Marvels of the Med
Look at Mediterranean holiday brochures and websites and what do you see? The sea. It’s like a huge, blue magnet when it comes to choosing a holiday. We love to swim and snorkel in it, sail across it, cruise over it, feast on its harvest and gaze at it. Here are some of our favourite ways to enjoy it
Sicily: for touring
The largest island in the Med is a place to tour. Its historic sights are thick on the ground, with Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Spaniards and even Normans each leaving their mark. ‘To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily,’ wrote Goethe, ‘is not to have seen Italy at all.’ Shearings has a 15-night coach tour from the UK, including Palermo, the elegant town of Taormina, the Doric temples at Agrigento, plus Siena, Sorrento and Naples en route. Go with Shearings (shearings.com). Next departures: 9 and 23 September
Turkey’s Turquoise Coast: for boating
The wild shores of broom and pine-clad mountains that plunge into the big blue are still 99% undeveloped. Where else on the Med can you travel by boat and spend nights utterly alone, anchored in creeks that feel as lost as the Orinoco under a sky incandescent with stars? If you prefer to stay ashore, I would recommend Kas: small, ancient and clustered around a harbour with restaurants, shops and cafes lining its narrow streets. Go with Sunsail (sunsail.co.uk)
Greece: for islands
Although not much bigger than Scotland, Greece has been sliced and diced by the gods, creating a glorious scattering of islands. If you like your sun diluted with a good measure of water, they’re an unbeatable choice. But which one? There are around 100 to choose from, but my favourites include Corfu (specifically the northeast corner); the olive-green island of Paxos just to the south; Skopelos in the Sporades with its easy hydrofoil links to Skiathos, Alonissos and Skyros for day trips; and the tranquil Tilos in the Dodecanes,
The Costa Brava: for Spanishness
Less than an hour’s drive from Girona’s airport is one of the single best stretches of coast on the entire Med. Although more famous for its heaving resorts, the crinkle-cut shores of the Costa Brava to the north of Palamós are dotted with seasides that are small, simple and Spanish – not the usual
[continued from previous page] ‘S’ words associated with the Costas! Among the best are Timariu, Sa Tuna, Llafranc and Calella de Palafrugell, each divided from its neighbours by fragrant, bushy headlands that reach out into the sparkling azure sea. Go with Vintage (vintagetravel.co.uk)
The South of France: for style
Each resort has its own personality. Nice is ideal for big-city distractions, including astounding collections of art; Cannes for its see-and-be-seen promenade; St Tropez for the yachting crowd and celebrity sightings; Menton for its English roots; St-raphael and Cagnes-surmer for tranquility and Monaco for the glamour of super yachts and casinos. If you can’t make up your mind, we suggest staying in Nice and then making a series of forays by train. There’s even one to take you up into the Provencal hills.
Go with SNCF (uk.voyages-sncf.com)
The Dalmatian coast of Croatia: for history
The stretch of coast between Split, a town dominated by the Roman Emperor Diocletian’s Palace, and Dubrovnik, Byron’s ‘Pearl of the Adriatic’, with Renaissance palaces, baroque towers, cloistered monasteries, churches and treasuries of art encased in 15th-century walls, is also a coast of fascinating islands. Among those easily reached by ferry, each lapped by the bluest of the Med, are Brac, Hvar and Korcula.
Go with Thomson (thomson.co.uk)