---
node: spot_mykonos_delos
type: spot
slug: delos
destination: dest_mykonos
title: "Delos"
lead: "Delos is the uninhabited island 30 minutes by boat from Mykonos, the mythical birthplace of Apollo and one of the largest archaeological sites in Greece. Nobody has been permitted to live or die on it since a purification in 426 BCE."
published: 2026-08-12
updated: 2026-08-12
image_file: spot_mykonos_delos.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Delos_general.jpg"
image_author: "Vijinn"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 3.0"
---

## Overview

The island was the treasury of the Delian League and then a free port that handled slaves and grain for the whole Aegean; at its height 25,000 people lived on a rock you can cross in an hour. The ruins run from the Terrace of the Lions to houses with mosaic floors still in place. Everything above ground is a UNESCO site and the whole island is a museum.

## Highlights

Boats leave Mykonos in the morning and give you three to five hours; there is no accommodation and no return after the last sailing. Climb Mount Kynthos for the layout of the whole city. Bring water, a hat and sun cover — there is no shade and the site is entirely exposed.