Kalymnos

Kalymnos is a rugged, mountainous island in the heart of the Dodecanese, wedged between Kos and Leros. For centuries its fortunes rose and fell with the sponge trade: fleets of divers sailed each spring for the coasts of North Africa, and the town of Pothia grew wealthy on the dangerous, lucrative harvest. That heritage still defines the island's identity, remembered in its museums, its mansions and the songs and rituals that once sent the fleets to sea.

The capital and port, Pothia, spills down a natural amphitheatre around a busy harbour, its neoclassical houses painted in bold colours and its waterfront lined with tavernas and workshops. The Nautical and Folklore Museum and the town's sponge workshops tell the story of the divers, many of whom paid for the deep dives with their health or their lives. It remains a genuine working town rather than a resort, and is the better for it.

In the last two decades Kalymnos has gained a second life as one of the finest sport-climbing destinations in the world. Its grey and orange limestone cliffs, riddled with tufas and caves, hold several thousand bolted routes, and each autumn climbers from dozens of countries fill the villages of Masouri and Armeos on the west coast, looking across the strait to the islet of Telendos. Even non-climbers come simply to watch and to enjoy the relaxed, international scene.

Away from the crags, the island offers quiet swimming at coves such as Emborios and Vlychadia, a scattering of hill villages, and boat trips to tiny Telendos with its car-free waterfront and Roman ruins. The valley of Vathys, a green ribbon of citrus and fig groves running down to a fjord-like inlet, makes a striking contrast to the bare mountains around it.

Kalymnos has a small airport with flights from Athens, but most visitors arrive by ferry, with frequent fast boats from Kos taking under an hour. Three to four days suits climbers and gives everyone else time for the town, the beaches and a day on Telendos.