Fokos
A wild north-east bay below the island's reservoir, with a taverna and little else.
Mykonos · Ano Mera & the east · Άνω Μερά
Ano Mera, the village in the middle of the island
About 8 km east of Chora, at roughly 100 m above the sea, Ano Mera is the Mykonos the party crowd never sees: a farming village of white houses and stone walls around a big square shaded by tavernas, protected as a traditional settlement since 1988. At its heart stands the Monastery of Panagia Tourliani, the island's patron, founded in 1542. It is also where the island's spicy kopanisti cheese is made, and the base for the quiet beaches of the east and the north-east.
The island's only other village, a monastery with a Florentine iconostasis and a square of tavernas
The story of Ano Mera
Tourliani was founded in 1542, tradition says by monks fleeing from Paros, and rebuilt between 1757 and 1767 by the hieromonk Ignatios Basoulas. Inside, the carved and gilded wooden iconostasis of 1775, made in Florence in the baroque style and over 10 m long, carries icons by Ioannis of Corfu. Its tall marble bell tower is the landmark of the village, and a small ecclesiastical museum keeps its treasures.
The monastery's great feasts fall on 15 August and, above all, on 23 August. On the first Sunday of Lent its icon is carried in procession all the way to Chora, where it stays until Lazarus Saturday, a reminder that, under the beach clubs, Mykonos is still a Cycladic island with Cycladic habits.
Where to stay
Where you'll wake up in Ano Mera
Ano Mera
Wake in the island's quiet village, far from the clubs
Koukoumi Hotel · Vegan boutique hotel · €€€€
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Luxury resort
Royal Myconian
Elia · Ano Mera & the east
A large luxury resort above Elia, one of the longest sandy beaches on the island, with its pools and spa looking down the bay.
Where to eat
Tables we love in Ano Mera
Taverna
Fokos Taverna
Fokos · The wild north
The only taverna on the remote bay of Fokos in the north-east, at the end of the road past the island's reservoir.
Grill house
Strong Rooster
Ano Mera · Ano Mera & the east
A grill house on the village square of Ano Mera, above the monastery of Tourliani. Proof that Mykonos can still be cheap: pita wraps run from about €4.50 to €6.
Organic farm & winery
Mykonos Vioma
Ano Mera · Ano Mera & the east
The Asimomytis family's organic farm and vineyard near Ano Mera, in the old vineyard of the Maou monastery, with tastings of their wines and meze.
Within an easy drive
Around Ano Mera
Kalafatis
The long east-coast beach of windsurfers, about 4 km away.
Good to know
Before you go to Ano Mera
Getting there
Buses run from the north bus station in Chora, behind Remezzo above the old port, to Ano Mera, Elia and Kalafatis. By car it is about 15 minutes.
When to go
Late morning for the monastery, then lunch on the square. On 23 August the whole island comes for the feast.
More of Mykonos
Villages you'll want to see next
Chora & the west coast
Chora (Mykonos Town)
A white maze said to have been built to confuse pirates, now confusing everyone after midnight
Chora & the west coast
Little Venice
Captains' houses built straight onto the sea, and the island's sunset ritual
Chora & the west coast
Kato Mili, the windmills
Venetian windmills on the 'Island of the Winds', the first thing you see from the boat
Fall for more of Mykonos
Every stay we recommend across Mykonos, from village guesthouses to rooms on the sea.
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