Hedonistic travelers need not worry: There’s oodles in the way of nightlife in Mykonos Town. This is the capital and main hub of one of the most happening and vibrant of the Cyclades islands, after all. It’s got more chic cocktail bars, sunset viewing drinkeries, elegant eateries, and shoreline tavernas than you could possibly need in a single trip.
It’s true that much of the after-dark activity in Mykonos happens in the beach resorts. Places like Paradise Beach and Psarrou and Agios Ioannis are all pumping throughout the summer months. There are shindigs right on the sand in those locations, with famous DJs spinning tunes until late on. But Mykonos Town is one of the hottest spots to party, too, with chilled lounges in Little Venice backed up by some uber-slick dance venues that people return to after hitting the sands.
This guide to the nightlife in Mykonos Town will run through all of the best locations and bars in the island’s capital. It will reveal the places to see and be seen, whittling the selection down to just seven of the very finest. Ready? Let’s party…
Table of Contents
Skandinavian Bar
Simply put – no self-respecting guide to the nightlife in Mykonos Town could possibly miss out on Skandinavian Bar. A veritable legend of the island’s after-dark scene, it’s not only one of the top spots for a party on this island. It’s one of the top spots for a party in the whole of Greece! Yep, there’s a history of over 40 years here, and anyone looking for a quick intro to what the bumping hedonism in Mykonos is really like should be sure to make a beeline for it straight away.
Set over a trio of rooms and spilling out onto its very own courtyard patio, Skandinavian is usually packed to the rafters by 10pm. There’s dancing on the podiums in the main DJ room upstairs. There are chilled seating areas where you can sip an ouzo and watch the world go by. And there are al fresco spaces where folk gather to chat about the island and its sparkling beaches.
Skandinavian Bar stays open until at least 5am every night, so you don’t have to worry about running out of reveling rime. The bars (there’s two of them) serve some of the most-affordable cocktails in the whole of Mykonos Town, along with Greek and international beers.
BAO’s
BAO’s takes its inspiration from a swashbuckling pirate that once defended the island of Mykonos against the Turks. So, it’s a self-proclaimed rebellious bar that likes to do things a little differently. Cue a quirky mashup of hanging candle lanterns, Greek fishing cottage vibes, and pastel-colored upholstery inside, along with a drinks menu that’s forever pushing the boundaries – frozen daquiri with a drizzle of mango juice, anyone?
Location wise, this one’s smack dab in the heart of the nightlife in Mykonos Town. You’ll find it spilling onto the narrow stone walkways that line the area known as Little Venice. That means the Aegean Sea is never more than a few meters away, the sunset views are nothing short of eye-watering, and the sound of the waves can be heard between the chill hop tracks.
Although BAO’s is pretty relaxed throughout the afternoon and early evening, it will fill up for sunset. The biggest crowds tend to come for around 10pm, though. They fill the main bar area with energy and chatter and ensure the revelry keeps going until well past midnight.
Scarpa
Coffee bar by day, dance mecca by night, Scarpa is one of the mainstays of the Little Venice area. It’s been going for over four decades, so they must be doing something right, especially as the crowds still brim from every nook and cranny throughout the high season. It’s not a big place. In fact, it’s downright compact. But size really doesn’t matter when you have a cocktail list like that…
Watermelon daquiris, pineapple infusions, coffee-topped liquor mixes – there’s all sorts on offer here. They’re offered alongside a range of classic tipples, like Long Island iced teas, margaritas, and Pisco sours. You’ll also find plenty of colorful shot options going at Scarpa, just in case you’re looking to put some rocket boosters on the imbibing.
The atmosphere here changes quite considerably throughout the day. In the morning, there are travelers munching on hearty Greek breakfasts in an effort to stave off the hangover. In the evening, people settle in for crisp island wines and the sunset. Then the DJs strike up and things get wild. They get wild until the sun rises again, in fact!
Galleraki
Capping off the run of uber-romantic drinking spots that haloes along the edge of the Aegean at Little Venice, Galleraki has to have one of the finest locations of all the nightlife spots in Mykonos Town. It looks positively charming from the outside, with timber-built balconies protruding out from whitewashed walls and blue-painted shutters. Go inside and the feels continue, with crooked walls of pure alabaster enfolding pint-sized bar spaces strewn in strange nautical gear. It’s all very unique.
The piece de resistance of Galleraki has to be the cocktail offering. Specialty in-house creations include the Galleraki Special (a fresh fruit hit packed with white and black rum), the Mad Melon (a melon-based refresher with a vodka base), and the Alegria (a tropical combo of cachaca, lime juice, and vanilla). You can pick those or go for something more vintage – the mixers make a mean gin fizz, too.
