Best World Beaches

Located on the northernmost tip of Zanzibar Island in Tanzania, Nungwi Beach is an immensely popular long and wide white sand beach.  It was recognized as one of the most beautiful and most-visited beaches on the island in CNN’s list of the "100 best beaches in the world" in 2014 – and is a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.  The beach is positioned along the famous Nungwi Peninsula and has a beautiful background of tall palm trees, mangrove trees, and casuarina trees with many oceanfront buildings, including homes, shops, beach bars, resorts, and luxurious hotels, which together provide Instagram-worthy views of the vast Indian Ocean.

Located on the southwest coast of La Digue Island in the Seychelles, Anse Source d'Argent is an 1100-meter-long and 20-meter-wide immensely popular white sand beach with unique granite rock formations.  The beach is often considered one of the most photographed beaches and is consistently ranked as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world due to its natural beauty and crystal-clear waters – it is also a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.  The beach is part of the well-known L'Union Estate and has a spectacular backdrop of gigantic granite boulders, tall palm trees, and a fruit bar, adding allure to its beauty, which together provide Instagram-worthy views of the Indian Ocean.

Hanalei Bay, located on Kauai's North Shore, is one of the best beach locations in all of the Hawaiian islands, with verdant mountains, spectacular surf breaks, and timeless waterfalls. Beautifully-blue waters and golden sand add to this picturesque location, making it one of the most popular beaches in the U.S.A.

Channel your inner soul-surfer and ride one of the powerful waves on the far right side of the bay. You can also snorkel along one of the many coral reefs throughout the beach, including Waikoko Reef on one side and Pu'u Poa Reef on the other. Hanalei Pier is located on the mouth of the river where the calmest waters are found -- perfect for young children. You can kayak along the river and camp at the park nearby, complete with full amenities.

After a jam-packed beach day, it's time for some good eats and an ice-cold beverage. Hanalei's food truck network includes juice bars, island wraps, acai bowls, and more, giving the bay a unique dining scene and laidback island vibe. Kealia Poke is the new fad on the island, along with the refreshing Wishing Well Shave Ice. One thing that makes the island so carefree is the commitment to authenticity and the refusal to give in to tacky tourist attractions. For example, you'll never see a chain restaurant at Hanalei Bay -- only mom-and-pop shops are scattered throughout the island. Free of typical brand names and tacky souvenirs, you'll feel like a local yourself! Enjoy your stay at Hanalei Bay, a beachy heaven that will leave you on a breezy, tropical Cloud Nine.

Located near the town of Porto Empedocle, Scala dei Turchi – also called Scala dei Turchi Beach and Spiaggia Scala dei Turchi – is a popular and beautiful beach with light brown sand and many rocks and pebbles in southwestern Sicily.  There is a unique natural staircase-shaped white cliff near the beach – this rock formation is made of soft sedimentary rock named white marble, and it is also called Scala dei Turchi. The Conde Nast Traveller and Lonely Planet have listed this beach as one of the best beaches in Sicily.  In 2007, the municipality of Realmonte submitted an application to The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization also called UNESCO – for including this beach and the nearby area into the UNESCO World Heritage List. 

Located in the south-western part of the island of Boa Vista in Cabo Verde, Praia de Santa Monica – also called Santa Monica Beach, Praia do Curralinho, and Curralinho Beach – is an 18-kilometers-long beach with white sand, a few large rocks, nearby sand dunes, and nearby large rocky cliffs.  This sandy beach is located near the village of Povoacao Velha.  Travel+Leisure magazine listed this beach in Cape Verde as one of the “26 Most Beautiful Beaches in the World” in 2024 – this beach was listed as the 21st best beach in the world.  In addition, TripAdvisor also listed this beach as one of the best and stunning beaches in the world in 2019 as a part of its annual Travelers’ Choice awards.  Praia de Santa Monica is also a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.

Located within the Cape Le Grand National Park in Western Australia, Cape Le Grand Beach - also known as Le Grand Beach - is a long white sand beach.  The beach has a beautiful backdrop of high dunes, coastal vegetation, and rocky outcrops, which together provide incredible views of the vast Pacific Ocean.  The beach is part of Cape Le Grand National Park, which preserves the fragile ecosystem, including coastal landscapes, woodlands, heathlands, and native biodiversity of the region.

