What to bring to Greece in September
 

My husband and I will be traveling to Greece the first two weeks in September. We will be visiting Athens, Mykonos and Santorini. First I am wondering how to pronounce "Mykonos" is it Mick onos or My konos? We will be visiting the Parthenon, Agia Kyriaki,and the island of Delos and we are hoping to do some swimming. I have heard that water shoes are needed for swimming and I want to confirm whether this is true. I do plan to bring a sarong and a Lululemon vinyaysa scarf. Is it OK to bring jeans? I have read conflicting advice. The pair I plan to bring is in a dark wash (so they are almost black). I also plan to bring a maxi skirt and wedge sandals along with some Ekko Arizona shoes. Also, should I bring t-shirts or tank tops? I read a few other threads and it looked like people wanted a fair amount of information on what and where people were going. So hopefully this helps! I will check back in a day or so.

It's Mickonos with all vowels short and clear ("o" like in "shop") and emphasis on "Mick".

Mykonos has beautiful sandy beaches (as most beaches in Greece), so you do not need water shoes.

Jeans might be a little warm in September. Most people will wear shorts or very lightweight chinos. When you visit a museum in Athens, you might feel comfortable with a T-shirt, but a tank top will be okay. Greece is very relaxed when it comes to clothing, almost as relaxed as dealing with loans. On Mykonos, many people wear nothing at all.

Look forward to your trip to Greece - I will be there in September too!

Don't worry about what to wear. Almost anything is fine, especially in Mykonos! However, I agree that you may find jeans too warm. Think about much lighter clothing with a thin jacket or sweater for the evening and/or air conditioned places.

Thank you both so much for your replies. I wasn't sure if capri/crop pants would be acceptable, but it sounds like they are. I will probably bring my crinkle/peasant skirt as well. I am thinking my lululemon scarf will work as a coverall for the places with A/C. It has snaps and can be used as a shawl/cardigan/head covering if needed. I know places like Turkey are big on covering the head/shoulders/chest. I just don't want to offend anyone, yet still be comfortable!

>>> places like Turkey <<<

you will be in Greece, not in Turkey. Greece is the opposite of Turkey.

>>> I just don't want to offend anyone <<<

It won't be possible to offend anyone in Greece, regardless how you dress (or how you dress not). You will be stunned by Mykonos. I promise.

Do not try to climb up to Parthenon wearing sandals. Some comfortable shoeware is important while hiking around ancient sites and major cities. As it is to keep re-applying your sunscream. Unbelievable how many visitors try to climb all those slippery and old rocks and marble paths on flip flops and how many people keep applying sunscream every 10 minutes while on the beach but never use some while sightseen,as if sun disappears away of the beach...

I have see some very very nusty sunburns and feet blisters and even injuries caused when people slipped, tripped and fell, both in Athens but even on islands when people think it is fine trying to hike at the top of the hill on useless footware.

traveller1959 Thank you for the clarification between Greece and Turkey. I do know they share a small border and I had "heard" Greece was on the religious side and modest dress was expected, however thank you for the clarification.

mariha2912I Thank you for your concern, I am Irish so sunscreen is a MUST have for me, that isn't even an option not to bring. I live at an elevation of 6,500 and get sunburned in about 10 minutes, so I am well aware of the importance of sunscreen :-). The Ekko shoes I mentioned realized are actually spelled Ecco and are closed toed shoes and certainly not sandals by any means and what I planned to wear to the Parthenon, so it sounds like I have that right!

I think I will stop stressing and just bring what I feel comfortable in here at home! Thank you everyone for all of your input I greatly appreciate it. If anyone has any suggestions of things NOT needed I'd also be interested in that as well.

<It's Mickonos with all vowels short and clear ("o" like in "shop") and emphasis on "Mick".>
You must not pronounce "shop" the way I do.

If you enter a Greek Orthodox Church you may be asked to cover up.

At many beaches on Greek islands, including Mykonos, you don't even have to wear anything :-)

We had an amazing time in Greece, you were all right, no one cared what we wore. Our guide took us into a church wearing a tank top herself and many of us were wearing shorts and no one asked us to leave. In addition, I was surprised how very hot Greece is, I live in AZ and came from MN so I was very aware of high heat and humidity, but Greece seems to have both. I was never cold and was glad to have many shorts and tank tops. I was amazed how much you sweat just standing in place. I only wore jeans to and from the airport. The day we went to the Acropolis it was 106 degrees! My favorite island was Mykonos, everyone there was so nice and helpful and it seemed like a nice relaxing resort town. Unfortunately, my skin had a freak out and felt like it was on fire in Santornini, even though I didn't get sun-burnt, now that I am home my face is peeling. Despite my face issues, I had an absolutely wonderful time in Greece, thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions.

I am just back from a trip to Greece. Yes, last week we had daily highs of 40° C, but then it cooled down, so the highs were just 33°C. There were days when I needed three T-shirts because they were soaked with sweat.

My Greek friend had an appointment with his tax advisor - he wore a T-shirt, shorts and sandals (I mean the tax advisor). So much for the dress code in Greece.

In some monasteries, they do not like to see ladies with bare shoulders, but usually they provide a cloth to cover them for the visit. Bermudas for gents are acceptable.

Its actually not pronounced "Mick"onos...I am 100% greek and it is pronounced Mee-ko-nos. Happy Travels! I am going to Santorini end of September and have similar questions. Definitely overpacked.

As mentioned, sensible footwear for sites & walking, but do check they are non slip soles! The marble surfaces can be very slippery :) I've seen people wearing what looked sensible, but obviously weren't non slip & they had a hard time of it in some places, also seen quite a few actually fall over, especially as you are not always looking down wear you are stepping, the sights you are seeing take your attention away.
Some sandals are ok, good sturdy walking ones, but again, only with the non slip soles.

OP has returned from her trip one year ago.

Yes, this year-old post was topped by LadyPhade, and she is right about the pronunciation. Many place names, however, are pronounced differently in the English language than in Greek, so traveller1959 is also correct.

This is how Mykonos is pronounced according to howjsay.com (make sure your sound is turned on):
http://howjsay.com/pronunciation-of-mykonos

<i> I am 100% greek </i>

Have you been to Greece though?

traveller1959 is not correct, but then people who are not linguists should not attempt phonetic instructions.

<It's Mickonos with all vowels short and clear ("o" like in "shop") and emphasis on "Mick".>

As I said earlier, "shop" as an example of how to pronounce the two "O"s in Mykonos is not accurate, nor is the "mick" bit, even in English.