The Big Six: Open-air cinemas

From Monaco to Mykonos

Cinema d'Été, Monaco

During summer months, the wealthy, well-heeled principality of Monaco lays on a suitably swish outdoor cinema on the Rock of Monaco – a 140-metre monolith, lapped by the warm Mediterranean sea. Deck chairs and comfy padded seats are laid out in neat lines before a huge screen, which is set dramatically against the towering rockface and the Prince of Monaco's imposing 12th-century palace. This season, films range from big blockbuster hits, such as The Amazing Spider-Man 2, to family flicks such as Malificent, starring Angelina Jolie as the misunderstood villain from the children's classic, Sleeping Beauty. Drinks and snacks are available from the cinema's small alfresco cafe.

Cinema d'Été, Les Pecheurs, Monaco (00 377 93 25 86 80; cinema2monaco.com). Dates: June-September. Tickets: €11.

Sunset Cinema, US

Set up in 1994, the Sunsets at Pier 60 Society is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to create free, family-focused events on Clearwater Beach in Florida. Part of its programme is an open-air cinema that shows year-round films every Friday and Saturday on Pier 60. Over the coming months, highlights include Eighties' classic The Goonies and recent hit, Dolphin Tale, much of which was filmed in Clearwater and the neighbouring city of St Pete. Rides, slides and a huge a playground offer diversions after the credits roll.

Sunset Cinema, Clearwater, Florida, US (001 727 449 1036; sunsetsatpier60.com). Dates: year round. Tickets: free.

Amante, Ibiza

Beach club Amante opened two years ago in a cliff-side location overlooking Ibiza's scenic Sol D'en Serra bay. This season it's adding to its offering of Tuesday-morning yoga and delicious seafood dishes with a programme of "Midnight Movies". With a backdrop of floodlit rocks, guests can curl up on bean bags under the stars with a cocktail while watching Penélope Cruz dazzle in Pedro Almodóvar's Volver and Cate Blanchett deliver an Oscar-winning performance in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine.

Amante, Sol D'en Serra, Ibiza (00 34 971 196176; amanteibiza.com). Dates: June-October. Tickets: €22.

Il Cinema Ritrovato, Italy

From 28 June to 5 July, Il Cinema Ritrovato festival takes place in Bologna. Dedicated to the showing of rare films and restored classics, it includes a programme of 300 pictures shown in theatres around the city and in a large, open-air cinema in Piazza Maggiore by night, from 10pm. The inaugural alfresco film this year will be James Dean's Rebel Without a Cause, ending with a showing of the Beatles' comedy A Hard Day's Night, introduced by director Richard Lester.

Il Cinema Ritrovato, Bologna, Italy (00 39 0512194820; cinetecadibologna.it). Dates: 28 June to 5 July. Tickets: free.

Sun Pictures, Australia

The world's oldest open-air cinema can be found in Western Australia's tourist town of Broome. Originally opened in Chinatown by the Yamsaki family in 1903, it was purchased a decade later by master pearler Ted Hunter, who converted the former clothing store – part of which housed the Noh playhouse – into a fully fledged "picture garden". Opened as Sun Pictures in 1916, the cinema that started during the Silent Era continues to show nightly movies, such as The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Sun Pictures, Broome, Australia (00 61 8 9192 1077; broomemovies.com.au). Dates: year round. Tickets: A$17 (£9.50).

Cine Manto, Mykonos

On the romantic Greek Island of Mykonos, Cine Manto is set in a botanical garden. Home to Mediterranean plants, lily-covered pools and a resident pelican named Petros, it is due to show films such as Captain Phillips and Gravity over the coming months. Between 10am and 2am, a stylish restaurant serves up breakfasts, barbecues, brunch and more, beneath a canopy of trees. A must for anyone visiting Chora, the largest town on this scenic Cycladic island.

Cine Manto, Chora, Mykonos, Greece (00 30 22 8902 6165; cinemanto.gr). Dates: June-September. Tickets: €8.