Three Greek islands, are among the top-10 small Mediterranean islands according to Guardian readers. The selected islands featured on the list are hardly household names but with their solitude and scenery they are the antidote to the more familiar, crowded, Med hotspots.

See the whole list:

1. Sifnos, Greece

Sifnos, in the Cyclades, provides a mix of beautiful beaches with a few cafes, restaurants and bars. There are great hiking trails that will lead you to remote, quiet beaches; and delightful hilltop villages with independent boutiques and tavernas. The hiking trails of over 100km are well signposted and maintained by the authorities with a website that provides details of each trail (difficulty level, point of interest, distance and more) and detailed, downloadable GPS maps.

2.Astypalaia, Greece

This butterfly-shaped island in the Dodecanese is the true arthropod of the Mediterranean. Among the island’s attractions are its caves, with fantastic formations of stalactities and stalagmites. Caves have always been a part of Greek mythology and Astypalaia has some glorious examples.

3.Hydra, Greece

See if you can capture the spirit of Leonard Cohen on Hydra – with some ingenuity and just a little local help we managed to find the house he bought back in the 1960s. It has no motorised vehicles and a harbourside to die for. Boat trips will take you to idyllic beaches.

4.Bozcaada Harbour, Turkey

5.Salina, Italy

6. Levanzo, Italy

7.Porquerolles, France

8.Formentera, Spain

9. Vis, Croatia

10. Korčula, Croatia