The Mediterranean

Where to Go

• The Amalfi Coast: Positano, Ravello and boat days to Capri. See Italy.
• Portofino and the Ligurian coast: a small harbor town with coastal walks and boats to the Cinque Terre.
• The French Riviera: Cap d'Antibes, Nice and the hill villages. See France.
• The Greek islands and the Peloponnese: Santorini's caldera, quieter Cycladic islands, and Hydra and Spetses off the Argolid. See Greece.
• The Balearics: Mallorca's coves and mountains, and the quiet north of Ibiza. See Spain.
• The Dalmatian coast: Dubrovnik, Hvar and the islands of Croatia.

What to Do

Hire a boat for a day, whether to Capri from Positano, along the coast from Portofino, around Hydra and Spetses, or into the coves of Mallorca and Ibiza. Walk the coastal paths, eat long lunches by the water, and mix beach days with the old towns, villas and ancient sites nearby. Off Liguria and the Riviera, boat trips into the Pelagos Sanctuary can find fin whales and dolphins in summer.

Best Time to Go

June and September are the best months: warm sea, open hotels and fewer people than in July and August, when the heat, crowds and rates peak. May and early October are good for sightseeing, though the sea is cooler. Many coastal hotels close from November to April. Our guide to Europe in the shoulder season lists opening dates.

Getting Around and How Long to Stay

Fly into Naples, Nice, Genoa or Milan, Athens, Palma or Ibiza. Use drivers on the coast and boats or short flights between islands. We suggest three or four nights in each place, with two bases for a week to ten days.

Where to Stay

Amalfi Coast: Le Sirenuse is in the heart of Positano, and Il San Pietro di Positano is built into the cliff just outside town, with its own beach.

Portofino: Splendido, A Belmond Hotel sits on the hillside above the harbor.

The Riviera: Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc has its seawater pool cut into the rocks of Cap d'Antibes.

Greece: Amanzoe sits above Porto Heli, and Canaves Oia Suites is cut into the caldera cliff in Santorini.

The Balearics: Cap Rocat is a former fortress on the Bay of Palma in Mallorca, and Six Senses Ibiza is on the quiet north coast of Ibiza.

Pairing

A coast pairs well with a city: Positano with Rome, Portofino with Milan or Lake Como, the Riviera with Paris, the Greek islands with Athens. See Italy's lakes and coasts, Paris and the Riviera in one trip and Greece beyond Santorini, or our Europe list for more hotels.