Skiathos old port and Bourtzi

Skiathos Town wraps around two harbours, and between them juts Bourtzi: a small pine-covered peninsula carrying the remains of a Venetian fort and a walkway right round the water's edge. From it the old port opens up in both directions — fishing caiques, the white town rising in tiers, red roofs and a church tower on the ridge.

It is the most efficient location in the Sporades. Everything is within a few hundred metres of everything else, there is shade under the pines at any hour, and the walkway gives water on three sides, so a session can follow the sun round rather than fight it. Late afternoon puts warm light on the town from across the water; blue hour puts the harbour lights in it.

Skiathos is also the practical half of a two-island shoot: the airport is here, ferries to Skopelos take about forty-five minutes, and most visitors arrive through it. For a different frame, Lalaria — white pebbles under a natural rock arch on the north coast — is boat-only, an hour each way from the old port, and worth building an afternoon around rather than squeezing in.