Caldera Wall (Santorini)

Express Samina Wreck (Paros)

Kleftiko Caves (Milos)

Nea Kameni (Santorini)

Sykia Cave (Milos)

The Pinnacles (Paros)

Cycladic food is simple and sea-led: revithada (chickpea stew), fresh grouper, and the local cheeses such as mizithra and xinomizithra. Santorini’s Assyrtiko and Vinsanto wines are famous, and each island has its own sweet or preserve speciality. Across Aegean – Cyclades, the table leans on olive oil, lemon, herbs and the day's catch, with grilled fish, horiatiki salad and slow-cooked stews appearing everywhere. Mezedes — small shared plates — are the social heart of an evening, best washed down with a chilled local white or ouzo. Vegetarians are well served by dishes built on wild greens, pulses and cheese, and bakeries turn out savoury pies through the day.

Milos Breeze Boutique Hotel

Andronis Boutique Hotel

Paros Agnanti Hotel

Naxos Resort Beach Hotel

Aegialis Hotel & Spa

The Cyclades are the postcard heart of the Aegean — white villages, blue domes and some of the most dramatic underwater geology in Greece. Milos is the volcanic star, with the collapsed Sykia Cave and the Kleftiko arches and caverns that are a photographer’s dream. Santorini’s caldera wall plunges hundreds of metres into a sunken volcano, with active hydrothermal vents at Nea Kameni adding sulphur-belching, otherworldly dives. Paros mixes the granite Pinnacles, with gorgonians, barracuda, tuna and eagle rays, and the Express Samina, a large car ferry wreck in recreational depths. Naxos and Amorgos add big sea caves and the chance of a famous wreck. With reliable meltemi-cleared visibility and a strong island culture, the Cyclades are a complete Aegean diving destination that rewards every level of diver.

Aegean – Cyclades