Portugal



by Celia Pedroso

Tróia Galé, near Lisbon

Type Sandy

Lifeguard Yes

Cafe/kiosk Yes

About an hour south of Lisbon, the Tróia peninsula stretches for mile upon white sand mile. It is easiest to take a ferry from Setúbal town, with the chance of seeing dolphins, but it’s also possible to drive in just over an hour, via the resort of Comporta. Tróia Galé beach is quiet and has a wonderful location, with views of the Arrábida mountains. The Atlantic is calmer in this bay, and good for swimming. Tróia Residence has apartments near the ocean – from €107 in June.

Samoqueira, Alentejo

Photograph: Getty Images

Type Sandy

Lifeguard No

Cafe/kiosk No

This small beach is on a rocky cove north of the whitewashed village of Porto Covo on the rugged southern Alentejo coast. Some are put off by the many steps down the cliff, so it’s quieter than the main beach in the village itself. At low tide, small lagoons form fun areas for children to splash about in and explore. Camping Porto Covo is 500 metres from the sea, has a pool and pitches for two start at €12 a night, and bungalows from €50.

Culatra, Algarve

Photograph: Alamy

Type Sandy

Lifeguard Yes

Cafe/kiosk MarAmais

One of several golden sandy islands off the eastern Algarve, and inhabited by an active fishing community, Culatra is accessible by ferry from Olhão and Faro. There are a lot of fishing boats and houses on its northern lagoon side, but on the ocean side it is possible to find deserted spots among the beautiful dunes. In Olhão old town, close to the market and waterfront, O Convento (doubles from €125 B&B in June) has nine white, airy bedrooms. From the courtyard a winding stone staircase leads to a rooftop pool where you can watch the sun set beyond the lagoon.

Figueira da Foz, Centro

Type Sandy

Lifeguard Yes

Cafe/kiosk Din’s Bar

This is the largest beach in Portugal – be prepared to do some exercise to get to the sea – with wooden boardwalks across the vast, sandy expanse. Around 40km west of the city of Coimbra, Figueira da Foz is one of the oldest beach towns in the country, has salt pans and a salt museum, and is handy for the hilly Serra da Boa Viagem headland, with good spots for picnics. Central Guest House, in the city centre and close to the beach and casino, has en suite doubles from €40 B&B in June.

Spain

by Matthew Bremner

Playa de Carnota, Galicia

Photograph: Shaun Egan/Getty Images

Type Sandy

Lifeguard No

Cafe/kiosk A Morosa

At 7km long, this half-moon beach is considered the longest in Galicia. Far from any urban area, it has rolling dunes, Colgate-white sand, salt marshes and mountain views. The beach is relatively unfrequented, even by locals, and is a spectacular place to appreciate the Galician coastline away from the region’s more famous haunts. It is accessible by car but lacks amenities like showers. Try zamburiñas (scallops), and chipirones (baby squid) at A Morosa, off the main road above the beach. Stay at Casa Rural San Cibran (doubles from €50 B&B), a 15-minute drive north.

Playa de la Franca, Asturias

Hotel Mirador de La Franca

Type Sandy

Lifeguard Yes

Cafe/kiosk Los Emilios

This beach on the Cabra estuary is bookended by cliffs lush with vegetation. The sand is fine and golden, and when the tide goes out, the neighbouring inlets of El Oso and El Viveru are accessible on foot. Mirador de La Franca (doubles from €59 room-only) has big comfortable rooms and a restaurant with spectacular views. For lunch, try a mixed paella at Los Emilios beach bar.

Playa de Calblanque, Murcia

Photograph: Alamy

Type Sandy

Lifeguard 11am-8pm

Cafe/kiosk No

Half an hour by car from Cartagena, Playa de Calblanque is part of a natural reserve, which, in 1987, was declared a protected zone for its abundance of fauna and flora. Seagulls and plovers coexist with rare forms of marine daisy and sea parsley. The waters are crystalline, the sand a golden ochre and rugged green hills frame the whole area. Most importantly, however, unlike many beaches on the Med, Calblanque is never full. (Be aware that there is no car access in July and August). For food, drive 15 minutes north to Playa Honda and the Restaurante Malvasia .It’s on the pricey side, but classics such as ham, foie gras and artichokes never disappoint. Stay in the city at the NH Cartagena (doubles from €90 room only).

