Best for: Castaway coves and a picture-perfect port

 

18. Symi

 

Little Symi has the prettiest port in Greece. As you round the headland, neoclassical mansions in every shade of apricot and peach rise like a mirage from the sea. Built by 19th-century sponge and spice merchants, the whole town is now a national monument. You need strong legs to explore – it’s about 500 steps up to the crumbling acropolis – but you won’t need a car. The only proper road peters out at Panormitis monastery, a major

 

 

 

 

pilgrimage site. Ravishing beaches such as Ayios Yorgos Disalonas (backed by monumental cliffs) and Marathounda (where goats will try to filch your picnic) are only accessible by boat or on foot. In the rugged hinterland, more than 100 monasteries are hidden among the pine and cypress forests.With its laid-back glamour, luminous sea and almost tropical microclimate, Symi is a hit with French and Italian yachties. You’ll find them eating flash-fried baby shrimp, a local specialty, at Tholos, a sensational taverna where the harbour views almost steal the show.Where to stay in Symi: The Old Markets is the only smart hotel, but there are just five rooms so be quick and book one. Its simpler sister hotel, Emporio, also has just five rooms and a stand-alone cottage, dangling above the drowsy pebble bay of Nimborio, a one-taverna kind of town. Serendipity rents a handful of outstanding villas.GETTY IMAGES

source:https://www.cntraveller.com/