Tinos

Tinos is the great pilgrimage destination of Orthodox Greece: in 1823 a nun's vision led to the discovery of an icon of the Annunciation, and the church of Panagia Evangelistria was built over the site, its approach carpeted so that pilgrims can crawl the length of the street uphill, which many do on 15 August, when the island fills entirely. Away from the town, Tinos is one of the most rewarding Cycladic islands to explore: around forty villages of marble and whitewash scattered across terraced hills, more than a thousand ornamental dovecotes built by the Venetians and elaborated by locals into pierced stone lacework, the granite boulder field around Volax, and a marble-carving tradition centred on Pyrgos with its own school and museum.

What you actually see

• Panagia Evangelistria - the pilgrimage church above the town.
• The dovecotes - over a thousand decorated stone towers across the terraces.
• The marble villages - Pyrgos, Isternia, Kardiani and others in the hills.
• Volax - the village set among round granite boulders.

When to go

May, June, September and October for walking and villages without the pilgrimage crush. Around 15 August the island is overwhelmed and accommodation is booked months ahead. Winter is windy and quiet.

Honest expectations

The town around the church is dense with shops selling candles and votives, which some find moving and others commercial. Beaches are decent but not the island's strength. The meltemi blows hard here in summer.

Nearby

Mykonos is thirty minutes by ferry; Syros and Andros are equally close on other lines.