Hop through the archipelago to find the

Treasured

With more than 6,000 islands and islets scattered o f its coast, the Greek archipelago o fers ample opportunities for escape. Here we outline the most original slow-travel experiences across the Aegean and Ionian seas, from local festivals to hidden beaches – and beyond

WORDS OLIVER SMITH @ OliSmithTravel

Islands

Savour a sunset without the crowds in Folegandros

Santorini is known for its epic sunsets illuminating whitewashed houses, volcanic slopes and shimmering blue seas, but, less pleasingly, it’s also known for epic crowds. Happily you’ll find all the same ingredients (minus the hordes) in nearby Folegandros, a hiccup of land at the southern edge of the Cyclades, and a place of exile for political dissidents in Roman times. You might well chance insulting a t rant to savour the sunset from Hora – one of the loveliest villages in the archipelago. From its higgledy-piggledy core, follow a footpath to Panagia: a church standing sentinel over the island, whose hilltop perch means it catches the last drops of the day’s sunshine.

GREEK EXPERIENCES

PHOTOGRAPHS: AGNIESZKA SITARZ, FRANZ MARC FREI/GETTY IMAGES, JOHANNA HUBER/4CORNERS Hydra is vehicle-free; mules, donkeys and walking are your only options for exploring this long, slender Saronic island. Fortunately, it’s only an idle tenminute stroll from the ferry terminal to Techne (pictured above), one of the brightest culinary stars in the Aegean: a restaurant serving modern Greek cuisine with a side order of views out to the Peloponnese. Dishes are centred on local, seasonal sustainable ingredients and seafood landed fresh from the waters below, such as sea bream fillet, mussels, fine beans, Jerusalem artichoke, safron sauce and pistachio (pictured above). Walk of your lunch with a hike into Hydra’s wild interior, following cobbled paths through pine forests, quiet but for the splash of the faraway sea and the occasional wheeze of a distant donkey (small dishes from £4; techne-hydra.com). ) Cotommatae o fers rooms in an antique-studded 19th-century mansion overlooking the port in Hydra Town (from £110; cotommatae.gr). ) High-speed ferries link Hydra with Piraeus – Athens’ principal ferry port, taking about 90 minutes (£50 return; hellenicseaways.gr). Eat a meal you’ll feel good about for months in Hydra Discover Symi’s secrets

Sailing into Gialos (pictured right), you might think your ferry has taken a wrong turn: Italianate mansions flank the quays, bringing the palazzi of Amalfi and Portofino to mind. Symi was under Italian rule from the 1920s to the 1940s; holidaymakers come from Rhodes to taste la dolce vita in the Dodecanese. Few stay the night, fewer still leave Gialos. Idle the a f ernoon away in Nimborios, with its pebbly beach and lively taverna, or bless your onward odyssey by following a zigzag lane to Moni Taxiarhou Mihail Panormiti –a monastery with 5th-century origins dedicated to St Michael, protector of sailors. ) Set inside Gialos’ former market building, Old Markets’ themed rooms take their inspiration from Symi’s Venetian and Ottoman past (from £170; theoldmarkets.com). ) The closest airport to Symi is Rhodes –Ryanair flies from East Midlands, Liverpool and others (from £150; ryanair.com). From here, Dodekanisos runs services to Symi of around 50 minutes (from £32 return; 12ne.gr).

TINOS LOCAL TIP The festivals that take place in every village during the summer are a must, especially the Rakizio festival in the village of Falatados. Every year on the second weekend of September, locals celebrate the production of their famous raki, with much drinking and dancing. Thanos Georgilas, Winemaker T-Oinos Wines (toinos.com)

Experience traditional island life in Tinos

Tinos claims one of the holiest sites in the Greek

Orthodox faith – the Church of Panagia Evangelistria,

centred on an icon of the Virgin Mary that can

perform miraculous cures. A pilgrimage around the

rest of the island is also restorative – it’s one of the

best places in the Cyclades to immerse yourself

in village life. Rent a car and make a circuit from

Tinos town: first stop hilltop Ktikados, overseen

by a beautiful blue-domed campanile. Continue to

Tarabados – here you’ll find grand dovecotes of the

Venetian era (pictured lef), which look more like

a doge’s palace than a dwelling for pigeons. Come home to roost in little Dio Choria, where the cafés provide perfect perches for people-watching. ) Stay at Tinos Habitart, with seven traditional villas, including a Venetian-era dovecote converted for human guests (two-bed villa from £125; tinos-habitart.gr). ) Fast Ferries run from Rafina, east of Athens, to Tinos, taking roughly four hours (from £54 return; fastferries.com).

