As the ferry manoeuvres into the great caldera of SANTORINI (Thíra), the land seems to rise up and clamp around it. Gaunt, sheer cliffs loom hundreds of metres above the deep blue sea, nothing grows or grazes to soften the awesome view, and the only colours are the reddish-brown, black and grey pumice layers on the cliff face of Santoríni, the largest island in this mini-archipelago. The landscape tells of a history so dramatic and turbulent that legend hangs as fact upon it.

These apocalyptic events, though, scarcely concern modern tourists, who come here to take in the spectacular views, stretch out on the island’s dark-sand beaches and absorb the peculiar, infernal geographic features. The tourism industry has changed traditional island life, creating a rather expensive playground. There is one time-honoured local industry, however, that has benefited from all the outside attention: wine. Santoríni is one of Greece’s most important producers, and the fresh, dry white wines it is known for (most from theassýrtiko grape for which the region is known) are the perfect accompaniment to the seafood served in the many restaurants and tavernas that hug the island’s cliffs.

Brief history

From as early as 3000 BC, Ancient Thíra developed as a sophisticated outpost of Minoan civilization, until sometime between 1650–1600 BC when catastrophe struck: the volcano-island erupted some 60 cubic kilometres of magma over a period of months. The island’s heart sank below the sea, leaving a caldera 10km in diameter. Earthquakes and tsunami reverberated across the Aegean – one full metre of ash was discovered on Rhodes – Thíra was destroyed, and the great Minoan civilization on Crete was dealt a severe blow by the ensuing ash fallout and tsunami. The island’s history has become linked with the legend of Atlantis, all because of Plato. Although he dated the cataclysm to approximately 9500 BC, he was perhaps inspired by folk memories.

Hidden gems of Santorini

The wineries of Finikia:A stone’s throw from cosmopolitan Oia, you will discover the multicoloured hamlet of Finikia. These old wineries have been converted into homes that are not your typical Cycladic stonewash white but rather are painted in ochre, blue, and pink, and provide a beautiful contrast against the dark blue background of the Aegean. Walk the cobblestone streets, take a rest in the courtyard of St Matrona, with its huge palm tree, and taste the local delicacies in the area’s tavernas.

The mediaeval capital:The commanding conical rock of Skaros, visible from Fira and Imerovigli, is situated 330m above sea level. Here you will discover the mediaeval capital of Santorini. Within the Venetian castle you will find houses, temples and the the residences of the nobility. Climb to the top and the entire panorama of the caldera – from Oia to Fira – unfolds in front of your eyes.

A private sunset:If you prefer a quieter, more intimate experience, enjoy the sunset in Skaros at Imerovigli, in Kato Fira, or at the lighthouse of Akrotiri.

Scuba-diving in volcanic waters:Explore the mysterious depths of Santorini: Cape Tripiti in Thirassia, the shipwreck at Taxiarchis, Palia Kameni, Adiavatis reef, the caves at Mesa Pigadia and the “Indian rock” in Akrotiri.

The taste of ancient vineyards:It’s time for Dionysus! Try the one-of-a-kind whites and reds of Santorini, especially the renowned Vinsanto from the volcanic vineyards that are over 3,200 years old.

Lessons in Santorini’s gastronomy:Enroll on one of the many culinary classes on offer and learn to make Santorini’s rich and varied delicacies: tomato patties, sfougato, melitinia and sweet koufeto. Santorini on a plate.

With a gentle and undramatic landscape arranged around the central peak of Profítis Ilías, PAROS has a little of everything one expects from a Greek island: old villages, monasteries, fishing harbours, nice beaches and varied nightlife. However, Parikiá, the capital, can be touristy and expensive, and it is very difficult finding rooms and beach space here in August, when the other settlements, the port of Naoussa and the satellite island of Andíparos, handle most of the overflow. Drinking and carousing is many people’s idea of a holiday on Páros, so it’s not surprising that both Parikiá and Náoussa have a wealth of pubs, bars and discos, offering staggered happy hours.

Hidden gems of Paros

Ai Yiannis Detis:
At Ai Yianni Detis time slows down and the tranquility and charm of the white monastery permeate this bay in Paros. Here you can swim, walk and contemplate.

Lefkes: A peaceful courtyard:
Whitewash and marble. A symphony in white. Homes with pretty patios sloping upwards, like an amphitheatre. Cycladic architecture, neoclassical buildings, boutique accommodations, all coexist harmoniously. Park your car and walk, wandering through its peaceful alleys. Don’t forget to see the Byzantine road, a marble-paved path 1,000 years old, which was built to connect Marpissa with Parikia.

Off the beaten track: Marpissa and Prodromos:
Two inland villages that are worth a visit. At Prodromos the entrance to the village is a vaulted roof and steeple. Walk in the streets and admire the small traditional Cycladic homes. Then make your way to Marpissa, a 16th-century village with traditional windmills and churches rich in history.

