If you haven’t started planning your spring break, you should be! Neighbor to the sacred island of Delos, Mykonos is more than just a resting place for travelers on their way to see one of ancient Greece’s most holy sites. This rocky outcropping with sandy beaches and vibrant beaugavilla shares deep ancestry in Greek history.

Settled by Phoenicians, Egyptians, Minoans, and then Ionians, its tapestry is woven by many cultures. More recently, it was ruled by the Byzantines in the 13^th century, the Venetians in the 14^th (who built fortresses), and the Ottoman Empire at the height of its expansion up until Greek liberation in the 18^th century.

From empire to empire, the Cyclades have been passed around. On one little island, you can get a glimpse of all of it!

1. Bonis Windmill

One of the first

features you can see from the plane or boat is the line up of Greek windmills.

On a prominent hill above the Chora (town in Greek), the white towers with

their thatched rooves and tiny windows stand sentry over the harbor. They were built by the Venetians 800 years ago! Of course, they’ve been remodeled.

Bonis windmill ground wheat, an important source of income for early inhabitants, but is now the Folklore Museum of Mykonos, though still functional. If you visit in September during the Harvest Festival, expect to eat great local food and revel in Myconos folklore.

2. Panagia Paraportiani

One of the most famous (and photographed) churches in the Cyclades, Panagia Paraportiani, an unusually shaped building, is actually five churches built one on top of the other. The first church was built in 1425, with the other four being added up until the 16-17^th century.

This stark white, plaster building is unique due to its asymmetrical architecture. Its name means “Our Lady of the Side Gate” as the main entrance is on the side of the once neighboring Kastro (castle). Speaking of castles…

3. Kastro Gyzi

A medieval castle built by the Venetians after the fall of Constantinople. The Ghizi family ruled Mykonos (and Tinos) until 1390 when the Ottomans acquired the island. On a hill north of the second largest town in Mykonos, Ano Mera, the ruins sit among the lush grass, its walls of intricately stacked stone cresting in and out of the hillside.

The once heavily fortified castle came into disrepair during Ottoman rule. Indeed, Mykonos from the 14^th-19^th century was heavily occupied by pirates who staged raids across the Aegean.

3. Monastery of Panagia Tourliani

There are nearly 250 churches on the island. This monastery has survived since 1542 when it was built by two priests who originally named it after the Presentation of the Virgin Mary. The local Greeks thought otherwise and renamed it Tourliani after the beautiful dome (tourlos) when it was renovated in the 17^th century.

Nowadays, the monastery is the patroness of the island and is celebrated on August 15^th, the biggest festival on the island! It’s close to Chora and makes a quick day trip from the local hotels.

4. The Island of Delos

It’d be an atrocity not to mention Delos. To reach it, you must take the ferry from Mykonos. The neighboring island is less than one mile away and is one of ancient Greece’s most sacred sites.

The birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, it’s been a temple, agropolis, and the center of the Roman Empire’s slave trade. Its iconic Terrace of Lions faces the small pool that once housed Apollo’s swans and geese; colonnades of lost temples scatter the microscopic, mile-long island.

Fun Fact: in the 1^st century, the oracle at Delphi declared that no one to be born nor die on the island due to its sacred importance and had all bodies buried there exhumed and removed. So, watch your step on those steep paths!