The Mykonos windmills, known as the Kato Mili, are a row of whitewashed 16th-century windmills standing on a low hill above Mykonos Town, one of the island’s great icons and a top sunset spot. This guide covers what they are, the history, where to find them, the Boni windmill and museum, the Island of the Winds, the best time to visit, how they fit a Chora walk and tips.
The windmills are among the most photographed sights in the Mykonos travel guide. They crown the edge of Chora. The sections below cover them in full.
What are the Mykonos windmills?
The Mykonos windmills, called Kato Mili, are a famous row of traditional whitewashed windmills with round bodies and conical roofs, standing on a low hill on the edge of Mykonos Town overlooking the sea and Little Venice. Dating from the 16th century, they are the island’s most iconic landmark.
The windmills are the defining image of Mykonos. Kato Mili, meaning the Lower Windmills, is a line of traditional Cycladic mills, cylindrical whitewashed towers topped with pointed wooden roofs that once carried cloth sails, standing in a row on a gentle hill on the southern edge of Chora. Facing the sea and the colourful houses of Little Venice across the little bay, the five most prominent of them form one of the most recognisable and photographed scenes in Greece, appearing on countless postcards and screens. Mykonos is nicknamed the Island of the Winds, and the windmills are a direct, visible legacy of that, built to harness the strong, near-constant meltemi wind. Today they no longer turn, but they have been preserved as cherished landmarks and remain the symbol of the island, set within the wider Mykonos Town. Their history runs deep.
What is the history of the windmills?
The windmills were built by the island’s Venetian rulers from the 16th century and used until the early 20th century to grind wheat and barley into flour. At their peak around 28 mills operated on Mykonos, harnessing the wind to power a thriving grain trade and the island’s famous paximadi rusks for sailors.
The windmills tell the story of Mykonos before tourism. Built by the island’s Venetian rulers from the 1500s, they harnessed the powerful, reliable meltemi wind to grind the wheat and barley brought by ships crossing the Aegean, and farmers used them right through to the early 20th century. At their height, as many as 28 windmills operated across the island, making Mykonos a busy and prosperous port of call in the Cyclades, famous above all for producing the hard rusk called paximadi, which sailors carried as a long-lasting substitute for bread on long sea voyages, a trade that brought real wealth to the island’s captains and merchants. With the arrival of steam and electric milling in the 20th century the windmills gradually fell silent, their sails stilled and their work obsolete, but rather than vanish they were preserved as monuments to that vanished economy, and they survive today as the island’s beloved emblem, set out alongside the wider history in the things to do in Mykonos. They sit in two main groups.
Where are the windmills?
The famous Kato Mili windmills stand on a low hill on the south-western edge of Mykonos Town, a short walk from Little Venice and the old harbour, overlooking the sea. A second windmill, the Boni windmill, sits nearby and houses a small agricultural museum, while a few more dot the island and its villages.
The iconic windmills are easy to reach on foot from the centre of Chora. The celebrated row of Kato Mili stands on a gentle rise on the south-western edge of Mykonos Town, just a few minutes’ walk uphill from Little Venice and the old port, in a spot that looks out over the open sea and back across the bay to the colourful waterfront houses, with benches and open ground around them where visitors gather, especially at sunset. A short distance away, on the eastern side of town, the restored Boni windmill sits above Chora as part of the Mykonos Agricultural Museum. Beyond the town, a handful of other windmills survive in villages and on hilltops across the island, including at Ano Mera, but it is the Kato Mili that draw the crowds and the cameras, perfectly placed for the famous sunset, set out alongside the guide to Little Venice. One mill is now a museum.
What is the Boni windmill and museum?
The Boni windmill is a fully restored 16th-century working windmill on a hill above Chora, run as part of the Mykonos Agricultural Museum. It shows how the mills ground grain, with original machinery and tools, and on occasion is set turning again, giving a living glimpse of the island’s traditional rural past.
While the Kato Mili are admired from outside, the Boni windmill lets you understand how these landmarks actually worked. Restored to full working order, this 16th-century mill stands on a hill just above Mykonos Town and operates as part of the open-air Mykonos Agricultural Museum, a small but charming collection devoted to the island’s farming heritage. Inside, you can see the original milling machinery, the great grindstones, the sail mechanism and the tools used to turn wheat and barley into flour, while the surrounding museum displays a traditional bread oven, a wine press, a threshing floor, a dovecote and old agricultural implements. On special occasions the mill’s sails are rigged and it is set turning in the wind once more, a rare chance to see a Cycladic windmill in action. It is a worthwhile, atmospheric stop that brings the island’s pre-tourism past to life, set out alongside the guide to things to do in Mykonos. The wind explains it all.
Why is Mykonos the Island of the Winds?
Mykonos is called the Island of the Winds because of the strong, near-constant northerly meltemi wind that sweeps the island, especially in summer. This reliable wind powered the windmills and the grain trade for centuries, and still shapes life today, cooling the heat but making the north-coast beaches breezy.
The windmills cannot be separated from the wind that built them. Mykonos earns its nickname, the Island of the Winds, from the meltemi, the strong, dry northerly that blows across the Cyclades through much of the year and especially fiercely in high summer. For the islanders of past centuries this relentless wind was a gift: it turned the sails of dozens of windmills day after day, grinding the grain that fed the island and its passing ships and underpinning the lucrative paximadi trade, making Mykonos prosperous despite its barren soil. The same wind still defines the island today, cooling the summer heat and delighting windsurfers on the north coast, while occasionally whipping up choppy seas and disrupting ferries. The windmills stand as a monument to this enduring relationship between Mykonos and its wind, set out alongside the guide to the best time to visit Mykonos. Sunset is the magic hour.