NAXOS is the largest and most fertile of all the Cyclades islands and with its green and mountainous highland scenery it appears immediately dissimilar to its neighbours. The difference is accentuated by the unique architecture of many of the interior villages: the Venetian Duchy of the Aegean, headquartered here from 1204 to 1537, left towers and fortified mansions scattered throughout the island, while medieval Cretan refugees bestowed a singular character upon Náxos’s eastern settlements.

Today Náxos could easily support itself without visitors by relying on its production of potatoes, olives, grapes and lemons, but it has thrown in its lot with mass tourism, so that parts of the island are now almost as busy as Páros in season. The island has plenty to see if you know where to look: the highest mountains in the Cyclades, intriguing central valleys, a spectacular north coast and long, marvellously sandy beaches in the southwest. It is also renowned for its wines, cheese and kítron, a sweet liqueur distilled from the leaves of this citrus tree and available in green, yellow or clear varieties depending on strength and sugar level.

Hidden gems of Naxos

The Tragaia Valley:
Make sure you come to this stunning fertile valley. Blessed by nature, it is also home to 12 delightful villages and more than 30 of the most important Byzantine churches in the Aegean, beginning with the 6th-century Panagia Drosiani, the oldest.

Zeus’s mountain:
Mount Zas, the highest in the Cyclades, is named after the ruler of Olympus. Local legend maintained that he was born in a huge cave half way up. The cobbled path to it starts from Filoti.

Windsurfers’ heaven at the beach of Mikri Vigla:
The winds at Mikri Vigla beach blow steadily and constantly. But since the wind- and kite-surfers have discovered it, their sails make more noise than the wind itself. And their even louder cries of excitement can be heard miles away.

Though not terribly different – geographically or architecturally – from its immediate neighbours, no other Greek island attracts the same vast crowds of young people as Íos. Although it has worked hard to shake off its late-twentieth-century reputation for alcohol excesses and to move the island’s tourism one class up with some success, Íos is still extremely popular with the young backpacker set who take over the island in July and August.

The only real villages – Yialós (for families), Hóra and Mylopótas (for the 18–25s) – are clustered in a western corner of the island, and development elsewhere is restricted by poor roads. As a result there are still some very quiet beaches with just a few rooms to rent. Most visitors stay along the arc delineated by the port – at Yialós, where you’ll arrive, in Hóra above it, or by the beach at Mylopótas. Despite its past popularity, sleeping on the beach on Íos is strictly banned these days and so is nudism.

Hidden gems of Ios

Aghia Theodoti:
On the northeast end of Ios, you will find the island’s oldest Orthodox church, built in the 16th century, above the ruins of the Temple of Apollo. It’s an impressive sight!

Odysseas Elytis Theatre:
A striking theatre made up of 1,100 seats in Hora, built in accordance with ancient Greek standards, and named after the Nobel award-winning Greek poet Elytis.

Fragoklissias:
Near Hora’s school, you will find the only Catholic church on Ios, which has been there since the 14th century.

Volcanic MILOS is a geologically diverse island with weird rock formations, hot springs and odd outcrops off the coast. Minoan settlers were attracted by obsidian; this and other products of its volcanic soil made it one of the most important of the Cyclades in the ancient world. Today, the quarrying of many rare minerals has left huge scars on the landscape but has given the island a relative prosperity which today translates into several gourmet restaurants with better wine lists than many of its neighbours. With some 75-odd beaches and sensational views Mílos hasn’t had to tart itself up to court tourism – indeed, the wealthy mining companies that employ a quarter of the population are happy to see tourism stay at low levels. It helps that the western half of Mílos, as well the other islands around it, including Kímolos, is a nature reserve protecting three endemic species: the extremely rare Mediterranean seal, the Mílos viper and the one you are most likely to encounter, the long, crocodile-shaped Mílos wall lizard. Note that the importance of the archeological finds, museums and sites here is only surpassed by Delos and Santoríni.

Hidden gems of Milos

The sulphur mine:
Take a boat to discover this eerie scene of the old sulphur mine located on the east side of the island, with its arcades, iron bridges, train tracks, carriages and old stone homes.

Prehistoric Filakopi:
The archaeological spade unearthed Filakopi’s prehistoric settlement. Visit this archaeological site along the road towards Polonia.

The catacombs:
An archaeological space with graves that dates back from the 1st-5th century AD, an impressive and humbling sight at the same time.

SIFNOS is prettier, tidier and more cultivated than its northern neighbours. In keeping with the island’s somewhat high-class clientele, camping rough is forbidden, while nude sunbathing is not tolerated. The island’s modest size makes it eminently explorable. The areas to head for are the port, Kamáres, the island’s capital Apollonía, as well as the east and south coasts. There is nothing in the north worth a peek, except maybe the small fishing village of Herrónisos, but even that is too far and offers too little for the first-time visitor. Sífnos has a strong tradition of pottery (as early as the third century BC) and has long been esteemed for its distinctive cuisine, with sophisticated casseroles baked in the clay-fired gástres (pots), from where the word gastronomy derives. The island is perhaps best appreciated today, however, for its many beautifully situated churches and monasteries, and for the beautiful scenery around Vathý in the far southwest.

