Delos from Mykonos: Boat Times, Site Hours and What You See on the Island

Early in the day, the west side of Mykonos harbour fills with people carrying water bottles and hats, all heading for the small boats tied along the pier. The town behind them is still waking up, and the sea ahead leads to an island with no village, no hotels and no beach bars. Delos, the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis in mythology, is reached by boat from Mykonos, and it is an island of ruins.

How do you get to Delos from Mykonos?

Delos lies a few miles southwest of Mykonos, and you reach it by boat from the pier on the west side of Mykonos harbour. Boats run to the island every day except Monday, because the archaeological site is closed that day.

The schedule is what shapes the trip. Boats leave Mykonos in the morning, at three set departures, and boats leave Delos for the return in the middle of the day and the early afternoon.

The archaeological site opens at 8:30AM and closes at 3PM, so the boat you choose decides how much of the island you see. An earlier departure gives you more time among the ruins before the day winds down, and a later one gives you less.

The second thing that decides is the day of the week. With the site closed on Mondays, the excursions do not run, and a Monday on Mykonos is better spent on the beaches or in town.

Delos is a UNESCO World Heritage site, listed for an archaeological site that conveys the image of a great cosmopolitan Mediterranean port. That description helps you picture the visit. You are not coming to see a single monument but a whole ancient harbour town, spread across almost the entire island and starting right where the boat docks.

The island is small, with an area of just over one square mile, and it is set aside as an archaeological site. The excavations here are among the most extensive in the Mediterranean and are still going on, which is why parts of the site can look like a work in progress.

Ways to get to Delos from Mykonos

The way across is by boat, on the daily excursions from Mykonos. Each boat leaves from one pier, and each one returns on a fixed afternoon schedule.

The excursion boat from the west pier

The boats to Delos depart from the pier on the west side of Mykonos harbour, every day except Monday. There are three morning departures, one at each hour starting at 9AM. You walk along the harbour to the west side, find the pier, and board a boat that goes straight to the island.

The boat docks at the harbour of Delos, on the west side of the island, which is also where the archaeological site begins. You step off the boat and you are already in the ancient port district, so there is no road to take and no second transfer. The excursions are the way visitors reach the island, and the schedule given here is the one to build the day around.

The three departures give you a choice between an earlier start with more time among the ruins and a later one that leaves less. Whichever you pick, remember that the site closes at 3PM.

The boat back to Mykonos

Return boats leave Delos for Mykonos at three set times: 12:15PM, 1:30PM and 3PM. The last of them leaves at the same hour the archaeological site closes, so your visit ends with the final boat of the day.

That makes the return time worth choosing before you walk away from the pier. A visitor who takes the first return boat has a short stay on the island. One who takes the last boat has the most time, and the visit then runs until the site closes. Pick the boat back at the start, and spend your time on the island with that departure in mind.

Options compared

The three rows tell you the shape of the day. Whichever outbound boat you pick, you sail in the morning and you leave before the site closes. The 9AM boat leaves the most hours on the island, and the 11AM boat leaves the fewest. A visitor who sails at 10AM sits in the middle, with enough time for the harbour district.

What does not change is the closing day. Monday is out for every boat and for the site itself, so the planning starts with the calendar. After that, the choice is only between three departures and three returns, which makes this one of the simpler transfers to plan.

Think about what you want from the island. If the aim is a look at the main ruins, such as the temples of Apollo and the Lion Terrace, a mid-morning boat fits. If the aim is to wander past the harbour district toward the rest of the site, which covers almost the whole island, then an early boat and a late return give the room to do it.

Making a day of it

The archaeological sites on Delos cover almost the entire island, starting from the harbour on the west side, so the day is the island itself. You arrive at the ancient harbour district and begin with the ruins that stand closest to the dock.

The harbour district

In the harbour district, the most important ruins include the three temples dedicated to Apollo. They belong to an island that was believed to be his birthplace, and a visit here starts with that story. The sanctuary was the most important Panhellenic one, and what remains of it gives you a sense of why people came here from across the Greek world.

Close by stands the Altar of Dionysos, which consists of the remains of a huge phallic monument. It is one of the more surprising things on the island, and it shows that the sanctuary honored more than one god.

The Lion Terrace carries the famous lions of Delos, a gift from the Naxians. A row of stone lions facing the old sacred ground is the image visitors take away from the island, and it sits in the same district as the temples, so you can see all three without going far.

When to leave and what to bring

An earlier boat gives you a longer stay, since the site opens at 8:30AM and closes at 3PM. The last return boat leaves as the site closes, so the day is bounded at both ends. If you are sailing on the 9AM boat, you will be among the first on the site, and if you sail on the 11AM boat you will have the least time there.

What you bring is simple. The island is an archaeological site, with the ruins spread across it, so you will be on your feet among them. Sun protection and water are the sensible things to carry, and shoes that suit uneven ground. The harbour district, with the temples, the altar and the lions, is the most concentrated part of the visit.

Back in Mykonos, the boats arrive at the same harbour you left from, so the day closes where it began. After the return, the afternoon is free, and the harbour is at hand for a late lunch.

Good to know before you go

The two things to keep in mind are the closing day and the closing hour. Monday is closed for the site and for the excursion boats, and on every other day the last boat back leaves at the hour the site shuts.

Delos is an archaeological island with the ruins in the open air, so the weather of the day is the weather you have among them. Plan the crossing for a day when you want to be outdoors.