There is no such thing as the best European island.

Sardinia beats Madeira when it comes to beaches. Madeira beats Sardinia when you can’t stand being on a sun lounger for more than an hour. And we’d send anyone hoping not to encounter a single tourist on the island after the last ferry has left to Chalki.

We have therefore not ranked the European islands from best to worst. We have selected the islands we have visited ourselves and categorised them according to the type of holiday for which we would recommend them.

This is not a list of all the beautiful islands in Europe. It is our editorial selection of places we actually know.

What do you expect from an island holiday?	Where would we go first?
The most beautiful beaches and swimming spots	Sardinia, Fuerteventura, Mallorca
Hiking and lush countryside	Madeira, La Gomera, Flores
Road trips and a different itinerary every day	Corsica, Tenerife
Warmth and sunshine in the middle of winter	Tenerife
A short holiday without a hire car	Malta, Santorini, Gozo
Peace and quiet, a leisurely pace and very few tourists	Chalki, El Hierro
Nature that looks nothing like the rest of Europe	Iceland, Flores, Madeira

The table will give you an idea of where to start. However, each island has considerably more pros, cons and trade-offs.

1. Europe’s most beautiful beaches: Sardinia

If we were to judge solely on the colour of the water, the sand and the beauty of the coastline, Sardinia comes out on top of all the European islands we have visited.

You’ll find beautiful beaches on the Emerald Coast, near the town of San Teodoro, on the La Maddalena archipelago, in the Golfo di Orosei area and in the south of Sardinia.

Some are reminiscent of the Caribbean, others lie beneath high cliffs, and others can only be reached on foot or by boat.

Sardinia does, however, have one major problem: it is large.

Anyone who chooses a hotel based on the lowest price and only then starts looking for beaches may find that their dream beach is a three-hour drive away.

In Sardinia, two things are key

• First, choose an area based on our guide to the 25 most beautiful beaches in Sardinia
• Then find out how much it costs to hire a car in Sardinia and why you should book one in advance, especially in summer
• If you don’t want to travel dozens of kilometres every day, you should also compare the best areas for seaside accommodation

Don’t choose Sardinia if you don’t want to drive and expect all the best beaches to be within walking distance of a single hotel.

Other options: Fuerteventura offers longer sandy beaches (but colder seas), whilst Mallorca offers an easier combination of swimming and day trips.

💬 What’s your absolute favourite beach in Europe? Let us know in the comments below the article – thanks!

Compare accommodation prices in Sardinia

2. Hiking, long and short treks, mountains and the sea: Madeira

Madeira doesn’t win any prizes for having the most beautiful beaches. In fact, it wouldn’t even make it onto a shortlist of beaches.

But as soon as you start considering hiking, the views, the waterfalls and the range of activities on offer, the rankings quickly turn around.

In my opinion, Madeira is one of the best destinations in the world for hiking.

One day you’re walking along a levada through dense forest, the next you’re climbing above the clouds, and the third you’re driving through villages on the north coast.

Madeira is ideal for both keen hikers and people who mainly want to travel by car and just go for short walks.

Its biggest advantage is its accessibility. From a single base, you can go on trips all over the island, and almost every day can be completely different.

The downside is the weather. Just because there’s a blue sky in Funchal doesn’t mean you won’t see nothing but fog in the mountains. The differences between the north, south and the mountainous interior can be striking.

Madeira is also quite a mainstream destination now, so another drawback is the large crowds on some of the tourist routes.

Before you book your flights to Madeira

• Check the best time to visit Madeira based on the weather
• You must book and pay for entry to the walking trails in advance. Find out the details in our article
• If you’d like to explore the mountains and more remote parts of the island, find out how car hire works in Madeira

Madeira is the best all-round choice for active travellers. But if you’re looking for similar natural scenery, lesser-known attractions and even fewer people, read on.

Compare flight prices to Madeira

3. I want to go hiking without the crowds: La Gomera

Madeira is more spectacular. La Gomera is more intimate.

It doesn’t have the highest mountains in the Canary Islands, nor does it have dozens of must-see attractions to tick off your list.

However, it does have deep valleys, rocky cliffs, terraced fields, palm groves and a misty laurel forest in Garajonay National Park.

What’s more, there are no regular direct flights to the island from mainland Europe. You’ll usually fly to Tenerife and then continue by ferry from Los Cristianos. And perhaps that’s precisely why there are noticeably fewer people here than on the other Canary Islands or in Madeira.

Plan your visit to La Gomera in this order

• First, find out how to get to La Gomera from Tenerife
• Then choose from the best hikes and activities on La Gomera
• Finally, decide whether to stay in Valle Gran Rey, San Sebastián or in the mountains

💬 Madeira or La Gomera? Spectacular beauty or tranquillity with few tourists? Let us know in the comments which island you’d choose and why.

