The 30 Most Beautiful Beaches in the World: Honest Rankings

What Makes a Perfect Beach?

The perfect beach is a matter of personal preference. Some people want powder-white sand and turquoise water; others want dramatic cliffs and crashing waves; others want solitude and the sense of discovery. The beaches on this list cover all of these categories — from the most famous and most beautiful to the most remote and most extraordinary.

These are the 30 beaches that belong on every serious traveller's list.

The Maldives

Baros Island — The house reef at Baros drops to 30 metres just metres from the beach. The sand is white and fine; the water is the colour of a swimming pool. The resort is small and intimate, with no children under 12. One of the finest beach experiences in the world.

Veligandu Island — A long, narrow island in the Rasdhoo Atoll, with a sandbank that extends into the lagoon at low tide. The snorkelling on the house reef is extraordinary: sharks, rays, and turtles in water of exceptional clarity.

French Polynesia

Matira Beach, Bora Bora — The only public beach on Bora Bora, and one of the most beautiful in the world. The water is shallow and warm; the sand is white and fine; and Mount Otemanu rises behind the lagoon in a backdrop of extraordinary drama.

Temae Beach, Moorea — A long, curved beach on the north coast of Moorea, with views across the Sea of the Moon to Tahiti. The snorkelling is excellent; the beach is rarely crowded.

Caribbean

Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos — Consistently rated the best beach in the Caribbean: 19km of powder-white sand, water of extraordinary clarity, and a reef just offshore that offers excellent snorkelling. The resort development is tasteful and low-rise.

Trunk Bay, St John, US Virgin Islands — A National Park beach with an underwater snorkelling trail — markers on the seafloor identify the coral and fish species. The water is turquoise; the sand is white; the bay is enclosed by green hills.

Anse Source d'Argent, La Digue, Seychelles — The most photographed beach in the world: huge granite boulders scattered across white sand, with shallow turquoise water between them. The boulders are smooth and warm; the water is calm and clear.

Mediterranean

Cala Goloritzé, Sardinia — Accessible only by boat or a 2-hour hike, Cala Goloritzé is a UNESCO World Heritage Site — a beach of white pebbles enclosed by 143-metre limestone cliffs, with water of extraordinary clarity. One of the most beautiful beaches in Europe.

Navagio Beach (Shipwreck Beach), Zakynthos, Greece — A beach enclosed by 200-metre white limestone cliffs, accessible only by boat, with a rusting shipwreck on the sand. The water is turquoise; the cliffs are dramatic; the setting is extraordinary.

Rabbit Beach (Spiaggia dei Conigli), Lampedusa, Italy — Consistently rated the most beautiful beach in Europe: white sand, turquoise water, and a small island just offshore that is a nesting site for loggerhead sea turtles.

Elafonisi Beach, Crete, Greece — A beach of pink sand (coloured by crushed coral) on the southwestern tip of Crete, with a shallow lagoon that is warm enough to wade across to the small island offshore.

Playa de Ses Illetes, Formentera, Spain — The most beautiful beach in the Balearic Islands: a long, narrow spit of white sand with turquoise water on both sides, accessible only by boat or a long walk.

Southeast Asia

El Nido, Palawan, Philippines — A bay of extraordinary beauty: limestone karst formations rising from turquoise water, hidden lagoons accessible only by kayak, and beaches of white sand enclosed by jungle. The snorkelling and diving are world-class.

Railay Beach, Thailand — Accessible only by boat (the peninsula is cut off from the mainland by limestone cliffs), Railay has four beaches of varying character: the long, white West Railay; the dramatic Phra Nang Cave Beach, with its spirit shrine; and the quieter East Railay and Tonsai.

Koh Lipe, Thailand — A small island in the Andaman Sea, near the Malaysian border, with three beaches of extraordinary beauty. Sunrise Beach is the finest: white sand, turquoise water, and views to the surrounding islands.

White Beach, Boracay, Philippines — 4km of powder-white sand on the western coast of Boracay, with calm, clear water and a vibrant beach scene. The beach was closed for rehabilitation in 2018 and has reopened in significantly better condition.

Indian Ocean

Anse Lazio, Praslin, Seychelles — A beach of extraordinary beauty: white sand, granite boulders, and water that shifts from turquoise to deep blue. The Coco de Mer palms that line the beach are found nowhere else on earth.

Belle Mare, Mauritius — A long, white beach on the east coast of Mauritius, protected by a reef that keeps the water calm and clear. The lagoon is shallow and warm; the beach is wide and uncrowded.

