The port and town of Ídhra , with tiers of substantial greystone mansions and white-walled, red-tiled houses climbing up from a perfect horseshoe harbour, are a beautiful spectacle. The whole island is treated as a national monument, blessedly free of traffic - except for an occasional garbage lorry - making it one of the most peaceful and refreshing destinations in Greece. Unfortunately, thousands of others think so too, so the town's busy from Easter until September. In summer, especially with the midday crush of cruise-ship day-trippers and the weekend invasion of Athenians, it's packed to the gills; the front becomes one long outdoor caf?and souvenir stall, the hotels are full and the discos flourish. Once a fashionable artists' colony, established in the 1960s as people restored the grand old houses, it has experienced a predictable metamorphosis into one of the more popular (and expensive) resorts in Greece. Good beaches are also notably scarce. But this acknowledged, a visit is still recommended, especially out of peak season and during the week.

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