Rhodes

Rhodes is the largest and best known of the Dodecanese islands, anchored in the far south-east of the Aegean, closer to Turkey than to the Greek mainland. It has been coveted for millennia — by ancient Greeks, Romans, the crusading Knights of St John and the Ottomans — and every layer has left something behind. The result is an island where a UNESCO-listed medieval city sits beside easygoing beach resorts and quiet mountain villages.

The heart of it is Rhodes Old Town, the largest inhabited medieval town in Europe, ringed by honey-coloured walls. Inside, the cobbled Street of the Knights climbs to the Palace of the Grand Master, while cafés, hammams and Byzantine churches fill the surrounding maze. It is touristy in high summer but genuinely atmospheric early and late in the day.

An hour south lies Lindos, a dazzling white village of sugar-cube houses beneath a clifftop acropolis, with a sheltered bay below. Between the two, the island's east coast unspools a run of sandy, well-serviced beaches such as Faliraki, Kallithea and Tsambika. The wilder, breezier west coast suits windsurfers better.

Inland, Rhodes softens into pine forest and hill villages. The Valley of the Butterflies draws summer visitors, the wine village of Embona sits below Mount Attavyros, and old settlements like Monolithos reward a day of driving. Ancient Kamiros, a remarkably complete Doric town, lies on the coast nearby, while at the northern tip the modern harbour of Mandraki marks the spot where the fabled Colossus once stood.

Rhodes enjoys one of the sunniest climates in Greece, which makes its season long — May and June are warm and uncrowded, September and October keep the sea swimmable, and even spring is pleasant for exploring the old town. Fly into Diagoras airport or arrive by overnight ferry from Piraeus; three to five days lets you balance history, beaches and a taste of the interior.