The Cyclades is a group of varying sized islands scattered over the deep blue waters of the Aegean Sea. Some of them are well known, whilst others remain a well kept secret and are largely bypassed by tourists.

The best way to travel around the Cyclades is by using the extensive network of ferry services. Throughout the summer, there are daily sailings to and from Piraeus to Naxos by at least five boats; with connections three days a week to Rafina, just Northeast of Athens. Other regular connections include daily boats to Ios, Santorini, Paros, Amorgos, Mykonos, Tinos and Andros; there are sailings four times a week to Syros and Silanos; three times a week to Siphnos, Crete and Samos and once weekly to Astypalea. On top of this, there are daily excursions to island beaches as well, making the harbours very busy places.

The Cyclades was the birthplace of one of the Mediterranean’ s most important civilizations which took its name from the islands: the Cycladic civilization (3000-1000 BCE). Naxos is best described as a labyrinthine mix of tavernas and alleyways that snake up to the Venetian Castle at the top of the hill. There are no less than 45 Byzantine churches, and you should expect to get lost at least once, as the alleyways lead you to yet another taverna or flower filled garden. The castle has a catholic cathedral and a museum. Exhibits include some early Cycladic goddesses, as well as some stupendous views of the town from the balcony.

Apeiranthos is found on the slopes of one Mount Fanari, overlooking the fertile valley of fruit and nut trees below. It is a gem of a place and the higgledy-piggledy mixture of alleys, steps and archways makes exploring it a real pleasure. The houses are particularly fascinating and the village roofs are called locally 'the garden of strange flowers'.
Unlike many other parts of Greece, traditional hand-woven textiles and handicrafts are still made here and there is now a co-operative of local women who make and sell them.
There are several museums as well and the museum of Folk Art has an interesting collection of artefacts. The archaeological museum has a collection of Cycladic figurines as well as numerous other exhibits.

The Engares Valley has abundant fruit orchards and a plethora of interesting walks. Its fertility is due to the river and it remains verdant even in the height of summer. Other sites of interest in the valley are Angelakopoulos Castle, which is also known locally as Ypsilotera Monastery and  Agia Phanorema, which was built in the 17th century and contains some rare icons and an important library.

Paros has some of the best beaches and most charming villages to be found anywhere in the Greek islands and although the town has quadrupled in recent years, it has not lost its original charm, if you ignore the harbour area. Follow the signs to the Traditional Settlement, and you will find yourself standing in a wide square with a small park and gazing at the restored cathedral of Ekatontachoni. Do go inside and spend some time looking at the amazing interior. There is also an archaeological museum and the familiar island labyrinth of alleys full of an interesting mix of shops, galleries, cafes and whitewashed houses. The walls of the Venetian Castro are marked on the seaward side by stone terraces covered with foliage and flowers. Facing inland the 13th century Venetian castle is surrounded by dozens of beautiful churches filled with all sorts of ecclesiastical treasures.

Naoussa is yet another impossibly gorgeous fishing port. Its bay is rather like the claw of a giant crab and it is home to yet more brightly painted fishing boats. What sets it apart is the sunken castle, which was built around the middle of the 14th century CE, rising from the waves. To add yet more delight, there is a tiny island in the middle of the bay with a pretty little chapel on it. The port is even more packed in August as the villagers celebrate a battle with the pirate Barbarossa, with a torch lit boat procession.

Agia Irini has a well sheltered sandy beach that is accessed from the main road by a dirt track, as most beaches on the island are. There are two coves separated by marble slabs, some palm trees and a church on the waterfront. There is also a taverna and an olive grove.

The village of Lefkes (Poplars) stretches down the hillside into a narrow valley, and is dominated by the white marble church and bell towers of Agia Triada which was built in 1830. When Paros was regularly raided by pirates, this was the island capital. There are many fine houses and the steep streets drop into a labyrinth of stepped alleyways, where you will discover many shops offering good local handicrafts, paintings and pottery.

From Lefkes, take a detour to the Profitis Ilias mountain which rises to a little over 800 metres above sea level and has breathtaking views.

Like Rhodes, Paros also has its own Butterfly Valley (Petaloudes) clearly marked off the roads to Pounta and Alyki. The leafy valley is home to the Jersey Tiger moth, Euplagia quadripunctaria. The brown moths are well camouflaged and difficult to see except when in flight. When airborne, they display their deep red over wings but the practice of disturbing them is firmly discouraged as it can reduce their sexual activity and result in fewer moths for future generations. The valley is actually a private garden but tourists are made warmly welcome by a small cafe with a fountain and well marked paths through the undergrowth. The dappled shade and running water can make for a pleasant break from the scorching summer heat.

Summer comes early to the Cyclades and the best time to visit is during April and May, especially if you want to see the amazing wild flowers. The temperature rises steeply in June and during July to September, the north west meltemi wind can blow pretty strongly, making north facing coasts particularly uncomfortable for sunbathing. Rainfall is virtually non existent between late-May and early September and even in April and October prolonged rainfall is rare.

Santorini is probably one of the most fascinating islands. The island is all that remains of a cataclysmic volcanic eruption the occurred around 1640 BCE. Visitors sailing into the flooded crater (or caldera) are greeted by dizzying cliffs with dazzling white villages clinging to the sky hugging rim. It is an island of extraordinary contrasts, breathtakingly beautiful but at the same time unnerving; with sheer cliffs of red and black and beaches of lifeless ash-grey sand, like a lunar landscape. If you come by air, flying into Santorini is quite unnerving. Planes fly in over the resort at Kamari and only the main road separates the runway from the sea. The plane banks sharply and the runway is so short that you feel you are landing in the sea.