Los Genoveses, Almería



Photograph: Alamy

Type Sandy

Lifeguard No

Cafe/kiosk No

Playa de Los Genoveses gets its name from a Genoese fleet that landed here in 1147 to help Alfonso VII of Spain conquer the then Moorish city of Almería. The beach is more than a kilometre long and surrounded by fine golden dunes dotted with local flora such as prickly pears. The waters are clear and calm, and there are no buildings, bars, roads or any signs of urbanisation to be seen. Indeed, the only thing of any significant height here is a small group of trees at the northern end of the beach where one can take refuge from the beating summer sun. Los Genoveses can normally be reached by car, except in July and August when most beachgoers either walk or arrive by bus. For good seafood, try 4 Nudos in San Jose, a couple of kilometres up the road. Doña Pakyta (doubles from €77 B&B) is also in San Jose and has white walls and sea-view rooms.

Cala Sa Tuna, Catalonia

Photograph: Alamy

Type Pebbly

Lifeguard Yes

Cafe/kiosk Hotel Sa Tuna

In an old fishing district north of Begur on the Costa Brava, Cala Sa Tuna embodies the foreigner’s vision of the Mediterranean, with narrow whitewashed houses that accentuate the craggy bay. A place of large family lunches, gnarled old men and brightly coloured fishing boats, it’s the kind of village you see in travel brochures, but rarely in real life. And when it’s not too busy, this 80-metre-long pebbly beach is one of the best of its kind in Spain, with clear, calm water, and dotted with small fishing boats. It also has disabled access, restaurants, and footpaths offering great views. Hotel Sa Tuna overlooks the beach, does good seafood in its restaurant and has five en suite doubles from €150 B&B.

Italy

by Sophia Seymour

La Feniglia, Tuscany

Photograph: Alamy

Type Sandy

Lifeguard In some places

Cafe/kiosk Plenty

Do as the locals and build a makeshift canopy out of bleached driftwood and sarongs to relax under, then wait patiently for the arrival of the man selling fresh watermelon. On the Argentario side at Country Relais La Mortella is a small villa with gardens, a pool, bikes for cycling to the beach, and doubles from €130 B&B.

La Scala dei Turchi, near Agrigento, Sicily

Photograph: Leisa Tyler/Getty Images

Type Rocky

Lifeguard No

Cafe/kiosk No

At La Scala dei Turchi, the limestone coastline appears to have been whipped into soft meringue peaks that take the form of a natural staircase, leading down to the green-blue sea. Getting to the beach can be a little on the perilous side as the pathways along the coast are narrow, carved naturally into the stone by the wear of the sea. The beach is one of nature’s great architectural masterpieces and well worth the visit, but it’s advisable to go prepared: take plenty of water, and a sun hat or some form of shade is essential. Stay at Masseria Agnello (doubles from €150), a few kilometres inland but worth the drive.

Porto Badisco, Puglia

Photograph: Alamy

Type Sandy/rocky

Lifeguard No

Cafe/kiosk L’Approdo d Enea

The small cove of Porto Badisco, 50km south-east of beautiful, baroque Lecce, must be one of Puglia’s best-kept secrets. The beach is protected by a low rocky outcrop, so whether you wade slowly into the water or jump off a rock, it feels like you are swimming in a vast enclosed pool, with water so clear you can see teaming anchovies and silver speckled sardines below you. To add to all that natural beauty, there are great dishes of lobster linguini and spaghetti alle vongole to enjoy with local fishermen at Trattoria Le Taiate on the main drag. Just outside Lecce, Villa I 2 Leoni is a family-run B&B, with large rooms and local custard pies for breakfast.

Bagni di Regina Giovanna, Sorrento



Photograph: De Agostini / L. Romano/Getty Images

Type Rocky

Lifeguard No

Cafe/kiosk No

Beaches in the vicinity of Sorrento, gateway to the Amalfi coast, can quickly get overcrowded. However, a short bus ride out of town towards Capo di Sorrento are some of the peninsula’s most tranquil and unspoiled coves. Ask the driver to drop you off at the footpath that leads down to i bagni, named after a promiscuous Neapolitan queen who brought her lovers here to frolic and bathe in the perfectly formed natural pool, neatly enclosed by a ring of rocks. Pick up a picnic from the grocery store near where the bus stops: it sells produce such as olives, mozzarella and provola cheeses from the hill village of Agerola, and cold white wine from Vesuvius. Maison Lauren, a half-hour walk away, has doubles in June from €90 B&B, or there are pitches at Santa Fortunata campsite from €26 a night for two (two-night minimum).

