Mykonos has a short, intense season and a long, empty rest of the year. Between those two states there are a few weeks at either end that most visitors never see, and which are arguably the best of it.

Here is how the year runs, and how to decide which version of the island you want.

May

The island wakes up. Most hotels, restaurants and beach clubs are open or opening, the countryside is still green from the winter rains, and the light is exceptionally clear.

The sea is cold in early May and merely brisk by the end of it. Days are warm rather than hot. Crowds are thin enough that you can walk through Chora at midday without negotiating.

Rates are markedly lower than they will be six weeks later. If your priority is the island rather than the scene, late May is very hard to beat.

June

Ask people who live on Mykonos which month they would choose and a surprising number say June.

The weather is reliably warm and sunny. The sea has warmed to something genuinely swimmable. The Meltemi, the north wind that dominates high summer, has usually not settled in. Everything is open, and the island is busy without being congested.

Prices climb through the month, sharply towards the end of it. Early June carries most of the advantages of May with warmer water.

July

High season proper. Long, hot, dry days, warm sea, everything open and running at full capacity.

This is also when the Meltemi typically arrives. It blows from the north, sometimes hard, and it does two things: it takes the edge off the heat, which is welcome, and it makes the north coast beaches difficult while occasionally disrupting ferries. Neither is a reason to avoid July, but both are reasons to keep plans flexible.

Book everything in advance — accommodation, ferries, tables at the better restaurants.

August

The busiest and most expensive month, and the windiest. August is when Mykonos is most fully itself and most fully crowded, with the whole of Greece and much of Europe on holiday at once.

If you are coming in August, two pieces of advice. Book far earlier than feels necessary. And think carefully about where you sleep, because the gap between the loud parts of the island and the quiet ones is at its widest this month — something our guide to the island’s areas goes into properly.

September

For many regular visitors, the best month of the year.

The sea is at its warmest, having absorbed the whole summer. Temperatures ease off from the August peak. The Meltemi usually softens as the month goes on. The crowds thin week by week, and by the second half of September the island feels noticeably calmer while everything is still open.

You get the nightlife without the crush, the beaches without the negotiation, and light that photographers travel for.

October

The season winds down. Early October is still warm, the sea still holds its heat, and the island is quiet in a way that is either wonderful or disconcerting depending on temperament.

Wind increases and the first rain becomes possible. Businesses begin closing through the month, and by the end of it a good deal of the island has shut for the winter. Check that the things you care about are still operating.

November to April

Mykonos out of season is a small Greek island with a few thousand residents, a handful of open tavernas and a great deal of wind. It is a real place and worth seeing if that appeals, but most visitor infrastructure is closed, ferry schedules are reduced, and the archaeological site at Delos is shut for the winter.

The case for the shoulder season

If your dates are flexible, aim for late May, early June or September.

The reasoning is simple. You get warm weather and warm sea. You get the whole island open. You get considerably lower rates. And you get the thing that peak-season Mykonos cannot offer at any price, which is space.

The shoulder months also change the calculation on where to stay. In August the quiet corners of the island are a defensive choice; in September they are simply pleasant. The sheltered west coast around Agios Stefanos holds up particularly well at both ends of the season, because the bay is protected from the north wind and faces the sunset — which is why places like Bard de Sol, whose suites look out over that water with a plunge pool apiece, remain comfortable in weeks when the north coast has turned blowy.

Choosing by what you want

• Warmest sea — September, then August.
• Fewest people with everything open — late May, or the second half of September.
• Best value — May and October.
• Nightlife at full strength — July and August, with early September a strong compromise.
• Least wind — June, or late September into October.
• Walking, exploring, photographing — May and October, when the heat is manageable.
• Families with young children — June or September, avoiding the August peak and the strongest Meltemi.

Two practical notes

First, on the wind. Do not plan a fixed beach itinerary in July or August. Check the forecast each morning and let it decide whether you go north or south. The beaches divide neatly along that line.

Second, on opening periods. Mykonos businesses set their own seasons and change them. Anything you have read online about what is open in May or October, including here, should be confirmed directly before you build a trip around it.

If this is a second or third visit rather than a first, the shoulder months change what the island is good for — a returning visitor plans quite differently.