Diani Beach, Kenya — A 17km beach of white coral sand on the Kenyan coast, backed by coconut palms and casuarina trees. The water is warm and clear; the reef offshore offers excellent snorkelling.

Pacific

Whitehaven Beach, Whitsundays, Australia — A 7km beach of 98% pure silica sand — so fine and white that it doesn't retain heat. The swirling patterns of white sand and turquoise water, visible from the air, are extraordinary.

Champagne Beach, Vanuatu — A beach of white sand on the island of Espiritu Santo, with volcanic activity beneath the sand that causes bubbles to rise through the water — hence the name. The snorkelling on the reef is excellent.

Matangi Private Island, Fiji — A horseshoe-shaped beach on a private island in the Koro Sea, with a coral reef that encircles the entire island. The water is warm and clear; the beach is accessible only to guests of the resort.

Atlantic

Praia da Marinha, Algarve, Portugal — A small beach enclosed by dramatic golden limestone cliffs, with sea caves and arches accessible by kayak. The water is clear and cold; the cliffs are extraordinary.

Playa de las Catedrales, Galicia, Spain — A beach of extraordinary geological drama: at low tide, the sea reveals a series of Gothic-arch rock formations — the Cathedrals — that give the beach its name. Accessible only at low tide; book a permit in advance.

Skagsanden Beach, Lofoten Islands, Norway — A beach of white sand backed by dramatic mountain peaks, with the Arctic Ocean crashing against the shore. In summer, the midnight sun illuminates the beach at midnight; in winter, the Northern Lights dance above it.

The Americas

Playa Paraíso, Cayo Largo, Colombia — A beach of extraordinary whiteness on a small island off the south coast of Colombia, with water of exceptional clarity and almost no development. One of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean.

Playa Blanca, Barú, Colombia — A beach of white sand on a peninsula near Cartagena, with calm, clear water and a relaxed atmosphere. Day trips from Cartagena are popular; staying overnight gives you the beach to yourself.

Baia do Sancho, Fernando de Noronha, Brazil — Consistently rated the most beautiful beach in South America: a beach enclosed by 70-metre cliffs, accessible only by a ladder through a crack in the rock or by boat. The snorkelling is extraordinary.

Africa

Plage de l'Île aux Nattes, Madagascar — A beach of white sand on a small island off the northeast coast of Madagascar, with turquoise water and a relaxed, unhurried atmosphere. The island is car-free; the pace of life is extraordinary.

Tofo Beach, Mozambique — A beach on the Inhambane Peninsula, known for its whale shark and manta ray encounters. The diving and snorkelling are world-class; the beach itself is beautiful and uncrowded.

How to Choose Your Perfect Beach

For snorkelling and diving: Maldives, Seychelles, Philippines, Palau, Raja Ampat.

For dramatic scenery: Navagio Beach, Cala Goloritzé, Playa de las Catedrales, Skagsanden.

For solitude: Baia do Sancho, Champagne Beach, Gjipe Beach (Albania), Morotai (Indonesia).

For families: Grace Bay, Trunk Bay, Whitehaven Beach, Belle Mare.

For budget travellers: Diani Beach, Tofo Beach, Playa Blanca, Koh Lipe.

What Makes a Beach Truly Great?

The beaches on this list were chosen on the basis of several criteria: the quality of the water (clarity, colour, temperature), the quality of the sand or pebbles, the setting (cliffs, jungle, mountains, or open sea), the accessibility (some of the best beaches require effort to reach), and the overall experience.

Water Quality

The clearest water in the world is found in the Maldives, the Seychelles, and the Pacific atolls of French Polynesia, where the absence of rivers means no sediment and visibility of 30–50 metres. The Mediterranean is clear but not as clear; the Atlantic is cold but often extraordinarily blue.

Sand Quality

The finest sand in the world is silica sand — pure white, fine, and cool to the touch. Whitehaven Beach in Australia is 98% silica. The pink sand beaches of Bermuda and the Bahamas get their colour from crushed coral. Black sand beaches — found in Iceland, Hawaii, and Indonesia — are formed from volcanic rock.

Accessibility

Some of the most beautiful beaches in the world are the hardest to reach. Baia do Sancho in Brazil requires a ladder through a crack in a cliff. Gjipe Beach in Albania requires a 45-minute hike through a canyon. Cala Goloritzé in Sardinia is accessible only by boat or a 2-hour hike. The effort is always worth it.

The Environmental Challenge

The world's beaches are under pressure from rising sea levels, plastic pollution, and overtourism. Many of the beaches on this list have been damaged by the very tourism that made them famous. Choose operators who practise responsible tourism, carry out your rubbish, and support the local communities that depend on these beaches for their livelihoods.