Best Pebble Beaches in Europe

We rank the top 40 of 96 pebble beaches in Europe. Myrtos Beach (Greece) comes first with 4.9 / 5, followed by Cala Goloritzé, Cala Mariolu.

The sea reaches about 24 degrees C in season, and most of these beaches are at their best from June to September. 7 of the 40 have easy access, and 27 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.

2Cala 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.

3Cala 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.

4En-Vau Calanque

Cassis, Provence, France · 4.8 / 5 · Challenging access · about 22 °C

A small pebble beach at the head of a narrow inlet between white limestone cliffs, with clear turquoise water, in the Calanques National Park near Cassis.

5Porto Katsiki

Lefkada, Greece · 4.8 / 5 · Moderate access · about 24 °C

Tall white cliffs plunge into bright turquoise water on the Ionian coast of Lefkada, reached by a long flight of steps from the clifftop.

6Zlatni Rat

Brač Island, Croatia · 4.8 / 5 · Easy access · about 26 °C

The famous "Golden Horn" — a distinctive pebble cape that juts into the Adriatic and magically shifts shape with the currents and winds.

7Cala Luna

Gulf of Orosei, Sardinia, Italy · 4.7 / 5 · Challenging access · about 22 °C

A crescent of pale pebbles and coarse sand between limestone cliffs, with caves along the back and a freshwater pond behind the beach.

8Calanque de Sormiou

Calanques National Park, Marseille, France · 4.7 / 5 · Moderate access · about 21 °C

A turquoise inlet of pale pebbles and coarse sand wedged between white limestone cliffs in the Calanques National Park, just outside Marseille.

9Lalaria Beach

Skiathos · 4.7 / 5 · Challenging access · about 24 °C

A striking beach of smooth white pebbles beneath tall cliffs on the north coast of Skiathos, with sea arches and caves nearby.

10Porto Timoni

Afionas, Corfu · 4.7 / 5 · Challenging access · about 24 °C

Two back-to-back coves on the north-west coast of Corfu, separated by a narrow strip of land.

11Punta Rata Beach

Brela, Makarska Riviera · 4.7 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

A long arc of small white pebbles under pine trees in Brela, with clear turquoise water and a rock off the shore.

12Stiniva

Vis, Croatia · 4.7 / 5 · Challenging access · about 24 °C

A hidden pebble cove squeezed between sheer cliffs, with a narrow sea entrance framing the turquoise water.

13Apella Beach

Apella, Karpathos · 4.6 / 5 · Challenging access · about 23 °C

A pretty bay of white pebbles and very clear water on the east coast of Karpathos, set under green hills.

14Baia delle Zagare

Mattinata, Gargano, Puglia · 4.6 / 5 · Moderate access · about 24 °C

A pebble cove on the Gargano coast of Puglia, known for its white limestone sea stacks, clear turquoise water and dramatic cliffs backed by pine trees.

15Cala de la Granadella

Jávea, Costa Blanca, Spain · 4.6 / 5 · Moderate access · about 24 °C

A small cove of pebbles and gravel with very clear water below pine covered cliffs near Xabia, with a clean sandy bottom once you are in the water.

16Cala Fuili

Cala Gonone, Dorgali, Sardinia, Italy · 4.6 / 5 · Moderate access · about 22 °C

A pebble and rock cove near Cala Gonone on the east coast of Sardinia, set below green limestone cliffs.

17Dubovica

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.

18Gjipe

Himara, Albania · 4.6 / 5 · Challenging access · about 25 °C

A pebble beach at the mouth of a canyon on the Albanian Riviera, with sea caves and clear Ionian water.

19Glyka Nera Beach

Sfakia, Crete · 4.6 / 5 · Challenging access · about 24 °C

A pebble cove on the south coast of Crete beneath steep cliffs, known for cool freshwater springs that mix with the clear sea.

20Katergo Beach

Katergo, Folegandros · 4.6 / 5 · Challenging access · about 23 °C

A wild, unspoilt cove on the south-east side of Folegandros, backed by tall cliffs and with deep blue water.

21Lama Monachile

Polignano a Mare, Puglia · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

A small pebble cove at the foot of Polignano a Mare, framed by tall limestone cliffs and houses built right at the edge.

22Mylos Beach

Agios Nikitas, Lefkada · 4.6 / 5 · Moderate access · about 24 °C

A wild, mostly pebbly beach south of Agios Nikitas, framed by steep green hills and bright blue water.

