GETTING THERE & AROUND

Corfu, Kos, Kefalonia, Lefkada, Lemnos and Lesbos, Mykonos, Rhodes, Santorini, Skiathos and Zakynthos have direct seasonal flights from the UK with British Airways, Ryanair, EasyJet, Tui and Jet2. ba.com ryanair.com easyjet.com tui.co.uk jet2.com

Flight times from London range from three hours, for Corfu, to just over four hours for Rhodes.

Karpathos, Kalymnos, Ikaria, Skyros, Milos, Naxos and Syros have domestic airports served by Aegean Air, Olympic Air and Sky Express. aegean.com olympicair.com skyexpress.gr

Ferries and hydrofoils also serve the Saronics (including Hydra) and Sifnos from Athens’ port city, Piraeus; for Tinos, take the bus from Athens airport to the port of Rafina; for Paxos, sail from Corfu; for Skopelos and Alonnissos, sail from Skiathos or Volos. For Nisyros, Symi and Tilos, sail from Rhodes or Kos; Alexandroupolis in northeastern Greece is the port for Samothraki. Book connections with Direct Ferries. directferries.com

Bus services on the larger islands, such as Corfu and Rhodes, may be adequate, but to explore the Greek islands properly you almost always need to hire a car, motorbike or bicycle; e-bikes are increasingly popular. Alternatively, it’s possible to explore many of the islands by boat.

WHEN TO GO

July and August are the most expensive and busiest months in which to visit, as well as the hottest, when temperatures can hit 40C in the afternoon. April, May, June, September and October are milder (average temperatures range from 18C to 27C) and less crowded but they can also be wet. It’s generally warm enough to swim in the sea from May to October; if you can choose, May, June and September are the best months to go.

MORE INFO visitgreece.gr

HOW TO DO IT

Greek island specialists include

Sunvil and Olympic Holidays, while

Jet2 and Tui also offer packages and Much Better Adventures has active itineraries. Responsible Travel has a number of sailing trips. sunvil.co.uk olympicholidays.com jet2holidays.com tui.co.uk muchbetteradventures.com responsibletravel.com

The Acropolis of Lindos, Rhodes, in the Dodecanese