GREEK EXPERIENCES

Explore the crowd-free villages of Chios

Byzantine emperors and Ottoman sultans were partial to chomping mastic –the Wrigley’s of antiquity, it’s a resin from the mastic tree, releasing a cedar-like taste when chewed. Its place of origin is also worth sinking your teeth into: the island of Chios (pictured below) in the Northeastern Aegean, within, err, spitting distance of the Turkish mainland. Eco-operator Masticulture runs tours of the mastic heartland in the south of the island, showing guests how to harvest the resin from centuries-old groves. Be sure to stay in the so-called ‘mastic-villages’, where you can amble crowd-free cobbled alleyways, passing mansions built by the gum barons of bygone generations (tours from £15; masticulture.com). ) Medieval Castle Suites in Mesta has apartments spread around the 14th-century town walls –some have patios on the battlements (from £50; mcsuites.gr). ) Aegean flies to Chios via Athens from UK airports including Heathrow (from £250; aegeanair.com). Alternatively, ferry services to the Turkish mainland take 20 minutes (from £21 return; erturk.com.tr).

CHIOS LOCAL TIP The famous beach in South Chios is Mavra Volia. Less well known but equally spectacular is Foki, next door. It’s a marvellous landscape of black pebbles, where you can smell the natural perfumes of the sea. Eleni Paidousi, Chios Mastic Museum

Every summer, Zakynthos has an influx of visitors arriving to bask on its Ionian sands. Not the usual work-weary crowds, but the endangered loggerhead turtle, for whom its beaches are the most important breeding ground in the Mediterranean. Visit from May, when up to 1,500 nests dot the Bay of Laganas, and learn more at the Sea Turtle Protection Societ of Greece, based at Gerakas. T is clif-hemmed beach is equally appealing to humans and reptiles. Alternatively, snap up the chance to be a volunteer for a month or more, identifying nests and cleaning plastic from the shores; placements end in October, when turtles depart on autumn tides (archelon.gr). ) Zakynthos Windmills has apartments in two restored turbines on the north coast of the island, with views out to Kefalonia (from £120; potamitisbros.gr). ) Zakynthos Airport has flights from across the UK, including Jet2 from Leeds/Bradford and Belfast (from £220; jet2.com). Harness turtle power in Zakynthos PHOTOGRAPH: PHILIP LEE HARVEY, NICKKONT/SHUTTERSTOCK, YANA GEORGIEVA/SHUTTERSTOCK

Roll in the deep in Paros and Antiparos

Paros has beaches to suit all tastes. Snorkellers can come eye-to-eye with scuttling crabs among boulder-strewn Kolymbithres in the north and windsurfers can take flight beside the golden expanse of Hrysi Akti in the south. More idle souls might choose Santa Maria, lined with sun loungers, as the perfect place to power through a paperback. Paros also claims a small sidekick – the island of Antiparos, whose shores are suited to deeper exploration. Blue Island Divers in Antiparos Town is able to arrange PADI courses and expeditions: divers might find themselves among silvery schools of barracuda or soaring over a seabed scattered with millennia-old amphorae (Open Water Course from £350; blueisland-divers.gr). ) Beach House Antiparos, at the southern shores of the island, has nine suites set in leafy gardens (from £70; beachhouseantiparos.com). ) Aegean o fers flights to Paros, changing in Athens, from UK airports (Birmingham-Paros from £280: aegeanair.com).

