Remote Islands in Europe for Slow Travelers

Europe keeps a surprising number of islands that still ask something of the traveller — a long flight, a small ferry, a road that ends at one guesthouse with a kitchen that closes at nine.

These are not weekend destinations. They are five-night, seven-night, ten-night journeys, and the reward is almost always the same: silence, weather, and a coastline that has been doing exactly this for far longer than anyone has been watching it.

The Atlantic — Azores, Madeira, Faroes

São Miguel and Flores in the Azores keep some of the most affecting landscapes in Europe: crater lakes, waterfalls, and a coast that turns three colours through the day. Madeira's north coast is wilder than the south and rewards a slow drive.

The Faroes are eighteen islands connected by a quietly heroic tunnel network. Base yourself in Tórshavn, then move north — and build the week around the weather, not the map.

Northern islands — Hebrides, Lofoten, Shetland

The Outer Hebrides keep machair, single-track roads and Atlantic beaches that resemble somewhere much further south. Harris and Lewis reward a slow week.

Norway's Lofoten archipelago is the obvious headline. The smaller Vesterålen and Senja, just to the north, are quieter and arguably more affecting. Shetland, further out still, keeps a Scandinavian rhythm and a long, generous summer light.

Mediterranean islands the brochures skip

In Greece, the smaller islands of the Dodecanese — Tilos, Symi, Kastellorizo — and the more remote Cycladic ones such as Folegandros and Anafi keep an older, slower rhythm.

In the Adriatic, the islands of Vis and Lastovo in Croatia, and the small Aeolian islands off Sicily, belong to the same family of places we cover in our notes on Hidden Places.

How to reach remote islands well

Almost always: a connecting flight, then a small ferry or a short hop on a propeller plane. Add a buffer day at each end — ferries cancel and small planes wait out the weather.

Pack lighter than you think. Most island stays have laundry, and most island airports do not have jet bridges. For the slower, more considered approach we prefer, see our Travel Guides.

Best time to visit

Late May through the first week of July, and the second half of September through mid-October. The Atlantic islands keep a mild winter and a generous early autumn; the Mediterranean is best in late spring and early autumn.