4. The best island for a road trip: Corsica

In Corsica, a car isn’t just a means of transport. It’s part of the experience.

The roads wind along the coast, climb into the mountains, pass through small villages and offer a reason to stop at every turn. One day you can drive along the coast, the next head into the mountains, and the third end up in the fortified town of Bonifacio.

That’s why, in our view, Corsica takes the crown as the best European island for a road trip.

There is, however, one drawback. Distances on the map can be misleading. A hundred kilometres doesn’t mean a quick motorway journey, but several hours on narrow, winding roads.

We wouldn’t therefore try to drive all the way round the entire island in a week. It’s better to choose two or three base camps and move between them gradually.

How to plan a road trip around Corsica

• First, save the 43 most interesting places in Corsica to your map
• Check car hire prices in Corsica
• Based on your planned route, choose suitable accommodation in Corsica

If you’re looking for a similar road trip with more beaches and cheaper flights, consider Sardinia. If you’re mainly interested in dramatic landscapes, head all the way to Iceland.

Book your car hire in advance

5. I want to escape the cold in winter: Tenerife

For some real winter warmth, I’d head to the Canary Islands.

And if I had to choose just one island that would suit the greatest number of people, I’d chooseTenerife.

The south of the island offers beaches, holiday resorts and more consistent sunny weather.

The north is greener, less resort-oriented and more interesting to explore. Mount Teide rises in the centre, so in the space of a single week you can combine swimming, towns, mountains and volcanic landscapes.

However, Tenerife is not a tropical island. Winter days can be pleasantly warm, but the ocean remains cooler, and you’ll need completely different clothing on Mount Teide than you would on the beach. What’s more, the difference between the weather in the north and south is significant.

When planning a trip to Tenerife, first decide

• Do you want sun and swimming? Read about what the weather is like in Tenerife throughout the year
• Do you want to explore the island? Choose your accommodation based on the differences between the north and south
• Fancy climbing Spain’s highest mountain? Find out some practical information in advance about visiting Pico del Teide

Compare accommodation prices in Tenerife

Other options: Gran Canaria is similarly versatile, but in winter I wouldn’t hesitate to head to the other end of Europe, to Cyprus.

6. Compact islands with good public transport: Malta

Malta is small, densely populated and connected by an extensive bus network. A car is therefore not a necessity here and can sometimes actually complicate your holiday.

At the same time, however, we don’t want to make Malta’s bus service out to be something it isn’t. You can get almost anywhere by bus, but you do need to allow for delays, traffic jams and, at times, unpredictable timetables.

Malta is best suited to shorter trips.

In three to five days, you can visit Valletta, Mdina, the coast, the megalithic temples and take a trip to Gozo. Thanks to the dense population and abundance of sights, it’s also a great destination outside the summer season.

What to do without a hire car

• Read about how buses, ferries and transport work in Malta
• Choose your accommodation based on transport links and the atmosphere of each town
• Plan your trips based on our selection of 25 places worth visiting in Malta+ 17 top spots on Gozo

Malta isn’t ideal for anyone expecting lush greenery, long, empty beaches and tranquillity.

It’s perfect for those who want to see a lot in just a few days and don’t want to go to the trouble of organising anything.

7. I want absolute peace and quiet: Chalki

Chalki doesn’t have dozens of sights, an endless list of beaches or a resort with a nightlife scene.

It has one beautiful harbour village, a few beaches, a couple of tavernas and a pace at which, by the second day, you’ll stop worrying about what time it is.

And that’s exactly why I love this island so much.

Chalki is for people who don’t want to plan their day every morning. In the morning, you walk down to the beach; in the afternoon, you return to the harbour; and in the evening, you choose one of the several tavernas.

We’d only recommend the island for a whole week to people who really want to do almost nothing. For most travellers, the ideal option is to combine Chalki with Rhodes and spend 1–2 nights here.

With Chalki, logistics are more important than the itinerary

• Find out how to get to Chalki by ferry from Rhodes
• Due to limited availability, book your accommodation on Chalki well in advance
• Check out the beaches and places on Chalki that are really worth a visit

Corvo in the Azores offers an even greater sense of being at the end of the world. You’ll find a wider choice of excursions and a similarly peaceful atmosphere on Gozo.

8. The best ‘wow factor’? Santorini

We wouldn’t recommend Santorini as the best Greek island for a two-week seaside holiday.

But for three or four days, it’s absolutely brilliant.

The island is small enough that, during a short visit, you can fit in Oia, Fira, the inland villages, the volcanic beaches and the walking trail along the caldera.

Yes, Santorini is expensive, touristy and overcrowded in peak season.

But it’s also true that the towns built on the edge of the volcanic caldera really do look as good as they do in the photographs. It’s just that you don’t usually see the crowds of people standing next to the photographer in them.