France

by Jon Bryant

Plage de l’Ouille, near Perpignan

Photograph: Cristian Valls

Type Pebbly

Lifeguard No

Cafe/kiosk L’Imprévu

Collioure and Argelès-Plage on the Côte Vermeille are bursting with tourists in the summer but halfway between the two is the ISis sheltered Plage de l’Ouille, an unspoilt cove of gravelly sand and pebbles is on a rocky coastline – but there is an exciting clifftop walk to the beach where Matisse spent the summer of 1905 sketching his wife Amélie in a kimono on the rocks. Stay at Camping La Girelle (pitches from €17.50)on the hillside above or at Les Mouettes (doubles from €81 room-only) on the road to Argelès-sur-Mer. L’Imprévu snack bar serves large plates of grilled sardines.

Plage du Lion, Gironde

Type Sandy

Lifeguard Yes

Cafe/kiosk Truck du Lion

Lacanau-Océan is one of the most popular surf resorts on France’s Atlantic coast, with scary waves and vast expanses of soft sand. To escape the surfers, head south, past Plage Sud and Plage Super Sud to the majestic Plage du Lion. A cycle track leads between the pines and the dunes to the beach, a haven for nature lovers and naturists. Stay at Villa Zénith (doubles from €55 room only, dorm beds €23), a surf hostel in the centre of Lacanau-Océan. For breakfast, there’s Hawaiian-style avocado toast at the Rainbow Café by Plage Sud.

Bains Militaires, Nice

Le Plongeoir restaurant, near Plage des Bains Militaires.

Photograph: Alamy

Type Pebbly

Lifeguard No

Cafe/kiosk Club Nautique

Far from the crowds on Nice’s promenade beaches, this stony inlet near the harbour used to be reserved for soldiers, but today its clear, deep waters are popular with serious swimmers, local sunbathers and yachting types from the Club Nautique next door, as well as the odd cormorant. The only péril (as the noticeboard says) is to make sure you are not too far out when the giant ferry from Corsica comes in. Stay at belle époque Villa Léonie (studios for two from €110). Club Nautique does drinks and a salade niçoise from €8. Le Plongeoir, perched on a platform by the spectacular white diving board, does a pricier lunch.

Plage d’Écault, near Boulogne

Photograph by Charlotte Branquart/ plages.tv

Type Sandy

Lifeguard No

Cafe/kiosk No

A two-mile stretch of white sand between Boulogne-sur-Mer and Le Touquet, Écault is a little-known bay with high dunes and a pine forest. The wild and breezy Opal Coast beach is great for runners, dogs, kite fliers and taking in views of Hardelot-Plage in the distance. Access is via a path that runs from the Aréna information centre off Chemin de la Warenne or, further down the coast, beside a wall built by Jewish prisoners in the second world war. Stay and eat at Hostellerie de la Rivière (doubles from €111 B&B, three-course lunch €23) in the nearby village of Saint-Étienne-au-Mont.

Croatia

by Mary Novakovich

Sveti Jakob, Dubrovnik

Sveti Jakov Apartments, near Dubrovnik

Type Pebbly

Lifeguard No

Cafe/kiosk Yes

Dubrovnik is usually intolerably crowded, and in July and August this little beach to the south makes a good escape from Croatia’s most popular tourist destination. Sveti Jakob is at least a 30-minute walk from the old town and down 160 rocky steps, so deters the casual beachgoer. The fine shingle is partly shaded by pines, there are gorgeous views of the city walls and salads and fish are served in the beachside restaurant. There are rooms with balconies overlooking the beach at Sveti Jakob apartments, from €75 in June.

Posedarje, near Zadar

Hotel Lucija, Posedarje, Croatia

Type Pebbly/rocky

Lifeguard No

Cafe/kiosk Yes

There are more beautiful spots in Croatia, but this laid-back beach, 25km from Zadar in the shadow of the Velebit mountains, has a family atmosphere and beautifully clear water. Book a sea-facing balcony room at Posedarje’s only hotel, Lucija (doubles from about €80 B&B ), whose simple rooms are in a wonderful position on a private, stony swimming and sunbathing area. Bistro Pizza Luna just off the promenade does a generous pizza.

