View of Kato Mili, the windmills, Chora & the west coast, Mykonos

Mykonos · Chora & the west coast · Κάτω Μύλοι

Kato Mili, the windmills above Little Venice

On a low ridge above Little Venice stands the row of round, white, pointed-roofed windmills that has become the emblem of Mykonos. Most of the island's mills were built by the Venetians in the 16th century, though building went on into the early 20th, and they ground wheat, a real source of income for an island whose wind never seems to stop. They fell silent in the middle of the 20th century; today they are the most photographed silhouette in the Cyclades.

Where to stay

Venetian windmills on the 'Island of the Winds', the first thing you see from the boat

The story of Kato Mili, the windmills

Mykonos is nicknamed the Island of the Winds, and its mills were built to face north, into the meltemi that blows hardest for most of the year. There are 16 windmills on the island, seven of them on the landmark hill of Chora, all with the same round white body, pointed roof and tiny windows.

Higher up, at Ano Mili, the 16th-century Boni windmill has been restored as the Agricultural Museum, with the miller's house, a threshing floor, an oven, a winepress and a dovecote around it.

Where to stay

Where you'll wake up in Kato Mili, the windmills

Within an easy drive

Around Kato Mili, the windmills

Little Venice at dusk

Little Venice

The sunset bars right below the ridge.

Good to know

Before you go to Kato Mili, the windmills

Getting there

A short walk south through Chora from Little Venice.

When to go

Just after sunrise, before anyone else, or at sunset, with everyone else.

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