Mykonos: A Private Tour, a Hidden Cat Sanctuary, and Why Having a Plan on a Busy Port Day Changes Everything
I have been to Mykonos multiple times. I love it. And because of that, I was a little worried that a port day there on a cruise — especially on the busiest day of the month at that port — was going to feel like retreading old ground in a crowd.
It did not. It was one of the highlights of the entire trip.
The difference was a private tour with a guide named Fotis, booked through Viator the day before when I found out how busy it was going to be. Here is how the day actually went.
Getting There: Tendering into Mykonos
Mykonos is a tendering port, which means the ship anchors offshore and small boats ferry passengers to land. This is worth knowing before you go because it affects your timing in ways that docking does not — you have to follow a ticketing process on the ship typically before you can board a tender, and getting back to the ship at the end of the day means waiting in line for a tender rather than just walking up a gangway.
There had been some misinformation circulating among passengers that the ship would be docking — Mykonos has built an actual dock since I was last there a couple of years ago when tendering was the only option — but on this sailing, we tendered. Just know that going in and factor the extra time into your port day planning.
We got tender tickets early, were on one of the first boats out, and arrived in Old Town while it was still relatively quiet. The crowds came later. Being early mattered.
On a busy port day in Mykonos, getting on an early tender is worth prioritizing. The difference between arriving at 8:00 AM and arriving at 10:00 AM in terms of crowd density is significant.
Before the Tour: Empty Streets and Freddo Cappuccinos
Because we arrived early, Old Town was genuinely quiet. Empty streets, a cat or two, good light for photos. We got Freddo Cappuccinos and pastries — at this point in the trip I was ordering Freddo Cappuccinos every chance I got and had no intention of stopping — and made some cat friends on the street while we had our coffee.
It was a brief window, and it was lovely. If you are on a cruise stopping in Mykonos, get on an early tender and use the quiet morning hour before the crowds arrive.
The Private Tour with Fotis
I booked the tour through Viator the day before — an impulsive decision made as soon as I found out this was going to be the busiest day of the month at the port. It was the right call.
The tour was private, just Brian and me, with a guide named Fotis and a driver. The van had plenty of room. Fotis was warm, funny, deeply knowledgeable, and — crucially — flexible. We told him what we had done on previous Mykonos trips and he immediately pivoted the itinerary to show us things we had not seen before.
A few standout moments from the tour:
The Freddo Cappuccino Moment
I mentioned to Fotis how much I loved Freddo Cappuccinos. Without missing a beat, he told the driver to pull over, got out of the van, went into a coffee shop, and came back with more Freddo Cappuccinos for both of us. Unprompted. That is the kind of guide Fotis is.
The Spanakopita Stop
He took us to a bakery owned by a friend of his for a taste of local food. We had spanakopita — spinach and feta pastry — and it was excellent. I do not particularly like spinach, and I still loved it. Worth trying if you are in Greece and have not had it.
The Viewpoints and Local Spots
We went to a viewpoint with genuinely stunning panoramic views of the island, visited a dock area for local boat tours, and went to a beach that is popular with locals rather than tourists. Seeing the non-tourist version of Mykonos after multiple previous trips was exactly what made this day special.
The Cat Sanctuary
This was the highlight of the day, and honestly one of the highlights of the entire cruise.
Fotis mentioned he could take us to a cat sanctuary. I said yes immediately. He said we should stop at a grocery store first to pick up cat food and treats. We did.
The sanctuary has been operating since the 1990s and is tucked behind bushes — deliberately, to protect the cats from too much foot traffic. The cats live in individual small houses inside a partially enclosed structure, each with a sleeping area, litter boxes, and constant food and water. People come every day to check on them. Some cats are friendly, some are not, some were just asleep and not interested in visitors.
We sorted out which ones were social, which one was the bully, and which ones just wanted the treats and then to be left alone. I named a couple of them for myself. They probably have actual names. I do not know what they are.
This is not a place you would find on your own. You would not know it existed. Having Fotis take us there was the kind of thing that makes a private tour worth every dollar.
