Stepping ashore from Lake Trasimeno onto the little Umbrian island of Isola Maggiore, it’s not hard to see why St Francis of Assisi once chose to live there as a hermit. The island, of course, is distinctly French, with mouthwatering cuisine to match. Stretching two miles long, this city is home to some of the most famous beaches of Hawaiian Island. To dot with islands. Sailing in Boracay on a paraw boat can be the most thrilling part of your trip to the island.

Lava sculpted this stunning island, thrusting up from the ocean floor to form velvety ridges and vertiginous cliffs rimmed by gorgeous beaches. With sparkling waters and coral sands it’s so perfect it almost doesn’t look real. Flatey is one of them, and can now claim fame top spot among the best islands in the world.

Paths criss-cross the island, leading up through ancient olive groves to the top of the hill, where the twelfth century Chiesa di San Michele Arcangelo sits overlooking the turquoise waters of the lake. The fictional island of Genosha, in the Indian Ocean, is important to many plots in X-Men comic book series.

Shallow body of water that may have an opening to a larger body of water, but is also protected from it by a sandbar or coral reef. Catalina Island is a perfect island getaway for both long and short periods of stay. The same currents that formed these barrier islands can also destroy or erode them.

For centuries, islands have been stopping places for ships. It’s just a quick ferry ride from both Naxos and Mykonos, and one of the more beautiful rocks of them all, featuring glittering sandy beaches, turquoise waters, and wild nightclubs and bars, stocked with expats, locals, and travellers alike.