Located on the southwesternmost end of Chania on the island of Crete in Greece, Elafonissi Beach is a long and wide pink sand beach with many rocky portions and a sandbar.  The beach is recognized as one of the world’s top beaches for its unparalleled natural beauty and unique pink sand.  The sand gets its color from crushed shells and coral fragments mixed with the white sand.  The beach is positioned along the Libyan Sea and has a beautiful backdrop of rocky outcrops, dunes, and coastal vegetation, including sea daffodils and juniper trees.  The beach is part of a mile-long Elafonisi Island, which is separated from the southwest coast of Crete by a shallow, warm lagoon, namely, Balos Lagoon.  During high tide, the sandbar connecting the island is submerged under about one meter of water.   

Elafonissi Beach is home to the remnants of the Austrian ship "Imperatrix," which sank in February 1907.  The ship was caught in a fierce storm and was wrecked on the rocks near the small islet of Elafonissi.  The tragedy claimed several lives, and a large wooden cross now stands on the islet in their memory.  Later, a 23-meter-high lighthouse was constructed on the islet to prevent future shipwrecks, but it was destroyed by German troops during World War II.  At the far end of the beach, ruins can still be found near a small chapel dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors, which adds to the historical and cultural aspects of the island.

Located in the Oregonian city of Cannon Beach, the beautiful Cannon Beach is a large four-mile-long beach with light brown sand. Cannon Beach has been named the 2nd Best Beach in the Top 50 Beaches in the United States list in 2022 by Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as "Mr. Beach." Portions of this popular beach are situated below oceanfront bluffs. This beach has a magnificent backdrop of oceanfront hills and residential houses. Many offshore rock formations are present in the water near Cannon Beach and the most iconic offshore rock formation along the Cannon Beach shoreline is a 235-feet tall intertidal basalt sea stack named Haystack Rock - this rock is the third largest intertidal rock formation in the world. This beach was named as the sixth best beach in the United States by TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice awards in 2020. In addition, the beach was also listed by the travel division of the American media company U.S. News & World Report as one the 27 best beaches in the United States. Renowned academic Dr. Stephen Leatherman has listed Cannon Beach as the "Best Overall Beach" in Oregon in his book America’s Best Beaches. The city of Cannon Beach was also listed by National Geographic as one of "America’s Best Beach Towns." A creek occasionally flows through the beach into the Pacific Ocean. As an interesting fact, the beach and the city of Cannon Beach are named after a cannon from the 19th century United States Navy schooner Shark - this cannon was discovered near Cannon Beach’s current location in 1898 and it sparked the name change of the city from "Elk Creek" to "Cannon Beach." 

Located near the community of Santa Rosa Beach, Grayton Beach is a mile-long beach with white sand.  It is part of Grayton Beach State Park.  Travel+Leisure magazine has listed it as one of the best beaches in Florida, and Lonely Planet magazine has listed it as one of the best beaches in the United States.  It is also a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.  Because of its cleanliness, it has received a Blue Wave certification. 

The beach is open between 8 am and sunset.

Glass Beach gets its name from a specific quality that makes it one of the most unique beaches in the world: its colorful, smooth, glass-made sand. Yes, you read that right - this beach's sand is not made from rock, but from glass. Because this location was once a trash dump, things like glass bottles became smooth sand as time went on. Today, the beach is immaculately clean, with the glass sand to give it some character.

Located in the affluent suburb of Camps Bay in Cape Town, South Africa, Camps Bay Beach is a one-kilometer-long and 100-meter-wide white sand beach with many rocky portions, making it one of the largest beaches in Camps Bay.  The beach has a stunning backdrop of the Twelve Apostles Mountain range, the majestic Table Mountain, and a promenade with many oceanfront buildings, including upscale restaurants, beach bars, nightclubs, and opulent hotels, providing incredible views of the vast Atlantic Ocean.  Camps Bay Beach has been awarded the Blue Flag certification for its natural beauty, cleanliness, and water quality standards.

Radhanagar Beach, located on the Andaman Islands, is a sight to behold. The lush greenery sits right at the shoreline, where green and turquoise waters meet soft, white sand. Mother Earth certainly did her best work on this island, beckoning nature enthusiasts to the water's edge.