The island capital of Thira or Fira overlooks the caldera, and is above some 300m or so of sheer black, red and brown striated cliffs. The air is sulphurous and the atmosphere definitely combustible - but this is, after all, still an active volcano and fumes from the caldera are responsible for the gaudy sunsets that the island is most famous for.

The white cube houses and blue domed churches tumble attractively down the cliff side in the capital Thira and tourists can ascend to the village either on a mule, up a steep, zigzag staircase; or they can opt for the swifter and more sedate Austrian-built cable car. It is not advisable to walk the 600 or so steps, unless you are really fit or are in training for the Olympics!

The village winds like an artery along the caldera rim. A catholic cathedral dominates and a nearby convent sells hand-made rugs and embroidery. The north of the village is more peaceful and well worth exploring. For an alternative view of the caldera, Imerovigli is less crowded and offers superb views.

The Megaron Gyzi museum is worth visiting and there is an excellent display of old maps of the Cyclades, and photos of Thira before the 1956 earthquake.

Skaros has awe inspiring views. It was an imposing citadel fortress which the Venetians made their capital. A small white chapel nearby occupies the site of the Rocca - a once impregnable fortress that resisted all that men could throw at it but was destroyed by an earthquake in 1956 that took with it the village that stood there.

OIA (pronounced Eea) was once a major fishing port, with splendid views over the caldera rim; with yachts bobbing in the sea and a winding staircase down to a small quay. Quite a number of the houses survived the 1956 earthquake and many have been tastefully restored. Some are painted in bright, rich colours but most are painted brilliant white, clinging to the red and grey cliffs so closely that one family's roof can be another's courtyard.

It still retains a traditional feel and you will find that the cuisine here is authentically Greek and mouth-wateringly delicious. The nautical museum with models of ships and other sea-going paraphernalia is worth a visit. Without a doubt, the sunset is what most visitors look forward too and it is not unknown to hear a hearty round of applause as the sun slips below the horizon!

Inland from Kamari is Ancient Thira, the excavated site of the foremost post-Minoan settlement on the island. A steep 4km hairpin road, with sheer drops in places which may induce vertigo in people without a head for heights, leads from Kamari to the site where excavations are spread over a long terraced area. The views alone are worth the trip, quite exhilarating with a dizzying drop to the sea below. Here are remains of an early Christian basilica, foundations of temples and houses, an impressive amphitheatre, relief rock carvings and even some 3,000-year-old graffiti.

The Artemidoros Sanctuary was hewn out of the rock face around 400BCE and is carved with inscriptions and symbols of the gods, such as an eagle for Zeus and a lion for Apollo.
In the centre of the city is the Agora or market place. The northern part is older with a Doric temple. The southern part was added in the Roman period with a portico, a temple building and the Royal Stoa which was built about 100BCE. A Doric colonnade once supported the roof. Two inscribed slabs in the west wall, record that the portico was repaired in AD 149 by Kleitosthenes.

traditional barrel-roofed houses and a Venetian fortress. It is also home to many vineyards growing up the side of the mountain. Near the summit is a small monastery built in 1712 which has scenes at the entrance of heaven and hell (the latter doors are noticeably wider). There is also an interesting museum.

On the south western side of the island stands Akrotiri, with excellent views over the caldera. The remains of a Venetian fortress stand above the village, which was damaged in the 1956 earthquake; and there are beaches nearby on either coast to the north and to the south.
It also has one of the finest and best preserved archaeological finds in the Cyclades, if not the whole of Greece. Here a Minoan city was buried in volcanic ash around 1500 BCE. It remained untouched until evidence of its existence was uncovered in the 1860s as pumice was being excavated to help build the Suez Canal. Subsequent excavations unearthed paved lanes lined with three-storey houses and rooms full of artefacts including large, unbroken storage jars. As at Pompeii, the finds were in an incredible state of preservation as a result of being buried under tons of ash. Particularly impressive were the fine murals and wall frescos, which are now on display in Athens.  Archaeologists also found elaborately carved wooden furniture, though no skeleton remains, suggesting the inhabitants had abandoned the place in a hurry.

The cataclysmic eruption of 1640 BCE split the island in two and water flooded into the caldera to a depth of around 375m. The tidal wave from this cataclysmic event is thought to be responsible for the destruction of the Minoan civilisation on the coast of northern Crete. The island's economy was dependent on the pumice stone quarried from the thick volcanic ash deposits (more than 30 metres thick in places) before the advent of tourism. The island has suffered many such cataclysmic events and a series of 18th century eruptions threw up the island of Nea Kameni at the centre of the caldera and in 1956, severe earthquakes demolished the main town of Thira and reduced many homes in Oia to rubble.

Regular boat excursions visit the charred volcanic islets of Palia Kameni and Nea Kameni that sit in the centre of the caldera. The burning core of the old volcano is still active with the latest crater on Nea being formed in 1950. You can get off the boat at Palia and enjoy the volcanic waters that are warmed by hot springs and sulphur smelling mud.

THIRASSIA is the other islet. It used to be the main port for Santorini until an earthquake in 236 BCE separated it from the main island. The views from here are every bit as good as those on the main island and it has the advantage of being less busy.

Volcanic rock is dry and dusty, but rich in minerals and is also excellent for vine cultivation. Many of Santorini’s vineyards are more than 100 years old due to having escaped from the deadly diseases that ravaged crops on many other islands. The vines are kept low and are protected from the wind by woven cane fences. The Boutari family built a new winery, in 1988, on the island and helped to revive the wine trade. The island is not just famous for its white wine; it also produces fava beans, and very small tasty tomatoes which are made into tomato paste. Local dishes based on them are delicious. It is also noted for its goat's milk cheeses and for pumice stone which is abundant.