatures.
We didn’t see the famous pelican Pete, but we met some friendly geese, who were checking local meals as well.
Take a stroll along cozy winding streets of the downtown. White walls and scarlet bougainvillea create a truly magical atmosphere, like being in a fairy-tale village. At night, the narrow streets are filled with yellow light from ornate sconces and black starry sky is ever present above, like a deep velvet ceiling.
End the night at the buzzing Little Venice, where parties last well into the night. My favorite place (being a piano player) is the Montparnasse Piano Bar: superb entertainment and delicious cocktails.
How to Get Around The Island
At the center of the town there is a big bus stop, accessible on foot pretty much from anywhere. Every 15-30 minutes of so there are buses to different beaches – all of them are very luxurious, with comfortable lounge chairs (I wouldn’t even call them lounge chairs – those are real beds with mattresses and pillows!) and really expensive restaurants. A lot of the beaches are known for crazy beach parties!
How to Rent a Boat in Mykonos
If you know how to drive a boat, take a bus to Ornos Beach and walk along the marina to a small office of Costa Costa Boat Rentals inside a local restaurant . We rented a small boat for half a day, and due to the low season, got some extra hours, plenty of time to visit Delos (an ancient city on a neighboring island, where, according to Greek mythology, Apollo and Artemis were born) and later do some beach-hopping, including a completely deserted beach, which is only accessible by water! I kept wondering, who left the spears? We’ll never know!
All in all, Mykonos left the impression of a cozy island,where you can do a lot of luxury things, but also enjoy it without breaking the bank. It has enough partying going on, but it’s not unreasonably crazy. It is very diverse, a mixture of people from all walks of life.
How to Get to Santorini
Santorini, on the other hand, immediately gave me a feeling of exclusivity. A lot of Internet resources say that Mykonos can be pretty pricey, but I found Santorini quite a bit pricier. You can get to Santorini by the same ferry companies that you use for Mykonos. The trip takes several hours.
The first thing you have to do as you arrive is take a steep serpentine road to the top of the island, and it is just amazing how the huge buses and trucks crawl up and down without falling!
Oia
We planned for a romantic getaway, so we booked a hotel in Oia with the Caldera view. Caldera is the inner “bay” of Santorini, the remnant of the Santorini Volcano. It was the perfect choice. Oia is a quaint town on the northwestern tip of Santorini and it just breathes with romance. Here you want to fall in love again.
Thira
If you are in the mood for touring the area and having a lot of activities, I would recommend you book a hotel in Thira – the capital of Santorini. Everything departs from there, and you can take a bus to Oia for one day and visit. Stay for the sunset – it’s the best view from the tip of the island. Needless to say, the views from the vertical cliffs are nothing short of absolutely incredible. White triangles of sails seem so small somewhere below, swallows zip up and down the roads and looking down leaves you breathless.
Santorini Volcano
From Thira, you can buy a tour to the volcano and hike to the top. Incredible view! Later you can swim in hot springs where the water is heated by the volcano itself. The legend goes that once upon a time Santorini was one big island with a volcano in middle, until it erupted in 1646 BC. The eruption was so massive, it created a catastrophic tsunami, which spread as far as Crete and destroyed the Minoan Civilization. After the eruption the walls of the volcano collapsed and created the Caldera – a body of water around the volcano. Nowadays, the Santorini Volcano is being closely monitored for any change or indication of a soon-to-be eruption – in the end, it is still active!
On another day take a bus to one of the beaches, but don’t expect regular white or yellow sand. Most have black volcanic sand and one of the beaches has distinctive red color, therefore it is simply called “the Red Beach”. If you need to get to the old port, you can’t avoid taking a cable car or a donkey up and down the breathtaking cliffs. You can walk as well, but beware: there are 588 steps to the top, no less!
Where We Stayed in Santorini
However, if you want a romantic quiet time, you can book a hotel in Oia, like we did. Our hotel, Alexander’s Suites, was on the expensive side (it cost us $250 a night), but maaaaan, was it romantic… The rooms were stylized as caves, but with all the modern amenities, and each room had a Jacuzzi outside. What can be better than relaxing in hot bubbly water with a glass of wine, admiring one of the most gorgeous views on the entire planet. Thanks to the friendly room steward, Eduard, who bent over backwards to make sure we were always comfortable, we didn’t want for anything.
Can You Compare Mykonos and Santorini?
All in all, there is no answer to “which one is better?”, because the question is wrong. The one you should choose depends on what you are looking for, what kind of atmosphere, what kind of activity. The right question would be: “which one better suits my needs?”
If you want to go to the beach and enjoy night life – choose Mykonos. If you want something exotic, quiet and highly romantic – choose Santorini. And remember, the best of both worlds is just a ferry ride away.
