These are the best islands in Europe according to the 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards. The scores below are percentages indicating overall average levels of satisfaction. {Book Now here}
19. Paros. Score 79.69
This island has carved out a reputation as one of the friendliest Greek destinations in the Cyclades – the beaches are remote, and the fishing villages are largely untrammelled compared to its neighbours Santorini and Mykonos, the magazine says.{Book Now here}
18. Corfu. Score 79.73
“Corfu is Greece’s green island – fringed by pines, mountains and olive groves. Some of the land is UNESCO-protected, and the beaches here are some of the prettiest in the country,” Conde Nast Traveller notes.{Book Now here}
17. Rhodes. Score 79.93
“Scarred by wildfires in the summer of 2023, Rhodes is a firm favourite among our readers,” the travel magazine says. The beaches are beautiful, sure, but there are also ancient towns and tiny Byzantine mountain chapels dotted amongst the interior to be found here.{Book Now here}
13. Kos. Score 82.79
One of Greece’s Dodecanese islands, Kos is known for its gorgeous beaches – some of the best in this corner of the Greek islands. Much of the ancient architecture here has been preserved, from 14th-century castles to the Plane Tree of Hippocrates, where the philosopher once taught.{Book Now here}
12. Skiathos. Score 83.10
The smallest of the Sporades islands is also the most popular. “Beaches such as Koukounaries are much-loved for the turquoise sea, while those on the west coast, such as Elia Beach, are quieter,” the magazine says.{Book Now here}
11. Sifnos. Score 83.25
Sifnos has earned itself a reputation as the most delicious Greek island. “More than 60 miles of trails lace the Western Cycladic isle of Sifnos,” Lydia Bell, Condé Nast Traveller’s features editor, wrote in our July/August 2023 issue.{Book Now here}
“Old mule paths that thread the rocky hills and weave down to fishing jetties. This is a tiny, rocky world, just over nine miles from end to end and less than five across. Inland villages and mazy and flower-hung are perched on the island’s spine. Sifnos is the Cyclades, but not as you know them.”
7. Santorini. Score 84.71
The sunset from Santorini has been deemed the best in the world. Credit: Giuseppe Milo/CC BY-SA 2.0
“Of all the Greek Islands, Santorini might just be the most famed – a romantic, dramatic landscape practically dreamt up for honeymooners,” the magazine notes. White-washed villages really do hover on the edge of the volcanic caldera; the beaches really are hewn from black sand; and the sunsets really do glow vibrant orange, pink and red.
It warns however that Santorini is also prone to over-tourism. “Visiting Santorini in winter is a great way to have the island practically to yourself.”{Book Now here}
4. Crete. Score 86.95
Crete, the largest of the Greek islands has a rugged interior and, perhaps surprisingly, is not very built-up, while the cities in the north and south of the island are more cosmopolitan, Conde Nast Traveller says.
“Chania is our favourite of the two main metropoles – a surprising urban outpost that hugs the harbour,” it adds.{Book Now here}
2. Mykonos. Score 87.35
“Splashy Mykonos is the Greek isle where you go to see and be seen.”
“Glittery beach clubs are the spot for long, lazy lunches that might roll into raucous afternoons, while the town teems with the style-set browsing boutiques. Steamy summer nights, meanwhile, are best spent at the island’s hedonistic clubs.”
According to the votes of the readers of Conde Nast Traveller magazine, Mykonos is just behind the top island in Europe which is Sardinia, Italy with a score of 88.08. {Book Now here}
