Delos is a small Cycladic island west of Mykonos. The island is the mother of Artemis and Apollo gods of Olympus, it was a place of worship of the twin gods and has rich archaeological finds. It is a quiet place for peace and rest, it is one of the sunniest places on our planet. Delos is the holy island in the heart of the Cyclades with one of the most important archaeological museums for ancient Greek sculpture.

Delos was the island of the God Apollo, inhabited since about 3000 BC, though it was not until the 8th Century that the first temples and shrines were built there. By the 5th Century when Athens began to control the Aegean they established the Delian League, an alliance of Greek City-States, and purified the island by kicking out the locals and putting the treasury there. During the Hellenistic period it became a center of commerce and one of the most important religious centers in Greece, attracting wealthy merchants, sailors and bankers from all over the Mediterranean who built more temples, shrines, homes and other buildings. In 167 BC it became a free port of the Romans with a market that sold 10,000 slaves a day. In the end it got trashed like everything else, by pirates, looters and early tourists. But Delos is one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece and if you go to Mykonos and don’t visit Delos at least once in your lifetime you should probably be embarrassed.

Τhe museum in Delos has an impressive collection and is worth taking the time to go through, if for no other reason to get you out of the sun for awhile. But if you have an interest in Ancient Greek and Roman statues, pottery, mosaics, art and practical items like money, as well as the famous Lions of Delos you will find a visit to the museum quite rewarding.

Where to head next?

Keep exploring the best of Greece! After Delos, the top destinations to visit are Mykonos, Syros, and Tinos.