Serifos, Sifnos and Milos in comfort: 10 self-guided days in the Cyclades

Arrival at Athens airport and transfer to your hotel in Piraeus (not included, about 40 minutes; a private transfer can be booked). Check-in from about 3 pm. Depending on your arrival time, you collect your ferry tickets that evening or the next morning. A first dinner by the harbour, where the ferries set the rhythm of the town.

The ferry takes you to Serifos in about 2 hours (included). The island of Perseus is watched over by Chora, one of the most characterful villages of the Cyclades. You climb its narrow white lanes to the summit, where the view embraces Livadi bay, then walk back down for a first swim in crystal-clear water. A round walk.

A short bus ride takes you up to Chora (not included, about 10 minutes). From there, the path leads to the chapel of Stavros and through the inland villages of Kendarchos, Galani and Panagia. You can add a visit to the 16th-century monastery of Taxiarchon, where a single monk still lives among a fine collection of religious heirlooms. The return follows a beautiful monopati down to Livadi bay, where the afternoon is yours to swim and relax.

A short ferry crossing to Sifnos (included), the island of perched chapels, monasteries and talented potters. You settle in Kamares, on a lovely beach, for three nights. Depending on your arrival time, a first walk from Apollonia (bus not included, about 10 minutes) down to Kamares, with the sea always in view.

Bus to Apollonia (not included, about 10 minutes). One of the loveliest walks on Sifnos crosses the island from east to west and ends at Vathy bay: a swim, the sun, a taverna terrace over the water. Return to Kamares by bus (not included, about 25 minutes).

Bus to Kastro (not included, about 15 minutes). This walk strings together some of the island's finest places: the lanes of Kastro, the little harbour of Faros, the Chryssopighi monastery on its rock above the sea, and the beach of Platys Gialos. The monopati between Kastro and Faros is one of the most pleasant paths in the archipelago. Bus back to Kamares (not included, about 20 minutes).

Ferry to Milos (about 45 minutes, included), the island of the Venus de Milo, and transfer to your hotel (included). In the afternoon, a local bus (not included) takes you to Sarakiniko and its canyon of white volcanic rock above turquoise water. In antiquity, Milos grew rich on the obsidian trade. Return by bus (not included).

Transfer to Pollonia (not included, about 15 minutes from Adamas), then a small boat to Psathi, the port of Kimolos (20 to 30 minutes, ticket bought on the spot). From Chorio and its windmills lined up on the Ksaplovouni ridge, a scenic path leads to the Skiadi rock, a mushroom-shaped stone sculpted by erosion. You continue from beach to beach along the coast, with time to swim, and return to Chorio on stone-paved paths through a shaded valley and abandoned hamlets. Ferry back to Milos (about 20 to 30 minutes, not included).

Depending on the ferry time, a last stroll to Klima (taxi not included), a fishing village of colourful boathouses, and a visit to the catacombs, the most important after those of Rome. Ferry to Piraeus (about 3 h 30), then transfer to Athens for the night (not included).