Europe’s 31 most idyllic beaches revealed: Leading travel experts – including Sir Richard Branson – choose the very best, from a dreamy spot in Devon to an Algarve delight

There are an estimated 300,000 beaches worldwide, of which about 22,000 are in Europe, and 1,500 in the UK.

No one can quite say for sure what constitutes a ‘beach’, hence the numerical uncertainty.

But we’re sticking with sand and shingle beaches by the sea here, rather than beaches by lakes, and we’ve featured 31 in this round-up of Europe’s very best – all selected by travel experts including industry leaders, travel writers and broadcasters. As the summer holidays begin and we feel an increasing urge to cool down, perhaps their suggestions might just spark a holiday idea or two.

Dreamy in Devon

As a child, I spent countless joyful days on the Devon coastline, especially around Bantham beach. I caught sand eels at dawn, fished for bass, and watched gulls steal my bait. UK beaches like this one are so underrated, there’s a certain windswept magic that shaped some of the happiest days of my childhood.

Chosen by: Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group.

French fancy

Anjuna plage, about seven miles east of Nice, is one of my ‘go-to’ beaches when I am in the south of France – it’s so close to my home and has a charming restaurant. The Med is so clear, but watch out for the pebbles!

Chosen by: Raymond Blanc, celebrity chef at Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, hotel/restaurant in Great Milton, Oxfordshire.

Top ‘fish shack’

The beach on King Edward’s Bay in Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear, is ever beautiful, even in the depths of winter. But it’s made better by Riley’s Fish Shack, one of the country’s finest seafood restaurants. When the sun’s glittering off the water, and you’re eating a mackerel wrap (the fish caught that morning mere metres away) with a glass of something cold and white, there’s nowhere I’d rather be.

Chosen by: Tom Parker Bowles, food writer and restaurant reviewer.

French blessing

Unspoilt beaches near Cannes are impossible to find. My tip: take a ferry from the old port to Ile Saint-Honorat. An island home to Cistercian monks who farm and sell their own wines. Beaches, forest tracks, a paradise a million miles from the bling of Cannes. There is also a fantastic restaurant with stunning sea views. And if you really want peace, steal a few minutes of silence within their chapel.

Chosen by: Carol Drinkwater, travel writer and author of One Summer in Provence.

Algarve delight

We are spoilt for beaches in Portugal, and in my 24 years here I have collected several favourites, depending on the mood, tide and time of year. For beauty though, nothing beats Marinha Beach in the Algarve. Turquoise waters, golden sands and imposing natural arches formed from mellow limestone cliffs.

Chosen by: Mary Lussiana, travel writer (Instagram: @unicorn_trails).

Cypriot pleasures

With its rocky outcrops and caves, you can find seclusion on the sandy shores of the Akamas Peninsula in north-western Cyprus. Best of all, you may spot the monk seal, a magnificent though endangered species that’s fast making a comeback. For crystal waters, head to the Blue Lagoon.

Chosen by: Benedict Allen, explorer, travel writer and author of Explorer.

Treat in Crete

Europe has a plethora of beautiful beaches, but Elafonisi Beach comes to mind as one of its finest. Located on the southwest coast of Crete, with its pink sand and crystal-clear waters it is often ranked among the best in the world. Book Trailfinders’ Highlights of Crete fly-drive holiday to see it for yourself.

Chosen by: Sir Michael Gooley CBE, Trailfinders’ founder and executive chairman.

Pop off to Poland

Want a mainstream, family resort with a safe, shallow and sandy beach – plus prices so low they seem a throwback to the 20th century? Look no further than Sopot in Poland, just along from beautiful Gdansk. Flights are available from across the UK, with plenty of good-value accommodation and restaurants.

Chosen by: Simon Calder, travel writer and broadcaster.

Sensational Sardinia

Spiaggia di Lu Impostu in Sardinia is a great spot, with white sand, shallow turquoise water and a pine forest just behind the beach. Sardinia has an incredible history, with traces of ancient civilisations not far away. It’s the sort of place that shows how trees and landscapes have shaped our lives for thousands of years.

Chosen by: Levison Wood, travel broadcaster and author of The Great Tree Story.

The full monte

Mogren Beach in Montenegro boasts two sandy bays connected by a tunnel, close to the historic old town of Budva. There are fewer crowds than on other more famous European beach destinations, with secluded coves and dramatic cliffs along the coast.

Chosen by: Nigel Blanks, CEO of Saga Travel.

