Europe isn’t just home to major cities like Paris or Rome. It’s also where you’ll find islands that are heavy with vacation vibes, such as Greece’s Crete and Santorini, or Mallorca in Spain.
Though, as beautiful as these islands’ sunsets and beaches are, you’d better be ready to fight the crowds. Sunseekers flock here in droves, which can make it hard to relax when you can’t get a restaurant reservation at a decent hour, most of the good hotels are booked, and the beaches are overly crowded.
But all hope isn’t lost. Consider alternate islands that might not yet be on your radar, but absolutely should be. Here’s where you can go when you want that European charm, while still enjoying the tranquility and calm only a remote island setting can provide.
In this article
Azores, Portugal
Portugal includes a mainland, plus nine volcanic islands within the Atlantic Ocean, roughly 1,000 miles away from cities like Lisbon and Porto.
Getting there requires only a 5-hour flight from Boston, or a 2.5-hour jaunt from Lisbon, when landing at Ponta Delgada on São Miguel Island, which is the largest and most-populated island in the Azores’ archipelago (home to 140,000 people).
Spending time on these islands is the complete opposite of jaunting from city to city in Europe. Instead, the Azores is where you should go to experience nature. It’s widely considered to be the Hawaii of Europe due to its similar landscape.
On São Miguel specifically, you’ll find a lush volcanic landscape, the city of Ponta Delgada that still manages to feel uncrowded (just be sure to make a dinner reservation in peak season!), hikes to twin crater lakes, thermal waters for soaking, and whale watching in spring and summer.
Menorca, Spain
Skip the crowds of Mallorca and head to Menorca instead, which is located in the same archipelago in Spain’s Balearic Islands within the Mediterranean Sea.
Menorca is a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site for its cyclopean architecture, which ensures the island’s beauty is less likely to be stripped away or overdeveloped.
Structures date back to the Bronze Age (1600 B.C.) as well as the Late Iron Age (123 B.C.) but modern draws include more than 100 beaches and coves, plus guided tours of Cova de s’Aigua, which is a naturally occurring cave marked by an illuminated lake. There’s also Torre d’en Galmés, a historic site featuring preserved Talayotic architecture.
Gozo, Malta
With cruise ships increasingly docking on Malta’s largest island (called Malta, located south of Sicily), it might be time to check out Gozo, the second largest of the archipelago’s three inhabited islands.
Just a 25-minute ferry ride from Malta’s capital city of Valletta, Gozo’s population hovers around 40,000 people, comprising only 10 percent of the entire country, so it rarely feels oversaturated.
An ideal spot for those seeking a chilled-out Mediterranean vacation, Gozo is a great place to scuba dive, lounge on the beach (sinking your toes in Ramla Bay’s orange-red sand is a must), take long hikes, and visit ancient ruins (Ġgantija Archaeological Park dates back to 3800 to 2000 B.C.)—all in one trip.
Vis, Croatia
Island hopping in Croatia isn’t exactly a secret these days, especially to tourist hotspots like Hvar.
And it’s certainly appealing. But for less tourist mingling, dock your boat in Vis, which is located further out in the Adriatic Sea than Hvar and home to only around 2,000 residents.
Until 1989 Vis was primarily known for housing a military base, but now, it’s a place to explore caves, take long bicycle rides, and tour ancient Roman architecture remains, including former public thermal baths, before dining at seaside taverns at night.
To access Vis, hop a ferry in Split. Based on the route, the journey takes anywhere from an easy 90 minutes to a scenic 3-hour ride.
Isle of Skye, Scotland
If it's castles, not snorkeling, that makes you swoon, then this 50-mile-long island—part of the Highlands of Scotland—will lure you in.
There’s no commercial airport on the island; instead, reach it by ferry or bus from Glasgow, or make the 6-hour trip in a rental car by crossing the Skye Bridge. Due to its small size and gaining popularity, Skye can get crowded especially in summer. Consider a shoulder season visit or go earlier in the day.
Once you arrive, admire two historic castles, such as Armadale and Dunvegan, which are open to visitors. Then, take a hike. The Cuillin Range has strenuous climbs that reward hikers with views from some of the island’s highest elevations. Many visitors to the Isle of Skye also enjoy camping, simply for the unobstructed sense of nature.
The Shortcut
The Azores get called the Hawaii of Europe, and they're only a 5-hour flight away from the East Coast.
Menorca's UNESCO protection is a big part of why it never got built up the way Mallorca did.
Ramla Bay on Gozo has orange-red sand, and you can reach the island by ferry from Valletta.
