The World’s 10 Best Beaches
Discover the best of the world, from unforgettable stays and local flavours to inspiring experiences and so much more. Explore our growing collection of guides and find your next favourite.
Grace Bay Beach
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
Grace Bay Beach follows the north coast of Providenciales, with a broad ribbon of pale sand and water that changes from translucent turquoise to a deeper offshore blue. An outer barrier reef helps shelter the bay from Atlantic swell, while the open shoreline creates space for long walks. The named beach extends for a little over three miles, linking into neighbouring stretches of coast at either end. Much of Providenciales' resort life gathers here, so restaurants, beach services and accommodation are close at hand. The beach remains the main attraction, with swimming, paddleboarding and boat excursions offering different ways to experience the bay. Snorkelling trips usually head towards reef sites farther offshore or nearby, as the central sandy swimming area is not itself a coral garden. Grace Bay forms part of Princess Alexandra National Park, placing its familiar resort landscape within a wider protected coastal setting. Early walks reveal a quieter side before beach activity increases, while later in the day the changing light provides a different character. Conditions still vary with wind and weather, but the combination of accessible services, open sand and expansive water makes it an unusually versatile beach destination.
Shoal Bay East
Shoal Bay, Anguilla
Shoal Bay East spreads along Anguilla's eastern coastline, where pale sand meets shallow turquoise water and a relaxed collection of beach bars, small hotels and restaurants. The long, open shoreline encourages walking, with quieter sections beyond the principal gathering places. Its appeal combines a recognisably Caribbean beach landscape with the practical ease of having lunch and shade nearby. Swimming and snorkelling are central to a day here, with reef and marine life accessible in the surrounding waters when conditions allow. Visitors can settle beside a beach restaurant, arrange chairs locally or explore the shore at their own pace. The choice of places to eat ranges from casual beach-bar cooking to more elaborate resort dining, giving a full day considerable flexibility. The beach belongs to an area that retains links to everyday island life, with the fishing community of Island Harbour within the wider eastern district. Returning from a swim to an unhurried meal is as much part of the experience as the view. Shoal Bay East is particularly suited to travellers who want a beautiful natural setting with enough activity and services to make lingering effortless.
Dhigurah Beach
Dhigurah, Maldives
Dhigurah's beach follows a long, narrow inhabited island in South Ari Atoll, where white sand, tropical vegetation and shallow blue water create a particularly spacious coastal setting. Towards the island's southern end, the shore develops into the sandbank known as the thundi. The changing tides alter its outline, making the walk as much about the surrounding water and light as the destination itself. The island offers a different perspective from a self-contained resort. Guesthouses and local services provide a base for beach days, while excursions explore the reefs and marine life of the wider atoll. South Ari is associated with whale-shark encounters, although sightings depend on conditions and wildlife movements. A quiet afternoon on the sand can therefore be combined with a more active day on the water. Picnics, beach walks and sunset views are simple ways to appreciate Dhigurah's scale. Local accommodation can advise on beach areas, tides and boat arrangements, particularly when planning time at the sandbank. The attraction is the relationship between village life and an unusually long natural shoreline, allowing visitors to experience both the inhabited Maldives and its open, expansive seascapes.
Whitehaven Beach
Whitsunday Island, Australia
Whitehaven Beach extends for seven kilometres along the eastern side of Whitsunday Island, with bright silica sand meeting the shifting blues of the Coral Sea. The setting remains largely undeveloped within Whitsunday Islands National Park, allowing the length of the beach and the surrounding wooded slopes to define the experience. Arriving by boat reveals the shoreline gradually as the islands open out around it. At the northern end, Hill Inlet adds another dimension. Tides move water through the sand, producing changing ribbons and channels that are particularly striking from the lookout above. A walking track leads to the viewpoint, while beach visits offer time to swim, wander or simply take in the scale of the coast. Boat trips vary in their balance of beach time, walking and visits to nearby snorkelling areas. Day excursions leave from Airlie Beach and several resort islands, with sailing and scenic-flight options also available. Facilities on the beach are basic, so the practical details of water, food and sun protection matter. Whitehaven rewards visitors who allow time for both the close-up texture of the shore and the broader landscape visible from above.
Entalula Beach
El Nido, Philippines
Entalula Beach lies among the islands of El Nido's Bacuit Bay, where a narrow stretch of white sand sits beneath steep limestone cliffs. The pale rock, green vegetation and clear water create the strong contrasts associated with northern Palawan, but here they gather within a compact shoreline that feels closely enclosed by its landscape. Arrival is by boat, making the approach across the bay part of the experience. Time on the beach centres on swimming, looking back at the cliffs from the water and enjoying the sand between excursions. The natural setting is the principal attraction, with little need for an elaborate programme once ashore. Visitors commonly include Entalula within a wider island-hopping day, although access arrangements and the amount of time available depend on the chosen operator and local conditions. A carefully timed visit allows space to appreciate the changing light on the limestone and the quieter corners of the shore. Sea conditions can affect boat journeys, so plans benefit from flexibility. Entalula suits travellers who enjoy the combination of a dramatic island landscape and the simple pleasure of stepping from a boat onto a small, beautiful beach.
