Romantic in Rethymno

The romantic case for Rethymno starts where the day ends: in the Venetian harbour. A sailing catamaran leaves from there in the evening — dinner on board, drinks, and an hour and a half along the walls of the Fortezza while the sun drops into the sea. Coming back, you step into a car-free old town: narrow lanes under timber balconies, the Rimondi fountain, tables set straight onto the stone. Thirteen kilometres of town beach run east, and a walk along the waterline is the simplest way to finish an evening for two.

By day, the beaches worth driving to take over. Elafonissi in the west is known for the pink tint in its sand and a shallow lagoon that warms like a bath. Preveli in the south is the rare case of a palm grove growing along a river that meets the Libyan Sea; the descent to the beach goes down a footpath, which keeps the crowd away. Both are day trips, back by sunset.

For anyone who wants to go further there are two larger moves. Santorini fits into a single day: an early start, a ferry across the Aegean, a few hours on the caldera between Fira and Oia, and a return by night. Samaria has its gentle version — walking in from the sea, where the gorge is already wide and the crowds thinner. Closer to home there is Imbros: eight kilometres of path between rock walls, and a taverna at the far end where the day closes with the two of you at one table.