When is the best time to visit?
The best time to visit the windmills is at sunset, when the golden light makes the white mills glow and the sea behind turns to colour, the island’s classic sunset scene. Early morning is best for crowd-free photographs, while midday gives the bright white-against-blue Cycladic look. Go early or late to avoid the crowds.
Timing transforms a visit to the windmills. They are most magical at sunset, when the warm, golden light bathes the white mills and the sea beyond glows with colour, and the open ground around them draws crowds each evening for one of the best sunset views in Mykonos, usually paired with drinks afterwards in nearby Little Venice just below. For clean, people-free photographs, come early in the morning when the area is quiet and the light is soft, while the harsh midday sun gives the dazzling white-walls-against-deep-blue-sky look the Cyclades are famous for. Because the windmills sit right beside Little Venice and the old town, they slot effortlessly into an evening stroll through Chora, and you do not need long, ten or fifteen minutes is enough to enjoy and photograph them, though many linger for the sunset, set out alongside the guides to a Mykonos itinerary and the best time to visit. They anchor a Chora walk.
How do the windmills fit a Chora walk?
The windmills sit at the heart of a Chora sunset walk, a few minutes from Little Venice, the Panagia Paraportiani church and the old town lanes. A classic route wanders the maze of Chora, sees the church, watches the sunset from the windmills, then heads down for drinks and dinner in Little Venice below.
The windmills are perfectly placed to anchor an evening exploring Chora, as the island’s most famous sights are all clustered together on the western side of town. A wonderful, easy route starts by wandering the whitewashed maze of the old town and the chic Matoyianni shopping street, pausing at the extraordinary five-in-one Panagia Paraportiani church on the way to the waterfront. As the day cools, climb the gentle hill to the row of windmills to watch the sun sink into the sea, the classic Mykonos sunset, before strolling down the few steps to Little Venice for cocktails on a seafront terrace and dinner in the lanes as the town comes alive. This compact, scenic circuit, taking in the windmills, the church, the sunset and the bars in a single evening, is one of the great pleasures of a Mykonos stay, set out alongside the guides to Little Venice and Mykonos Town. A few tips help.
What tips help for visiting the windmills?
The tips are to come at sunset for the atmosphere or early morning for crowd-free photos, to arrive a little before sunset as the area fills, to combine the windmills with Little Venice and the old town, and to bring a layer, as the hilltop is breezy. The spot is free and open at all hours.
Visiting the windmills is simple and free, but a few pointers make it better. For the famous sunset atmosphere, arrive a little before the sun goes down to find a good spot on the open ground, as the area fills with people each evening in summer; for clean, peaceful photographs, come instead in the early morning when it is quiet. The windmills sit on an exposed rise, so even on a hot day the meltemi can make it breezy, and a light layer is welcome for an evening visit. Build the stop into a wider Chora walk taking in Little Venice, the Paraportiani church and the old town, rather than making a special trip just for the mills, since they take only minutes to enjoy. There is no entry fee or opening time for the Kato Mili, though the Boni windmill museum keeps set hours, set out alongside the guides to the best time to visit and a Mykonos itinerary. One more point is worth knowing.
Are the windmills still working?
The famous Kato Mili windmills no longer work, their sails stilled since the early 20th century when steam and electric milling replaced them. They are preserved as landmarks rather than functioning mills. The restored Boni windmill at the Agricultural Museum, however, is set turning again on occasion to demonstrate how they once operated.
The iconic row of windmills on the edge of Chora stopped grinding grain long ago. Once there were as many as 28 working mills across the island, but with the arrival of mechanised milling in the early 20th century they fell silent one by one, their cloth sails removed and their machinery retired, and today the Kato Mili stand as cherished, purely decorative monuments to that vanished way of life rather than working mills. They are not open to enter, but are admired and photographed from outside. The one place you can see a Mykonos windmill in action is the restored Boni windmill, run as part of the open-air Agricultural Museum above the town, which preserves its original milling mechanism and is occasionally rigged with sails and set turning in the wind for demonstrations, offering a rare living glimpse of how these landmarks worked, set out alongside the guide to things to do in Mykonos. The questions below cover the points travellers ask most.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Mykonos windmills?
The Mykonos windmills, called Kato Mili, are a famous row of whitewashed 16th-century windmills on a low hill above Mykonos Town, overlooking the sea and Little Venice. The island’s most iconic landmark, they once harnessed the strong winds to grind grain into flour.
Why does Mykonos have windmills?
Mykonos has windmills because the island’s powerful, near-constant meltemi wind was used to grind wheat and barley into flour. Built by the Venetians from the 16th century, around 28 once operated, powering a thriving grain trade and the paximadi rusks that sailors carried on long voyages.
Where are the windmills in Mykonos?
The famous Kato Mili windmills stand on a low hill on the south-western edge of Mykonos Town, a short walk uphill from Little Venice and the old harbour, overlooking the sea. The restored Boni windmill nearby houses a small agricultural museum, and a few more dot the island.