Perfect Peloponnese

My favourite beach is at Tolo Bay, on the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece. I’ll admit there are prettier and quieter beaches. I love this one for being long and lively, with shallow water that’s perfect for families, and little seafood restaurants spilling onto the sand. I love, too, its historical backdrop: the bay was mentioned in Homer’s Iliad. The region is scattered with ancient archaeology.

Chosen by: Adrian Phillips, managing director of Bradt Guides (X: @adrianphillips1).

Sicilian sands

Backdropped by the imposing Monte Pellegrino, Mondello Beach on Sicily is a curved stretch of white sand near Palermo. It is stylish yet maintains a strong community vibe, with locals lounging and playing ball among the pink-and-turquoise beach huts overlooking the sparkling Caribbean-esque sea. There’s also great food at the restaurants in the village nearby.

Chosen by: Noo Saro-Wiwa, author of Black Ghosts: A Journey Into The Lives Of Africans in China.

Crystal clear Corsica

Plage de Saleccia is a kilometre-long sweep of soft, white sand backed by high dunes in the heart of a protected desert on Corsica’s north coast. Get there by boat from St Florent and enjoy a swim in clear waters with the scent of aromatic herbs of the desert’s maquis wafting in the sea breeze.

Chosen by: Richard Hammond, founder of Greentraveller.co.uk.

Albanian serenity

There is a small horseshoe beach in Albania called Pasqyra, tucked away just to the north of Butrint – it’s serene, scenic, and delightfully off the beaten path. Accessible by boat or a short hike, the sea is clear and the view of nearby Corfu spectacular. Buy some delicious fish at a restaurant nearby, grab a bottle of local wine and make your own picnic. Fabulous.

Chosen by: Jonny Bealby, Wild Frontiers’ founder/director-at-large.

Quiet on Formentera

Playa de Ses Illetes on Formentera feels wild and unspoiled, located on the northern coast in the protected area of Ses Salines Natural Park. This secluded paradise has shallow waters with the occasional stretch of coral dust giving the white sand a pink hue.

Chosen by: Geoffrey Kent, founder of travel company Abercrombie & Kent.

Danish dunes

If your idea of a great beach is bracing winds, white-capped waves and towering sand dunes, then the north of Jutland in Denmark is your place. Close to cheerful Lønstrup is one of Europe’s more surreal sights: Tilsandede Kirke, the buried church, with only its tower rising above the dunes.

Chosen by: Mark Jones, former editor of BA’s High Life magazine (markjones.substack.com).

Hebridean bliss

Recommending beaches in the age of over-tourism is a sure way of killing them. So I’m going to give you a favourite where few will go because the weather is usually dismal and it only rewards those prepared to wrestle with Scottish ferries: Cliad beach on Coll in the Inner Hebrides. This tiny island is fringed with white sand coves and splotches of unearthly cobalt water. It’s a rare part of the British Isles still dominated by wildlife, not people.

Chosen by: Sophy Roberts, author of A Training School For Elephants.

Pebbly Croatia

I seem to find a new favourite beach every time I visit Croatia, and my latest love is pebbly Teplus beach in Rukavac Bay on the island of Vis. Hours fly by swimming in amazingly clear waters edged by pine trees, using the (overpriced) beach bar for extra shade in the afternoon.

Chosen by: Mary Novakovich, travel writer and author of My Family And Other Enemies: Life And Travels In Croatia’s Hinterland.

Pristine in Menorca

Hidden away between rocks in Ciutadella in the west of Menorca is the small and spectacular beach Cala Macarelleta. In the summer, you have to walk for 20 minutes through a forest to reach it, as access by car is prohibited. Expect fine white sand and inviting turquoise waters.

Chosen by: Michael Edwards, managing director at Explore Worldwide.

Italian swimmer winner

I may be biased – given I’m of Italian origin – but my favourite beach in the world is undoubtedly in Tuscany, close to the port city of Livorno. Its name is Castiglioncello and I have been going there since I was a one year old. It’s a pebble beach, but the water is pristine and it regularly gets awarded the EU’s Blue Flag for sea water quality. An absolute must for those who love to swim and dive in open water.

Chosen by: Alessandra LoTufo Alonso, managing director and founder of Women in Travel CIC.

Taverna by the sand

Chrani Beach is a long, quiet, sand/shingle beach just below Chrani Village in the Peloponnese, south of Messini. There’s great swimming and stunning views of the Taygetos mountains across the Bay of Messini. The best spot is Paradise BeachTaverna, a straw-roofed shack, run by enthusiastic kids; excellent coffee, home-made food/drinks, and basic but clean showers to one side – just how a Greek beach should be.

