Ionian Islands

The Ionian Islands were never Ottoman. While the rest of Greece was under Constantinople for four centuries, the seven islands of the Ionian were ruled by Venice, then by Britain for fifty years, before joining Greece in 1864. The Venetian and British centuries left a clear mark, which is why Corfu's old town was UNESCO-listed in 2007 for its Venetian fortifications, why the cricket pitch on the Spianada square is still in use, and why the food has more olive oil and red sauce than anything you find in the Aegean.

The yachting here is gentler than the Cyclades, with no meltemi to plan around: greener islands, lush hillsides, and short calm crossings. Antipaxos, the smaller sister island of Paxos, has the Voutoumi and Vrika beaches, which are tender-only and consistently named the clearest water in Greece. Lefkada has Porto Katsiki and Egremni for the cliff beaches, while Kefalonia, the largest island in the chain, has the cave at Drogarati inland, the long Myrtos beach for swimming, and the harbour tavernas at Fiskardo for the evening. Ithaca, the smallest of the seven and the home Odysseus tried to get back to in the Odyssey, is small enough that everyone on the harbour notices a new yacht the moment it ties up.

The season runs late April to October, longer than most Greek charter destinations because the islands are sheltered enough for early-season trips. A week is enough to do three or four of them properly, and ten days lets you add Paxos and Ithaca to the route. Charters pick up in Corfu, at Lefkas marina, or at the airport at Preveza on the mainland.