ANDROS is the northernmost and second largest of the Cyclades. It is mountainous throughout, well wooded and cultivated in places. The island is named after Andreus, a general from Crete. It is a popular island with Greek holidaymakers although foreign tourists are now discovering it. The chora at Kastro is well worth a visit with a small maritime museum, an archaeological museum and a museum of modern art.

MYCONOS is the tourist Mecca of Greece. Myconos is bright and breezy with fine sandy beaches by day and by night the hum of the bars and throb of discos into the wee hours is all part of the scene. It is the island where locals and plain ordinary holidaymakers rub shoulders with the yacht set, the jet set, artists and celebrities from all over the world. The houses, the churches and the narrow winding alleys appear to be a naturally evolved form sculpted from the rocks of the island itself. The cosmopolitan flavour of Myconos may be a refreshing contrast to the simpler pleasures of other islands.

DELOS was once the political and religious centre of the ancient world. Legend has it that Apollo was born here. The Delos oracle was consulted before major decisions and its fame was second only to that of Delphi. The ancient ruins on this island have been likened to Pompeii not for any architectural similarity but for the completeness of the picture of ancient life that can be gleaned from it.

PAROS is a popular tourist island and typically Cycladic Houses, shops and churches are dazzling white cubes with bougainvillias and wisteria providing splashes of natural colour. The island possesses the finest church in the Aegean, the Katapoliani, and is well worth a visit for the beautiful interior. The museum houses a slab of Parian Chronicle recording Greek history from pre-Homeric times and some sculptures in Parian marble.

NAXOS is the largest and the most fertile of the Cyclades. It is the island where Theseus abandoned Ariadne on his way back to Athens from Crete. The town of Naxos is a typically whitewashed Cycladic place with a smattering of Venetian here and there. The warren of alleys, arches and tunnels around the Venetian Castle on the summit of the hill, is the most fascinating part of the town. The archaeological museum in the town houses early Cycladic finds, gold jewellery and Mycenean pottery and was once a schoolhouse where the writer Nikos Kazantzakis (best known for "Zorba the Greek") taught for twelve years before returning to his native Crete.

IRAKLIA is a small barren island. The small hamlet in the rocky bay of Agios Georgios is most attractive. There is a tavern ashore.

AMORGOS is mountainous throughout dropping sheer into the sea in many places giving the impression that the island was simply sliced off. The poet Simonedes settled here and became known as Simonedes of Amorgos. The chora is typically Cycladic. The monastery of Panayia of the Presentation occupies a spectacular site on a cliff suspended between the sky. Even in this secular age it manages to instil a feeling of reverence and monastic quiet into the most hardened of skeptics.

SIKINOS is a barren dry island called the wine island because of the excellence of its wine. The small chora lies under a ruined fortified monastery.

FOLEGANDROS is a barren rocky island with some impressive cliffs on the south side. The small chora sits on the edge of a cliff and is a delightful oasis of green trees and shrubs in the otherwise barren island.

KIMOLOS is a low barren island separated from Milos by a narrow channel. Formerly it was called Echinousa on account of the sea urchins found there and Argentiera on account of its silver mines. In the Middle Ages it was an infamous pirate haunt.

MILOS is an ancient volcano which, like Santorini, long ago erupted out the giant bay. Milos was the centre of a pre-Minoan Bronze Age civilisation and finds on the island of the distinctive "harpy" sculptures have added much to our knowledge of this early Cycladic civilisation. In the First World War the large natural harbour was a British naval base. The chora on the hill above is attractive and the view over the bay superb.

SIFNOS is a hilly island. The west coast is barren and burnt rock, but on the east side of the island where most of the population live, it is greener and cultivated in places. The medieval village of Kastro is delightful place. Today the beaches on the southeast coast are very popular.

SERIFOS has a modest tourist trade in summer. The white houses of the chora on the hill above Livadhi bay are alike icing on a bun. The view from the chora down onto the bay and over the sea and islands beyond is well worth the trip.

KITHNOS is a barren rocky island little touched by tourism. Numerous anchorages provide crystal clear water and good white sand beaches. The hot mineral springs in Loutra have been esteemed throughout history. Near Cape Kefalos are the ruins of a medieval citadel and town.

HYDRA is mountainous, arid and devoid of vegetation. In 1821 it was the first island to pledge its sizable fleet to the Greek cause. It has been said that but for the Hydriot fleet and sailors, the War of Independence against the Turks would not have been won. Hydra is a fashionable resort for the rich and famous. The town remains architecturally very much of the 18th and 19th centuries with large stately houses built around the natural amphitheatre above the harbour. The total lack of vehicles adds to the atmosphere.

SPETSES is mostly covered by pine trees. The attractive town is popular with tourists and Athenians alike. The old harbour and environs with many grand old houses is a wonderful place to wander around. The local yards build the Spetses caique which is considered to be among the best in Greece. John Fowles´ novel „The Magus" is set on the island. In September a small caique rigged out as an old trader is set on fire to commemorate the revolt against the Turks. This is accompanied by a noisy fireworks display and much merriment.

POROS lies very close or the Peloponnese separated from it by a narrow channel. The island is extensively wooded with pine trees reaching to the shore. In ancient times Poseidon was the patron and a few remains of a temple to Poseidon can be found on a picturesque side on the east coast. Poros town, built on rocky slopes, is attractive and the approach by sea one of the most beautiful in Greece.

AEGINA, the town, is a busy little place but very pleasant and homely. It has the distinction of being the first place in Greece where the Greek flag was raised at the end of the Greek War of Independence. The single Doric column on Cape Kolona nearby is all that remains of the Temple of Aphrodite that formerly stood there.

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