Last updated: September 2026
A one-way charter from Athens to Mykonos covers about 125 nautical miles of the northern Cyclades in seven days, plus short local runs on the last day, and it finishes in Mykonos with no day spent sailing back. The route runs Lavrion, Kea, Syros, Andros, Tinos, Delos and Rinia, on a typical seven-night charter with hand-back in Mykonos on the morning after Day 7 (days and times vary by yacht, so confirm them before booking flights), and it suits a crewed motor yacht well. A sailing catamaran does the same week at a slower pace, and the notes headed “on a motor yacht” show where a faster boat changes the plan.
Distances are approximate sea-route figures, mostly rounded to the nearest 5 nautical miles (the Syros to Tinos fallback is about 12nm), and the captain’s route may be a little longer. Passage times assume 16 knots for a motor yacht and 7 knots for a catamaran, the speeds our Sporades yacht charter guide uses; a yacht cruising at 10 knots takes about 60% longer. The meltemi, the summer north wind, is most frequent in the Cyclades from mid-July to mid-August, and the days below say which legs it affects (see how the meltemi behaves in Greece).
It stays in the north, unlike our Athens to Santorini loop (south, back to Athens) and The Scenic Route to Mykonos (southern Cyclades). Fleet rates below are list rates read on 30 September 2026.
The route at a glance
Day 1 – Lavrion to Kea (about 15nm)
Midday: boarding near Athens
Yachts start from the Athens area, and your broker confirms the boarding port for the yacht you choose. Lavrion is about 15nm from Kea. From Alimos, on the other side of Attica, the run goes round Cape Sounion and is about 35nm, so Alimos adds about 20nm to the first day. Alimos to Lavrion is about 25nm by sea.
Afternoon: out to Kea
Kea is one of the most practical first stops from Athens. It is close enough that the first day is short, which leaves room to settle in. Its best-known yacht-side village is Vourkari, the place to eat and to walk along the waterfront.
Evening: Vourkari
The captain picks the final position according to wind and berth availability, and dinner is ashore or on board. Ioulida, the inland Chora of Kea, is a good village walk the next morning if the group wants one.
Day 1 on a motor yacht
Lavrion to Kea is under an hour at 16 knots, so a motor yacht can board after lunch. A motor yacht can also start from Alimos: about 35nm is a little over two hours, while a catamaran needs about five hours for the same run, which is why we would start a catamaran from Lavrion.
Day 1: don’t miss
- Vourkari’s waterfront at dusk
- Ioulida, the old inland village
- Spathi beach or Koundouros, if the captain’s anchorage allows
Day 2 – Kea to Syros (about 35nm)
Morning: a swim at Kea
Take the morning at anchor before you leave. Spathi beach and Koundouros are the bays our Kea guide names, and the captain chooses between them for the wind.
Afternoon: Ermoupoli
The crossing to Syros is about 35nm, the longest leg of the week. Ermoupoli became an important commercial and shipbuilding centre in the 19th century, and it still shows in its neoclassical mansions, marble squares and the scale of Miaouli Square. See the Town Hall, the Apollo Theater and the Vaporia quarter, then climb to Ano Syros for old lanes and the Catholic Cathedral of Saint George.
Evening: a proper town evening
Syros is the cultural counterpoint to Mykonos, and its loukoumi is the local sweet to try. The yacht lies either at Ermoupoli or at Finikas, a practical sheltered alternative on the south-west coast, and the captain decides on the day by wind and berths.
Day 2 on a motor yacht
At 16 knots the crossing takes a little over two hours, against about five on a catamaran, and three to four hours at a slower 10 to 12 knot cruise. A motor yacht can stay at Kea for lunch and still be in Ermoupoli for the afternoon. The leg runs east and south-east, so a north wind is behind or beside you.
Day 2: don’t miss
- Miaouli Square and the Town Hall in Ermoupoli
- Ano Syros and the Cathedral of Saint George
- Syros loukoumi
Day 3 – Syros to Andros (about 30nm)
Morning: north to Andros
Andros is green and mountainous, with fewer crowds than the headline islands, and it is the stop that most separates this route from the usual Mykonos and Santorini sprint. The passage north is about 30nm. Because the meltemi blows from the north, this is the leg most likely to be uncomfortable from mid-July to mid-August, so run it early in the day then. If the forecast is poor, the captain can go from Syros straight to Tinos, about 12nm, and skip Andros. The spare day then goes on an extra night at Syros or Tinos, or on moving Delos and Rinia a day earlier and ending with an extra day in Mykonos.