Seven Mile Beach
Negril, Jamaica
Seven Mile Beach is the sandy heart of Negril, stretching along Jamaica's western coast beside hotels, beach bars and restaurants. Pale sand and a broad view of the sea make it well suited to wandering, while the west-facing outlook brings sunset into the daily rhythm. Different sections have distinct moods, from quieter resort frontages to lively places where music and conversation spill towards the water. The beach supports a full day without demanding much movement. Visitors can swim, pause for fresh seafood or arrange a boat excursion to explore the surrounding coast and snorkelling sites. Glass-bottom boats and sunset cruises offer further ways to experience the water, while the variety of places to eat makes it easy to choose between a simple lunch and a longer evening meal. Negril's character comes through in the social life along the shore. Musicians, beachside kitchens and small businesses sit alongside established resorts, giving the area a more varied texture than a single hotel beach. The name is familiar, but the experience remains personal: a morning walk, a favourite stretch of sand or a table chosen for the last light over the sea.
Anse Source d'Argent
La Digue, Seychelles
Anse Source d'Argent follows the western side of La Digue, where sculpted granite boulders divide the shore into intimate pockets of pale sand. Clear, shallow water gathers between the rocks and an offshore reef, while palms and coastal vegetation soften the edge of the beach. The scale is unusually varied, moving from broad views of the lagoon to small spaces framed by stone. The usual approach passes through L'Union Estate, adding a sense of the island's plantation history before the path opens onto the sea. Visitors can combine time on the beach with a walk around the estate, where traditional buildings, vegetation and giant tortoises provide a different perspective on La Digue. Bicycles are a practical part of island life and an appealing way to reach the area. Tides strongly influence the experience, with very shallow water at low tide and more room for swimming as it rises. Walking, photography and guided clear-kayak excursions offer alternatives to simply settling on the sand. The beach is especially rewarding when visited without haste, allowing time to notice the changing shadows and warm colours across its granite formations.
Fteri Beach
Kefalonia, Greece
Fteri Beach sits below pale cliffs on Kefalonia's north-western coast, where white pebbles and bright turquoise water form a striking, largely undeveloped shoreline. The surrounding slopes and exposed rock create a sense of separation from the island's busier resort areas. Viewed from the sea, the beach appears as a light strip beneath a much larger landscape of limestone and green vegetation. Most visitors arrive by boat from Zola harbour, near Agia Kyriaki, with local operators offering drop-offs and coastal excursions. A walking route also exists, but its rougher terrain makes it a different proposition from a straightforward roadside beach. Once ashore, the focus is on swimming, resting and looking back towards the cliffs, with the clear water providing much of the setting's visual character. Fteri has limited facilities, so water, food and practical beach supplies should be planned before departure. Boat arrangements depend on weather and sea conditions, and a return time is part of organising the visit. The reward is a beach that keeps attention on the natural coast, where the texture of the pebbles, the changing colour of the water and the scale of the cliffs remain central.
Baía do Sancho
Fernando de Noronha, Brazil
Baía do Sancho occupies a sheltered curve of coast on Fernando de Noronha, with clear blue-green water enclosed by steep, vegetation-covered cliffs. The view from above reveals the sweep of sand and the changing depth of the bay, while the descent to the beach brings the scale of the surrounding rock into closer focus. It is a setting where the approach is a memorable part of the visit. Access on foot passes through the marine national park's controlled entrance and continues along paths and viewpoints. Reaching the sand involves a steep ladder section with managed periods for ascending and descending. Visitors who prefer to remain above can still appreciate the bay from the lookout system, while those going down should allow sufficient time for the return climb. The beach lends itself to swimming and quiet observation when sea conditions permit, with the cliffs providing a strong natural boundary. Park admission and local access rules are part of planning a visit, and temporary restrictions may apply to individual areas. Sancho is most rewarding when approached as a protected coastal landscape, with time to enjoy both the panoramic view and the more intimate experience at water level.
Nosy Iranja Beach
Nosy Iranja, Madagascar
Nosy Iranja is a pair of small islands off Madagascar's north-western coast, connected at low tide by a long sweep of white sand. The beach is inseparable from this changing geography: turquoise water surrounds the sandbank, while the two green islands provide a natural frame at either end. Approaching by boat makes the contrast between open sea, shallows and pale shore especially clear. Time here can be divided between walking on the sand, swimming and exploring the larger island. Fishing villages and a lighthouse add interest beyond the beach, with the higher ground offering a wider view of the surrounding water. Local excursions may also include snorkelling or other marine activities, depending on the operator and conditions on the day. Tides are central to the visit, as the connecting strip of sand becomes covered when the water rises. The smaller island is privately managed, so access should follow local arrangements. Nosy Iranja is also associated with nesting sea turtles, adding an ecological dimension to its familiar postcard view. An unhurried visit leaves space to appreciate how the landscape changes as the sea moves across the sandbank.