Hydra has been named the best island in Europe by readers of the British edition of Condé Nast Traveller, in the magazine’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards.
The small Saronic Gulf island scored 98.12 to take first place. It edged out Italy’s Sardinia (98.01) by just 0.11 points, while fellow Greek island Naxos came third with 97.14.
The results were published on 6 October 2026. The magazine said the awards, now in their 29th year, are based purely on votes from its UK readership. Israeli outlet Ynetnews reported that the survey was carried out between April and June, with participants asked to rate travel destinations and experiences.
A warm welcome to ‘drifting travellers’
Condé Nast Traveller described Hydra as the island “immortalised by Leonard Cohen” that “still offers a warm welcome to drifting travellers”. The magazine said that quality was “a criterion that helped it beat six other Greek islands this year”.
Cohen lived on Hydra in the 1960s and bought a house there, Ynetnews noted. The island has long drawn artists and creative figures.
Hydra lies within ferry distance of Athens, and ordinary car traffic is virtually non-existent. Locals and visitors get around mainly on foot or by boat. Life centres on the picturesque harbour, which is ringed by stone houses and historic mansions, while many of the island’s swimming spots are rocky coves, some reachable only by boat.
Naxos loses its crown, but Greece still dominates
Hydra’s win means the top title stays in Greek hands. Naxos was voted Europe’s best island last year, and Condé Nast Traveller noted that it “lost first place and dropped to third place” in 2026.
The magazine said Greece “has dominated the list once again”. Seven Greek islands made the Europe top 20:
- Hydra (1st) – 98.12
- Naxos (3rd) – 97.14
- Sifnos (6th) – 95.71
- Paros (9th) – 94.01
- Santorini (16th) – 90.00
- Mykonos (18th) – 88.57
- Crete (20th) – 87.81
That makes Greece the best-represented country on the list, ahead of Spain with four entries: Menorca (7th), Ibiza (8th), Mallorca (10th) and the Canary Islands (19th). Corsica was fourth and Sicily fifth.
Some of Greece’s best-known names finished well down the rankings. Santorini placed 16th, Mykonos 18th and Crete, the country’s largest island, rounded out the list in 20th place.
Celebrated on social media
The result was quickly welcomed by Greek travel accounts online. The popular Instagram account @travelgreece shared the news, saying it “couldn’t be happier” to see Hydra recognised. The account praised the island’s stone mansions, car-free streets, picturesque harbour, rocky swimming spots and remarkable artistic heritage.
A strong year for Greece
The island win caps a strong showing for Greece in this year’s awards. In the same Readers’ Choice Awards, Condé Nast Traveller readers named Greece the best country in the world, with a score of 98.14. In that entry, the magazine singled out “car-free Hydra” as one of the islands drawing more and more visitors.
Elsewhere, the Isles of Scilly were voted the best island in the UK. Palawan in the Philippines topped Asia, Fiji led Australasia and the South Pacific, and Barbados was the favourite in the Caribbean and Atlantic.
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