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Rinia is a charter location in Cyclades, a yacht charter area in Greece.

Island Overview

Nisos Rinia (also known as Rineia, Rhenea, Rheneia, or Rhene) is one of the smallest islands in the Greek archipelago of Cyclades. Popular for day trips, the quiet and rocky island located in the middle of emerald water is located southwest of the island of Mykonos and is separated from Delos by a narrow channel called the Delos Strait. Administratively, both Rinia and Delos are part of the municipality of Mykonos.

Renos is nicknamed ‘Megali Delos’, meaning ‘Big Delos’ or ‘Large Delos’.

A part of the northern Cyclades, Rinia is divided into two parts – south and north – delicately connected by a ‘neck’, a narrow isthmus that is more than a kilometer long and 70 meters wide. The northern part is higher at about 149 meters. This protects the island and some of its anchorages from the brutal northerlies, the meltemi.

Rinia was known to be inhabited till the 1980s but is strictly a tourist spot today with zero population (as of 2011). The island is popular among tourists for its rural landscape with healthy farms and pastures, ancient temples and churches, and beautiful meadows. Farm animals like cows, sheep, and goats can be found grazing the sites in Rinia, qualifying for a brief afternoon stop while traversing through the archipelago.

Navigation and Anchoring

Rinia is preferred as a brief stop for tourists sailing from western Mykonos and Delos. There is no tour or service boat to the island. If you plan to visit, you will need your own yacht. Plus, you cannot stay on the island due to a lack of amenities. The average voyage time from Mykonos to Kasaris, one of its ports, is 30 minutes.

Since navigation in the Cyclades is usually a matter of going east or west, tourists in chartered yachts can consider mooring at the Rinia anchorages for the sceneries and sometimes to avoid the northerlies. The islets in Chapel Bay in the north and the Ormos Miso bays provide some shelter from the meltemi.

However, Rinia is surrounded by above- and below-water rocks, mostly around Ormos Skhinou. While anchoring your yacht, use caution. Suggested anchor across bays is not more than 5 meters into the sand.

Rhenea island
A yacht moored at a Rinia anchorage | credit: aegeanislands.gr
Rheneia island water
Clear emerald water with a sandy bed in a Rinia beach | credit: aegeanislands.gr

History of Rinia

According to ancient texts written by Greek philosophers such as Strabo and Thucydides, Rinia was controlled by Polycrates, the fierce tyrant of Samos. He dedicated it to the Delian deity of Apollo and converted the southern part of the island (where anchorage South Bay lies today) into a necropolis (cemetery) of Delos. It is also said that the tyrant tied the island to Delos using a big iron chain.

Years later, this necropolis would come in handy during the great Delian Purification by the Athenians. According to the Visit Greece website, during the Persian Wars, the Athenians transferred the contents of the Delian cemetery to that of Rinia, also moving pregnant women and dying people there. This is because Delos was seen as a place of Gods, so no births or deaths were allowed on the island. As a result, Rinia was reduced to a pit where unwanted things and people were discarded to preserve the sanctity of Delos. Legend has it that the island is haunted.

Its archaeological importance lies in the findings such as burial contents (bones and funeral offerings) and ruins of temples that are today housed at the Archaeological Museum of Mykonos. They were excavated and preserved between 1898 and 1900. 

Places of Interest In and Around Rinia

Rinia is mostly made up of dry and hilly land with no standout places of interest. After its excavation for archaeology, tourists are known to make a stopover only for the kicks and for solitude. Since it is rumored to be haunted, tourists and nearby residents stroll around or follow the nature trails to look for what is left of the temple ruins and graves and sarcophagi. Farmers from neighboring Mykonos and Delos sail to the island with their cattle, and you may see some of their small hutments (farmers’ cells) there.

On the northern side, you can visit the little chapel named Church of St. George. Some of the beaches in Rinia are Skinos, Nataliotis, Ambelia, Stena, Glifada, and Ligia. Access to all of them is only possible using a private yacht.

Overnight stay at Rinia is not recommended due to a lack of facilities.

A farmer's hutment in Rinia | credit: Perikles Merakos via greece-is.com

Reasons to Visit Rhenea

At Rinia, you can expect:

  • Very quiet surroundings due to zero population
  • Secluded beaches with scenic views
  • Beautiful meadows and pastures with cattle grazing them
  • Emerald water and clean beaches
  • Ancient temple ruins and broken tombstones

Services

There are no facilities in Rinia as it is an uninhabited island. You may find a shallow water fount and some nature trails to pass time. Overnight stay is not recommended unless you have a yacht with provisions.

It can get lonely at dark in Rinia, so recommended for a quiet stay

Rinia Video Overview

The anchorages on Rinia:

Ormos Kormou Ammos
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Ormos Miso
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South Bay
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    Yachts available in Rinia

    Jacuzzi

    SADIYE HANIM

    From €19,500/week
    6 cabins
    111 ft
    Bozburun
    12 guests
    Refit: NEW !!!!!

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    Jacuzzi

    ALINA

    From €70,000/week
    5 cabins
    78 ft
    Fountaine Pajot
    10 guests
    Built: 2026

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    MOJO

    From €17,500/week
    2 cabins
    66 ft
    Princess, UK
    4 guests
    Refit: 2023
    370 Litres/Hr

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    Jacuzzi

    BASH

    From €240,000/week
    6 cabins
    183 ft
    Benetti
    12 guests
    Refit: 2018

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    18 reviews
    Jetski

    MARY

    From €17,500/week
    4 cabins
    68 ft
    Ferretti
    8 guests
    Refit: 2016
    310 Litres/Hr

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    Jacuzzi

    RIVIERA LIVING

    From €120,000/week
    5 cabins
    115 ft
    Princess
    10 guests
    Refit: 2019

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    4 reviews
    Jetski
    Jacuzzi

    SERENISSIMA III

    From €70,000/week
    5 cabins
    79 ft
    Fountaine Pajot
    10 guests
    Built: 2024
    80 Litres/Hr

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    Jetski

    DISTAR PRINCESS

    From €19,950/week
    3 cabins
    67 ft
    Princess, UK
    6 guests
    Refit: 2021-2022: re-uphols
    350 Litres/Hr

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    6 reviews
    All Included

    MERIDIAN ADVENTURE – Aegean Coast

    From €47,700/week
    4 cabins
    62 ft
    Lagoon
    8 guests
    Built: 2016

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    All Included

    Jura II

    From €85,000/week
    5 cabins
    119 ft
    Custom
    12 guests
    Refit: 2024
    50 Litres/Hr

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    Jetski
    Jacuzzi

    LAZY Z

    From €275,000/week
    6 cabins
    174 ft
    Oceanco
    12 guests
    Refit: 2025

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    Jetski

    OXYGEN 8

    From €33,000/week
    4 cabins
    78 ft
    Ferretti
    10 guests
    Refit: 2022
    550 Litres/Hr

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    Jacuzzi

    MELI

    From €54,000/week
    5 cabins
    92 ft
    Ferretti
    12 guests
    Refit: 2023

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    Jetski
    Jacuzzi

    TREEHOUSE

    From €380,000/week
    6 cabins
    194 ft
    Oceanco
    12 guests
    Refit: 2023

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    TAMARITA

    From €105,000/week
    4 cabins
    152 ft
    Perini Navi
    10 guests
    Refit: 2022
    190 Litres/Hr

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    1
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