Mykonos

The creaking Venetian windmills that mark the hillsides atop Mykonos might have become something of a symbol of the town, but don't let their pastoral image fool you. This town is one of the hedonistic partying meccas of the Aegean Sea. Tavernas sizzle with moussaka, fish BBQs and grilled haloumi in the tight-knit lanes around the harbor, while the joints of Little Venice spill out onto the salt-washed pebbles of the beautiful shore. Nearby beaches – Blue Flag Ornos, photogenic Agios Ioannis – are where people splash in turquoise bays and laze on thatched sunchairs, many cooking off the hangover from the night before. And talking of hangovers, Mykonos's nightlife scene pulses with bars that could easily be responsible for one. From Manto Square to Agion Anargyron Street, these beat and throb with dancers until sunup. Alternatively, get your Mykonos tour guide to organize trips out to nearby Delos, where the crumbling ruins of ancient Athenian treasuries and shrines tell of the imperial past of old Greece.