The folk here have strung together a curated playlist that aims to channel the chillax-to-the-max atmosphere of Mykonos as a whole. It’s been done in collaboration with Gravity Recordings and some of the island’s best-known DJs. Settle in and enjoy those funky beats on the outside terrace and you won’t be disappointed!
Jackie O’
Don’t confuse the Jackie O’ Bar in Mykonos Town with the namesake venue down on Super Paradise Beach. The latter is one of the hippest hangout spots on the south shoreline, offering an all-in-one party complex complete with shopping boutiques and a swimming pool. The former is an offshoot of that, flying the flag for the Jackie O’ name in the midst of the island capital.
Styled like a Tatooine adobe hut, the interiors look like they’ve been plucked from some sort of psychedelic vision of the Mexican deserts. The walls shimmer in whitewash, punctuated now and then with dangling seagrasses and sepia-tone pictures of Ms Onassis herself. Out front is a gorgeous patio with views across the jetties.
Jackie O’ is considered to be one of the finest LGBTQ+ venues in the whole of Mykonos Town – that’s saying something, too, because there are A LOT! As such, expect a nightly drag act and a very welcoming crowd.
Lola
Tucked deep into the winding, wiggling alleys that make up the middle of Mykonos Town, Lola is a jazzy little number that promises a color-filled night out. Yep, the walls here are painted thick with bold magenta and pink hues. The bars are decorated with frilly lights that dangle from dark-wood rafters dashed in purple. What’s more, every corner and crevice is filled with an intriguing antique, be it a brass candelabra, a dusty gramophone, or a gilded mirror that looks lifted straight from a bordello.
Lola is a LGBTQ+ bar at heart but everyone’s welcome. They serve up cocktails of all shapes and sizes, fizzy wines, and cold beer, along with some particularly fruity mixes made from passionfruit, cherry juice, lime, and the like. Just ask behind the bar for one of the Lola specials if you’re feeling adventurous.
There’s a small outdoor area at Lola, but most of the drinking and partying is done inside in the tight-knit dancefloor and bar space. Opening times are typically from the early evening until the early hours, with the main crowds arriving after sunset and before midnight most nights. You can get in easily from Little Venice – the walk’s a mere one minute, no more.
180° Sunset Bar
As the name implies, 180° Sunset Bar is up there with the crème-de-la-crème of evening-hour drinking holes in Mykonos Town. It’s perched up on the dusty scrub hills just behind the island capital, opening onto a wide, stepped terrace that spreads over multiple levels. From that, you’ll enjoy some of the finest panoramas around…
They stretch south to take in the white-painted Venetian windmills and go north to encompass the bobbing boats in the new marina. Right below, you can see the Old Port, where many of the other bars on this list will start to come alive with revelers as the sun dips low.
180° Sunset Bar is a fully-fledged night out if you want it to be. Find yourself a plot in the Moroccan-themed outside, on the string seats or low-rise cushion pads. From there, you can order all sorts of dishes, ranging from veggie tacos to avocado salads. The drinks menus are also formidably extensive, including mocktails with coffee infusions and salty margaritas and oodles of local Greek wines besides.
The verdict on the nightlife In Mykonos Town
The nightlife in Mykonos Town is the best nightlife on the whole island. There might be some beaches that are known for their mega clubs and DJ shindigs, but there’s nowhere that can match the sheer variety of venues on offer here. From quirky gay bars with their own in-house drag shows to romantic cocktail spots on the Aegean, you’ve got loads and loads to get through!
Does Mykonos have good nightlife?
Mykonos has an awesome nightlife. The island is considered one of the party meccas of the Greek islands, although the scene is a bit more refined than in 18-30s resorts like Malia on Crete or Faliraki in Rhodes. Here, it’s about chic beach lounges, elegant cocktail joints, and boho clubs that attract big-name DJs in the same style of Ibiza.
Where in Mykonos is the nightlife?
The nightlife in Mykonos is mainly focused on the southwest coastline of the island. The main party spots are Paradise Beach and Super Paradise Beach, which have cave clubs and beach bars that are truly epic. The parties in those start around 4.30pm, so most people will return to Mykonos Town to hit the clubs by around 11pm.
Is there a strip in Mykonos?
There’s not really a central strip for nightlife in Mykonos Town. There is an area of sunset drinkeries and tavernas known as Little Venice that gets very popular at the golden hour. After that, partiers will move into the heart of the town to seek out places like Skandinavian Bar and BAO’s, or stick to the Old Port for clubs like Jackie O’.
