Santorini's sunset in Oia is famous enough that the sunset itself has a crowd problem. Three thousand people funnel onto one castle terrace every evening in summer, and the magic thins. The locals' version: watch from Imerovigli, the quieter village on the rim between Fira and Oia, or better, from a caldera-edge dinner table booked for an hour before golden light.

The rim walk from Fira to Oia takes about three hours and is the single best free thing on the island; start by 8am in summer or the heat will end the walk for you. Red Beach photographs better than it swims. And if your visit comes by cruise ship, know that the cable car queue down can hit an hour at day's end; aim to descend by mid-afternoon and you keep the day pleasant.