Plaka and the castle rock

Plaka is the island's small hilltop capital: whitewashed lanes barely wide enough for two, bougainvillea over the archways, and a stepped path that climbs to the crag where the Venetian castle stood. Just below the top sits Panagia Thalassitra, a plain white church with a bell arch that photographs cleanly against the sky from almost any angle.

The lanes work through the day because they hold shade, and the climb is the sunset event — from the summit the view runs over the whole Gulf of Milos to the far side of the island, with the sun dropping into open water. It is a ten-minute walk up from the village square, steep and stepped, on stone that has been polished by feet.

Expect company at the top in season: this is the island's viewpoint and it fills before sunset. The trick is to work the church and the upper lanes during the golden hour and treat the summit as the final frame rather than the whole session. Parking in Plaka is tight and the village edge is where cars stop — everything above it is on foot.