PAROS LOCAL TIP If for some inconceivable reason I had to leave Paros, and years later come back just for one day, then I would definitely do three things: swim in the crystal-clear waters of Laggeri beach, eat traditional sundried gouna fish accompanied with herring salad, and stroll endlessly through the narrow streets of the village of Naoussa, preferably in June or September. Xenia Marmarometry, Jewellery Artist (marmarometry.co)

GREEK EXPERIENCES

PHOTOGRAPHS: ADRIENNE PITTS, DESIGN PICS INC/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Shop consciously in Sifnos

In ancient times, Sifnos grew rich on gold and silver

deposits – its landscape became studded with mines,

and its citizens were the wealthiest in the Cyclades.

Sadly the gold ran out, as did the silver, but Sifnos’

artisanal streak never quite went away: today, locals

still mine this little landmass for inspiration, with

rich pottery (pictured above) and weaving traditions

enduring. Lose an afernoon pottering about the

boutiques in the labyrinthine village of Apollonia.

Aferwards take a turn into neighbouring Artemonas

to find Sifnos Stoneware – a pottery dynast now in

its fifh generation, making kitchenware cast in the

turquoise hue of the sea, or the deep blues of the

Cycladean sky. Keep your plates well clear of Greek

weddings (plates from £10; sifnosstoneware.com). ) Petali Village Hotel has rooms with four-poster beds and shady balconies spread over a minor maze of buildings outside Artemonas (from £75; sifnoshotelpetali.com). ) Ferries from Piraeus, outside Athens, take around three hours to reach Sifnos (from £65 return; minoan.gr).

Paddle to a smuggler’s cove in Milos

The home of the Venus de Milo and some of the most dramatic rock formations in the Cyclades, Milos’ coastline of limestone clif s and azure waters is one of the most familiar images of the Greek archipelago, but this was largely an island of farmers and fishermen until recently. It’s best admired from the sea, and sightseeing boats, speedboats and yachts all nudge and nose at its craggy capes and inaccessible beaches.

The best way to get up close to the clif s and into otherwise unreachable sea caves is to captain your own kayak, giving you the freedom to go aground in little bays, capsize with merry abandon and hear the crash of the waves without the rattle of an engine drowning it out. Join Sea Kayak Milos for a guided paddle to the most dramatic spot of all, on the island’s southwestern tip. Kle f iko translates as ‘pirate’s lair’, where kayakers can pass under swooping rock arches, looking for legendary mislaid loot in sea caves lit by the blue fathoms below (day trip from £70; seakayakgreece.com). ) At Salt Suites, apartments come with sea-weathered timbers, nautical objets d’art and heroic views of the Aegean (from £120; salt-milos.com). ) Aegean connects Milos to the UK, including London Gatwick, via Athens (from £250; aegeanair.com).

PHOTOGRAPHS: SIVAN ASKAYO, WWWGUIZIOU FRANCK/HEMIS/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO, HITDELIGHT/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

GREEK EXPERIENCES

MILOS LOCAL TIP The lagoon of Sikia is something extraordinary: a lagoon that was a sea cave, with sheer walls up to 50m high. It is connected to the sea by a tunnel that’s just about big enough for a small boat to pass through. It’s on the remote west coast of Milos; you can take a twohour hike from the monastery of St John, or arrive by sea. Rod Feldtmann , Sea Kayak Milos

Head to Skiathos – the new destination for LGBT travellers

In socially conservative Greece, Mykonos has long

been a landmark destination for the gay communit ,

but coupled-up LGBT travellers are now favouring

Skiathos (pictured right). Disembark at the Old Port

– a filming location for the original Mamma Mia!

– before heading west to Little Banana Beach, a gay

friendly strip of sand under pine and olive trees with

views to the mainland. With a library of spirits and

liqueurs, De Facto in Skiathos Town is the island’s only

dedicated gay bar, but other tavernas and cafés are

increasingly welcoming to the LGBT community. ) Hotel Mystery is a gay-friendly hotel in Skiathos, with balconies overlooking the roo fops of the old town (from £80; skiathosmystery.com). ) Among others, Jet2 o fers flights to Skiathos from London Stansted and Manchester (from £300; jet2.com).

