Mykonos / Mykonos Museums

The Aegean Maritime Museum is housed in a traditional Mykonian building of the 19th century, located at the center of the town of Mykonos, in the area known as "Tria Pigadia". The building was the home of the legendary Master of the merchant ship "Enosis", Nicolaos Sourmelis, who assisted the Cretans during their war of independence from the Ottoman Empire.

The museum's collections let the visitor travel through time in Greek maritime history, on the seaways of the Aegean from the ancient times to our days. Its exhibits include models of ships from the pre-minoan period down to the beginning of the 20th century, historical shipping documents, rare engravings and maps, ancient artifacts, navigational instruments, equipment and tools, as well as a collection of rare coins with nautical subjects from the 5th century B.C. to the 5th century A.D.  

The museum's library consists of more than 5,000 volumes of rare books and more recent editions and archives of manuscripts and photographs and is constantly updated to include additional archival material and new scholarship in relevant subjects.  

In the museum's garden lie reproductions of ancient marble gravestones from the islands of Mykonos and Delos, dealing with shipwrecks and sailors who were lost at sea.  

The Aegean Maritime Museum prides itself, perhaps not unjustly, for its 3 "living" historical exhibits : The "Armenistis" lighthouse, the "perama" type sailing ship "Evangelistria" and the cable-laying ship "Thalis o Milissios". The museum has rescued and restored these exhibits to operate as they were originally designed and built.

The archeological Museum of Mykonos was built at the beginning of the 20th century (on the knoll overlooking the harbor), to house findings that were brought to light by the French Archeological School that began excavations in 1898 mainly in the area of the "trench of purification", i.e. the necropolis of Rheneia. According to Thoukidides, Athenians in 426 B.C. "purified" Delos of Tombs, which were transferred along with grave offerings to the neighboring island, Rheneia.  

This Museum is regarded as unique in its particular domain, because of the representative character of it's vase collection, that covers a period from the geometrical times to the 6th century, mirroring the style and technique of pottery art in Ancient Greece.

Crowning exhibit in the relief amphora representing scenes of the Trojan war. This amphora originates from the neighboring island, Tinos, where one of the several ateliers of antiquity that manufactured relief vases was flourishing. It was found in the town of Mykonos and had been probably utilized in a burial. Furthermore there is a very rich collection of red and black figured vases made by the greatest Attic vase painters. Very significant is also the bas-relief line from the Hellenistic times (2nd-1st century B.C.) not only because of its artistic value but mainly because of its value as witness on the everyday life in Delos

In the Archeological Museum of Delos, which is situated at the archeological site of Delos, the visitors can see the archaic Kouroi, mosaics, statuettes of ivory, the complex of Voreas of Oreithea, headstones, etc.

In the entrance lobby, there is a maquette of ancient Delos. In the rooms that follow there are Kouroi and Korai, the statue of Artemis, statues of the Muses, the statue and torso of Nymphes, Horsemen and horses, aquatic birds, mythical creatures... The visitor can also see the Lions that were originally placed symmetrically along Delos avenue like custodians of the Sanctuary.

In a room of Delos' museum there is evidence of everyday life, tools, vessels, weights, scales, objects of an amorous character and erotic symbols, remains from the decoration of houses, wall paintings, mosaic floors. There are also vases, amphorae and pottery in general.

Opening hours: daily from 08.45 to 15.00. Sundays: from 09.30 to 14.30. It is closed every Monday and (Greek-Orthodox) Easter Sunday. An entrance fee is applicable

Founded in 1958 by Professor V. Kyriazopoulos, it is situated at the stone-built house of Captain Malouchos inside the Kastro area in the town of Mykonos, near Paraportiani church. The old section of the Museum has been designated a listed building. It contains collections of objects from Venice and from every corner of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea, and also important manuscripts and printed matter, photographs, maps, a significant library. In the basement lies the water-well of the last pirate Mermelecha.

The Museum takes in: 

• Room 1: It contains collections of keys and locks, hand-woven materials, painted plates, old weights and measures, traditional cycladic sculptures and a wide range of lightening devices from the ancient oil lamp to the paraffin lamp.
• Room 2: It represents a living room of the middle-class house of 19th century, containing a collection of obsidian tools and weapons.
• Room 3: It represents a 19th century bedroom.
• Room 4: It represents a 19th century kitchen.
• Room 5: It contains a collection of 19th century garments. 
• Room 6: "Mykonos and sea". Around the well of pirate Mermelecha, which is supplying water to a rigged life-sized brig of 1821 (8 meters), there is exhibited a collection of large and small traditional ships of the Aegean sea, canons and pictures that represent old Mykonian sailing boats and steamships.