This tropical Thai paradise has been crowned the world’s best island in 2026

Is there anything an island can't fix? Bad week? Island. Existential dread? Island. That group chat you've been meaning to mute? Blissfully out of signal range on an island. So when the annual ranking of the world's very best islands is announced, we pay attention.

Every year, the good people at Travel + Leisure ask their readers to rate the islands they’ve visited, then crunch the scores for the magazine’s World's Best Awards. This year’s list comes with a proper shake-up at the top.

The world's best island in 2026 is... Koh Samui, Thailand. A first-time winner, no less, snatching the crown from Páros, which topped the list in 2025.

So why Koh Samui, and why now? Well, T+L's readers gave it a whopping 95.64 out of 100, praising the island's swanky places to stay, dense jungle and thundering waterfalls – plus its reputation as one of the world's great wellness destinations.

Sound familiar? The island is where season three of The White Lotus was filmed, and it seems a show about a luxury wellness resort where everything goes horribly wrong has convinced everyone to book a trip.  

It's a strong showing for Thailand all around, with Phuket landing at number five, meaning the country claims two spots in the top five.

Sandwiched between them is the Maldives at number two – aka the backdrop of every honeymoon Instagram post you've ever seen – and the Galápagos sits at three, home to marine iguanas, flightless birds and strict visitor caps that keep the whole place blissfully uncrowded.

Bali is at four, holding strong as everyone's favourite spiritual-reset-with-a-smoothie-bowl destination.

Recommended: The best things to do in Koh Samui 

Europe, meanwhile, has a new champion. Sardinia was named the continent's best island and twelfth in the world, coming out on top as another first-time winner. It’s very fitting for an island where living to 100 is a local hobby. The timing couldn't be better, either, given Sardinia is currently pouring €38 million into sprucing up 15 of its historic villages.

In the UK, Skye and the Hebrides landed at number 13, beating Malta, Maui and all of the Mediterranean's most famous names. Scotland, take a bow. 

As for last year's winner? Páros plummeted from first place all the way down to 24th – proof that island fame is a fickle, fickle thing.

These are the 20 best islands in the world in 2026, according to Travel + Leisure

1. Koh Samui, Thailand
2. Maldives
3. Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
4. Bali, Indonesia
5. Phuket, Thailand
6. Seychelles
7. Fiji
8. Sri Lanka
9. Dominica
10. Zanzibar, Tanzania
11. Golden Isles, Georgia, USA
12. Sardinia, Italy
13. Skye and the Hebrides, Scotland
14. Malta
15. Grenada
16. Madeira, Portugal
17. Azores, Portugal
18. Maui, Hawaii
19. Sicily, Italy
20. Milos, Greece

See the full ranking of the world’s best islands here.

Can't get enough island content? Here are the world's best islands to visit in 2026, according to Condé Nast Traveller readers. 

Did you see that these are the world’s happiest cities in 2026, according to locals?

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