Hidden gems of Sifnos

Local chickpea soup:
In every Sifnian household, every Sunday morning, chickpea soup steams in a ceramic pot. The cooking begins the previous night, when the chickpeas are boiled with oil and rainwater and then left to simmer slowly all night in a wood-burning oven.

Locals enjoy their soup after coming home from Sunday’s church service, accompanied by olives, bread and wine. It is featured in the restaurants here, along with mastelo (lamb or goat slow-cooked in a clay pot). Sifnian recipes prove that true happiness lies in the simplicity.

The island’s acropolis:
At the top of Ag Andreas Hill, you will discover the ruins of the fortified acropolis built in the Mycenaean era and the church of Agios Andreas. The view is extraordinary.

Virgin Mary of the mountain:
Looking out from the courtyard of the beautiful church, the panoramic view stretches from Platis Yialos to Kimolos. You can have a similarly dazzling experience at the church of St Simeon, the white church overlooking the port of Kamares.

SERIFOS has long languished outside the mainstream of history and modern tourism. Little has happened here since Perseus returned with Medusa’s head in time to save his mother, Danaë, from being ravished by the local king Polydectes – turning him, his court and the green island into stone. Many would-be visitors are deterred by the apparently barren, hilly interior, which, with the stark, rocky coastline, makes Sérifos appear uninhabited until the ferry turns into postcard-picturesque Livádhi Bay. This element of surprise continues as you slowly discover a number of lovely beaches around the island.

Sérifos is also great for serious walkers, who can head for several small villages in the under-explored interior, plus some isolated coves. Many people still keep livestock and produce their own cognac-red wines, which are an acquired taste.

Hidden gems of Serifos

The monastery of the Taxiarchs:
Crenellations, battlements and high walls make it look more like a mediaeval castle. The most important monastery on the island, it was built in the 16^th century and the view from the abbey is worth the visit.

Cyclops’ throne:
The throne of Cyclops is at Cape Kyklopas, a spectacular location with a panoramic view of the southwestern side of the island. It really does look like a giant armchair and you can’t help but wonder: Just how did those seven huge carved boulders get up there?

View from above:
Take the stone path the old miners used between the heliport and Hora at sunset and you’ll see a magical side to the island. This is the only spot where you can witness the town from above.

SYROS is a living, working island with only a fleeting history of tourism, rendering it the most Greek of the Cyclades. There’s a thriving, permanent community, the beaches are busy but not overflowing and the villages don’t sprawl widely with new developments. As well as being home to a number of excellent restaurants, the island is known for its numerous shops selling loukoúmia (Turkish delight), mandoláta (nougat) and halvadhópita (soft nougat between disc-shaped wafers). In addition Sýros still honours its contribution to the development of rebétika music: Markos Vamvakaris, one of its prime proponents, hailed from Áno Sýros where a square has been named after him.

The island’s sights – including the best beaches – are concentrated in the south and west; the north is unpopulated and barren, offering little interest. Most people tend to stay in Ermoúpolis, which offers better connections to a variety of beaches, none further than 15km away.

Hidden gems of Syros

The Industrial Museum:
Part of the former industrial district has been turned into a museum. Wander among its buildings and you’ll see permanent exhibits on shipping, industry and the history of Ermoupoli, which will add to your appreciation of Syros today.

Easter in Syros:
Easter anywhere in Greece is by definition special. But on Good Friday the town’s noble houses are illuminated, increasing the evening procession’s solemnity and heightening the 19th-century atmosphere.

Grammata and the Grey Cave:
Grammata means writing and at Grammata Bay in northern Syros, there are letters scratched onto the rocks. Generations of desperate sailors, washed up on this inhospitable coast, inscribed their wishes, prayers and names on them. Most of them date from Roman and Byzantine times. You can reach the bay and the Grey Cave near it by boat or on foot.

KEA (Tziá), the nearest of the Cyclades to the mainland, is extremely popular with Athenian families in August and at weekends year-round; their impact has spread beyond the small resorts, and much of the coastline is peppered with holiday homes built with the locally quarried green-brown stone. Because so many visitors self-cater, there is a preponderance of villa accommodation and not as many tavernas as you might expect. However, outside August or weekends, the island, with its rocky, forbidding perimeter and inland oak and almond groves, is an enticing destination for those who enjoy a rural ramble: ten separate walking paths have been earmarked and are well signposted.

Hidden gems of Kea

The towers of Tzia:
A small distance from Sklavonikola you will discover a part of the Tower of Panachras, from the Hellenistic period, measuring 4.5m tall. It is much better preserved than the nearby tower of Agia Marina. At five storeys, it is one of the tallest surviving monuments of the Mediterranean.

Prehistoric settlements in Tzia:
Plan a trip to the prehistoric settlements of Agia Irini and Kefalas, which remain in good condition.

Trails and 4x4s:
If you’re into off-road driving, come with your jeep: you’ll love the dirt roads of Tzia. Another way to get to know the island is by trekking its signposted trails, two-thirds of which are paved.