Best Family-Friendly Beaches in Europe

We rank the top 40 of 192 family-friendly beaches in Europe. Cala Brandinchi (Italy) comes first with 4.8 / 5, followed by Elafonissi Beach, Palombaggia.

The sea reaches about 23 degrees C in season, and most of these beaches are at their best from June to September. 40 of the 40 have easy access, and 5 are hidden gems.

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1Cala Brandinchi

San Teodoro, Sardinia, Italy · 4.8 / 5 · Easy access · about 23 °C

A long bay of fine pale sand and very shallow, clear water backed by stone pines, with Tavolara island rising on the horizon.

2Elafonissi Beach

Crete, Greece · 4.8 / 5 · Easy access · about 25 °C

A rare pink-sand lagoon at the southwestern tip of Crete, where shallow crystal-clear waters meet rose-tinted sands.

3Palombaggia

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

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

4Ses Illetes

Formentera, Spain · 4.8 / 5 · Easy access · about 25 °C

A long strip of white sand and shallow, almost Caribbean-coloured water on the northern tip of Formentera.

5Voidokilia 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.

6Es Trenc

Mallorca, Spain · 4.7 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

Mallorca's finest untouched beach — miles of pristine white sand, turquoise shallow water, and no high-rise hotels in sight.

7Falasarna Beach

Chania, Crete · 4.7 / 5 · Easy access · about 23 °C

A broad golden beach on the far west coast of Crete, with clear turquoise water and views toward the Gramvousa peninsula.

8Falassarna Beach

Chania, Crete, Greece · 4.7 / 5 · Easy access · about 23 °C

A long, wide beach of pale sand and clear shallow water on the far west coast of Crete, known for its sunsets.

9La 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.

10La Pelosa

Stintino, Sardinia, Italy · 4.7 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

A shallow white-sand lagoon facing the Torre della Pelosa at the northwest tip of Sardinia.

11Playa de Bolonia

Tarifa, Andalusia, Spain · 4.7 / 5 · Easy access · about 20 °C

A wide, wind-swept Atlantic bay on the Costa de la Luz with a huge sand dune at one end and the Roman ruins of Baelo Claudia just behind the beach.

12Porto Giunco

Villasimius, Sardinia · 4.7 / 5 · Easy access · about 23 °C

A wide sandy beach in the south-east of Sardinia, with an old watchtower on the headland and a lagoon behind.

13Praia da Bordeira

Carrapateira, Algarve · 4.7 / 5 · Easy access · about 21 °C

A wide, wild Atlantic beach on the west Algarve coast with dunes, cliffs and a shallow lagoon that forms behind the sand.

14Ramla 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.

15Rondinara 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.

16Simos 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.

17Spiaggia Grande

Amalfi Coast, Italy · 4.7 / 5 · Easy access · about 23 °C

Nestled beneath the pastel-coloured cliffside village of Positano — one of the most dramatic and romantic settings in Europe.

18Tuerredda Beach

Teulada, Sardinia, Italy · 4.7 / 5 · Easy access · about 23 °C

A crescent of fine pale sand and shallow turquoise water on the south coast of Sardinia, facing a small island just offshore.

19Cala 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.

20Cala 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.

21Cala Saona

Formentera, Balearic Islands, Spain · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

A sheltered sandy cove on the west coast of Formentera with clear shallow water and traditional boat houses on the rocks.

22Formentor Beach

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

A sheltered bay of pale sand and shallow turquoise water at the foot of the Formentor peninsula in northern Mallorca, backed by pine trees.

23Koukounaries Beach

Skiathos, Greece · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

A wide sandy bay fringed by pine trees on the south-west coast of Skiathos, with a small lagoon behind the beach.

24Los Genoveses Beach

Cabo de Gata, Almeria, Spain · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 22 °C

A broad, undeveloped sandy bay inside the Cabo de Gata-Nijar natural park, backed by dunes and low hills.

25Playa de la Concha

San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 20 °C

A sheltered, shell-shaped city beach with fine golden sand, a long promenade and a small island in the bay, a short walk from the old town of San Sebastian.

26Playa de Valdevaqueros

Tarifa, Cadiz, Andalusia · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 22 °C

A long open beach west of Tarifa, backed by the large Punta Paloma dune.

27Porto 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.

28Praia da Comporta

Alentejo coast, Portugal · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 20 °C

A long, quiet stretch of pale sand backed by dunes and pine woods on the Alentejo coast.

29Praia de Odeceixe

Odeceixe, Algarve, Portugal · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 18 °C

A horseshoe shaped beach on the west coast of the Algarve where the Ribeira de Seixe river curls behind the sand to meet the Atlantic, with calm river pools on one side and surf on the other.

30Praia do Amado

Carrapateira, Aljezur, Algarve, Portugal · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 19 °C

A broad sandy beach with hills behind it on the west coast of the Algarve, popular with surfers.

31Punta Molentis

Villasimius, Sardinia · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 23 °C

A small beach of pale sand and clear shallow water near Villasimius, between low granite rocks.

32Rajska Plaza

Lopar, Rab, Croatia · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 25 °C

Also called Paradise Beach, the best-known beach on Rab, a long stretch of brown sand where the warm, shallow water reaches far out.

33Sakarun 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.

34San Vito Lo Capo

San Vito Lo Capo, Sicily, Italy · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 25 °C

A broad curve of pale sand and clear shallow water at the tip of north-west Sicily, backed by the town and a rocky headland.

35Santa Giulia

Porto-Vecchio, Corsica, France · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

A long white-sand beach on a sheltered bay with shallow, calm water, south of Porto-Vecchio.

36Scala dei Turchi

Realmonte, Sicily, Italy · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

A dazzling white marl cliff carved into giant steps above a small sandy beach on the south coast of Sicily, near Agrigento.

37Torre dell'Orso Beach

Melendugno, Puglia · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 25 °C

A wide crescent of pale sand and shallow turquoise water in Salento, guarded by a watchtower and the famous Two Sisters rock stacks.

38Agios Prokopios Beach

Agios Prokopios, Naxos, Greece · 4.5 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

A long sandy beach on the west coast of Naxos, with shallow turquoise water and views across to Paros.

39Baia del Silenzio

Sestri Levante, Liguria, Italy · 4.5 / 5 · Easy access · about 22 °C

A small sheltered bay of sand and pebbles beside the old town of Sestri Levante, with pastel houses and calm water.

40Cala Cipolla

Chia, Sardinia · 4.5 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

A pretty bay on the south coast of Sardinia near Chia, with soft sand, clear water and a rocky headland.

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How we picked these beaches

Included when access is rated Easy and the shore is sand or pink sand, which is gentler for children, then ranked by editorial score. See how we rate beaches for the full method.

Frequently asked questions

More lists

• Best Family Beaches in Greece
• Best Family Beaches in Spain
• Best Family Beaches in Italy
• Best Family Beaches in Portugal
• Best Family Beaches in France
• Best Family Beaches in Croatia
• Best Family Beaches in Malta

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