Afternoon: Gavrio
Gavrio is the port our Andros guide names for a yacht, and the overnight position depends on the forecast, since Andros is more exposed than the Saronic or the Ionian; the captain may prefer a different bay if the wind is wrong for it.
Evening: dinner ashore, and Chora by car next morning
Chora, the main town, has neoclassical houses, museums and sea views, and the Tourlitis lighthouse is another Andros landmark. Chora is on the other side of the island from Gavrio, so it is a car trip. Ask the crew to arrange it for the morning before you sail to Tinos, and allow time for it: a catamaran needs about 4.3 hours for the crossing, so leaving after a morning car trip puts it in Tinos in the late afternoon and it should skip the trip. If you take the trip, it comes first on Day 4 and the crossing follows. Menites, a green village inland, shows Andros away from the coast, and Tis Grias to Pidima is a dramatic beach known for its rock formation, if the captain can anchor off it.
Day 3 on a motor yacht
About 30nm is under two hours at 16 knots, against more than four hours on a catamaran at 7 knots. In June or September a motor yacht can leave Syros after a late breakfast and reach Gavrio with the afternoon free; in a strong forecast the captain may choose an early departure.
Day 3: don’t miss
- Chora and its museums, by car on the morning of Day 4
- Tourlitis lighthouse
- Tis Grias to Pidima beach, if the anchorage allows
Day 4 – Andros to Tinos (about 30nm)
Morning: across to Tinos
The run to Tinos is about 30nm. Tinos is one of Greece’s most important pilgrimage islands, and it sits in the same broad Cyclades weather system as Mykonos, so the forecast matters here in a strong meltemi. The captain chooses the practical harbour or bay for the night.
Afternoon: Tinos Town
The Panagia Megalochari church is the island’s best-known landmark and the centre of the pilgrimage. Pyrgos is known for its marble craft, and Volax is an unusual inland village surrounded by rounded granite boulders. Both are inland, so ask the crew to arrange a car or taxi from the port.
Evening: dinner in Tinos Town
Tinos is known for its villages and food, and the evening is a walk along the harbour front followed by dinner. Agios Fokas is a practical beach area close to the town for an early swim.
Day 4 on a motor yacht
About 30nm is under two hours at 16 knots, so a motor yacht can take the Chora car trip in the morning and cross in the afternoon, or cross first if the wind is forecast to rise. A catamaran needs more than four hours.
Day 4: don’t miss
- Panagia Megalochari church
- Pyrgos, the marble village
- The Tarambados dovecotes
Day 5 – Tinos to Rinia (about 10nm)
Morning: leaving Tinos
The run to Rinia is about 10nm. Rinia is a swim stop rather than a full-service island: clear water, a quiet coastline and no town ashore. It sits next to Delos, which is the next morning’s visit.
Afternoon: South Bay
South Bay, on the southern edge of Rinia, is the most isolated anchorage on the island, with good shelter from the northerlies and a sandy bottom in shallow water near the head of the bay. Delos is about a kilometre from its coast.
Evening: a night at Rinia, weather permitting
South Bay is open to the southerlies, reefs are scattered nearby and there are no facilities, so Rinia is not a guaranteed overnight in every wind. If the forecast is wrong for it, the captain moves the night to Mykonos, only a few miles away, and the Delos visit on Day 6 is arranged from there.
Day 5 on a motor yacht
The leg from Tinos is about 10nm, under 40 minutes at 16 knots and about an hour and a half on a catamaran, so the morning is free and a motor yacht can leave after a late breakfast.
Day 5: don’t miss
- A swim in the clear water off Rinia
- Sunset at anchor in South Bay
Day 6 – Delos, then Rinia to Mykonos (about 5nm)
Morning: Delos, early
Delos was one of the most sacred islands of the ancient Greek world, associated with Apollo and Artemis, and the whole island is an archaeological site. The Avenue of the Lions, the Sanctuary of Apollo and the House of Dionysus, known for its mosaics, are the highlights.
Delos is a day visit, not an overnight stop. Camping and overnight stays are prohibited according to published visitor information, and one sailing guide says a yacht may not anchor off Delos and land unsupervised and recommends a guide. So the yacht stays off Rinia or Mykonos and you go ashore early, before the day-trip crowds build. One ferry-booking site lists summer hours of 8:00 to 20:00, but the hours change by season, so your broker confirms how you get across (by tender or an excursion boat), who books the guide, any ticketing and the hours for your dates when you book.
Lunch: at anchor
After Delos, lunch is at anchor off Rinia or in Mykonos, as the wind allows.
