Things to do — Mykonos

Start with the Chora: this maze of immaculate, bougainvillea-spilling lanes lined with designer boutiques deserves several hours of slow wandering. From there, climb to the iconic Mykonos windmills, perched on the ridge like white-sailed sentries, and continue down to the Little Venice neighbourhood, where 18th-century captains' houses lean directly over the Aegean. By late afternoon this is one of the most photogenic places in the Cyclades to watch the sun drop into the sea, glass of local rosé in hand. Don't miss the tiny, hyper-photographed Paraportiani church, a five-domed chapel that has been bewitching architects for centuries.

Mykonos is then a multi-speed island when it comes to beaches. Platis Gialos and Psarou offer organised, family-friendly stretches with sun loungers, restaurants and clear water; Paradise and Super Paradise are the legendary party beaches, with beach clubs open from noon to midnight and a packed dance floor on the sand by sunset. Further south, the long sweep of Elia is the perfect compromise: large, relatively calm and dotted with quality restaurants without the deafening soundtracks. For solitude, the northern beaches — Agios Sostis, Fokos — sometimes lack even a beach bar, and that is precisely their charm.

The day trip to Delos is essential and ranks among the most rewarding archaeological experiences in Greece. A 30-minute boat ride from the old port of Mykonos puts you on one of the most important sanctuaries of the ancient Greek world, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the mythological birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. Highlights include the Temple of Apollo, the mosaics of the House of the Dolphins, the Theatre Quarter and the legendary marble Terrace of the Lions. Allow two to three hours of walking on a hot, exposed site — bring water, a hat and proper shoes. Boats run from the morning and you must return before the site closes in mid-afternoon.

Finally, the Mykonos nightlife is an experience in its own right, and one worth at least one well-paced evening even if dance floors aren't your usual scene. The bars of Little Venice and the Chora warm up the early evening; the clubs and beach clubs run until dawn. Even non-clubbers should stroll the harbour after dinner once — the lit-up tavernas, the moored yachts, the international crowd — for an unmistakably Mykonian atmosphere that no daytime visit can quite capture.