The 25 best beaches in the world (and the 15 I've been to)
Twenty-five beaches worth flying for. I'm not one for lying on a sunbed for a fortnight, but some beaches are worth crossing the world for. I've been to 15 of these, from the San Blas Islands in Panama to a beach in the Falklands shared with penguins.
For each one: where it is, when to go, how to get there and how to book it.
15 of 25 ticked off
- San Blas Islands ✓
- Anse Source d'Argent
- Whitehaven Beach ✓
- Railay Beach ✓
- Baía do Sancho
- Navagio (Shipwreck Beach)
- Nungwi ✓
- Grace Bay
- Tulum ✓
- Matira Beach
- Boulders Beach ✓
- Koh Phi Phi ✓
- Nacpan Beach
- Copacabana ✓
- Penguin beaches of the Falklands ✓
- Pink Sands Beach
- Caye Caulker ✓
- Lanikai Beach
- Playa Norte ✓
- Elafonissi
- Dune du Pilat ✓
- São Tomé's beaches ✓
- Cala Goloritzé
- Bureh Beach ✓
- Kande Beach ✓
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1 San Blas Islands
Guna Yala, Panama✓ Been: February 2020
Palm trees, white sand, turquoise water, and an island to yourself. It's the postcard, for real.
- Size
- Hundreds of tiny islands, most of them uninhabited
- When to go
- December to April, the dry season.
- Getting there
- A 4x4 transfer from Panama City (about three hours) and a boat out to the islands, or a multi-day sailing trip between Panama and Cartagena. The islands are run by the Guna people, so you go with a Guna-run trip.
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2 Anse Source d'Argent
La Digue, SeychellesOn my list
Pink granite boulders, white sand and shallow turquoise water. One of the most photographed beaches on earth.
- When to go
- April to May, or October to November.
- Getting there
- Ferry to La Digue from Praslin or Mahé, then hire a bike. The beach is reached through the L'Union Estate, which charges an entry fee.
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3 Whitehaven Beach
Whitsunday Islands, Australia✓ Been: 2010
Sand so white and fine it squeaks, swirling with the tide into the blue of Hill Inlet.
- Size
- About 7 km of pure white silica sand
- When to go
- June to October. In stinger season (November to May), wear a stinger suit in the water.
- Getting there
- A boat trip or seaplane from Airlie Beach or Hamilton Island. Walk up to the Hill Inlet lookout for the famous view.
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4 Railay Beach
Krabi, Thailand✓ Been: December 2013
Limestone cliffs straight out of the sea, rock climbing, and a beach you can only reach by boat.
- When to go
- November to April.
- Getting there
- There's no road: take a longtail boat from Ao Nang or Krabi town, about 15 minutes.
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5 Baía do Sancho
Fernando de Noronha, BrazilOn my list
Regularly voted the best beach in the world, with turtles and reef fish right off the sand.
- When to go
- August to January, the drier months.
- Getting there
- Fly from Recife or Natal. Visitor numbers are limited and you pay a daily environmental fee plus a marine park fee. The beach is reached down ladders in the cliff.
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7 Nungwi
Zanzibar, Tanzania✓ Been: August 2019
White sand, dhows on the water, sunset cruises and a turtle sanctuary.
- When to go
- June to October, or December to February.
- Getting there
- About an hour's drive north of Stone Town. The tide doesn't go out as far here as on the east coast, so you can swim all day.
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8 Grace Bay
Providenciales, Turks and CaicosOn my list
Calm, clear water protected by a reef, so it's perfect for snorkelling straight off the sand.
- Size
- About 5 km of white sand
- When to go
- December to April.
- Getting there
- Direct flights to Providenciales from the UK and North America. The beach is a short taxi from the airport.
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9 Tulum
Quintana Roo, Mexico✓ Been: January 2020
Mayan ruins on a clifftop above a Caribbean beach. Go early to beat the crowds.
- When to go
- November to March. Seaweed (sargassum) can cover the beaches from roughly April to August.
- Getting there
- About two hours by bus or car from Cancún.
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10 Matira Beach
Bora Bora, French PolynesiaOn my list
Shallow, turquoise lagoon water with Mount Otemanu behind it.
- When to go
- May to October.
- Getting there
- Fly from Tahiti, then a boat from the airport island. Matira is a public beach, so you don't need an overwater bungalow to enjoy it.
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11 Boulders Beach
Simon's Town, South Africa✓ Been: August 2017
Penguins waddling about on a beach of granite boulders.
