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The best European islands for a road trip, ranked
Avoid the road rage and embrace these stress-free, scenic European island drives
Nothing ruins a road trip quite like crawling at 4mph behind a tour bus on a cliffside hairpin bend, or sweating through your shirt hunting for an EV charger with 2 percent battery left.
To save your sanity, car rental companyAvishas worked out which European island road trips are actually worth your annual leave. By ranking them on terrain, elevation, landmarks, tourist density and online buzz, they’ve mapped out where you can find the dreamy, ‘wind in your hair’ drives
Most scenic: Tenerife takes the crown
For views out of a movie, the Canary Islands are the ones to beat. Tenerife scored 83.5 out of 100, thanks to the dizzying heights of Mount Teide National Park and landmark-laden roads
Right behind it is Gran Canaria at 82.7, giving you the best of both worlds with black volcanic rock and sunny beaches. Rounding out the top three is Madeira with 78.7, a brilliant choice if you want to tackle a full six-hour island loop surrounded by cliffs that have already racked up more than 7 million Instagram hashtags
Most secluded: Escape to El Hierro
If your idea of hell is fighting crowds of families just to see the ocean, Avis has found the perfect hideout. Say hello to El Hierro. It’s the smallest, most far-flung slice of the Canary Islands, topping the peace and quiet chart with a solid 80.3. Expect volcanic plains, natural rock pools and most importantly, a blissful lack of other humans
Greece claims the next two spots on the list, the first being Lesbos at 77.1, giving you lots of breathing room on the road, and Samos at 74.5. Both serve up castles, hot springs and empty beaches without the maddening queues. Rounding out the top five is the Canaries’ La Gomera and Sweden’s ultra-cool Gotland, which features a medieval walled city and stunning Baltic coast.
Best for a stress-free drive: Croatia sweeps the board
For anyone road-tripping with nervous passengers, young kids or just zero patience for stressful roads, Croatia is your answer. Pag takes the top spot with a score of 72.6, thanks to its low elevation and compact, single-day coastline circuit, with fellow Croatian islands Korčula and Brač completing an all-Croatia podium
Malta’s Gozo lands in fourth, and being the smallest island on the whole list, it offers a two-hour circuit and unusually good EV-charging coverage. The UK’s Isle of Man rounds out the top five as the only British entry across any of the three rankings
Europe’s most beautiful island road trips
- Tenerife, Spain
- Gran Canaria, Spain
- Madeira, Portugal
- La Palma, Spain
- Mallorca, Spain
- Corsica, France
- Isle of Skye, United Kingdom
- Crete, Greece
- Rhodes, Greece
- La Gomera, Spain
Got island fever?These are the top trending islands to visit in 2026
If you’re tired of driving and crave the city, here’s Time Out’s list of the 50 best cities in the world in 2026
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