Mediterranean Holidays

Beautiful Europe Holidays

european mediterranean holidays

The Med has been a desirable destination for decades, if not longer. The Middle Sea offers a wide range of beach holidays for all ages, group sizes and tastes. Here’s a quick guide of what to expect where, running from west to east.

Our Top Mediterranean Destinations

Mediterranean Holidays in Europe

The Spanish Costas have long been a mecca for package holidaymakers, and remain one of Europe’s most popular destinations. If you don’t want to spend all your time in the resorts, then visit trendy and vibrant cities like Seville, Barcelona and Valencia. The Balearic Islands of Majora and Ibiza are also very popular for beach holidays.

France’s Mediterranean coast is a byword for exclusivity. Bring your superyacht to mix with the beautiful people at Nice and Cannes, and enjoy the Med in style. Marseilles is the biggest city, and has a more down to earth Gallic vibe.

Italy has a lengthy coastline, with much to see. Cinque Terre is relatively undeveloped and the Almafi Coast is beautiful, but can be expensive. Rimini is the most popular seaside resort in Italy. You can easily combine a beach holiday with trips to some of the many cultural sights and historic cities. Sardinia and Sicily are also well worth considering too – both have very good beaches and excellent cuisine.

Malta, south of Italy, has few beaches worthy of the name – but many tourists come here to sunbathe on the rocks and swim in the sea.

Croatia has beautifully clean seawater, apparently because of the way the current circulates around the Adriatic. The coastline and islands are generally peaceful and undeveloped – come here to chill out and relax in the peaceful towns. You can also visit Montenegro from Croatia, which is equally attractive and even less busy.

Greece has numerous islands, all with their own characters – some are great for partying, others are quieter. Corfu, Rhodes, Santorini and Crete are all very popular with tourists. It's also relatively easy to hop between islands, either to have a holiday with a number of bases, or simply if you fancy a trip somewhere else.

Turkey is the best value destination in the Med. Marmaris, Izmir and Antalya, and their surrounding resorts, all offer a range of water sports.

If you want to paint the town red, then try Ibiza and Magaluf in Spain, Faliraki in Greece. Hvar in Croatia is a more chilled-out option.

Benidorm in Spain and Malta are popular with senior travellers, but both are also easy family destinations.

For a romantic break, try Korcula, one of the Italian seaside cities, Nice, or a combined beach and city holiday in Barcelona.

Families are welcome everywhere along the Med, but Salou in Spain and Majora are particularly popular.