TripAdvisor Ranks Santorini #1 Island in Europe, 2nd Best in World

“Even if you’ve never been to this Cyclades island in the Aegean Sea, you’d still recognize it immediately – candy-colored houses carved into cliffs, sapphire waters, gleaming white buildings topped with half-spheres the color of a stormy sky”, TripAdvisor says about Santorini, while giving special mention to Imerovigli village and adding that Oia is world famous for its sunsets.

The list of Europe’s top islands also includes Crete in the fourth place and Rhodes in the sixth.

Ων Crete, TripAdvisor notes that the island is “a Mediterranean jewel”, the birthplace of both the king of the Olympian gods and of modern European civilization. “It’s rich with archaeological and mythological history that’s reflected in its ancient ruins and cultural attractions”, the travel site notes referring to the Old Venetian Harbor in Chania, the fortresses and monasteries of Rethymono and the “awesome” Minoan ruins of Malia.

On the most popular and largest of the twelve Dodecanese islands on the Aegean’s eastern edge, Rhodes, TripAdvisor labels Rhodes as an island for all tastes: “Whether your interests are beaches, bars or ancient sites, Rhodes offers an abundance of all three. Authentic Greece can be found in the hilly interior of the 50-mile-long island.” The travel site adds that high rise hotels line the northern and eastern coastlines, while small villages and resorts dot the island’s other shores.