Pupnatska Luka, Korčula



Photograph: Simeone Huber/Getty Images

Type Pebbly/rocky

Lifeguard No

Cafe/kiosk Konoba Mijo

The rugged southern coast of Korčula harbours numerous beaches – one of the most heavenly is Pupnatska Luka. At the top of a deep bay surrounded by thickly forested bluffs, this chilled-out beach of white pebbles and sparkling water gives a sense of being cocooned in aquamarine loveliness. Cool off on the sheltered terrace of Konoba Mijo, with a plate of octopus salad. Hotels are thin on the ground, but there are apartments from around €50 a night. And on the north coast’s Žrnovska Banja bay is chic Tara’s Lodge (doubles from €152 room-only in June).

Livačina, Rab



Photograph: TZO Lopar

Type Sandy

Lifeguard No

Cafe/kiosk Santa Marija

Next door to Rab’s most popular beach, Rajska, is this more intimate bay. Croatia has relatively few sandy beaches, but little Rab island, in the Kvarner gulf, nabs 30 of them. Backed by pine forests, Livačina is lively and fun, with shallow waters that seem to go on for ever, but can get crowded in high season. You can get salads and pizzas at Santa Marija beach bar, but there’s more choice round the headland in Rajska. In the village above, half-board at the Bellevue Lopar, which has a pool and spa, costs from €60pp a night in early June.

Greece

by Rachel Howard

Plaka, Naxos

Paradiso taverna, a short walk from Plaka beach. Photograph: Alamy

Type Sandy

Lifeguard Yes

Cafe/kiosk Misha

The largest island in the Cyclades, Naxos has superb beaches of all sorts: wild bays for windsurfers, sandy dunes for toddlers, watersports for teens, quiet coves for nudists. A two-mile stretch of rolling white sand, Plaka has a little of everything: pedalos, canoes, buzzy beach bars, tavernas aplenty (try Misha beach bar), and a few naturists at the quieter, southern end. That’s where you’ll find Medusa Resort (doubles from €138), set among palm trees right on the beach and offering phenomenal sunsets. For sensational Greek dishes made with local, organic ingredients (baked figs with fresh goat’s cheese, goat en papillote), head to Axiotissa in nearby Kastraki.

Gramvousa, Amorgos

Photograph: Alamy

Type Sandy

Lifeguard No

Cafe/kiosk No

Amorgos, the island in the eastern Cyclades where Luc Besson shot The Big Blue, has some of the clearest water in Greece. Where the road peters out west of Kalotaritissa there’s a sheltered, horseshoe bay. Pick up cold water and just-fried cheese pies from the beach shack, wander to the jetty and ask the boatman to take you to Gramvousa, a tiny desert island 10 minutes across the foamy surf. There, there’s a grainy golden bay where you can play castaway for the day. The nearest place to stay is in the port of Katapola, 45 minutes’ drive away. Hotel Minoa (doubles from €45 room-only) is a friendly, family-run pension on the waterfront.

Vathy, Sifnos

Photograph: Alamy

Type Sandy

Lifeguard No

Cafe/kiosk O Manolis and Tsikali

Sifnos doesn’t have the best beaches in the Cyclades. Greeks often complain that the food there is great and the villages supremely pretty, but the small, scrubby coves are disappointing. Vathy is the glorious exception: a semi-circle of sugary sand enclosed by headlands that almost meet, so it’s protected from the meltemi wind. Calm, shallow, and utterly laid-back, it’s perfect for families. Along the shore are simple rooms to let: Archipelago has blue-and-white studios from €70. Old-fashioned tavernas have tables in the sand – Tsikali and O Manolis are standouts. It’s the kind of place you can spend a week in your swimsuit and never bother with shoes.

Nanou, Symi



Photograph: Jordan Blakesley

Type Pebbly

Lifeguard No

Cafe/kiosk Nanou Maria

The colourful boats in Symi’s neoclassical harbour will whisk you to any number of deliciously inaccessible beaches for about €10 return. Nanou’s round white pebbles give the sea its luminous, green-blue hue, and the base of surrounding cliffs makes for fantastic snorkelling. There are sunbeds and umbrellas, but beware: marauding goats will steal your picnic while you’re having a swim. Better to retreat to the old-school taverna and order plate after plate of crisp calamari, shrimps and Greek salad. Symi has a new, cute hotel, the Emporio (doubles from €200), up the coast at Nimborio, but check online for guesthouse rooms in town from under €40 a night.



