This sun-kissed Mediterranean island offers visitors a remarkable cultural journey through more than 6,000 years of history. It may be compact in size, but this pocket dynamo is home to countless cultural treasures: some of the world’s oldest temples, jaw-dropping castles and fortifications which seem straight out of Game of Thrones, cathedrals, museums and countless hidden treasures. Over millennia, the Phoenicians, the Romans, the Knights of St. John, Napoleon and the British are just some of those who have left their architectural and cultural marks on this extraordinarily layered and diverse destination.
Side trip: If you’re feeling the island vibe, remember Corsica and Sardinia are less than a day away — the former is part of France and the latter Italy, but both are completely unique.