Great Islands
Paradise, one shoreline at a time. 30 places, mapped and ready to build a trip around.
Plan a trip on Trailwind →Capri
ItalyBestJan–OctClimate52–81°FCurrencyEURLanguageItalianCapri is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. A resort destination since the time of the Roman Republic, it is known for its natural beauty, historic sites, and tourism industry.
Bali
IndonesiaBestApr–OctCurrencyIDRLanguageIndonesianBali is an Indonesian island and province and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller offshore islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nusa Ceningan to the southeast. The provincial capital, Denpasar, is the most populous city in the Lesser Sunda Islands and the second-largest, after Makassar, in Eastern Indonesia. The Denpasar metropolitan area is the extended metropolitan area around Denpasar.
Bora Bora
French PolynesiaBestAugCurrencyXPFLanguageFrenchBora Bora is a French island group in the Leeward Islands, comprising the western part of the Society Islands of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the French Republic in the South Pacific. Bora Bora has a total land area of 30.55 km2 (12 sq mi). The main island, located about 230 kilometres northwest of Papeete, is surrounded by a lagoon and a barrier reef.
Santorini
GreeceBestMay–OctClimate52–84°FCurrencyEURLanguageGreekSantorini, officially Thira or Thera, is a Greek island in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km (120 mi) southeast from the mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago formed by the Santorini caldera. It is the southernmost member of the Cyclades group of islands, with an area of approximately 73 km2 (28 mi2) and a 2021 census population of 15,480.
Palawan
PhilippinesBestDec–AprClimate75–88°FCurrencyPHPLanguageFilipinoPalawan is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area, with 14,649.73 km2 (5,656.29 mi2). The capital and largest city is Puerto Princesa which is geographically grouped with but administered independently from the province. Palawan is known as the Philippines' Last Frontier and as the Philippines' Best Island.
Maldives
MaldivesBestFeb–MarClimate79–84°FThe Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an archipelagic country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean, near the southeastern boundary of the Arabian Sea. The Maldives is located southwest of India and Sri Lanka, about 750 kilometres from the Asian continent's mainland. The Maldives' chain of 26 atolls stretches across the equator from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to Addu Atoll in the south.
Seychelles
SeychellesBestVariesCurrencySCRLanguageSeychellois CreoleSeychelles, officially the Republic of Seychelles, is an archipelagic country consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, is 1,500 kilometres east of mainland Africa. Nearby island countries and territories include the Maldives, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, and the French overseas departments of Mayotte and Réunion to the south; and the Chagos Archipelago to the east.
Maui
United StatesBestMay–DecCurrencyUSDLanguageEnglishMaui is the second-largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of Maui County's four sizable islands, along with Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, and Kahoʻolawe.
Azores
PortugalBestMay–SepCurrencyEURLanguagePortugueseNine volcanic islands mid-Atlantic: crater lakes, hot springs and some of the best whale watching anywhere.
Corsica
FranceBestVariesCurrencyEURLanguageFrenchA mountain range in the sea. Bonifacio sits on white cliffs and the GR20 is Europe's hardest waymarked trek.
Crete
GreeceBestVariesCurrencyEURLanguageGreekGreece's largest island, with Minoan palaces, the Samaria Gorge and lagoons like Balos in the far northwest.
Faroe Islands
DenmarkBestJun–AugClimate39–52°FCurrencyDKKLanguageDanishEighteen basalt islands of sea cliffs, turf roofs and near-permanent weather. Go for the drama, not the sun.
Galapagos Islands
EcuadorBestJun–NovClimate66–84°FCurrencyUSDLanguageSpanishDarwin's finches, blue-footed boobies and fearless endemic seabirds.
Ibiza
SpainBestVariesClimate50–88°FCurrencyEURLanguageSpanishBetter than its reputation: a UNESCO-listed old town, pine cliffs and quiet northern coves.
Isla Holbox
MexicoBestJun–SepClimate75–84°FCurrencyMXNLanguageSpanishNo cars, sand streets, and whale sharks offshore in summer.
Isle of Skye
United KingdomBestMay–SepClimate36–59°FCurrencyGBPLanguageEnglishThe Cuillin ridge, the Quiraing landslip and Highland weather that changes every twenty minutes.
Jeju Island
South KoreaBestVariesCurrencyKRWLanguageKoreanA volcanic island of lava tubes and crater trails, and the haenyeo free-divers who still work its coast.
Kauai
United StatesBestVariesCurrencyUSDLanguageEnglishAirportLIHThe Garden Isle: gentle beaches plus dramatic cliffs and canyons.
Ko Samui
ThailandBestVariesCurrencyTHBLanguageThaiCoconut plantations and a calmer Gulf coast, with Ang Thong marine park just offshore.
Langkawi
MalaysiaBestDec–MarClimate75–91°FCurrencyMYRLanguageMalayAn archipelago of 99 islands, a UNESCO geopark, and a cable car up Gunung Machinchang.
Madeira
PortugalBestMar–OctCurrencyEURLanguagePortugueseA subtropical volcano in the Atlantic, laced with levada irrigation walks. Green all year.
Mauritius
MauritiusBestVariesClimate64–84°FReef-ringed lagoons and a Creole-Indian-French culture that shows up strongest in the food.
Mykonos
GreeceBestVariesClimate52–84°FCurrencyEURLanguageGreekWhitewashed lanes, windmills and Little Venice. Loud in August, lovely in May.
Phuket
ThailandBestNov–MarClimate75–91°FCurrencyTHBLanguageThaiThailand's largest island and the jumping-off point for the limestone karsts of Phang Nga Bay.
Reunion
FranceBestVariesCurrencyEURLanguageFrenchThree collapsed volcanic cirques and one of the world's most active volcanoes, in the Indian Ocean.
Sardinia
ItalyBestVariesCurrencyEURLanguageItalianCaribbean-clear water on the Costa Smeralda, and a mountainous interior that has kept its own language.
Sicily
ItalyBestVariesClimate36–95°FCurrencyEURLanguageItalianGreek temples, Norman cathedrals, Arab-influenced food and an active volcano, on one island.
Tahiti
FranceBestMay–OctCurrencyEURLanguageFrenchBlack sand, green peaks, and Teahupoo, which breaks over shallow reef and hosts Olympic surfing.
Tasmania
AustraliaBestDec–MarClimate43–73°FCurrencyAUDLanguageEnglishCradle Mountain, the Overland Track, and some of the cleanest air measured anywhere.
Fiji
South PacificBestMay–OctFiji scatters more than 300 islands across the South Pacific, with reef-fringed lagoons, soft-coral dive sites, and villages where kava ceremonies still open a visit. Viti Levu and Vanua Levu anchor the group, but the outer Yasawa and Mamanuca chains hold the postcard beaches.