BOAT-COMPARATOR Guide

Mykonos or Santorini: Which Cyclades Island for a Boat Rental?

Delos and Rhenia on one side, the caldera on the other: two star islands of the Cyclades, two completely different playgrounds. Anchorages, meltemi, fleet on offer — how to choose between Mykonos and Santorini.

They are the two most famous islands in the Cyclades, yet they offer two boating experiences that could hardly be more different. Mykonos opens onto a genuine island playground — Delos, Rhenia, the southern beaches — while Santorini serves up the most spectacular scenery in the Aegean, but a demanding stretch of water where anchoring has to be earned. Before deciding, here is what each island really has in store for anyone renting a boat.

Mykonos: Delos, Rhenia and the southern beaches

From the new port or Ornos, a single day's rental is enough to reach Delos, the UNESCO-listed ancient sanctuary, and above all Rhenia, its uninhabited neighbour whose pale-sand coves remain the area's genuine secret — our guide on renting a boat in Mykonos and Delos details the route. The south coast lines up beaches sheltered from the prevailing wind — Psarou, Platis Gialos, Super Paradise — all reachable by motorboat or RIB. The rental offer here is among the deepest in the Cyclades, from RIBs to crewed yachts, and our boat rental in Mykonos page compares the platforms live.

Santorini: the scenery, but a stretch of water like no other

Santorini resembles no other island: the caldera, born of the Minoan eruption, plunges straight into very deep water. The direct consequence for boaters: depths of 100 to 300 metres in the heart of the bay make free anchoring all but impossible, and most outings are day trips — a lap of the cliffs, the volcanic islets of Nea Kameni with their hot springs, Thirassia, the Red Beach — often departing from the small port of Vlychada in the south. Our guide on Santorini and its caldera by boat describes the classic loop, and our boat rental in Santorini page lists the real offer, skippered or license-free.

The meltemi, summer's referee

Both islands sit squarely in the corridor of the meltemi, the northerly wind that sweeps the Aegean in July and August — the reference climatology on the Etesian winds shows they peak precisely in this period, with spells lasting several days in a row (Tyrlis, E. & Lelieveld, J., Climatology and Dynamics of the Summer Etesian Winds over the Eastern Mediterranean, Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 2013, see the study on Google Scholar). On Mykonos it can be worked around: the south coast stays in the lee and remains sailable most days. On Santorini it accelerates along the cliffs and kicks up a noticeable chop at the caldera's exits. Either way, our Mediterranean winds guide helps read the situation — and June or September offer far gentler conditions; a study of Mediterranean island tourism seasonality confirms just how overwhelmingly Cyclades traffic piles into midsummer (Ruggieri, G. & Platania, M., Islands' Tourism Seasonality, Sustainability, 2024, see the study on Google Scholar).

License-free: both work, with caveats

Both islands offer boats accessible without a licence under the local rules, within limits set by the operators. The formula makes most sense on Mykonos, where Rhenia sits within easy motoring range; on Santorini, a license-free outing sensibly stays close to the southern shore. Our guide on license-free boating in the Cyclades compares the options island by island.

Verdict: sail or gaze

For sailing — stringing together coves, islets and beaches over a proper day at the helm — Mykonos wins clearly: more varied waters, workable anchorages, a wider fleet. For the scenery — the layered cliffs, the sunset over Oia from the water — Santorini remains unmatched, provided you accept a more supervised outing. The two combine beautifully within a one-week Cyclades itinerary starting from Paros or Naxos. Boat-Comparator queries Boataround, SamBoat and Click&Boat live across Greece to compare real prices on both islands for your dates.

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