Island life

Audi Magazine explores 10 European island escapes.

Not all island escapes involve palm trees and sandy beaches. Europe boasts its own unique island escapes, from glamorous Mediterranean yachting hubs to rugged Atlantic rocks, here are 10 fantastically beautiful European islands that offer the ultimate getaway.

17 March, 2017

Santorini, Greece

Designer chic in cubist white collides with natural beauty to spectacular effect on this island, created by an ancient volcanic explosion that left behind colour-banded rock, towering cliffs and a sunken caldera in which the sea now glitters. If you have a head for heights, walk the 10 kilometres between Fira and Oia for superb outlooks over white buildings and blue-domed churches that cling to the cliff tops. Santorini’s sunsets, during which the sky and sea explode with colour, are fabled. Best viewed, perhaps, from a restaurant terrace, or from the infinity pool of a hip boutique hotel.

Bled Island, Slovenia

Pretty lakeside towns abound in Europe, but Bled is ridiculously beautiful, surrounded by alpine peaks and topped by a castle on a rocky crag. Walk around the lake’s perimeter, which takes about an hour. Then have yourself rowed out to Bled Island in a pletna or traditional boat, gondola-style, its rower standing with long oars at the back. It’s the best spot to soak up the magnificent views and is also home to the dainty Church of the Assumption, where many Slovenians dream of getting married. And why not: this must be Europe’s most romantic spot.

Ibiza, Spain

This Mediterranean island has become renowned for its nightlife and hedonistic lifestyle – the ultimate island escape for those who want to party, with a summer club scene second to none. Its suave beach resorts are a step away from daybeds on the sand, gleaming white yachts and sophisticated seafood restaurants. But the island isn’t all about sunbathing and clubbing: Roman ruins attest to a long history, and the hilltop cathedral is a Gothic masterpiece. The island’s rugged coastline, hillsides covered in olive and fig plantations, and whitewashed villages create a highly picturesque setting.

Inishmore, Ireland

This battered chunk of rock in the Atlantic Ocean is the largest of the Aran Islands, which provide a wonderful feeling of remoteness tinged with slight melancholy. The pared-down landscape features dry-stone walls that encircle tiny fields whose soil is enriched with seaweed, and where wildflowers flourish. Seagulls screech over cliffs and the wind is blustery. A highlight is 4000-year-old Dun Aengus fortress, one of the world’s most impressive prehistoric monuments, whose concentric defensive circles hover on a cliff edge. It’s one of dozens of ancient ruins dotted in an eerie landscape of raw power.

Hvar, Croatia

Hvar seduces with Mediterranean waters blue as Midori, red-roofed villages and lavender-scented hillsides. Overlying its rustic traditions and fabulous history is a chic, contemporary yachting and bar scene to further entice holidaymakers. The bay is cobalt blue, the pretty harbour lined with palm trees and afloat with glamorous yachts, and the interior of the island swathed in vineyards. Hvar’s Renaissance old town is topped by a castle, while below, café patrons sip coffees in marble piazzas. Evenings are spent lolling by waterfront restaurants, nibbling on eggplant dip or swordfish stuffed with fresh tomatoes.

Suomenlinna, Finland

Take a ferry ride out of Helsinki harbour below screeching seagulls and billowing clouds in a pale blue sky, and shortly you arrive at Suomenlinna, one of 300 islands just off the Finnish capital. It’s a beautiful spot, shimmering with birch trees and erupting in springtime with meadow flowers. Yet Suomenlinna is crammed with historical interest too: the island has been home to a naval base since 1748 and boasts one of the world’s largest maritime fortresses. Walk its ramparts and gaze out over passing cruise ships, with the white dome of Helsinki cathedral hovering on the horizon.

Skye, Scotland

If you prefer your islands haunting and windswept, walk under the shadow of the dark, brooding Cuillin Hills or drive beneath the imposing, jagged Quiraing to see why Skye is Scotland’s most dramatic island. When wild winds howl, waterfalls can be blown back up sea cliffs, spreading rainbows and banishing urban stress. Ruined castles, sheep-dotted bogs and ancient hill fortresses worn down to romantic stubs make this a place for poetry. The island is also a bastion of Highlands culture; nearly half the population still speak Gaelic and are proud of their haunted history of rebellion and emigration.

Belle-Île-en-Mer, France

The name of this island in Brittany translates as ‘beautiful island in the sea’, which is a blunt but accurate description. Despite its northern French location, the island benefits from the warm Gulf Stream and has a wild, windswept beauty, jagged rock stacks and green-blue waters. Sixty sandy little coves nibble into its rugged coastline, lighthouses loom and pastel-coloured houses are reflected in harbours like Impressionist paintings; Monet was in fact a fan of the island. Tuck into fresh tuna or classic moules frites (mussels with chips) at one of many seafood restaurants, and count your blessings.

Gozo, Malta

The main island of one of the world’s smallest and most history-dense countries gets top billing, but subsidiary island Gozo provides life at a slower pace. Explore hilltop villages of honeyed limestone whose ramparts provide sweeping views of the sapphire sea and Gozo’s patchwork fields, full of watermelons, tomato vines and fig trees. Fine walks lead along the cliffs of Dwerja and San Lawrenz, especially wonderful at sunset or during the spring wildflower season. There’s also great snorkelling and diving, especially around Azure Window, a natural stone arch that provided a memorable backdrop for the filming of Game of Thrones.

Saaremaa, Estonia

Lying off the western coast of Estonia, this island has an appealing Jekyll-and-Hyde quality. Its chief town, Kuressaare, is a pretty place overlooked by the sort of castle suitable for a fairy tale. In contrast, the countryside is dark with pine and spruce forests and dotted with ruined churches and creaking windmills, like something from a Brothers Grimm story. If you want an island of rural charm where old-fashioned villages seem to stand in a time warp, then this is it – though happily, occasional upmarket spa hotels also provide the latest in restorative treatments as you gaze out on the scenery.