The beach is best for sunbathing and swimming, and there are palapas available on the sand. The beach has a gentle slope as you wade out in the water, so you'll never have to worry about dangerous sea currents or suddenly deep waters. There are no watersports on Radhanagar, giving you the simple joy of sand and sea. You can also visit Shiv Temple and Radhakrishna Temple near the beach, each a simplistic and rustic place of worship. There are a few restaurants where you can experience the Bengali-style and Chettinad-style cuisines -- be adventurous and have a bite of Dimer Dhokkar Dalna and Luchi, a dish of steamed cakes in a traditional curry. Barefoot Bar & Restaurant is a renowned dining spot, located within the beautiful Barefoot Resort.

The best time to visit is October to February, when the weather is at its best. The winter sunsets are absolutely breathtaking, with soft oranges and yellows coloring the sky and water. Radhanagar Beach is arguably the best beach in India, with safety, cleanliness, and beauty as its top contenders. If escaping reality is your goal, Radhanagar Beach is the place to reach it -- enjoy the serenity of this Indian beauty!

Located on the island of Fernando de Noronha, a volcanic archipelago about 350 kilometers off Brazil's northeast coast, Baia Do Sancho - also known as Sancho Beach or Praia do Sancho - is a 300-meter-long crescent-shaped white sand beach with many rocky formations.  The beach has been often named “Brazil's Best Beach" and consistently ranked as one of the best beaches in the world by various travel publications and websites, as well as by Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.  In addition, it has also won numerous awards for its beauty and environmental quality, cementing its reputation as a top beach destination.  The beach is positioned at the foot of 70-meter-high rugged cliffs covered with dense vegetation, offering incredible views of the vast Atlantic Ocean.  The beach is part of the Fernando de Noronha Marine National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that helps protect its natural beauty and biodiversity.  Baia Do Sancho Noronha is promoted as an ecotourism destination, encouraging sustainable tourism practices that preserve its natural environment and marine life.

As the timeless, immaculate, and stunning beach that it is, Grace Bay takes the cake as our top travel destination in the world. The bay embodies that classic, luxury beach feel that we've seen on every magazine cover and every women's fragrance commercial.

Grace Bay is the quintessential beach for honeymooners and bachelors alike, rich with beachside massage treatments, lavish resorts, and vibrant marine life. Located in the Turks and Caicos Islands, this beach is the icon of the Caribbean, and offers beachgoers a relaxing resort experience. Grace Bay Club, among others, offers the ultimate vacation accommodations, including rooms with breathtaking ocean views, supreme customer service, delicious food and drinks, and beachside lounges -- not to mention its location right on the sand. The resort has a romantic, serene ambiance, as well as an adventurous one, with accommodations for various boat tours on the beach.

The calm waters of this reef-protected destination are perfect for sailing, and many boat tours offer only the best of snorkeling, diving, and whale watching. M & J's Charters is a popular company for boat tours, giving beachgoers the fishing and snorkeling experience of a lifetime! The tours visit Iguana Island and finish with a private island barbeque overlooking the most beautiful waters in the world. Scuba diving in the crystal-clear waters of Grace Bay is an especially fulfilling experience, with coral formations, warm waters, and rich marine life to make your jaw drop. Ocean Vibes Scuba and Watersports offer excursions with conch diving, parasailing, and more, and each trip comes with a steady flow of island drinks. Overall, Grace Bay is simply as perfect as it gets.

Located on the eastern shore of Whitsunday Island off the coast of Queensland, Whitehaven Beach is a seven-kilometer-long, immensely popular crescent-shaped white silica sand beach.  The beach is ranked the fifth-best beach in the world by a few publications, and it is a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.  The beach has won several awards for its spectacular natural beauty, pure white sand, crystal-clear turquoise waters, and ever-changing inlet, and in 2010, CNN also named Whitehaven Beach as the most eco-friendly beach in the world.   The iconic beach has a beautiful backdrop of lowland vine forest and eucalyptus woodland and is part of the Whitsunday Islands National Park along the Queensland coast, bordered by the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea.  

The beach is renowned for its brilliant white silica sand, which consists of 98.9% pure silica and is among the purest and whitest sands found anywhere in the world.  Interestingly, sand is so pure that it doesn't retain heat, making it comfortable to walk on even on hot days.

Hill Inlet is a unique natural tidal water inlet located at the northern end of Whitehaven Beach that is famous for its swirling patterns of turquoise and white sand that shift with the tides, creating a breathtaking mosaic effect.  The southern end of the beach has a campground and a spectacular lookout, which together provide incredible views of Chance Bay.