Grand Cyclades: Mykonos, Naxos & Santorini Island-Hopping

Today you travel out to glamorous Mykonos, your first Cycladic island. You are transferred to the airport or port for the short flight or fast ferry across the Aegean to Mykonos, where you are met and transferred to your hotel. You settle in, then explore the island's enchanting Chora, a dazzling maze of whitewashed cube houses, winding lanes built to confuse pirates, bougainvillea-draped balconies, chic boutiques and lively bars, crowned by the iconic row of old windmills on the hill above. You stroll the pretty waterfront of Little Venice, where colourful houses rise straight from the sea, and find a spot for a sunset cocktail as the sun sets behind the windmills. As the day ends, you soak up the glamorous atmosphere. This evening, dine at a stylish waterfront taverna. Rest well, for tomorrow you explore Mykonos and sacred Delos.

Today you explore the sacred past and beautiful beaches of Mykonos. In the morning you take the short boat trip to the sacred island of Delos, one of the greatest archaeological sites in the Mediterranean, a whole uninhabited island preserved as a vast open-air museum, wandering its ruins of temples, the famous Terrace of the Lions and mosaic-floored mansions with your guide, in myth the birthplace of Apollo. In the afternoon you laze on the island's famous beaches, from glamorous Paradise, with its world-famous beach clubs, to the calmer sands of Ornos or Psarou, swimming in clear turquoise water and sipping cocktails at a chic beach club. As the day ends, you return to Chora for a sunset by the windmills. This evening, enjoy a lively dinner in glamorous Mykonos. Rest well, for tomorrow you sail to unspoilt Naxos.

Today you sail to unspoilt Naxos, the greenest and most varied of the Cyclades. You are transferred to the port for the ferry across the Aegean to Naxos, where you are met and transferred to your hotel. You settle in, then explore its Chora, a maze of whitewashed lanes climbing to a Venetian castle, the old quarter of the Kastro, past Byzantine churches and market streets. At the harbour, you walk out to the great marble Portara, the towering gateway of an unfinished ancient temple of Apollo that stands alone on an islet, and watch the sun set through its huge marble frame, a magical sight. As the day ends, you soak up the relaxed, authentic atmosphere of Naxos. This evening, savour the island's celebrated produce at a harbourside taverna. Rest well, for tomorrow you explore the mountain villages and beaches of Naxos.

Today you explore the beautiful interior and shores of unspoilt Naxos. You journey inland with your guide into the green mountains, past fertile valleys, olive groves and vineyards, to beautiful marble villages such as Halki, with its old tower houses and citron distillery, and Apiranthos, built entirely of marble, with old Byzantine churches and the ancient Temple of Demeter along the way, beneath Mount Zas, the highest peak in the Cyclades. In the afternoon you laze on one of Naxos's long golden beaches, such as Agios Prokopios or Agia Anna, swimming in clear turquoise water and savouring the island's famous cheeses and produce at a seaside taverna. As the day ends, you return to Chora for a final Naxos sunset. This evening, enjoy a relaxed dinner. Rest well, for tomorrow you reach spectacular Santorini.

Today you reach spectacular Santorini, the dramatic climax of your island-hopping journey. You are transferred to the port for the ferry across the Aegean to Santorini, where you are met and transferred to your caldera-view hotel in lively cliff-top Fira. The first sight of the great flooded crater, ringed by dazzling white villages and deep blue sea, with the smoking volcanic islets at its heart, is unforgettable after the green mountains of Naxos. You settle in, then explore Fira, wandering its marble lanes, whitewashed churches and caldera-view terraces, and riding the cable car down and up the cliff to the old port far below. As the day ends, you find a terrace for your first Santorini sunset over the caldera. This evening, savour a caldera-view taverna. Rest well, for tomorrow you explore lovely Oia and its famous sunset.

Today you explore lovely Oia, the jewel of Santorini. You travel along the caldera rim to Oia, tumbling down the northern tip of the island in a cascade of white and pastel houses, blue-domed churches, cave dwellings and windmills, the most photographed village in Greece. You wander its marble lanes and cliff-edge terraces, past whitewashed chapels with their signature blue domes framed against the sea, browse its galleries and boutiques, and descend the winding steps to seaside Amoudi Bay for the freshest seafood at a taverna almost on the water. In the late afternoon you find your place along the castle walls to watch the sun sink into the Aegean in the world-famous sunset. As the day ends, you savour Oia by night. This evening, dine above the caldera. Rest well, for tomorrow you discover the island's ancient past, wine and volcano.

Today you discover the ancient past, volcanic wine and caldera drama of Santorini. You step into the astonishing Minoan city of Akrotiri, a Bronze Age town frozen in volcanic ash for 3,600 years and sheltered beneath a vast roof, walking its ancient streets as your guide brings the lost civilisation and the great eruption to life, and visit a traditional winery such as Santo Wines, tasting the island's crisp Assyrtiko and sweet Vinsanto with the caldera beneath you. In the afternoon you cruise the flooded crater by catamaran to climb the smoking volcanic islet of Nea Kameni and swim in the warm hot springs, seeing the caldera's drama from the water. As the day ends, you return to Fira for a final caldera sunset. This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner above the caldera. Rest well, for tomorrow you depart.

After a final morning on spectacular Santorini, perhaps a last stroll along Fira's caldera-view terraces or a final Greek coffee gazing over the volcano, you are transferred to Santorini's airport or port for your onward journey. You leave having island-hopped the finest jewels of the Cyclades, cosmopolitan Mykonos and sacred Delos, unspoilt Naxos with its castle, mountain villages and beaches, and spectacular Santorini with its caldera villages, famous sunset, Minoan city, volcanic wine and volcano. The images stay vivid long after you leave, the windmills of Mykonos, the marble Portara of Naxos, the green mountain villages, and the dazzling white villages and sinking sun of Santorini. The Cyclades offer glamour, authenticity and caldera drama in abundance, and having crossed the deep blue Aegean between them, you depart with the definitive island-hopping experience of Greece, already dreaming of a return.