Top 50 Beaches in Europe

We rank the top 50 of 397 beaches in Europe. Myrtos Beach (Greece) comes first with 4.9 / 5, followed by Navagio Beach, Balos Lagoon.

The sea reaches about 23 degrees C in season, and most of these beaches are at their best from June to September. 15 of the 50 have easy access, and 23 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.

3Balos Lagoon

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

A shallow lagoon of pale pink sand and impossible blues at the tip of the Gramvousa peninsula.

4Cala 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.

5Cala 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.

6Cala Macarella

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

A pale sand cove with turquoise water, enclosed by pine-covered cliffs on the south coast of Menorca.

7Cala 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.

8Cala 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.

9Cala 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.

10Egremni Beach

Lefkada, Ionian Islands, Greece · 4.8 / 5 · Challenging access · about 23 °C

A long sweep of pale sand and vivid turquoise water below white limestone cliffs on the west coast of Lefkada.

11Elafonissi 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.

12En-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.

13Palombaggia

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

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

14Plage Notre-Dame

Porquerolles Island, Provence, France · 4.8 / 5 · Moderate access · about 22 °C

A wide, gently shelving sand beach on car-free Porquerolles, with shallow turquoise water backed by pines and a national park setting.

15Playa de las Catedrales

Ribadeo, Galicia · 4.8 / 5 · Moderate access · about 18 °C

A Galician coast of towering cliffs carved by the Atlantic into giant arches and caves, walkable only when the tide goes out.

16Porto 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.

17Praia de Rodas

Cíes Islands, Galicia, Spain · 4.8 / 5 · Moderate access · about 17 °C

A pale sand crescent between two islands in the Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park, with cold, very clear water.

18Saleccia

Agriates, Corsica, France · 4.8 / 5 · Moderate access · about 23 °C

A long white-sand beach with shallow turquoise water on the wild Agriates coast of Corsica, far from the nearest road.

19Ses 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.

20Spiaggia dei Conigli

Lampedusa, Sicily, Italy · 4.8 / 5 · Moderate access · about 25 °C

A sweep of pale sand and shallow turquoise water on Lampedusa, set inside a nature reserve and often counted among the most beautiful beaches in the Mediterranean.

21Voidokilia 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.

22Zlatni 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.

23As 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.

24Baia di Ieranto

Massa Lubrense, Campania · 4.7 / 5 · Challenging access · about 24 °C

A secluded cove on the Sorrentine peninsula, set between steep rocky headlands with deep turquoise water and a rugged, unspoilt shoreline.

25Benagil Cove

Algarve, Portugal · 4.7 / 5 · Moderate access · about 22 °C

A small cove leading to a sea cave with a skylight in its roof — best seen by kayak or paddleboard.

26Cala 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.

27Cala en Turqueta

Ciutadella, Menorca, Spain · 4.7 / 5 · Moderate access · about 23 °C

A small sandy cove with clear green-blue water and pine trees reaching down to the shore on the south-west coast of Menorca.

28Cala 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.

29Cala Varques

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

A small sandy cove with clear turquoise water in a pine lined inlet on the east coast of Mallorca, with no bars or other services.

30Cala Violina

Scarlino, Tuscany, Italy · 4.7 / 5 · Moderate access · about 23 °C

A crescent of fine pale sand inside the Bandite di Scarlino nature reserve on the Tuscan coast, said to squeak underfoot, which is how it got its name.

31Calanque 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.

32Dune du Pilat

Arcachon Bay, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France · 4.7 / 5 · Moderate access · about 19 °C

A huge sand dune beside the Atlantic at the mouth of Arcachon Bay, with wide beaches and views across the water.

33Es 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.

34Falasarna 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.

35Falassarna 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.

36Ghajn 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.

37Kolona Beach

Kythnos, Cyclades · 4.7 / 5 · Moderate access · about 24 °C

A narrow strip of fine sand joining the main island of Kythnos to the islet of Agios Loukas, with water on both sides.

38La 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.

39La Courtade Beach

Porquerolles Island · 4.7 / 5 · Moderate access · about 21 °C

A long sandy bay on the car-free island of Porquerolles, with very clear turquoise water and woodland behind the beach.

40La 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.

41Lalaria 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.

42Maspalomas Dunes

Maspalomas, Gran Canaria · 4.7 / 5 · Moderate access · about 22 °C

A protected field of golden dunes at the southern tip of Gran Canaria, running down to a wide Atlantic beach.

43Plage d'Argent

Porquerolles, Var · 4.7 / 5 · Moderate access · about 22 °C

A long, silvery-white beach on Porquerolles, the largest of the Iles d’Hyeres, within a national park and without cars.

44Plage 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.

45Playa 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.

46Playa de Sotavento

Jandia, Fuerteventura · 4.7 / 5 · Moderate access · about 22 °C

A very long beach of pale sand on the south of Fuerteventura, with a shallow turquoise lagoon and a sandbar that changes with the tides.

47Playa 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.

48Porto 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.

49Porto 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.

50Praia 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.

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How we picked these beaches

Ranked by our editorial score, which weighs scenery, water quality, access and facilities. See how we rate beaches for the full method.

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