The 10 treasure islands to be rediscovered in 2024. By boat and beyond

The most authoritative travel guide, Lonely Planet, has chosen the world’s most beautiful islands. We have selected the ten best in the Mediterranean, known and unusual. Here are the ten richest islands of treasures, nature, myths and stories To be rediscovered in 2024. By boat and beyond.

The 10 treasure islands to be rediscovered in 2024

A voyage of discovery to the most beautiful islands is a journey to the Mediterranean. Nowhere else is the Mare Nostrum as rich in destinations beloved by those who go by sea, whether on vacation or not. This is also told in a brand new book published by Lonely Planet, the historic travel guidebook publisher that is a must for all those who when they leave for a place want to experience and above all really discover in every detail their chosen destinations. It is titled “The Book of Islands – A Journey to the World’s Most Beautiful Islands” and tells which 150 atolls are worth exploring because they are most beautiful, unusual and interesting at the same time.

The book divides them by continent, but we obviously preferred to focus on the “neighboring” Mediterranean, the sea that, especially in summer, but not only, is the favorite destination of Italian yachtsmen for their holiday cruises. All 10 of those we have chosen and tell you about have precisely also been certified as top by the experts of Lonely Planet travel guides in this book.

It starts from the western end of the Mediterranean, where Minorca, the pearl of the Balearic Islands, is located, to the easternmost part of the basin where one discovers the Turkish Gokceada, a pearl of the Aegean that is still little known to beach tourism, passing through the Tuscan Archipelago, the Aeolian Islands, the Venice Lagoon, the Dalmatian Archipelago and the Cyclades Islands. There are 10 discoveries and rediscoveries to be made thanks to our vacation ideas that-just as Lonely Planet does-tell the most fascinating and secret side of the best islands in the Mare Nostrum.

The 10 treasure islands to be rediscovered in 2024

1. Menorca / Balearic Islands (Spain)

Wild and ancient in beauty, the island of Menorca is the even less touristy of the Balearic Islands. A cruise to explore its rugged coastline can begin in Mahon: it is the island’s capital built around a natural fjord that forms a totally protected harbor. Going then up the coast to the west, one can reach the first of several beautiful bays that characterize it, namely Cala Teulera. Uninhabited and quiet, it is dominated by an imposing fortress, a unique setting for a solitary bath.

Leaving this very quiet bay, we then reach Cala Es Grau: it is protected by a nature reserve and is also home to the largest freshwater lagoon in the entire archipelago. Not to mention the scenery made of turquoise sea, sandy bottoms as fine as talcum powder, and dark rocks drawn by the wind. And at the bottom of the gulf there is no shortage of pretty little villages either. Finally, another bay not to be missed in Menorca is Cala Pregonda: it overlooks a truly wild gulf that is difficult to reach from land.

2. Elba Island / Tuscany (Italy)

The more than 147 kilometers of coastline that Elba Island offers boaters are rich in natural beauty for those who love the sea. Characterized also by a mountainous part dominated by Mount Capanne, an impressive 1,018 meters high and called the “roof of the Tuscan Archipelago,” Elba then has a long series of bays that are a sailor’s paradise. Among the most beautiful and unmissable beaches, first among them is Biodola beach: it is located within the bay of the same name that also offers good anchorage and is located on the north side halfway between Portoferraio and Marciana Marina.

Located near the bend of Cavoli just over two miles from Marina di Campo, Cala Palombaia is another truly unique lido. It is as much as 300 meters wide and consists of gravel that slopes into the seabed, giving the water a special color. At the foot of Punta Fetovaia, the southwest corner of Elba, then lies the magnificent cove of the same name protected by this very wild promontory covered with Mediterranean scrub. At 420 meters long, it is made of the finest sand that flows into water so crystal clear that it is the envy of the Caribbean.

3. Filicudi / Aeolian Islands (Italy)

With the even quieter Alicudi, it is certainly the least mundane of the seven Aeolian Islands, but the beauty of Filicudi can only be appreciated by circumnavigating the island because that is how unique wonders of nature are admired there. Such as the dark rock arch, overlooking a deep blue sea, of Punta Perciato, or like the Sea Ox Cave, with its walls of yellow, green, blue and gray hues. Magical then is the village of Pecorini, a fishing village with a beautiful pebble beach next to it.

Filicudi then is also protected by UNESCO for its archaeological uniqueness: really interesting are the ruins of the Neolithic village located on the promontory of Capo Graziano. These vestiges in fact testify to the presence on the island, during that ancient era, of a flourishing obsidian industry and processing. Also in Filicudi’s hinterland, you can take a nice walk to the 700-meter summit of Monte Fossa delle Felci: you discover that it is a now extinct volcano and admire the view towards Alicudi and Salina.

The 10 treasure islands to be rediscovered in 2024

4.Djerba / Tunisia

An island just a few hundred meters off Tunisia’s eastern Mediterranean coast, Djerba has been beloved since the middle of the last century for its long, deserted beaches but also for its white towns whose buildings are marked by the influence of Berbers, Arabs, Jews and African cultures. Houmt Souk is the main center, which is visited mainly to discover its fascinating handicraft markets and to admire the 16th-century Borj El Kebir fortress.

Among Djerba’s must-see coves is certainly Ras R’mal: it is located in the northern part of the island and has golden sand and turquoise waters. Seguia Bay is also fascinating: it is located on the south coast of the island and is one of the wildest beaches. Despite growing tourism, though certainly not mass tourism, Djerba’s sea is still home to a wide variety of marine flora and fauna, including numerous species of tropical fish, corals, sea turtles and dolphins.

