Little Venice

Little Venice is the stretch of old houses on the western waterfront of Mykonos Town, or Chora, where the buildings rise directly from the sea wall. Mykonos grew wealthy in the eighteenth century on trade and, to a degree, piracy, and merchants and sea captains built tall houses right at the water's edge so that cargo could be loaded from the rooms or from the balconies. The name comes from the resemblance of those overhanging terraces to the houses of Venice, though the scale is much smaller.

The houses are whitewashed, with brightly painted wooden balconies in blue, green, red and ochre, jutting out over rocks and the water. Small waves sometimes splash the lowest terraces when the wind is strong, which gives the quarter a slightly precarious look. Many of the ground floors have been turned into bars, cafes and restaurants, with tables set right at the edge of the sea. Look up, and you can find carved wooden brackets and old stone doorways under the paint.

At the southern end of the quarter, the row of windmills at Kato Mili looks over the water, and the whitewashed church of Panagia Paraportiani stands a short walk away, close to the old port. The path from the Old Port runs through narrow lanes with shops and galleries, ending at a seafront promenade where people gather for sunset. The sun goes down over the Aegean Sea to the west, and because the houses face this way, the whole front catches its glow.

The area is free to walk, and it is busiest from late afternoon into the night, when queues form for the tables with the best views. Mornings are far quieter, when you can wander the lanes, photograph the balconies without crowds, and watch fishermen at work. Prices for drinks reflect the location, so many visitors order one drink and stay for the sunset.

The lanes are narrow and stone paving is uneven and sometimes wet, so shoes with grip help. In windy weather the meltemi, the strong northerly wind of summer, can make the waterfront seats breezy. Little Venice is very close to the other main sights of the town and is simple to include in a short walk through Chora.