Chosen by: Noel Josephides, ex-chairman of ABTA and chairman of Sunvil Holidays.

Scottish swim

The North Sea is not for the faint-hearted at Coldingham Sands in the Scottish Borders – a glorious half-moon beach to the north of Eyemouth. To swim here is the very definition of rejuvenation. The water is cold but everything else is warm and tingly. There are beach huts, a cafe and the glorious little harbour of St Abbs is nearby. I played here as a child and now it’s my grandchildren’s turn. Nothing much has changed in all those years, thank goodness.

Chosen by: Mark Palmer, travel writer.

Volcanic sands

The Atlantic Island of Madeira is blessed with dozens of hidden beaches, but Seixal is by far my favourite, due to its volcanic black sands and sense of isolation. Look north and there’s nothing but ocean between your paddling toes and the southern coast of Iceland. If the waves are too fierce, wander five minutes westward and you’ll find a natural public swimming pool.

Chosen by: Simon Parker, travel writer and filmmaker (simonwparker.co.uk).

Cove in Cornwall

Take your swimwear to Trebah Garden – near Falmouth in Cornwall – because the reward for walking down through the sub-tropical gardens is a swim in Polgwidden Cove. After a laze on the sheltered shingle beach and crabbing in the rockpools, grab an ice cream from the Boathouse Cafe, where motor-racing driver and car designer Donald Healey stored his boats while he lived at Trebah in the 1960s.

Chosen by: Lesley Bellew, Daily Mail cruise correspondent.

History lessons

Normandy’s wide, flat beaches made them ideal landing sites for D-Day, and excellent pleasure beaches today. Utah, the westernmost of the five, reinforces the scale of the operation. It’s also the least busy, but its moving memorials and the storied Roosevelt restaurant deliver an appropriate dose of history.

Chosen by: Ash Bhardwaj, author of Why We Travel (Instagram: @ashbhardwaj).

Italian stallion

Somehow managing to be absent from the majority of Sicily itineraries, the small town of Cefalu is home to medieval bathhouses, a tangle of ancient lanes and a UNESCO-listed cathedral. The other gem is the sweet, family-oriented beach that’s steps away from town and backed by centuries-old buildings.

Chosen by: Tom Hall, Lonely Planet.

Glorious in Abruzzo

My favourite beach is Alba Adriatica in Abruzzo, Italy, as I grew up there and have lots of lovely memories. It’s very sandy and clean, known as the Silver Beach thanks to the colour of its sand.

Chosen by: Aldo Zilli, head chef at Elaine’s Restaurant, 77 Kingsway, London.

Relaxing in Andalucia

There’s very little at Playa de Rompeculos once you’ve waded through coastal scrubland from a car park, 30 minutes from the port city of Huelva – don’t expect a chiringuito beach bar mixing sangria. But that’s the whole point: a sweep of honeyed sand beside rough cliffsides, where you’re blessed with little more than the thrum of waves.

Chosen by: Benjamin Parker, Daily Mail deputy travel editor (Instagram: @benparkereats).

Cornish train treat

There’s something glorious about taking a train along the coast and beside a beach – as you do when you stop off at St Ives station in Cornwall and stroll down the hill to the sweep of sands at Porthminster Beach. There’s also a brilliant place to eat – with a terrace facing the sea, Porthminster Cafe is a delightful place to while away an hour or two.

Chosen by: Tom Chesshyre, author of Slow Trains Around Britain.

Tuscan treasure

Elba Island may be best known for being the spot where Napoleon spent his first stint in exile, but it’s Sansone beach that’s worthy of all the glory. Only accessible via a steep, winding coastal path backed by fields of juniper and fig trees, the white-pebbled beach is dotted withdogs snoozing under the shade of the limestone cliffs while tanned local children dive from rocks into the bright blue water. I’ve only visited once, but like all special things in life, I think about it often.

Chosen by: Harriet Sime, Daily Mail travel editor.

Feeling baltic

The Med is too hot in summer. I take my seaside breaks on the Baltic for better weather, better prices and better beaches, too. There are piles of golden sand all the way from Estonia to Poland, but by far the most spectacular are the mountainous dunes in Slowinski National Park near the Polish resort village of Leba.

Chosen by: Rory Boland, editor at Which? Travel.