BEST ISLANDS
Islands worth an itinerary of their own
Volcanic archipelagos, tropical atolls, and cultural islands — defined by geography, not just beaches.
Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua
Antigua & Barbuda
The larger of a two-island nation in the Leeward Islands, ringed by numerous sheltered bays and beaches, with a deep sailing tradition centered on the historic English Harbour.
Aruba
Aruba
Aruba
A dry, wind-swept island in the southern Caribbean within the Dutch Kingdom, known for consistent sunshine, white-sand western beaches, cactus-studded desert terrain, and reliable trade winds.
Bahamas
The Bahamas
Bahamas
An Atlantic archipelago of 700 islands north of Cuba, known for the shallow turquoise Exumas, colonial Nassau on New Providence, the pink-sand beaches of Harbour Island, and blue-hole diving in Andros.
Barbados
Barbados
Barbados
The easternmost Caribbean island, an independent nation with a distinct British-influenced culture, calm west-coast beaches, rugged Atlantic surf on the east, and a strong rum-distilling heritage.
Canada
Vancouver Island
British Columbia, Canada
A large island off Canada's Pacific coast in British Columbia, home to the provincial capital Victoria, temperate old-growth rainforest, surf beaches at Tofino, and whale-watching waters.
Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands
United Kingdom
A British Overseas Territory of three islands south of Cuba, anchored by Grand Cayman with Seven Mile Beach, clear diving walls, and the famous Stingray City sandbar where southern stingrays gather in shallow water.
Chile
Cook Islands
Cook Islands
Cook Islands
A small self-governing South Pacific nation in free association with New Zealand, centered on the lush main island of Rarotonga and the lagoon of Aitutaki, with a low-key Polynesian pace.
Curaçao
Curaçao
Curaçao
A southern Caribbean island off Venezuela, part of the Dutch Kingdom, noted for the pastel colonial waterfront of Willemstad, arid landscapes, and sheltered reef-fringed coves.
Denmark
Faroe Islands
Denmark
A self-governing North Atlantic archipelago within the Kingdom of Denmark, known for steep sea cliffs, grass-roofed villages, frequent fog and rain, and large seabird colonies.
Ecuador
Galápagos Islands
Ecuador
A volcanic Ecuadorian archipelago in the Pacific whose isolated evolution informed Darwin's theory, home to giant tortoises, marine iguanas, and other endemic wildlife within a protected national park.
Fiji
Fiji
Fiji
A South Pacific nation of hundreds of islands, most people living on the two largest, known for coral reefs and diving, palm-fringed beaches, and small outer-island resorts.
France
Corsica
France
A mountainous French island in the western Mediterranean with its own strong regional identity, prized for the demanding GR20 hiking trail, forested peaks, and clear-water coastal beaches.
French Polynesia
Bora Bora
French Polynesia
A small volcanic island in French Polynesia's Leeward group, ringed by a turquoise lagoon and coral barrier reef, centered on the peaks of Mount Otemanu and known for overwater bungalow resorts.
Moorea
French Polynesia
A heart-shaped volcanic island near Tahiti in French Polynesia, marked by jagged green peaks, two deep bays, a surrounding lagoon, and a quieter atmosphere than nearby Bora Bora.
Greece
Crete
Greece
The largest Greek island, birthplace of the Bronze Age Minoan civilization, with the palace of Knossos, mountainous gorges, long beaches, and a strong regional food and wine tradition.
Mykonos
Greece
A Cycladic island in the Aegean known for its whitewashed cubic architecture, iconic windmills above the port, the canal-side Little Venice waterfront, internationally known beach clubs, and access to the ancient sanctuary island of Delos.
Santorini
Greece
A crescent-shaped Cycladic island formed by a flooded volcanic caldera, known for whitewashed cliff-top villages, blue-domed churches, dark volcanic beaches, and celebrated sunset views over the Aegean.
Iceland
Iceland
Iceland
A North Atlantic island nation on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, shaped by active volcanoes, glaciers, geysers, and waterfalls, with the northern lights visible in the darker months.
Indonesia
Bali
Indonesia
An Indonesian island where Hinduism shaped the culture, known for terraced rice fields, volcanic peaks, numerous temples, surf breaks, and a long-established international tourism scene.
Italy
Capri
Italy
A small rocky island in the Bay of Naples long favored as a resort, known for dramatic sea cliffs, the sea cave called the Blue Grotto, and the towering Faraglioni rock stacks.
Sardinia
Italy
The second-largest Mediterranean island, an Italian autonomous region with its own Sardinian language, known for the turquoise Costa Smeralda resort coast, prehistoric nuraghe stone towers scattered across the interior, and mountainous highland villages.
Sicily
Italy
The largest Mediterranean island, dominated by the active volcano Mount Etna, layered with Greek, Roman, Arab, and Norman heritage, and known for baroque towns and a distinctive cuisine.
Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica
A Greater Antilles island nation and birthplace of reggae music, known for the Blue Mountains interior, Dunn's River Falls, the resort strip of Montego Bay, and jerk cooking rooted in Maroon culture.
Malaysia
Langkawi
Malaysia
The main island of a Malaysian archipelago in the Andaman Sea, a duty-free destination noted for rainforest-clad hills, a cable car and sky bridge, mangroves, and quiet beaches.
Maldives
Maldives
Maldives
A low-lying Indian Ocean nation of coral atolls and hundreds of small islands, known for overwater villas, clear lagoons, and reefs, with many resorts occupying their own private island.
Malta
Malta
Malta
A small island nation in the central Mediterranean south of Sicily, with one of Europe's densest concentrations of heritage — Baroque Valletta (UNESCO), the prehistoric Ħaġar Qim temples, and the medieval hilltop city of Mdina — plus clear diving waters.
Mauritius
New Zealand
New Zealand (South Island)
New Zealand
The larger and less populated of New Zealand's two main islands, defined by the Southern Alps, glaciers, fjords such as Milford Sound, alpine lakes, and the adventure hub of Queenstown.
Philippines
Palawan
Philippines
A long, narrow Philippine province known for the karst islands and lagoons of El Nido and Coron, the Puerto Princesa underground river, and extensive coral reefs and dive sites.
Portugal
Azores
Portugal
A Portuguese archipelago of nine volcanic islands in the mid-Atlantic, known for crater lakes on São Miguel, whale watching, dramatic green calderas, geothermal hot springs, and a quieter alternative to mainland Europe beach travel.
Madeira
Portugal
A subtropical Portuguese island in the Atlantic west of Morocco, known for its mild year-round climate, mountainous terrain, levada irrigation-channel walking trails, and fortified Madeira wine.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
United States
A United States territory in the Greater Antilles, home to historic Old San Juan, the El Yunque rainforest, bioluminescent bays, and a lively Spanish-Caribbean culture.
Saint Lucia
St. Lucia
Saint Lucia
A volcanic Windward Islands nation known for the twin Pitons rising from the sea near Soufrière, rainforest interiors, hot springs, and secluded resort coves.
Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles
An Indian Ocean archipelago northeast of Madagascar, known for granite boulder beaches, endemic wildlife including the giant coco de mer palm, and nature reserves protecting rare species.
Spain
Canary Islands
Spain
A Spanish volcanic archipelago in the Atlantic off northwest Africa, enjoying a mild year-round climate and crowned by Mount Teide, Spain's highest peak, on the island of Tenerife.
Ibiza
Spain
A Balearic island off Spain's eastern coast, known for its UNESCO-listed walled old town of Dalt Vila, internationally famous open-air nightclubs, sheltered northern coves, and a quieter agritourism side away from the resort areas.
Mallorca
Spain
The largest of Spain's Balearic Islands, combining the historic port capital of Palma, the rugged Serra de Tramuntana mountain range, hillside villages, and a long stretch of coastal beaches and coves.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
A large island nation south of India combining ancient Buddhist ruins, hill-country tea plantations, wildlife safaris, and southern beaches, with a monsoon pattern that shifts the best coast by season.
Tanzania
Zanzibar
Tanzania
A semi-autonomous archipelago off the Tanzanian coast, historically a spice and trading hub, centered on the old quarter of Stone Town and fringed by white-sand beaches and reefs.
Thailand
Koh Samui
Thailand
Thailand's second-largest island in the Gulf of Thailand, known for its palm-fringed beaches (Chaweng, Lamai), the Big Buddha temple, a full-moon party beach at nearby Koh Phangan, and the quieter national park island of Koh Tao for diving.
Phuket
Thailand
Thailand's largest island, connected to the mainland by bridge, with west-coast beach resorts, a historic old town of Sino-Portuguese shophouses, and boat access to the limestone islands of Phang Nga Bay.
Turks and Caicos
Turks & Caicos
United Kingdom
A British Overseas Territory southeast of the Bahamas, centered on Providenciales and Grace Bay — consistently among the world's top-ranked beaches — with barrier reef diving and a handful of quieter outer cays.
United States
Big Island (Hawaiʻi)
Hawaii, United States
The youngest and largest Hawaiian island, where active lava flows from Kīlauea in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, snow caps Mauna Kea (4,207 m), and the landscape shifts from black lava desert on the west coast to lush rainforest in the east.
Maui
Hawaii, United States
The second-largest Hawaiian island, known for the dormant Haleakalā volcano and its crater, the winding Road to Hana, resort beaches, and seasonal humpback whale watching.
Oahu
Hawaii, United States
The most populated Hawaiian island, home to Honolulu, Waikiki Beach, the Pearl Harbor National Memorial, and Diamond Head crater, with the legendary big-wave surf breaks of the North Shore active in winter months.
U.S. Virgin Islands
United States
A United States territory of three main islands — St. Thomas for sailing and duty-free shopping, St. Croix with Danish colonial architecture and rum distilleries, and St. John where two-thirds of the land is protected national park.