5. Burano / Venice (Italy)

Burano is one of the most famous islands in the Venice Lagoon and is located in its northern part, just northeast of the island of Murano, to which it is connected by a navigable canal. A number of marsh formations extend around Burano, while to the north it is lapped by the Burano Canal, by which Treporti and Torcello can be reached. Immediately to the west, however, is the smaller Mazzorbo, to which Burano is joined by a bridge. We are in a true and unique seaside destination then, allowing us to fully experience that lagoon atmosphere that has its peak in Venice but is made up of silence and nature.

Over all, however, two things stand out in Burano: the first is the bright colors of the fishermen’s cottages that are the main feature of its historic center. Legend has it that the facades were colored this way by local sailors so that they could recognize them on foggy days. Another uniqueness of Burano is the leaning tower of the bell tower of the Church of San Martino that overlooks the village’s only square.

The 10 treasure islands to be rediscovered in 2024

6. Hvar / Croatia

A popular destination for cruise passengers because it is mild and sunny almost year-round, Hvar is known as the island of lavender, which is grown on the limestone hills inland. It is part of the islands of the Split archipelago: it has a peculiar long and narrow shape, stretching from west to east for some forty miles. It can, however, be divided into two halves: the eastern half, with high coastlines and sheer sea slopes rich in Mediterranean scrub, and the western half, with rugged coastlines and sheltered landings.

Among Hvar’s most beautiful bays is Milna Bay: it is reached by skirting the island’s south coast, admiring its wild landscape. The charming little bay can be recognized by being overlooked by a small village. On the north coast, too, one encounters numerous enchanting coves: not to be missed is Duga, which forks inland. Finally, just across from the southwest corner of Hvar are the small Pakleni Otoci islands, an enchanting mix of rocky coastline and pine forests reaching out to sea: don’t miss Palmizana Bay.

The 10 treasure islands to be rediscovered in 2024

7. Lokrum / Croatia

South of the old port and walled city of Dubrovnik, separated by the Val Cassone canal, a small arm of the sea seven hundred meters wide, is Lokrum. Completely covered by a pine forest, intersected by numerous paths through the greenery that reach the many coves that also offer boaters, the island is just 0.8 square kilometers wide and for centuries was territory belonging to a Benedictine monastery founded in 1023. Fortified then in Napoleonic times by both the Austrians and the French, in 1859 it became the site of a Royal Palace at the disposal of Austrian King Maximilian.

Today then one visits there the Botanical Garden maintained by specialists from the University of Dubrovnik and the small adjoining Science Museum, which houses a detailed collection of documents related to the island’s flora and fauna. Beneath Dubrovnik’s ancient walls and not far from Lokrum is the beach of Gradska Plaza: it is a long strip of golden sand and light-colored pebbles that provides a splendid view of the old town and the island.

8. Hydra / Greece

Twenty kilometers long and six kilometers wide, Little Hydra is a world unto itself. Overlooking the Saronic Gulf, between Poros and Spetses, its tourist fame is due to the Athenian aristocrats who, taking advantage of its proximity to the capital, elected it as their seaside destination. Nevertheless, today Hydra is a haven of tranquility in which both on land and sea one moves at a slow and lazy pace. Indeed, arrival at the port immediately tells of an island out of the ordinary: the houses are Venetian-style, and on the quay a long line of mules help the inhabitants with their daily chores.

The most beautiful bay to reach by sea is Vlycos Bay: narrow and rocky, it is enclosed by a beach of small pebbles that slope into super-clear water. On land it is equipped with straw umbrellas and there is a small tavern for dining. Two other coves not to be missed are Bisti, surrounded by a pine forest and lapped by turquoise water, and Aghios Nikolas, hidden behind the tip of the island and so sheltered from the wind that the water is a swimming pool.

9. Milos / Greece

Located in the southwestern corner of the Cycladic archipelago, beautiful Milos is a peaceful and quiet island little overwhelmed by the maddening pace of international tourists even in August. An ideal place to experience by boat, basing yourself, for example, at the port of Adhamas, which is enclosed in the wide Gulf of Milou that carves the island’s northern coastline.

From here we then set sail to first reach Ormos Provatas: it is a wide forked bay that opens up on the south coast of the island, just west of Cape Ak Zefiros. Even in midsummer it is always a spectacular and lonely anchorage. Three nautical miles wide, the Kimolos Channel is the stretch of sea that opens between the northeast corner of Milos, the island of Kimolos and the islet of Poliagos. Within it one discovers several fantastic landings to drop anchor, even when the meltemi blows. Like Apollonia Bay, which opens right on the coast of Milos. Further south beyond Cape Pilonisi is the wider Ormos Voudhia, at the end of which a beautiful beach is discovered.

10. Gokceada / Turkey

Nicknamed “island paradise,” Gokceada is a corner of Turkish land overlooking the Aegean just northeast of the Greek island of Limnos. Today, apart from its tourist and nautical vocation, the island is also a producer of olive oil and jams that are very famous throughout Turkey. They can be purchased daily at the Merkez village market: this is also where the typical Biyer Kafe Dukkan tavern is located, offering typical dishes taken from a menu that changes with the catch of the day.

The most beautiful bay to reach first by boat is Aydicik Bay: it offers a clear sea and a unique view of the nearby Tuz Golu salt lagoon in which a colony of pink flamingos lives. Continuing then along the picturesque southeastern coast of the island, one instead reaches the smaller beaches of Kapıkaya and Uğurlu. Finally, you can set sail along the stretch of coast between the large inlet of Kaleköy and Kuzulimanı: rocky and wild, it is in fact protected by national marine park.

• Read also: Our dream places to sail in 2024