The Best Nightclubs on Mykonos, Greece

A full-out beach party from 4pm each summer’s day, Tropicana lures young, high-energy groups to its bamboo-topped pavilion. Settled in, they splash out on buckets of bubbly topped with fiery sparklers and poke long straws into hollowed-out, vodka-laced watermelons. Head to Paradise Beach to join in the fun – good vibes are promised whichever day of the week you show up, and free shots are available for those bold enough to dance on stage.

Watching sightseers sip cappuccinos here by day, you’d swear this low-rise, whitewashed spot in Little Venice was a sleepy coffee shop. But once the sunset beats swell to after-dark house beats, the party here rocks on until 5.30am, with dancers on the waterfront terrace watching the moonlight bouncing on the water. Lots of revellers decamp here for a sunset drink, but if you go after 11pm, you’ll get the full hands-in-the-air experience.

This whitewashed bar – with old-school signage and a small patio – may look traditional, but in fact, it’s a hedonistic backpacker-magnet with a menu of lewdly named shots and cocktails. So lively that bouncers are required after dark, it’s all about shots, dancing and meeting new people over cigarettes on the patio – an older crowd may find it too chaotic. Go early in the evening for a chilled espresso martini but if you’re in it for the chaos, the club side gets going around midnight.

Of the handful of flashy beach clubs around Paradise Beach – in the south of the island – this all-night poolside party is arguably the slickest with big-name DJs, enormous lighting rig and booming sound system – and A-grade security. The outdoor terrace has tons of space for a breather, too. The big beats get going around 1am, but make sure you have enough stamina to stick around for sunrise, watched amid the partied-out throng on the clifftop.

Overlooking the port at Mykonos town, this cavernous, all-welcome gay bar starts early but cranks out the tunes until 4am. The inclusive vibe means you’ll find a mix of age groups and attitudes dancing under the cluster of dozens of suspended disco balls, as hits from pop divas Kylie Minogue, Lady Gaga and Britney Spears boom from the speakers. The friendly, let’s-dance spirit is contagious here – especially after a few of the house Appletinis.

A forest of fuchsia beach umbrellas heralds this raucous beach club, steps from the clear jade waters of its namesake beach. “Music’s loud, champagne’s cold” is the no-nonsense motto here, so throw yourself into the mass of bodies swaying under the enormous marquee. Glam, bikini-clad types settle in on loungers with mimosas and iced coffees from around 11am – by 4pm, the music is cranked up and shots are getting knocked back. By nightfall, it’s a mass of ravers lit up in neon, dancing to EDM and mainstream pop remixes.

Back in Mykonos town, this affordable, offbeat bar starts with punchy cocktails in a small, neon-lit space, ramping up to dancing on the bar, with kicking-out time at 5am. It’s a good spot for younger groups – hello, happy-hour prices! – and non-ravers as the music is more melodic hip-hop and R&B than glacial EDM beats. There’s not a trace of diva behaviour, and anyone who stumbles across it usually returns a couple of nights of their trip.

Flames shoot into the air behind the bar as club anthems from Avicii and David Guetta blast into the night. Not to be confused with Super Paradise, this renowned nocturnal hangout over Paradise Beach has table dancers in bikinis, big-name guest spinners, and a dancefloor with a capacity for hundreds. It’s mega-busy, but highly trained staff stay on top of the madness. Drag yourself back to its beach loungers in the morning for a hair of the dog and a large plate of chips.

A boho-hipster crowd slinks into this intimate Mykonos town cave bar after dark to get down to its mix of trippy house and EDM tracks. Strobe lighting flickers across the dense crowd of dancers, all sipping Moscow mules and premium tequilas in crochet dresses, designer kaftans and shirts unbuttoned to the navel. Come here to rub shoulders with beautiful people, while tapping into the island’s stylish, upmarket scene right in the main port.

Up in the heights behind Mykonos’s main port, you’ll find this multi-level concrete behemoth – where a vast dancefloor spreads beneath a hypnotic light installation overhead. Rather than a bar that spins tunes, this is a late-night destination for hardcore clubbers, attracting DJ talents such as Guy Gerber, Black Coffee and Nic Fanciulli. There’s a lofty VIP section that requires a big spend but all the atmosphere is on the level-one dancefloor, where you’ll be showered with balloons and confetti at the end of each euphoric set.