Spain dominates another 'Europe's best islands' study

THREE of Spain's islands have made it into the top five in Europe according to a leading travel search engine, and another two are hot on their heels, based upon criteria ranging from weather to availability of entertainment, ease of flying, and prices in destination.

According to KAYAK, searches for flights to Europe's islands as a whole are now 11% higher than in 2019 – the last year before the pandemic – and 13% higher than 2019 for Spanish islands.

KAYAK collated data for 70 islands across the whole of Europe, classifying them under seven headings: Weather, accessibility by aeroplane, prices – hotels, car hire, restaurants, and general costs on location for food and transport – things to do, activities for children, Covid-safety measures, and sustainability, including environmental care.

These were further broken down into 19 areas relating to the across-the-board holiday experience and suitability for different tourist profiles, such as families with children, budget breaks, best low-season destinations, off-the-beaten-track locations, and so on.

The Greek island of Crete tops the list, with plus points highlighted including warm weather in high season, blue-flag sand beaches, and low rainfall.

Unlike an earlier report on Europe's favourite holiday islands, where those which were countries in their own right were excluded from the poll, these were in fact among the 70 reviewed by KAYAK, meaning Cyprus came third.

Cyprus' scores were 'consistent' throughout all categories, with special mention of good weather, cheap car hire, an 'acceptable number' of hiking routes, beaches and UNESCO heritage sites.

The top island in Spain, number two on the list, is Tenerife, which is considered 'the best of the 70 for active trips', due to its vast expanse of natural countryside, nature reserves – including one of the Canary Islands' four National Parks, the Teide volcano, Spain's highest peak at 3,718 metres – its wide network of footpaths and official walking routes, and the beautiful colonial town of San Cristóbal de la Laguna, the whole of which is a UNESCO heritage site, one of four in the Canaries along with the Teide, the Garajonay National Park in La Gomera, and the Risco Caído archaeological dig in Gran Canaria.

In practice, the Canary Islands has five UNESCO heritage declarations, but the fifth one is 'intangible' – the La Gomera 'whistling language', El Silbo.

Lanzarote is fourth, and among its main points-grabbing features are its friendly, warm and welcoming people, its traditional local cuisine, and its very unique landscape and countryside – the desert-like Timanfaya National Park, the La Geria vineyards where bright-green vines grow in grey volcanic soil, the Guatiza cactus gardens, the Janubio salt marshes, and the Jameos del Agua, a cave-tunnel with a bright-blue salt-water lake in its heart are the most high-profile 'natural' attractions, and unlike any you might see anywhere else in the world.

Gran Canaria completes the top five, and among its high points in the KAYAK study is its excellent weather in low season – a feature of the Canary Islands in general, since their location 100 kilometres off the south-western Moroccan coast means winters start late and are very mild.

It is also highlighted as an ideal location for active tourism – nature, sightseeing or both – and its best-rated must-see hotspots include the Risco Caído and also the Bentayga Peak near Tejeda, a highly-singular rock formation on top of a mountain.

Although the Spanish islands in the top five are all in the Canaries, the largest of the Balearics, Mallorca, made the top 10 and was the fourth-best rated island in the country.

The other two top-10 Spanish islands are Fuerteventura and La Palma, also in the Canaries.