World's Best Beaches
The planet's most beautiful shores. 25 places, mapped and ready to build a trip around.
Plan a trip on Trailwind →Whitehaven Beach
Whitsundays, AustraliaBestJun–SepClimate66–84°FCurrencyAUDLanguageEnglishAirportHTISeven km of pure silica sand so white it stays cool underfoot, swirled with turquoise tides at Hill Inlet.
Grace Bay
Providenciales, Turks and CaicosBestVariesClimate75–86°FCurrencyUSDLanguageEnglishAirportPLSA calm, reef-protected ribbon of powder sand and impossibly clear shallows, routinely voted the world's best.
Anse Source d'Argent
La Digue, SeychellesBestVariesClimate77–84°FCurrencySCRLanguageSeychellois CreoleAirportSEZSculpted pink granite boulders frame shallow, glassy lagoons on the world's most photographed beach.
Navagio Beach
Zakynthos, GreeceBestJun–SepClimate50–90°FCurrencyEURLanguageGreekAirportZTHA rusting shipwreck marooned on white sand between soaring limestone cliffs, reachable only by boat.
Baia do Sancho
Fernando de Noronha, BrazilBestAug–DecClimate77–82°FCurrencyBRLLanguagePortugueseAirportFENReached by a ladder through a cliff cleft, a protected cove of emerald water and nesting sea turtles.
Pink Sands Beach
Harbour Island, BahamasBestDec–AprClimate70–88°FCurrencyBSDLanguageEnglishAirportELHThree miles of blush-pink sand tinted by crushed coral, lapped by gentle Atlantic swells.
Radhanagar Beach
Havelock Island, IndiaBestNov–MarClimate77–90°FCurrencyINRLanguageHindiAirportIXZA broad crescent of white sand and jungle backdrop in the Andaman Sea, famed for its sunsets.
Anse Lazio
Praslin, SeychellesBestVariesClimate77–84°FCurrencySCRLanguageSeychellois CreoleAirportSEZGranite headlands and takamaka trees cradle a flawless bay of clear, swimmable water.
Elafonissi Beach
Crete, GreeceBestJun–SepClimate50–91°FCurrencyEURLanguageGreekAirportCHQA shallow pink-tinged lagoon you can wade across to a protected islet of dunes and cedar.
Playa Flamenco
Culebra, Puerto RicoBestDec–AprClimate75–84°FCurrencyUSDLanguageSpanishAirportSJUA horseshoe of white sand and calm turquoise water, with a rusted tank half-buried in the shallows.
Matira Beach
Bora Bora, French PolynesiaBestMay–OctClimate77–82°FCurrencyXPFLanguageFrenchAirportBOBThe only public beach on Bora Bora, a soft white spit reaching into the lagoon beneath Mount Otemanu.
Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach
Vik, IcelandBestJun–AugClimate30–55°FCurrencyISKLanguageIcelandicAirportKEFBasalt columns, roaring North Atlantic surf and jet-black volcanic sand under sea-stack cliffs.
Cala Macarella
Menorca, SpainBestJun–SepClimate50–86°FCurrencyEURLanguageSpanishAirportMAHA pine-fringed Balearic cove of turquoise water reached on foot from neighbouring Macarelleta.
Praia da Marinha
Algarve, PortugalBestJun–SepClimate48–88°FCurrencyEURLanguagePortugueseAirportFAOGolden cliffs, sea arches and clear water make this the Algarve's most iconic beach.
Seven Mile Beach
Grand Cayman, Cayman IslandsBestDec–AprClimate75–88°FCurrencyKYDLanguageEnglishAirportGCMA long, calm stretch of coral sand and gin-clear Caribbean water lined with easy snorkelling.
Kelingking Beach
Nusa Penida, IndonesiaBestMay–SepClimate75–88°FCurrencyIDRLanguageIndonesianAirportDPSA T-Rex-shaped headland plunging to a hidden white-sand cove far below sheer cliffs.
White Beach, Boracay
Aklan, PhilippinesBestNov–AprClimate77–88°FCurrencyPHPLanguageFilipinoAirportMPHFour km of talcum-fine white sand and shallow turquoise water, the Philippines' most famous beach.
Diani Beach
Kwale, KenyaBestVariesClimate72–88°FCurrencyKESLanguageSwahiliAirportMBABroad white sand and warm Indian Ocean water backed by palms and colobus monkeys.
Playa Norte, Isla Mujeres
Quintana Roo, MexicoBestNov–AprClimate73–88°FCurrencyMXNLanguageSpanishAirportCUNWaist-deep turquoise shallows and soft sand at the calm northern tip of the island.
Balos Lagoon
Crete, GreeceBestJun–SepClimate55–81°FCurrencyEURLanguageGreekAirportCHQA wild, shallow lagoon of white sand and pale blue water between a headland and an islet.
Rabbit Beach, Lampedusa
Sicily, ItalyBestJun–SepClimate57–81°FCurrencyEURLanguageItalianAirportLMPA protected turtle-nesting cove of blinding white sand and clear water in the middle of the Mediterranean.
Cala Goloritze
Sardinia, ItalyBestJun–SepClimate45–88°FCurrencyEURLanguageItalianAirportOLBA hike-in pebble-and-sand cove beneath a limestone pinnacle and natural arch on the Gulf of Orosei.
Nai Harn Beach
Phuket, ThailandBestNov–MarClimate77–90°FCurrencyTHBLanguageThaiAirportHKTA quiet, rounded bay of soft sand and clear water at Phuket's calmer southern tip.
Cabo San Juan, Tayrona
Magdalena, ColombiaBestDec–MarClimate73–86°FCurrencyCOPLanguageSpanishAirportSMRTwin jungle-backed coves where the Sierra Nevada meets the Caribbean in Tayrona National Park.
Maya Bay
Koh Phi Phi Leh, ThailandBestNov–AprClimate79–86°FCurrencyTHBLanguageThaiThe cove on Koh Phi Phi Leh that launched a thousand feeds (and a movie), ringed by sheer limestone cliffs. Thailand closed it to let the reef recover and now caps visits and swimming hours.