Island-Hopping the Quiet Cyclades

The ferry horn sounds twice, and the island appears: a white village balanced on a cliff edge three hundred metres above the sea. No cruise ships. No queues. Just a donkey, a café and the meltemi wind.

Folegandros — the cliff village

Chora is one of the most beautiful villages in Greece, and it is car-free. Walk the zigzag path up to the Church of Panagia at sunset, then eat matsata (hand-made pasta with rooster) in a square lit by strings of bulbs.

Sifnos — the island of cooks

Sifnos gave Greece its most famous chef, Nikolaos Tselementes, and it never forgot. Order revithada, chickpeas baked overnight in a clay pot, and the island's honey-and-cheese pie melopita. Then walk part of the 100 km network of old mule paths between monasteries.

Milos — the lunar coast

Milos has more than 70 beaches, and each one looks like a different planet. Sarakiniko is bone-white volcanic rock carved by the wind. Kleftiko, reachable only by boat, is a cathedral of sea caves where pirates once hid.

Island-hopping tips

• Book ferries on ferryhopper but expect timetables to change; build in a buffer day.
• Go in late May, June or September for warm water and fewer people.
• Stay at least three nights on each island. Two islands slowly beat five in a rush.