23Nugal Beach

Makarska, Dalmatia · 4.6 / 5 · Challenging access · about 24 °C

A small, secluded pebble cove with clear turquoise water below limestone cliffs and pines, reached on foot along a path from the Makarska coast.

24Pasjaca Beach

Popovici, Konavle, Croatia · 4.6 / 5 · Challenging access · about 23 °C

A wild pebble beach below a steep cliff in Konavle, south-east of Dubrovnik, known for its dramatic setting.

25Punta Rata

Brela, Makarska Riviera, Croatia · 4.6 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

A fine-pebble beach backed by pine forest, with Brela Rock rising from the sea at its western end.

26Spiaggia dei Gabbiani

Conero Riviera, Marche · 4.6 / 5 · Challenging access · about 23 °C

A pebble cove on the Conero Riviera in the Marche, set below pale cliffs with clear turquoise water along a quiet stretch of the Adriatic coast.

27Cala del Moraig

Benitatxell, Costa Blanca · 4.5 / 5 · Moderate access · about 24 °C

A pebble cove on the Costa Blanca between steep rocky cliffs, with clear blue water and a rugged, dramatic shoreline.

28Calanque de Port-Pin

Cassis, Calanques National Park, France · 4.5 / 5 · Moderate access · about 21 °C

A narrow limestone inlet between Port-Miou and En-Vau with a small pebble beach and calm turquoise water, reached on foot from Cassis.

29Dafnoudi Beach

Fiskardo area, Kefalonia · 4.5 / 5 · Moderate access · about 24 °C

A small, sheltered pebble cove on the north tip of Kefalonia near Fiskardo, with calm turquoise water and a pine forest behind it.

30Dhërmi

Albanian Riviera, Albania · 4.5 / 5 · Easy access · about 25 °C

A beach of about 1 km of white and grey pebbles below the mountains, with bars and sunbeds at the south end and free open space elsewhere.

31Drobni Pijesak

Budva Riviera, Montenegro · 4.5 / 5 · Moderate access · about 24 °C

A small cove of pale pebbles and coarse sand, about 250 metres long, set between olive trees and low rocky headlands on the Budva Riviera south of Sveti Stefan.

32Gidaki Beach

Ithaca, Ionian Islands · 4.5 / 5 · Challenging access · about 24 °C

A remote pebble cove on the east coast of Ithaca, backed by pale cliffs and clear blue water.

33Kalamitsi Beach

Kalamitsi, Lefkada · 4.5 / 5 · Challenging access · about 23 °C

A string of pebble coves on the west coast of Lefkada below the village of Kalamitsi, with clear water under steep cliffs.

34Kokkinokastro Beach

Alonnisos, Greece · 4.5 / 5 · Moderate access · about 24 °C

A pebble beach on the east coast of Alonnisos, named for its red cliffs, with rocky islets just offshore.

35Ksamil Beaches

Albanian Riviera, Albania · 4.5 / 5 · Easy access · about 25 °C

Small islands and shallow turquoise coves on the Albanian Riviera, facing Corfu.

36Marina di Praia

Praiano, Amalfi Coast · 4.5 / 5 · Moderate access · about 24 °C

A small pebbly cove at the bottom of a steep gorge, with a pretty old fishing hamlet, a few restaurants and a sea that is deep blue and very clear.

37Mingardo Beach

Marina di Camerota, Campania · 4.5 / 5 · Moderate access · about 23 °C

A quiet cove of small pebbles and clear water on the Cilento coast, set between green cliffs near Marina di Camerota.

38Paleokastritsa Beach

Paleokastritsa, Corfu, Greece · 4.5 / 5 · Moderate access · about 23 °C

A cluster of small coves on the north-west coast of Corfu, backed by green hills and cliffs.

39Paraggi Beach

Paraggi, Santa Margherita Ligure, Liguria · 4.5 / 5 · Moderate access · about 24 °C

A small sheltered bay on the Portofino coast, framed by pastel houses and wooded hills.

40Queens Beach

Milocer, Budva Riviera, Montenegro · 4.5 / 5 · Easy access · about 24 °C

Two small coves of pink-tinged pebbles and sand below a wooded park on the Budva Riviera, with calm clear water.

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How we picked these beaches

Included when the shoreline is mostly of this type, then ranked by our editorial score. See how we rate beaches for the full method.

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