Fotis also took photos and videos of us throughout the day — something I did not expect and genuinely appreciated. He was also kind enough to share his contact information so I can pass it along to clients heading to Mykonos. If you are planning a trip and want a recommendation for a private guide, reach out to me.
The VAT Refund
The tour ended back in Old Town, and Fotis walked us through a shop where I was able to fill out my first VAT refund form — the one I had not managed to complete at the airport. If you are making purchases in Europe and planning to claim a VAT refund, make sure you have a plan for where and when you are doing it. Airport tax refund desks exist but require checked bags and time you may not have.
The Septum Piercing — Finally
I had tried to get my septum pierced in Chania. The shop there did not do them. I had messaged a shop in Mykonos Old Town on Instagram the night before and confirmed they could do it.
I asked Fotis about them while we were still on the tour. He knew where the shop was, walked us past it on the way out so we knew exactly where to find it later, and confirmed they seemed like a legitimate operation.
We went after the tour. The piercer was relaxed and funny. At one point, with the needle in place, he told me to moo. I mooed. The piercing happened. It was painful in a way that surprised me — more so than tattoos — and I am glad I did it.
Then I went to pay and none of my cards worked.
I tried five different cards. All declined. I knew the money was there. My body was already in fight-or-flight mode from the piercing, and adding a payment situation on top of that was not ideal. I gave him as much cash as I had and then worked through the cards again until my Apple Card finally went through for the remaining 20 or 30 euros.
Travel Tip
This won’t be the last time on a trip that card issues caused a stressful payment situation, and the Apple Card was the one that worked both times — in Mykonos and later in Colombia. More broadly: always carry cash when traveling internationally, always have multiple cards, and be especially mindful of this when you have already received a service and need to pay for it. You do not have negotiating power at that point.
Duck Bar — The Piercer's Recommendation
After the piercing, I needed a beer. The piercer pointed me across the street to a bar called Duck.
We sat there for hours. I had a ham and cheese toastie and fries, which was exactly the right food for post-piercing recovery. We had beers. We had what may have been the third or fourth Freddo Cappuccino of the day at some point.
And we became friends with our server.
She asked if we wanted to exchange Instagrams at the end of our time there because, in her words, she really liked us and thought we were cool. We exchanged. We have stayed in contact since — she sends pictures of the bar regulars and her cats, I send pictures of my cats. It is a friendship that started at a bar in Mykonos and has continued across time zones, which is one of my favorite things about travel.
Final Thoughts on Mykonos
Mykonos is expensive, busy in summer, and stunning. The people are genuinely warm. If you have been before, a private tour is the way to see it differently. If you have never been, it is worth going.
A few practical things:
Mykonos tenders — factor the extra time in. Getting on and off the ship takes longer than a docked port.
Get on an early tender. The quiet morning window before the crowds arrive is real and worth using.
Book a private tour on busy days. The difference between navigating a crowded tourist destination on your own versus having someone who knows the island handle the day is significant.
Fotis is the guide. Book through Viator or reach out to me for his contact information directly.
Carry cash and have multiple payment methods. The Apple Card worked when nothing else did, on two separate occasions in two different countries.
Duck bar is the move after anything stressful. Ham and cheese toastie, cold beer, good company.
Why Work with a Travel Advisor for Mykonos
Mykonos is one of those destinations where the difference between a great experience and a frustrating one comes down almost entirely to planning and timing. Knowing which ports need tours and which ones you can explore independently, which guides are worth the investment, and how to structure a port day so you are not spending half of it managing logistics — that is what I do.
Tour booking: I have Fotis's contact information and can connect you directly. For clients heading to Mykonos, I am already making this introduction.
Port day planning: Knowing how tendering works, how to sequence a port day, and what to prioritize with limited time on shore is part of what goes into planning a cruise itinerary properly.
Cruise planning more broadly: If you are thinking about a Greek Isles cruise and want to think through which line, which itinerary, and how to plan the port days, reach out. This is exactly the kind of thing I love helping people work through.
