Best Beaches with Free Parking in Europe

We rank the top 40 of 208 beaches with free parking in Europe. Myrtos Beach (Greece) comes first with 4.9 / 5, followed by Navagio Beach, Cala Goloritzé.

The sea reaches about 23 degrees C in season, and most of these beaches are at their best from June to September. 21 of the 40 have easy access, and 20 are hidden gems.

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1Myrtos Beach

Kefalonia, Greece · 4.9 / 5 · Moderate access · about 27 °C

Consistently ranked among Europe's most beautiful beaches — gleaming white pebbles meet the most intense shade of turquoise blue imaginable, framed by towering cliffs.

2Navagio Beach

Zakynthos, Greece · 4.9 / 5 · Moderate access · about 26 °C

The iconic Shipwreck Beach, enclosed by soaring white limestone cliffs — arguably the most photographed beach in the world.

3Cala Goloritzé

Sardinia, Italy · 4.8 / 5 · Challenging access · about 24 °C

A secluded cove under a limestone needle, reached only on foot or by boat — worth every step.

4Cala Macarelleta

Menorca, Spain · 4.8 / 5 · Moderate access · about 24 °C

A tiny turquoise cove tucked below pine-covered cliffs, a short coastal walk from its bigger neighbour.

5Cala Mariolu

Gulf of Orosei, Sardinia, Italy · 4.8 / 5 · Challenging access · about 23 °C

A pebble cove with vivid turquoise water below steep cliffs, reachable only by boat or on foot.

6Cala Pregonda

Menorca, Balearic Islands, Spain · 4.8 / 5 · Moderate access · about 23 °C

A wild north-coast cove of reddish-gold sand framed by rust-coloured rocks and clear green-blue water, with no buildings behind it.

7Palombaggia

Corsica, France · 4.8 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

Red granite boulders, parasol pines and soft pale sand — Corsica's most photographed shoreline.

8Voidokilia Beach

Pylos, Messinia, Greece · 4.8 / 5 · Easy access · about 23 °C

A near perfect omega shaped bay of fine sand on the Messinian coast, with calm shallow water and the Gialova lagoon wildlife area just behind it.

9As Catedrais

Ribadeo, Galicia, Spain · 4.7 / 5 · Moderate access · about 18 °C

Towering sea arches and caves carved by the Atlantic along the coast of Galicia, walkable only at low tide.

10Cala d'Hort

Sant Josep, Ibiza · 4.7 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

A small, beautifully framed cove in south-west Ibiza where the dramatic rock of Es Vedra rises from the sea just offshore.

11Ghajn Tuffieha Bay

Mgarr, Malta · 4.7 / 5 · Moderate access · about 25 °C

A sandy bay on the northwest coast of Malta below a steep headland, reached by a long flight of steps.

12La Cinta Beach

San Teodoro, Sardinia · 4.7 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

A long strip of soft white sand and shallow turquoise water just outside San Teodoro, with a lagoon behind it.

13Plage de Roccapina

Sartene, Corsica · 4.7 / 5 · Moderate access · about 23 °C

A wide sandy bay in south-west Corsica, watched over by the Genoese tower and the granite Lion of Roccapina.

14Plage Notre-Dame, Porquerolles

Porquerolles Island, Var, Provence · 4.7 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

Plage Notre-Dame is a long crescent of white sand on the south-east of Porquerolles, a car-free island off the Var coast, with pine and eucalyptus trees behind and green-turquoise water.

15Playa de Torimbia

Llanes, Asturias · 4.7 / 5 · Moderate access · about 19 °C

A beautiful, unspoilt cove of golden sand backed by green meadows and cliffs on the Asturian coast.

16Praia da Falésia

Albufeira, Algarve, Portugal · 4.7 / 5 · Moderate access · about 21 °C

A long golden beach backed by red and ochre cliffs and pine trees, stretching toward Vilamoura.

17Praia da Senhora da Rocha, Porches

Senhora da Rocha, Porches, Algarve · 4.7 / 5 · Easy access · about 22 °C

Praia da Senhora da Rocha is a golden cove in the central Algarve, with a small white chapel on the headland above the sand.

18Praia do Camilo

Lagos, Algarve, Portugal · 4.7 / 5 · Moderate access · about 20 °C

A small golden cove framed by honey coloured cliffs and rock stacks near Lagos, reached by a long wooden staircase of around 200 steps.

19Ramla Bay

Xaghra, Gozo, Malta · 4.7 / 5 · Easy access · about 25 °C

A wide sandy beach on Gozo known for its reddish-orange sand, with Calypso's Cave in the cliffs above.

20Rondinara Beach

Bonifacio, Corsica, France · 4.7 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

A horseshoe-shaped bay of pale sand and shallow, turquoise water on the south-east coast of Corsica, backed by low scrub and quiet hills.

