Three main islands, each with a completely different character, linked by a ferry that runs several times a day. There is no reason to stay on just one.
The biggest island and the only real town. Beau Vallon for swimming, Anse Major on foot, and the market at Victoria.
Onward: Cat Cocos ferry, 1 hr. To Praslin. A 15-minute flight is the alternative.
The Vallée de Mai, where the coco de mer grows and nowhere else on earth. Anse Lazio is the beach on the postcards.
Onward: Ferry, 15 min. Across to La Digue
Bicycles instead of cars, granite boulders at Anse Source d’Argent, and the walk over the hill to Grand Anse.
On six nights, Praslin and La Digue. Mahé is the one to cut if you have to cut something.
Add Bird Island or Silhouette for two nights, or a live-aboard sailing charter through the inner islands.
Day-tripping La Digue from Praslin. It is the island people fall for, and a day trip gives you four hours of it in the middle of the day, sharing the best beach with every other day tripper. Stay the night and have the place at dawn.
Read the full Seychelles travel guide or take the Seychelles packing list.