Santorini

Santorini rocks in more ways than one. Few will be unmoved by the scale of the island’s 16 or so kilometres of multicoloured cliffs, which soar up over 300m from a sea-drowned caldera, the vast crater left by one of the biggest volcanic eruptions in history.

Lesser islands curl around the fragmented western edge of the caldera, but it is the main island of Thira that will take your breath away with its snow drift of white Cycladic houses lining the cliff tops and, in places, spilling like icy cornices down the terraced rock.

Santorini is geared to a conspicuous tourism that is underpinned by enthralling archaeology, fine dining, major wineries, front-row sunsets and a vibrant nightlife. There are even multicoloured beaches of volcanic sand. You’ll share the experience for most of the year with crowds of fellow holidaymakers and day visitors from huge cruise ships, but the island somehow manages to cope with it all.