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Wooded Salamina has a rich history – playwright Euripides was born here, and in 480 BC, the Greeks famously beat Xerxes here. Its proximity to the industry around Piraeus makes it less popular today.

An easy and rewarding day trip, only half an hour from Athens, with pleasant beaches, famously tasty pistachios, the Temple of Aphaia, and Agios Nektarios, one of the largest churches in the Balkans.

This tiny islet off Aegina is even more of an escape from it all. Quiet beaches, clear beautiful water, a handful of small hotels and fish tavernas, and not much else.

Lovely Hydra town, its cobbled paths winding among old mansions clustered around the clear-watered harbour, is one of Greece’s most beautiful spots. Its popularity as a celebrity getaway and movie backdrop hasn’t dampened its charm.

Overlooked by most tourists, Poros is famous for its fragrant lemon groves. Pass over Poros town to walk in the dark woods and bright groves of Kalavria.

Popular with British tourists, Spetses offers pine forests, good beaches and a charming harbour town. Cars are banned, but fun water taxis can take you around the coast.

Although only half an hour from Lavrion, Tzia remains peaceful and relatively untouristed. Its interior is fertile and flowered. Don’t miss the stone Lion of Tzia, carved into a hillside, or the excellent local wine.

A favourite of Greece’s shipping magnates; golden-beached Andros is lovely, exclusive, and expensive. The Goulandris Museum of Modern Art holds world-class exhibits every summer.

Mostly barren and much less picturesque than the other Cyclades, Kythnos does have one thing going for it: healing thermal springs that are said to be the best in all the Aegean.

Huge Evia is the perfect island for hikers, with green mountains and long trails winding through inland villages. At the northern tip, posh resorts cluster around restorative thermal springs. (see Evia)