Skip Santorini. These 5 Islands Are Worth Flying to With Friends
Santorini is beautiful. It's also crowded and expensive. Here are five islands your group will love even more.
Packpals Team · 2026-07-10 · 8 min
Santorini is stunning. It's also crowded, expensive, and almost universally better in photos than in real life. Here's where to go instead.
Let's be honest about Santorini: the sunsets are real, the caldera views are genuinely breathtaking, and the white-and-blue aesthetic delivers exactly what it promises. But so does every other tourist in Europe, which is why the clifftop paths are shoulder-to-shoulder by 6pm, the restaurants are priced for Instagram rather than enjoyment, and the famous donkeys are visibly exhausted from carrying visitors up and down the volcanic stairs.
Group travel deserves better. These five islands offer everything you actually want from a Mediterranean island trip: astonishing scenery, great food, warm water, real local culture, without the performance of it all. Some are harder to reach. All of them are worth it. If you're still figuring out how to coordinate the group, our complete guide to planning a group trip covers polls, budgeting, and itinerary basics.
1. Milos, Greece
Milos is what Santorini would be if no one had discovered it yet. Formed by an ancient volcanic eruption, the island is shaped like a crescent around a vast natural harbour, and its coastline is one of the most dramatically varied in the Aegean: 70-plus beaches ranging from volcanic black rock to smooth white pebbles to the famous coloured cliffs of Sarakiniko, which look more like a lunar landscape than anything you'd expect to find in Greece.
For groups, Milos rewards exploration by boat. Hire a skipper for the day and work your way around the coast. Kleftiko, a cluster of sea caves and arches accessible only by water, is a highlight that rivals anything in the Mediterranean. The island's village of Plaka sits high on a hill above the harbour, with excellent tavernas and views that stretch across the whole Aegean on a clear day. Milos is reachable by ferry from Piraeus or by short flight from Athens; either way, the relative effort filters out the cruise-ship crowds that overwhelm the more famous Cyclades.
2. Favignana, Sicily, Italy
Sitting off the western tip of Sicily, Favignana is the largest of the Egadi Islands and one of Italy's best-kept secrets. The water here is some of the most beautiful in the Mediterranean: clear, shallow, and a shade of turquoise that seems to shift by the hour. The old tuna-fishing heritage of the island gives it a grittier, more authentic character than the groomed resort islands further east, and the food (fresh tuna prepared every way imaginable, seafood pasta, Sicilian street food) is exceptional.
The island is compact enough to explore entirely by bicycle, which makes it perfect for groups. Rent bikes on the port and spend a day circling the coast, stopping at Cala Azzurra and the quarry pools at Cava Grande. There are no large hotels on Favignana, which keeps the visitor numbers manageable and the atmosphere genuinely local. Stay for at least three nights: one day to slow down from travel, one day to explore, and one day to reluctantly leave.
3. Madeira, Portugal
Madeira breaks the mould of what a group island trip looks like, and that's exactly why it deserves to be on this list. There are no white-sand beaches here (Madeira is volcanic, rugged, and dramatically green), but what it offers instead is something rare: an island destination that works equally well for the adventurous and the relaxed members of your group simultaneously.
The levadas, ancient irrigation channels that thread through the island's interior, are some of Europe's most rewarding hiking trails, cutting through laurel forests that have survived since before the last ice age. The southern coast, meanwhile, has natural lava pools at Porto Moniz, clifftop viewpoints at Cabo Girão (one of the world's highest sea cliffs), and the capital Funchal, which has excellent restaurants, a thriving craft market, and a famous wicker toboggan ride that is simultaneously absurd and unmissable. Madeira is well-connected by direct flights from across Europe year-round, making it a genuinely easy group trip to organise.
4. Hvar, Croatia
Croatia's Dalmatian coast is full of beautiful islands, but Hvar has a particular combination of qualities that makes it ideal for groups: it's visually stunning, the nightlife is genuinely excellent if that's what your group wants, and the surrounding archipelago of the Pakleni Islands offers some of the most beautiful swimming and sailing in the Adriatic.
The town of Hvar itself is medieval and gorgeous: a 16th-century fortress on the hill above, a Renaissance cathedral in the main square, lavender fields that turn the inland valleys purple in early summer. But the real joy for groups is getting out onto the water. The Pakleni Islands, a short water taxi ride from Hvar town, are a string of pine-covered islets with hidden coves and clear water that reward a day of aimless sailing between them. For groups who want variety, Hvar delivers: adventure, culture, beach days, and long dinners at the harbour's edge, all in one island.
5. Koufonisia, Greece
Koufonisia is the Cyclades' best-kept secret, and it requires a little effort to reach (ferry from Naxos or a catamaran from Piraeus), which is partly what keeps it the way it is: unhurried, unselfconscious, and achingly beautiful. The main island, Ano Koufonisi, is tiny (you can walk its perimeter in an hour) but its beaches, particularly Pori and the rock pools at Italida, are among the most beautiful in Greece.
The tavernas here serve the freshest seafood imaginable (the octopus drying on washing lines outside the restaurants is clichéd for a reason) and close whenever the kitchen feels like it, which tells you everything you need to know about the pace of life. For groups, Koufonisia works best as part of a small-island-hopping itinerary; combine it with neighbouring Schinoussa and Iraklia for a week of island life that feels genuinely discovered rather than packaged. Accommodation is limited, so book early and travel in a group of no more than 8–10 for the best experience. For more turquoise-water inspiration, see our guide to European beaches with the clearest water.
How to Choose the Right Island for Your Group
Every group is different. Here's a quick cheat sheet:
- Best for scenery & photos: Milos
- Best for food obsessives: Favignana
- Best for hikers & nature lovers: Madeira
- Best for a mix of beach and nightlife: Hvar
- Best for truly getting away from it all: Koufonisia
- Best for first-time group trips abroad: Hvar or Madeira (easiest logistics)
Stop Planning This Trip in a Group Chat
Group trips to islands are supposed to feel effortless. The planning process doesn't have to feel the opposite. PackPals gives your group a shared space to vote on which island wins, build out a day-by-day itinerary, share packing lists, and coordinate the whole trip, without anyone having to be the unpaid travel agent for the group.