- Size
- A colony of African penguins
- When to go
- Year round. November to February for swimming.
- Getting there
- About 45 minutes from Cape Town. Pay the entry fee and walk the boardwalks, or swim from the beach with the penguins.
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12 Koh Phi Phi
Krabi, Thailand✓ Been: December 2013
Limestone islands, clear water and the beach from the film The Beach.
- When to go
- November to April.
- Getting there
- Ferries from Phuket or Krabi. Maya Bay reopened in 2022 with limits: no swimming, and visits are capped.
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13 Nacpan Beach
El Nido, Palawan, PhilippinesOn my list
A long, empty sweep of sand with palm trees, still quiet compared with the rest of El Nido.
- Size
- About 4 km of golden sand
- When to go
- December to May.
- Getting there
- Around 40 minutes from El Nido town by tricycle or scooter.
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14 Copacabana
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil✓ Been: February 2016
The most famous city beach in the world, with Sugarloaf Mountain at one end and Ipanema round the corner.
- Size
- About 4 km
- When to go
- December to March for beach weather.
- Getting there
- In the city. Go on a Sunday, when the seafront road closes to traffic. Take as little as you can to the beach.
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15 Penguin beaches of the Falklands
Falkland Islands✓ Been: December 2024
White sand and turquoise water that look like the Caribbean, with penguins instead of sunbathers.
- Size
- Gentoo, rockhopper, Magellanic and king penguins
- When to go
- November to February.
- Getting there
- On an expedition cruise to South Georgia or Antarctica, or fly in from Chile or on the RAF flight from Brize Norton.
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16 Pink Sands Beach
Harbour Island, BahamasOn my list
Sand that's genuinely pink, from crushed shells and coral.
- Size
- About 5 km of pink sand
- When to go
- December to April.
- Getting there
- Fly to North Eleuthera, then a short water taxi to Harbour Island.
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17 Caye Caulker
Belize✓ Been: January 2020
A sandy little island with no cars and a "go slow" sign. Swim at the Split and snorkel with nurse sharks and rays.
- When to go
- December to April.
- Getting there
- About 45 minutes by water taxi from Belize City. Snorkel trips go out to Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley.
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18 Lanikai Beach
Oahu, Hawaii, USAOn my list
Soft sand, calm water and two little islands just offshore. Sunrise here is the one.
- When to go
- Year round.
- Getting there
- About 40 minutes from Honolulu. There are no facilities and parking is in a residential area, so go early.
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19 Playa Norte
Isla Mujeres, Mexico✓ Been: January 2020
Shallow, calm water you can wade out into for ages, and a great sunset.
- When to go
- November to March.
- Getting there
- About 20 minutes by ferry from Cancún.
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20 Elafonissi
Crete, GreeceOn my list
Pink-tinged sand and shallow lagoons you can wade across to a little island.
- When to go
- May to June, or September.
- Getting there
- About an hour and a half's drive from Chania.
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21 Dune du Pilat
Near Arcachon, France✓ Been: September 2026
A mountain of sand with forest on one side and the Atlantic on the other.
- Size
- Europe's tallest sand dune, around 100 m
- When to go
- May to September.
- Getting there
- About an hour from Bordeaux. Climb the stairs (in summer) or the sand, then run down to the beach.
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22 São Tomé's beaches
São Tomé✓ Been: February 2019
Empty beaches backed by rainforest, turtles nesting on some of them, and hardly any other tourists.
- When to go
- June to September, the drier season.
- Getting there
- Fly via Lisbon or Libreville. The best beaches are a drive south of São Tomé town.
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23 Cala Goloritzé
Gulf of Orosei, Sardinia, ItalyOn my list
White pebbles, a limestone spire and some of the clearest water in the Mediterranean.
- When to go
- June and September.
- Getting there
- An hour's hike down from the Golgo plateau, or by boat from Cala Gonone. Daily numbers are limited, so book your entry.
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24 Bureh Beach
Freetown Peninsula, Sierra Leone✓ Been: December 2018
A long, empty beach with surf, palm trees and hardly anyone on it.
- When to go
- November to April.
- Getting there
- About an hour and a half's drive from Freetown. There's a surf club that rents boards.
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25 Kande Beach
Lake Malawi, Malawi✓ Been: August 2019
A beach on a lake so big it looks like the sea, with clear water for snorkelling and kayaking.
- When to go
- May to October.
- Getting there
- On the lake shore north of Nkhata Bay, a classic stop for overland trucks.
Pick one, book the flight and get your toes in the sand. Then tell me which one I've missed.
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