Bozcaada

Bozcaada is roughly forty square kilometres of low, treeless island off the mouth of the Dardanelles, and most of that is vineyard. Grapes have been grown here for a very long time, and local varieties, Cavus and Karalahna among them, still fill the fields between stone walls and old wind pumps. The town sits around a harbour under a large fortress rebuilt in several periods, with narrow streets of shuttered stone houses behind it. The beaches are on the south coast: Ayazma, with pines and a small monastery above it, and the wider sweeps of Sulubahce and Habbele. Wind is the constant here, which is why the ferry is unreliable and why turbines stand on the ridges.

What you actually see

• The vineyards - stone-walled fields of Cavus and Karalahna vines.
• The fortress - a much-rebuilt fortification above the harbour.
• Ayazma beach - sand and pines below a small monastery.
• The old streets - shuttered stone houses behind the harbour front.

When to go

July and August are hot, full and expensive. September brings the grape harvest, warm sea and far fewer people, and is the better month by some distance. Wind blows most days and cancels ferries at short notice, so leave a spare day at either end. Rooms are limited and book out months ahead for summer weekends.

Honest expectations

Everything arrives by boat, so prices run above the mainland and choice is thin. The meltemi can make the beaches uncomfortable for days at a stretch. Cars are heavily restricted in high summer and the queue for the return ferry starts long before departure. Out of season much of the town is simply shut.

Nearby

The Troad coast, the hill town of Assos and the Aegean beaches at Geyikli.