Paleokastritsa, Sidari & the north-west

Paleokastritsa is a set of bays folded into wooded headlands, with a monastery on the point and small boats running all day to coves you cannot reach on foot — Rovinia, Limni, Chomi, Stelari. High above it, Angelokastro is a Byzantine castle on a pinnacle with a view down the whole west coast; the walk up from the car park is short and steep and worth it.

Further north the rock changes. Sidari and Peroulades sit on soft pale sandstone that the sea has cut into fins and tunnels — the Canal d'Amour, and the long ledge of Loggas beach where the cliff shades the sand by late afternoon. Porto Timoni, a double bay reached on foot from Afionas, is the one picture everyone comes back with.

What this side does not have is a town. Paleokastritsa is a road with hotels and tavernas on it, Sidari is a strip aimed squarely at package holidays, and both go quiet out of season. Come for the coast, not the evenings.