Skiathos

Skiathos is where most journeys into the Sporades begin, and it makes a fine first impression. With its own international airport bringing you almost to the water's edge, it is by far the easiest of the islands to reach, yet it loses none of the green, pine-fringed beauty the Sporades are known for.

The island's real wealth is its coastline: more than sixty beaches, each with its own mood. There is the golden, pine-backed sweep of Koukounaries, one of the most photographed shores in Greece, and there are quiet coves reachable only by boat, where you can drop anchor and have the water almost to yourself. Between them lie family-friendly bays, lively beach bars and stretches of sand where nothing happens but the tide.

By evening, the old harbour town comes into its own. Whitewashed lanes climb from the waterfront, lined with tavernas serving the day's catch, small bars tucked into corners and the slow, easy buzz of an island that knows how to enjoy itself. It is lively without ever feeling loud, sociable without losing the calm that draws people to the Sporades in the first place.

With our drivers, guides and local captains based here, the whole island opens up: the right beach for the day's wind, a boat when you want one, a table with a view when the sun goes down. You arrive, and Skiathos is already arranged around you.