Ten islands that repay the ferry or the flight: beaches worth the sand, a town worth a night, food worth staying for, and room left once the day boats go.
We ranked these ten by what each island gives a visitor for the effort of reaching it: the beaches, a town worth staying in, the food, and how far the crowds thin out. Every pick hands off to a city guide for the island or its main town.
The largest of the Cyclades gives more than its famous neighbours: long sand beaches down the west coast, a Venetian quarter above Chora and mountain villages that make their own cheese. Ferries run from Piraeus, and the island has its own airport.
Crater lakes at Sete Cidades, hot springs at Furnas and a stew cooked for hours in the volcanic ground. The beaches are dark sand and the Atlantic is cool, but the flight from Lisbon is short and the crowds never arrive.
Stone Town, a UNESCO site since 2000, is the town worth staying in, and Nungwi and Kendwa in the north swim at any tide. Paje on the east coast drains far out at low tide, which suits kitesurfers more than swimmers.
Big enough that the crowds never fill it: Chania's Venetian harbour for the town, Balos and Elafonissi for the beaches, and the villages between for the food. Fly into Chania and hire a car, because the buses skip the best of it.
A volcanic island with Korea's highest peak, Hallasan at 1,950 m, plus lava tubes and a sunrise crater, all on UNESCO's list since 2007. Flights from Seoul take about an hour, and black pork barbecue is the island's dish.
Hvar town has the harbour, the fortress and the late nights; Stari Grad, across the island, has the UNESCO-listed plain and quieter evenings. Catamarans from Split cross in about an hour, and the Pakleni islets hold the swimming.
The Philippines' surf island, built around the Cloud 9 reef break, with boat trips to Naked, Daku and Guyam islands off General Luna. Direct flights from Manila and Cebu land at Sayak, and a rented scooter does the rest.
A reef-sheltered lagoon on most of its coast, a Creole, Indian and French table, and Le Morne, the mountain UNESCO listed in 2008 as a refuge of escaped slaves. It is a long flight from anywhere, so give it a week rather than a weekend.
The Mesoamerican Reef, the second largest barrier reef on earth, starts a short swim off West Bay and West End. Cruise ships dock on the south coast most days, so stay in West End and get in the water early.
Visby, walled since the 13th century and on UNESCO's list since 1995, is the town; limestone sea stacks and pine-backed beaches are the rest. Ferries from Nynäshamn take about three hours, and the island quietens once the Swedish holidays end in August.
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