Getting to Mykonos is straightforward. Getting to Mykonos without wasting a day of your holiday takes slightly more thought, mostly because there are two ports, two Athens ferry terminals, and a strong chance that the option you were sold online is not the one you want.

Here is how the arrival actually works.

By air

Mykonos International Airport (JMK) sits on the south-western side of the island, roughly three kilometres from Mykonos Town. It is genuinely close — most transfers across the island take a matter of minutes rather than an hour.

Through the summer, Mykonos has direct connections from a wide range of European cities. Outside the season, the schedule thins considerably and most routes revert to connecting via Athens.

The domestic hop from Athens takes well under an hour in the air. Set against a ferry, it saves time; set against the cost and the airport queues at either end in August, it is not always the obvious win people assume.

By ferry from Athens

This is where most of the confusion sits, because Athens has two ferry ports and they are not interchangeable.

Rafina

Rafina is on the east coast of Attica, closer to Athens airport than to the city centre. It is the shorter crossing to Mykonos and, for most travellers, the better choice.

High-speed vessels make the run in roughly two and three-quarter hours. Conventional ferries take something closer to four and a half. Services run year-round, with a much denser timetable through the summer.

The catch is that Rafina is awkward to reach from central Athens. If you are landing at the airport and heading straight to the island, it is ideal. If you are staying in the city first, factor in the transfer.

Piraeus

Piraeus is the large port south-west of central Athens, connected to the city by metro. It is far easier to reach if you have been staying in Athens.

The crossing is longer — conventional ferries take somewhere in the region of five to six hours. Some high-speed services also run from Piraeus, and some of those call at other islands on the way, which can extend the journey considerably. Read the routing, not just the departure time.

Which to choose

A rough rule: arriving into Athens airport and going straight on, use Rafina. Spending a night or two in Athens first, use Piraeus and accept the longer crossing.

Book ahead for July and August. Popular sailings sell out, and vehicle space goes first.

By ferry from the other Cyclades

Mykonos is well connected to its neighbours, which is why it works as one leg of an island-hopping trip rather than a destination in isolation.

• Paros — the shortest common hop, from around forty-five minutes on a fast boat to roughly an hour and a half on a slower one.
• Naxos — similar in scale, and often on the same routings.
• Santorini — usually somewhere between two and three and a half hours, depending on the vessel and whether the sailing is direct.

All of these times shift with the season, the operator and the weather. Treat published durations as an indication and check schedules close to your dates, since summer timetables are often not finalised until spring.

One thing worth knowing: the Meltemi, the strong north wind of high summer, can and does cancel sailings, particularly for the smaller high-speed craft. If you have a flight home, do not plan to island-hop on the final day. Leave a night’s margin in Mykonos or in Athens.

The two ports, and why it matters

This trips up more people than anything else on the journey.

The New Port at Tourlos is about two kilometres north of Mykonos Town and handles effectively all scheduled passenger ferries — the large conventional vessels and the high-speed catamarans from Athens, Santorini, Paros and Naxos. If you have booked a ferry ticket, this is almost certainly where you are arriving.

The Old Port is in Mykonos Town itself, at the near end of the harbour. It handles small local boats and excursion craft, including the boats out to the archaeological site at Delos.

They are not walking distance from one another with luggage in August. Confirm which one your transfer is meeting you at, and confirm which one your onward boat leaves from.

Getting from the port to where you are staying

Buses run from the New Port into Mykonos Town, and taxis are available, but the island’s licensed taxi fleet is very small — around thirty vehicles — and the rank empties quickly when a large ferry docks.

For a first arrival, especially a late one, a pre-arranged transfer is the least stressful option. Most hotels will organise one.

The other approach is to choose a base that makes the arrival trivial. The stretch of west coast immediately north of the New Port — Tourlos and Agios Stefanos — is a few minutes from the quay, which turns a late ferry from a problem into a non-event. It is one of the underrated advantages of staying out there, alongside the sheltered swimming and the westward sunsets; Bard de Sol, with its plunge-pool suites above the bay at Agios Stefanos, sits on exactly that piece of coast.

A short checklist

• Book summer ferries in advance, particularly with a vehicle.
• Check whether your Athens ferry leaves from Rafina or Piraeus before booking accommodation in the city.
• Read the routing on high-speed tickets — intermediate stops add hours.
• Confirm you are arriving at the New Port, and tell your transfer the same.
• Leave a buffer night before an international flight home.
• Bring motion-sickness tablets if you are prone. The Aegean in a July afternoon is not always flat.

Once you are on the island, distances are short but public transport is uneven — our guide to moving around Mykonos covers buses, hire cars and the beach boats. And if you are still deciding where to base yourself, the areas differ more than the map suggests.