When you think of Europe’s best islands, what comes to mind? Perhaps it’s the crystal clear waters of Rhodes, the striped beach umbrellas of Capri, or the swanky waterside clubs of Ibiza. So what if we told you one of Europe’s best islands wasn’t one of these sun-soaked destinations, but a rocky archipelago off the coast of Scotland?
Okay, it’s not exactly a hidden gem, but the Isle of Skye and the Hebrides have been ranked as one of the best islands on the continent in Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards for 2025.
The Scottish isles were the only British location to be included on the list, which named the 15 best islands in Europe as voted for by the readers of Travel + Leisure. Skye and the Hebrides came in 12th place with a reader score of 84.94. One survey respondent wrote that the Scottish location is ‘not overdeveloped and a gorgeous place to enjoy nature and peace’.
According to Time Out, some of the best things to do on Skye are visit the technicolour town of Portree, explore the rugged and dramatic scenery, especially the magical fairy glen and the Quiraing land slip, and a visit to the Talisker whisky distillery. And no trip to the island is complete without seeing the legendary Old Man of Storr – it’s in all the tourism photos for a reason.
We’ll admit that most of the other islands in the ranking were in the sunny Mediterranean, with Páros in Greece clinching first place. The Aegean isle was followed by Italy’s Ischia, Hvar in Croatia, and Portugal’s Madeira respectively. In T+L’s global ranking, a Greek island took top spot.
Want more? Discover Time Out’s list of the 11 most beautiful islands in the world.
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