Experiences
Mykonos Beach Clubs: Which Ones Are Actually Worth It
Nobody publishes the number, so everyone finds out at the end of lunch. Here is how Mykonos beach clubs actually work, and which are worth a day of your week.
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How the money actually works#
The confusion is structural. A Mykonos beach club is a restaurant that happens to own the sand in front of it, and the sunbeds are not really the product - they are the table.
In practice that means:
Front row is allocated, not sold. You reserve, you are placed, and a minimum spend attaches to the position. The closer to the water and the more central, the higher the floor.
The floor is per bed-pair, not per person, and it is spent on food and drink. You are not paying to sit; you are committing to consume.
It is rarely published. You find it out when you enquire, and the number moves with the month, the day and how full they are.
None of this is a scam. It is how a finite strip of famous sand is rationed. But it catches first-timers, who assume a sunbed has a sunbed price.
The clubs, ranked by whether we would spend a day there#
Mykonos beach clubs
Scorpios
Paraga - south coast, sheltered
The one that changed the format. Less a beach club than a built environment - driftwood, rope, a long communal table, a sunset ritual with live percussion that genuinely stops the terrace. The music programming is the best on the island and the food is more considered than the scene suggests.
Nammos
Psarou - south coast, sheltered
The most famous beach club in Greece and the reason Psarou prices what it does. Superyacht tenders at the water's edge, a boutique behind, and a lunch service that runs into a party. You are paying for the address and the spectacle, and the spectacle is real.
SantAnna
Paraga - south coast, sheltered
Built around an enormous saltwater pool with an amphitheatre of beds around it. The most produced of the lot - big shows, big sound, big capacity. Less intimate than Scorpios next door, and better if a pool matters more than the sea.
Principote
Panormos - north coast, EXPOSED
A long white colonnade on a beautiful north-coast bay, with a serious kitchen and a late-afternoon scene. Genuinely lovely on a still day. In a strong meltemi it is sand in the food and shouting over the wind - check the forecast before committing.
Alemagou
Ftelia - north coast, EXPOSED
The most relaxed of the names, on a wide windswept bay that is a windsurfing beach for a reason. Bamboo, low tables, excellent Greek cooking and a far gentler register than the south coast. Same wind caveat, doubled.
Jackie O' Beach
Super Paradise - south coast, sheltered
The island's long-standing LGBTQ+ institution and one of the most genuinely fun afternoons in Mykonos, with drag performances, a pool and a crowd that is there to enjoy itself rather than be photographed. Everyone is welcome and most people end up staying longer than planned.
South coast or north coast
| South coast clubs | North coast clubs | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Psarou, Paraga, Super Paradise, Platis Gialos | Panormos, Ftelia, Agios Sostis |
| In a meltemi | Calm and usable all summer | Exposed - sand, chop and noise |
| Scene | Denser, louder, more produced | More relaxed, more local, better food |
| Getting there | Road or sea taxi from Platis Gialos | Road only, and you need a car |
| Spend | Highest on the island | Noticeably lower |
| Best for | Guaranteed conditions and the full spectacle | A still day, a hire car and lower expectations of production |
Our callIn July and August, book the south coast and treat the north as an opportunistic day when the wind drops. In June or late September the north coast is frequently the better half of the island - quieter, cheaper and prettier.
Reserving without friction#
How to do it properly
Message the club directly, weeks ahead
Most take reservations by WhatsApp or email and answer quickly. For August, several weeks ahead is not early. Give your date, party size, and ask the three questions above.
Choose lunch or sunset, not both
Most clubs run a lunch service that drifts into an afternoon set, then wind down. Arriving around one and leaving at seven is the full arc. Trying to add a late dinner in town afterwards is how people lose a day of the trip.
Arrive by sea where you can
Small boats run along the south coast between Platis Gialos, Paraga, Paradise and Super Paradise. Faster than the road in August, more pleasant, and no parking problem. A private boat for the day reaches the north coast beaches with no road at all. Day boats in Mykonos.
Sort the transfer before you drink
Taxis on Mykonos are famously scarce and leaving a south-coast beach at seven on an August evening without a plan is a long wait. Book the return as well as the outbound. Pre-book transfers.
Is any of it worth it?#
Honestly: one day, yes. A week of it, no.
The Mykonos beach club is a genuinely distinctive thing - a specific combination of music, light, sea and money that does not exist in quite this form anywhere else, and Scorpios at sunset earns its reputation. Doing it once, properly, with the spend understood in advance, is a good day.
Doing it four days running is expensive, repetitive, and means you will leave the island having seen almost none of it. The same week could include Delos at eight in the morning, a boat to the north coast, lunch at Kiki's, and an evening walking the lanes of Chora - none of which require a minimum spend.
The clubs are the loudest part of Mykonos, which is why visitors assume they are the island. They are about four kilometres of it.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a beach club in Mykonos cost?
Front-row positions at the famous clubs carry a minimum spend that typically runs to three figures per bed pair before drinks of any ambition, and the number varies by row, date and club. Back rows and the north-coast clubs are considerably less. Ask the club directly for your date - nothing is published.
Which is the best beach club in Mykonos?
Scorpios at Paraga, for most people - the best music, the best setting and a sunset that is genuinely a moment rather than a marketing line. Nammos if the scene itself is what you came for. Jackie O' for the most fun per euro.
Do you need to book a Mykonos beach club in advance?
In July and August, yes, several weeks ahead for a good position. In June and late September you can often walk in, particularly midweek.
Are Mykonos beach clubs open at night?
Mostly not in the way people expect. They are day venues that build through the afternoon and wind down in the early evening, when the island's nightlife moves into Chora. A few run occasional late events - check the club's own programme.
Which Mykonos beaches are free?
Every beach in Greece has a public right of way and a free portion; the organised rows are a concession on part of it. Agios Sostis has no organised beds at all. At the famous beaches the free stretch is small and fills early.
Where should I stay to be near the beach clubs?
Paraga and Psarou put you within walking distance of Scorpios, SantAnna and Nammos. Our Mykonos accommodation guide sets out the trade-offs between that and staying in town.
The short version#
Pick one club, ask what the minimum spend is before you commit, and check the wind if it is on the north coast.
Then spend the rest of the week on the parts of Mykonos that do not have a door policy. They are the reason people keep coming back.
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