Find a peaceful patch of sand in Anafi

Legend tells that Anafi was created by Apollo as a place of refuge for Jason and the Argonauts, and in the 21st century it endures as a haven from the busier Cycladean islands. It’s home to 270 people, one village and an uninhabited monastery. Out of season, its beaches are wonderfully serene: popular Roukounas beach has sweeping views of Monastery Rock, the so-called Gibraltar of the Cyclades, while Klisidi claims a strip of sand backed by an excellent taverna. Scramble along the coast further west, however, and you’ll reach the jewel in Anafi’s crown: the sandy beach of Agioi Anargyri (pictured above). There are no tavernas, no crowds, no parasols and (usually) no people, just a lonely chapel watching out over rolling swells. Climb to the scrubby headland for views out to distant Makra and Pachia –uninhabited islands that are even quieter than Anafi. ) Margarita’s Rooms o fers rustic accommodation and great food (including home-baked bread) overlooking Klisidi Beach (from £70; margarita-anafi.gr). ) Santorini has the closest airport to Anafi; easyJet, among others, flies from London Gatwick and Manchester (from £95; easyjet.com). From Santorini, ferries take 90 minutes to reach Anafi (from £100 return; anek.gr).

Ikaria is supposedly named afer Icarus, who crashlanded of its shores afer flying too close to the sun; if it was intended as a lesson in restraint, then it didn’t catch on. Ikaria is famous for its panigyria (pictured above) – summer saints’ festivals more akin to raves than British village fêtes. Over a dozen take place across the island, with villages hosting boisterous celebrations through short, balmy nights. Expect dancing in cobbled squares, stewed goat on the tables and Ikarian wine in abundance. Perhaps the largest is Hristos Rahes, known locally as ‘the village that never sleeps’. Its residents were said to have developed nocturnal habits to avoid the attention of passing pirates by day, which makes them veteran revellers (for dates, see visitikaria.gr). ) Stay at Toxotis Villas in Armenistis – seven villas feature exposed stone walls, muted palettes and views out to sea (from £100; toxotis-ikaria.gr). ) Aegean connects Ikaria to UK airports, including Edinburgh, via Athens (from £333; ægeanair.com). Join the part in Ikaria PHOTOGRAPHS: PERCY RYALL/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO, EVAN MAVRIDOGLOU/SURF CLUB KEROS

Stay on a farm in Kea

Farmstays don’t get more luxurious than Agrikea (pictured right), a boutique property set among shady almond groves on the island of Kea. Guests can catch a glimpse of bygone life on this island, which is too o f en associated with holiday lets. Fig, olive and pomegranate trees help in stocking the kitchen, while pecking chickens and guinea fowl amble freely on farm terraces restored a f er 60 years of neglect. Less obviously connected to Hellenic farming heritage is the infinity pool and massage service. Stay in winter or spring to join guided horticultural tours of the island, following cobbled paths through meadows of swaying wildflowers. ) Rooms at Agrikea are divided between little studios, the main house and the former stables (from £200 for two-night minimum stay; agrikea.com). ) Ferries take one hour to Kea from the port of Lavrio on the Greek mainland, roughly an hour’s drive south of Athens (from £22 return; bluestarferries.com).

GREEK EXPERIENCES

KEA LOCAL TIP Take a 45-minute hike to the coastal ruins of ancient Karthea. An old stone path descends through a ravine filled with aromatic plants, emerging at a pristine beach. The temple ruins and the recently excavated theatre will take you back in time –be sure to go snorkelling over Karthea’s submerged sea wall too. Haris Fevgas, Owner of Agrikea

Pitch up with the family in Limnos

Surf Club Keros bucks the trend for Greek island family resorts. Accommodation takes the form of luxury safari tents, pitched among reedy dunes on the island of Limnos. The shallow waters beyond the tents are perfect for youngsters taking lessons in kite-surfing (pictured lef) and wind-surfing. Dependable onshore winds mean that boards (and kids) are blown back to shore, while morning yoga and massages cater to less adrenaline-hungry adults. For an educational day trip, take a short drive south and find inspiration among the ruins of Poliohni, said to be the oldest incidence of a constitutional democracy in Europe. ) Family tents are available from £65, while four-hour kids’ windsurfing courses start from £140 (surfclubkeros.com). ) Aegean flies to Limnos via Athens from UK airports (London HeathrowLimnos from £350; aegeanair.com).