21Sarakiniko

Milos, Greece · 4.7 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

A lunar shoreline of smooth white volcanic rock sculpted by wind and sea, with deep clear water for swimming from the rocks.

22Scivu Beach, Sardinia

Scivu, Arbus, Costa Verde · 4.7 / 5 · Moderate access · about 24 °C

Scivu is a wild beach on the Costa Verde of south-west Sardinia, with tall golden dunes that reach down to a long sweep of sand.

23Simos Beach

Elafonisos, Peloponnese, Greece · 4.7 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

Two wide bays of fine pale sand and shallow turquoise water, separated by a strip of dunes on the small island of Elafonisos.

24Cala Galdana

Cala Galdana, Ferreries, Menorca · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 23 °C

A half-crescent cove of white sand and calm, shallow water on the south coast of Menorca, ringed by pine-covered cliffs.

25Cala Santanyi

Santanyi, Mallorca · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

A small sandy cove tucked between pine-covered cliffs on the south-east coast of Mallorca, with calm turquoise water.

26Cupabia Beach, Corsica

Cupabia, Serra-di-Ferro, Corsica · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

Cupabia is a long, pale beach in the Gulf of Valinco in south-west Corsica, with a Genoese watchtower close by and maquis-covered hills behind.

27Dubovica

Hvar, Croatia · 4.6 / 5 · Moderate access · about 25 °C

A small pebble cove on the south coast of Hvar, reached by a steep path from the road or by boat.

28Kavourotrypes Beach

Sithonia, Halkidiki · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

A string of small coves on the east coast of Sithonia, also known as Orange Beach.

29Plage des Dames, Noirmoutier

Noirmoutier-en-l Ile, Vendee · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 20 °C

Plage des Dames is a long beach of fine sand on the island of Noirmoutier, backed by an oak and pine wood and rows of colourful wooden beach huts.

30Playa de Calblanque

Cartagena, Murcia · 4.6 / 5 · Moderate access · about 22 °C

A string of sandy coves inside Calblanque Regional Park on the Murcia coast, with dunes and low hills and no buildings behind the beach.

31Playa de los Muertos, Carboneras

Carboneras, Almeria, Andalusia · 4.6 / 5 · Moderate access · about 23 °C

Playa de los Muertos is a wild beach of pale pebbles and sand near the Cabo de Gata-Nijar natural park, reached down a steep path from a car park.

32Porto Santo Beach

Porto Santo, Madeira · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 22 °C

A nine-kilometre golden beach on the island of Porto Santo, with calm, shallow, clear water.

33Praia da Albandeira

Lagoa, Algarve · 4.6 / 5 · Moderate access · about 22 °C

A small, sheltered cove at the foot of golden limestone cliffs in the Algarve, with a natural rock arch and clear water.

34Praia da Marinha

Algarve, Portugal · 4.6 / 5 · Moderate access · about 22 °C

Dramatic golden limestone arches frame this hidden gem on the Algarve coast — one of the most beautiful beaches in all of Portugal.

35Praia de Cacela Velha

Cacela Velha, Algarve · 4.6 / 5 · Moderate access · about 23 °C

Cacela Velha is a tiny whitewashed village on a bluff in the eastern Algarve, with a beach on a sandbar facing the Ria Formosa lagoon.

36Praia Dona Ana

Lagos, Algarve, Portugal · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 21 °C

Golden cliffs, sea stacks and a sheltered turquoise cove, a short walk from Lagos town.

37Sakarun Beach

Dugi Otok, Croatia · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 25 °C

A long, shallow, white-sand bay in the Kornati archipelago — rare for the Adriatic and ideal for families.

38Spiaggia di Capriccioli

Capriccioli, Costa Smeralda, Sardinia · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 25 °C

Capriccioli is a small beach on the Costa Smeralda in north-east Sardinia, with fine light sand, rounded granite rocks and shallow clear water.

39Spiaggia di Portonovo

Portonovo, Conero, Marche · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 23 °C

Portonovo is a bay of white pebbles and clear blue water below the green cliffs of the Conero headland.

40Stavros Beach, Crete

Akrotiri, Chania, Crete · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 25 °C

Stavros is a small, sheltered bay of fine sand and clear shallow water on the Akrotiri peninsula of Crete.

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How we picked these beaches

Included when our practical info reports free parking at or near the beach, then ranked by editorial score. Lots can fill early in summer. See how we rate beaches for the full method.

Frequently asked questions

More lists

• Best Beaches with Free Parking in Spain
• Best Beaches with Free Parking in Greece
• Best Beaches with Free Parking in Italy
• Best Beaches with Free Parking in France
• Best Beaches with Free Parking in Portugal
• Best Beaches with Free Parking in Croatia
• Best Beaches with Free Parking in Malta
• Best Beaches with Free Parking in Albania

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