The biggest mistake people make in Santorini is choosing the wrong hotel

• Compare whether to stay by the caldera, on the beach or more cheaply inland
• Find out where you can get to by bus and where it’s more practical to have a car

Book your accommodation in Santorini in advance

9. First time on a Greek island: Rhodes

For our first holiday in Greece, we wouldn’t choose the smallest or the most romantic island. We’d choose Rhodes.

It’s big enough for a week-long trip, but not so big that every journey takes half a day.

It offers long beaches, small coves, a medieval town, Lindos, mountain villages and classic seaside resorts.

Rhodes offers several completely different types of holiday.

If it’s your first trip to Rhodes, start here

• Compare the best areas and resorts for accommodation in Rhodes
• Decide whether it’s worth hiring a car in Rhodes
• Choose from 37 places worth visiting in Rhodes using the map

If you’re looking for even more to do, choose Crete. If peace and quiet are more important to you, combine Rhodes with a few nights on Chalki.

10. I want something different every day: Crete

Crete is the island for people who don’t want to settle for just one type of holiday.

You can swim at the beaches, walk through a gorge, visit archaeological sites, explore mountain villages and end the evening in a harbour town. It’s no problem to spend even 14 days here , as Crete is the largest Greek island.

Its greatest advantage is also its greatest drawback.

Crete really is huge. Staying in the east for a whole week and planning daily trips to Chania, Elafonisi or the Samaria Gorge doesn’t make much sense.

You should therefore choose your accommodation only after you’ve roughly planned your trips, not the other way round.

How not to make your trip to Crete unnecessarily complicated

• First, make a note of which of the 34 most interesting places in Crete you actually want to visit
• Based on these, choose the right area for your accommodation in Crete
• Only then should you sort out car hire at Chania or Heraklion airport

Crete is a better choice than Rhodes for active travellers and longer stays.

Rhodes is simpler, more compact and, in our opinion, more welcoming for a first independent trip to a Greek island.

11. I want the greatest natural surprise: Flores

Flores isn’t the best-known island. For us, however, it’s one of the most beautiful.

Waterfalls cascade down sheer green cliffs, roads wind their way between crater lakes, and in places the coastline looks more like the Hawaiian island of Kauaithan Europe.

The island isn’t large, but it’s not the sort of place where you can visit a few spots in a day, take some photos and be done with it.

Flores also presents more complex logistical challenges. There are no direct flights here from mainland Europe, and a stopover on another Azores island is usually necessary.

Public transport is very limited, so it’s worth booking a car well in advance. Although the island is small, it is mountainous and the best spots are located far from the main towns.

For Flores, we would proceed as follows

• First, find out how to get to Flores and how to combine flights between the Azores
• Then save the 21 most beautiful places on Flores
• Choose from walking routes, boat trips and other activities on Flores
• And, most importantly, sort out your car hire on Flores in good time

We recommend Flores to people who are willing to spend more time travelling and don’t mind changeable weather. The reward is one of the most powerful natural experiences we’ve ever had in Europe.

Combine Flores with other islands: In my opinion, there’s no point in travelling to the Azores just for the sake of one island. I combined my visit to Flores with stays on the islands of Pico, Corvo and São Miguel.

Book a car on Flores in advance

12. I want to see another planet: Iceland

Of all the islands in our selection, Iceland is the least like a traditional island holiday.

You don’t come here for palm trees, beaches or evening strolls along the promenade.

You come here for the volcanoes, glaciers, geysers, black sand beaches, geothermal areas and waterfalls – features that elsewhere would be the main attractions of an entire region.

The price you pay for this uniqueness is high. Accommodation, restaurants and car hire are all expensive. What’s more, the weather can change your plans more quickly than on most of the other islands mentioned in this article.

Without a car, you can explore Reykjavík, the Golden Circle and a few other places on organised tours. For a proper road trip and to reach more remote areas, however, a hire car is practically essential.

When it comes to Iceland, thorough preparation really pays off

• Choose a route based on our itineraries for Iceland, covering a few days or even weeks
• Read the terms and conditions and insurance details for car hire in Iceland
• When choosing your travel dates , compare the weather, daylight hours and the chances of seeing the Northern Lights
• Book accommodation along your planned route using our guide to prices and accommodation options in Iceland

Compare car hire prices in Iceland

Which European island do I personally like best?

That’s a really tough one.

Generally speaking, I’m a big fan of islands. They just have a slightly different atmosphere to the mainland. Unique, often secluded, but often, conversely, more close-knit. On smaller islands, everyone knows everyone else and people are much more open.

If I had to choose just one, it would be Flores in the Azores.

Absolutely unique natural scenery, more or less year-round conditions for travelling, and the feeling that you’re at the edge of Europe.

💬 Now it’s your turn. Which European island do you think is the best, and which key contender is missing from our selection? Let us know in the comments.