Afternoon: the south coast of Mykonos
The hop to Mykonos is only about 5nm. The south coast is the usual place to lie. Ornos is the usual Mykonos anchorage: it sits in the lee of the meltemi in 5 to 10 metres of water. Psarou, the next cove east, is where the biggest yachts lie in high season, and Platis Gialos, two coves along, is calmer.
Evening: Scorpios, or Little Venice
For a beach club on the Paraga side, such as Scorpios, the captain chooses the anchorage. Check that the club is open for your dates and ask the crew to book ahead. In town, Little Venice and the Old Port waterfront are about 10 minutes by road from Ornos, according to our nightlife guide. Our Mykonos nightlife from a yacht guide has the anchorages, the venues and the return plan.
Day 6 on a motor yacht
According to our nightlife guide, the Old Port quay in Mykonos Town takes motor yachts over 25 metres by booking and does not take sailing yachts, and arrivals are accepted between noon and sunset; your broker confirms the current berth rules. Many yachts still choose Ornos for the night, because the town quays are on the open west coast and are more exposed. A catamaran cannot use the Old Port quay; Tourlos, the New Port, is the alternative for boats under 25 metres.
Day 6: don’t miss
- The Avenue of the Lions on Delos
- A beach club sunset on the Paraga side, if it is open in season
- Little Venice at night
Day 7 – Mykonos’s south coast and hand-back (local runs only)
Morning: breakfast and a swim
The bays on the south coast are at their calmest early. Swim off the platform before breakfast, then decide with the captain whether to stay at Ornos or move to Psarou or Platis Gialos for a last lunch at anchor.
Hand-back the next morning
On the seven-night shape we plan around, Day 7 is the last full day, the seventh night is on board and hand-back is the next morning. Where you step ashore is agreed with the captain in advance: by tender from Ornos, at the Old Port quay if the yacht is over 25 metres and has booked it (arrivals are accepted from noon to sunset, so the yacht moves there on the Day 7 afternoon), or at Tourlos, the New Port, for boats under 25 metres. If the wind is up, the captain can hand back at Ornos by tender or car instead. The disembarkation time varies by yacht, so ask your broker before you book flights. The charter ends here, so there is no sail back to Athens.
Day 7: don’t miss
- A last swim before breakfast
- Lunch at anchor in Psarou or Platis Gialos
- A last walk through Little Venice before you leave
What is the one-way fee on an Athens to Mykonos yacht charter?
There is no standard figure: as our round trip vs one-way guide explains, a one-way charter carries a fee on top of the weekly rate, and it is set per yacht in your quote. It covers delivery costs and crew logistics that a round trip avoids. On a round trip the fuel for the return is already inside the APA. The return from Mykonos to Lavrion is about 65nm, roughly four hours for a motor yacht at 16 knots and more than nine hours for a catamaran at 7 knots, so a one-way route saves a catamaran far more than it saves a motor yacht. Ask the broker which yachts can finish in Mykonos and what the fee is for each, and compare them on the weekly rate plus the fee.
Only boats that can finish in Mykonos are open to a one-way charter, so the choice of yachts is narrower than for a round trip. We recommend one-way when it saves meaningful transit time, and the Cyclades are where that is most often true: Athens to Mykonos is already a real leg, and finishing in the islands means you never spend the last day on a positioning run. The trade-off is a fixed handover and less room to reshape the week if the weather turns. Our guide Should You Book a Round-Trip or One-Way Yacht Charter in Greece? goes through the choice area by area, and the Athens yacht charter page and Cyclades yacht charter page are the place to start looking at boats.
Which yacht suits this route?
A crewed motor yacht is our first suggestion: the long legs are about two hours at 16 knots, the tender and swim platform do the work at Rinia and Mykonos, and a motor yacht over 25 metres can book the Old Port quay. For a bigger crew and more space, see our luxury yachts and 30m+ superyacht charters in Greece, and the 10 best motor yachts for a Mykonos and Santorini charter. A catamaran is the alternative: it does the route too, but the crossings to Syros, Andros and Tinos each take more than four hours, and it cannot lie at the Old Port quay.
These are season list-rate medians from the mygreekcharter.com fleet as read on 30 September 2026 (2027 season list rates for April to September, and the latest published rate for October), and they cover Greece-based yachts as a whole, not this route alone. Across about 230 crewed motor yachts the median base rate is €45,000 to €45,500 per week in April, May and October and €55,000 per week from June to September. Across about 105 to 122 sailing catamarans the median is €18,500 per week in October, €22,000 in June and September and €24,200 in July and August. These are weekly base rates before VAT, APA and gratuity, they do not include a one-way fee, and they cover yachts of all sizes, so treat them as an orientation and ask us for the rate of a specific yacht. See our Greece charter prices and weather by month guide for the month-by-month detail.
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