Revealed: Five of the best hidden gem Mediterranean islands to visit this summer. Which one would YOU most like to escape to?
There are hundreds of beautiful inhabited islands in the Mediterranean.
Want to throw in the towel this summer, but don’t know where to start looking?
Allow us to narrow the field for you, with an overview of five hidden island gems that make for beautiful holiday destinations.
They boast turquoise waters, ancient ruins, enchanting bays and delicious food. There is even one that is car-free.
Scroll down for some extremely strong candidates for this summer’s bucket list…
Formentera, Spain
Travel guide Lonely Planet noted that Formentera is ‘designed for lazy days spent lounging on some of Europe’s most exquisite beaches’
Formentera is the smallest of Spain’s Balearic Islands and can be reached by ferry from Ibiza; it is only a mile wide at its narrowest point.
Will Hide, who visited the island, said: ‘If you want to do little other than eat, drink, relax on talcum powder-soft beaches, swim in turquoise waters or stroll around village markets, then you should go to Formentera. ‘
While travel guide Lonely planet noted that the island is ‘designed for lazy days spent lounging on some of the most exquisite beaches in Europe (dare we say the world?) – some of which ‘have water’ [that] glows a surprising shade of luminous turquoise’.
Porquerolles, France
Porquerolles has ‘one of the best beaches in Europe’ – and is car-free
A true hidden gem and one of three ‘Golden Islands’ off the coast of the Riviera. This French island is filled with white beaches, cycle paths and limestone cliffs that are ‘unspoilt’ thanks to being car-free.
MailOnline travel editor Ted Thornhill wrote: ‘Porquerolles is the biggest [of the Islands of Gold], 7 by 3 km in size, and has one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever thrown my towel on. It’s called Notre Dame – and about two miles east of the harbor – its crescent shape wraps around beautiful, shallow, turquoise waters.
‘It has to be one of the best beaches in Europe.’
Hvar, Croatia
Travel writer Jo Knowsley described Hvar as a ‘Croatian gem’. In the photo: Hvar with the Paklinski Islands in the background
Billed as the sunniest island in the Mediterranean, with 2,800 hours of sunshine, Hvar is almost guaranteed to brighten up any holiday. But chances are he’ll come in, regardless of the weather.
Travel writer Jo Knowsley described it as a ‘Croatian gem’, offering the ‘clearest blue waters and fragrant green surroundings’.
Rough guides stated that Hvar is the ‘summer haven of celebrities, yacht travelers and cocktail drinkers’, but that it also offers ‘a slice of the Mediterranean that is family-oriented, unspoilt and affordable’.
Visitors can explore enchanting bays, 13th century walls, a hilltop fortress and a central square that impresses with a Renaissance cathedral.
Elba, Italy
Elba, Italy, is called by Lonely Planet ‘an ever-glorious paradise of bays with beaches, vineyards, azure waters and hairpin bends’
This Italian island off the coast of Tuscany, in the Tuscan Archipelago National Park in the Tyrrhenian Sea, was the site of the exile of French Emperor Napoleon, although it is clearly more popular in modern times.
It’s happening Lonely planet.
Author Mary Bly, meanwhile, calls Elba a “postcard perfect getaway,” claiming that “Elba isn’t luxurious, like Capri; even the yachts that visit small bays and towns are human-sized.” She adds: ‘It’s a beautiful place to go if you’re craving excellent, simple food, sun day in and day out and postcard-looking sunsets over the sea.’
Folegandros, Greece
Folegandros, Greece (pictured), is ‘ideal for a peaceful holiday’ with ‘delicious cuisine, beautiful beaches, azure Aegean waters and secluded coves’
This ‘off the beaten track’ Greek island is just 32 square kilometers in size and forms the southern part of the Cyclades between the much-vaunted Santorini and Paros.
The quieter Folegandros is ‘ideal for a peaceful holiday’ with ‘delicious cuisine, beautiful beaches, azure Aegean waters and secluded coves’, says Visit Greecethe official website of the Greek National Tourism Organization.
The island is home to the ruins of an ancient Agora, or marketplace; a medieval village; the Olympia Archaeological Museum and, according to Lonely planet‘a culture that thrives on passionate music and exciting activities’.
