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Year in and year out I see people flocking to the same three or four islands in the Mediterranean, either because they have a thing for white parties and bottle service, or because they have a thing for white parties and bottle service. they just don’t know any better.
Not to be patronizing, but I mean, if I were a casual visitor to Europe myself and didn’t live here, I probably wouldn’t think there was an alternative outside of Mykonos or Ibiza, when these are actually the only islands being flogged to death by travel influencers.
However, I spend my summers in the Mediterranean, and I have over forty islands under my belt, from the most popular Cycladic hotspots in Greece to the legendary nightlife of the Balearic Islands, so take it from me:
Your Mediterranean summer doesn’t have to look like crazy crowds, tanned girls with pouty lips all posing for the exact same sunset photo, and watered-down $15 sangrias that you probably could have made better at home.
From someone who has spent years visiting and exploring the Old Sea, here are five of the dreamiest islands I’ll never forget – and that you have probably slept through.
Hvar, Croatia
Let’s start with a classic.
Croatia’s answer to Ibiza, Hvar has developed quite a reputation as a party dump in recent years, especially as many British stag parties come from neighboring Split, and while there is some truth to this story, Carpe Diem Beach Bar is not all this island has to offer.
The main town here, Hvar, is a picture-perfect Spanish fortified historic port, with cobbled streets straight out of the Westeros playbook. Got it fans still hanging out in Croatia? – small square anchored by Romanesque chapels, and a beautiful promenade flanked by floating yachts.
Hvar also has some of the best beaches on the entire Dalmatian coast, with Dubovica particularly popular for its white pebbles and crescent-shaped shape, and Mekićevica, a secluded bay with exceptionally clear waters at the end of a 40-minute walk from Hvar town.
If you know anything about me, you know that I am particularly attracted to the allure of the Old World, and in Stari Grad, the oldest settlement on the islandthere is no shortage of ancient wonders:
Don’t miss Tvrdalj Palace, a fortified historic villa with a beautiful fish pond, and the UNESCO-listed Stari Grad Plains, a Greek-inspired agricultural landscape that has remained largely unchanged since the 4th century BC.
Before you fly to Europe this summer, check the applicable travel rules on the Entry Requirement Checker page.
From mandatory fingerprinting to major delays at the border, there’s a lot you need to prepare for in advance.
Folegandros, Greece
Of the more than forty islands I’ve been to in the Mediterranean, 23 are Greek islands, and no matter how hard I try to forget, Folegandros always comes back to mind.
Maybe it’s the local cheese and delicious grilled octopus that haunt my taste buds to this day, or the otherworldly sight of that group of whitewashed houses at the foot of those zigzagging stairs, leading to a Byzantine church on a rugged cliff, but whatever it is, this is what Greece does best.
I particularly love Folegandros for its simple, unpretentious and relaxed atmosphere: unlike the average Mediterranean spot, which can feel quite overwhelming due to the sheer number of attractions to see and do, this one is less about sightseeing and checking your bucket list, and all about atmosphere and conviviality. slow down.
The entire island is just 2 miles wide and 8 miles long at its widest point, so if you rent a scooter for the day, beach hopping is as easy as pie, and in the evening the capital Chora comes alive with its taverna-lined piazzebougainvillea-lined alleys lined with bars and late-night chatter.
Side note: Agali Beach is a must-visit for the blue-green seas and waterfront seafood restaurants alone, and for my fellow gastronomads among us, you’ll want to make sure you reserve a table at Piatsa Restaurant, right in the heart of Chora, for dinner on one of these nights.
They are three quarters of the reason why I am tempted to return to Folegandros every summer.
The remaining third is how safe Greece feels for island hopping compared to most of Western Europe.
The country is currently ranked Level 1 on the US Department of State’s Travel Advisory page, and in the Traveler Safety Index, which is based on reports from travelers themselves, it scores an impressive 89 out of 100:
Formentera, Spain
Freaky girls go to Ibiza. Do-nothing babes go to Formentera.
Especially those of us with a penchant for afternoon naps, heavenly naturist-friendly beaches and a low-effort lifestyle.
Formentera is the smaller, boomerang-shaped sister of Ibiza and the only island in the Balearic Islands without its own airport. Once you enter the harbor by ferry from bustling Eivissa, you’ll soon realize that this is probably a blessing in disguise.
Formentera exists in a totally alternate universe, where the DJs and super clubs of its world-famous neighbor are swapped for undeveloped coastal areas, dirt roads winding through pine forests and family-run vineyards, and sleepy inland villages that still cling to old-world Balearic charm.
It’s not exactly a hidden gem, and some beaches along the north coast (the side facing Ibiza) are busy in high season.
But when the sand is icing sugar white and the sea looks like someone turned the saturation to 100, you can hardly blame holidaymakers heading to Ibiza for popping here, if only for a day. In case you’re wondering, the ferry takes barely 30 minutes.
Yet it never reaches the madness of Sant Antoni, and if you stay overnight you’ll find some of the wildest nightlife you’re likely to encounter in places like Sant Francesc Xavier, a handful of no-nonsense bars serving cocktails at sunset, without velvet ropes, bottle service or dress codes.
Formentera is my happy medium when I don’t fancy disappearing to a remote island in the middle of nowhere just to escape the crowds, but I prefer to avoid the hangovers, heaving beaches and occasional stag invasion that comes with the usual Mediterranean hotspots.
Kalymnos, Greece
I visited this one recently, just a few weeks ago, and the salty coastal breeze blows against weathered shutters, and that rhythm of the pebble-paved coastline is still fresh in my memory.
Kalymnos is Greece without the crushing weight of overtourism.
Pothia, the coastal capital, is probably one of the most beautiful Greek island capitals I have been to. Instead of the usual whitewashed cube houses and blue domes, you get pastel shades and sage green shutters, stone-paved paths that wind past flower-draped verandas, and a working harbor.
In Vathy, which I can only describe as best I can as a Norwegian fjord and a Greek village, there is a sleepy village at the end of a narrow baywith only a handful of seafood tavernas, and… oh, and an early Christian chapel on the hill, or two.
The truly stunning thing about Kalymnos, however, are the panoramic views from its many hiking trails.
This happens to be one of the best rock climbing destinations in the world, but I’m not going to lie to you bare-faced here that I was playing Spider-Man and dangling down those vertiginous rock walls straight into the Aegean Sea.
What I will say is that I climbed the relatively easy 30-minute path that led to the Grande Grotta, a cavernous chamber overlooking the nearby island of Telendos, and looked at the most beautiful, flaming red Aegean sunset in the sky I’ve seen it all my life.
Maybe, just maybe, it tops the classic Oia Castle sunset.
