31 destinations in this category
Menorca · Spain
Small, sheltered coves with calm water and none of the crowding of Mallorca or Ibiza. The island is small enough to see all of it from a single base.
Heads up: Many coves need a 15–20 minute walk through pine forest. With a pushchair, half of them are out.
Costa da Morte · Spain
Galicia's answer to the heat: August highs sit around 24 degrees while inland Spain hits 40. Huge, nearly empty beaches.
Heads up: The water is genuinely cold. And the weather turns: expect two rainy days a week even in August.
Albania (Riviera) · Albania
Probably the best value beach left in the Mediterranean. Clear water at half the daily cost of Greece.
Heads up: Internal transport is slow and a rental car is close to essential. July and August are already busy.
Islas Azores · Portugal
Volcanoes, crater lakes and naturally heated pools. Green year-round and barely touched by resort development.
Heads up: It rains often and cloud hides the viewpoints. Book more days than you think to leave yourself margin.
Costa de Almería · Spain
Cabo de Gata has the least developed beaches on Spain's Mediterranean coast, and the water is swimmable by May.
Heads up: There's almost no natural shade or beach bars in the park's coves. Bring water, food and a parasol.
Costa de Tarragona · Spain
Shallow beaches and long promenades, with the densest concentration of family accommodation in Spain.
Heads up: August is saturated and prices spike. Outside peak season it's a completely different place.
Cerdeña · Italy
Clear, shallow water on the north coast, with beaches that hold up against Caribbean comparisons.
Heads up: You see nothing without a rental car. Add it to the budget from the start.
Costa de Lisboa · Portugal
City and beach without changing base: Cascais and Costa da Caparica are half an hour from the centre.
Heads up: The Atlantic has strong swell and cold water. With kids, pick the sheltered beaches at Cascais.
Chipre · Cyprus
Europe's longest swimming season: the water is still comfortable well into October.
Heads up: July and August bring extreme inland heat. The island is divided: check the crossing points.
Costa Azul · France
Nice, Antibes and Menton combine sea, food and hilltop villages a short train ride apart.
Heads up: July and August are saturated and prices spike; beaches are pebble, not sand.
Costa croata · Croatia
Clear water, a thousand islands and historic cities like Split and Dubrovnik on the same coast.
Heads up: Almost all beaches are stone: bring water shoes. Dubrovnik in August is unbearably crowded.
Estocolmo y archipiélago · Sweden
A city spread across fourteen islands, with an archipelago of thousands of islets a ferry away.
Heads up: Summer is very short: outside June to August the archipelago ferries barely run.
Malta · Malta
A small island with fortified cities, very clear water and everything under an hour by bus.
Heads up: There's very little sand: most swimming is off rock platforms. Check the beaches before booking.
Montenegro · Montenegro
The Bay of Kotor and mountains over 2,000 metres half an hour from the sea, all at low cost.
Heads up: The bay road gridlocks in August and parking is scarce.
Ohrid · North Macedonia
A vast lake with transparent water, Byzantine churches and one of the best price-to-quality ratios in Europe.
Heads up: Intercity public transport is slow; renting a car makes sense to get around.
Canarias · Spain
The only part of Spain with comfortable swimming temperatures twelve months a year. Each island differs: Tenerife and La Palma have serious mountains, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are beach and volcano, and La Gomera and El Hierro are the quiet ones.
Heads up: Northern Tenerife and Gran Canaria are cloudy many days while the south is clear; if you're going for sun, check which side your accommodation is on.
Mallorca · Spain
Far more than the beach cliché: the Serra de Tramuntana has real mountain trails and stone villages, and the northeastern coves rank among the Mediterranean's best.
Heads up: In July and August prices double and small coves fill before ten. A rental car is effectively essential.
Riviera Maya · Mexico
Turquoise water at 28 degrees, cenotes for freshwater diving and Mayan ruins close by. Works equally well as a beach trip or a cultural one.
Heads up: From May to October sargassum affects many beaches and it's hurricane season. Check the sargassum report before picking an area.
Bali · Indonesia
Rice terraces, temples and beaches at a very low daily cost for what you get. The food is excellent and accommodation with a pool is affordable.
Heads up: The south is crowded with heavy traffic. For quiet, get away from Kuta and Seminyak. The flight is long, so it pays off from two weeks up.
Ibiza y Formentera · Spain
Formentera has the clearest water in the Spanish Mediterranean, and northern Ibiza looks nothing like the party island of the magazine features: small coves among pine woods and quiet villages.
Heads up: In July and August prices spike and the Formentera ferry fills up. If you're there for the coves and not the nightlife, avoid San Antonio.
Algarve · Portugal
Golden stone cliffs with coves tucked beneath them, clean water and prices below the equivalent Spanish coast. The Lagos and Sagres stretch is the most dramatic.
Heads up: The Atlantic is colder than the Mediterranean, between 19 and 22 degrees. And some coves are only reachable by steps or by boat.
Costa de Murcia · Spain
The Mar Menor is a warm, shallow lagoon that suits small children perfectly, and a few kilometres away you have the open, barely developed coves of Calblanque.
Heads up: The Mar Menor has suffered serious pollution episodes; check the current year's water status before booking in that specific area.
Islas Jónicas · Greece
Corfu, Kefalonia and Zakynthos have clear water, far more vegetation than the Cyclades, and barely feel the meltemi wind that batters the Aegean in summer.
Heads up: Zakynthos has clearly defined party-tourism areas. For calm, pick the north of the island or Kefalonia outright.
Costa de Sicilia · Italy
Combines clear-water beaches with Greek temples, baroque towns and the best food in southern Italy. The Syracuse and Cefalù areas are the most balanced.
Heads up: The island is large and inland roads are slow; don't try to cover it all in a week. In August the heat frequently passes 38 degrees.
Barcelona · Spain
One of the few large European cities with a genuine urban beach, and a concentration of modernist architecture that exists nowhere else.
Heads up: The Sagrada Família and Park Güell sell out days ahead. The centre is heavily crowded in summer, and there are pickpockets on Las Ramblas and the metro.
San Sebastián y costa vasca · Spain
La Concha is among Europe's best urban beaches, and the area packs in a density of good cooking that's hard to match, from pintxos bars to fine dining.
Heads up: One of the priciest areas in Spain for accommodation, especially in August and during the film festival. Cantabrian water sits around 20 degrees even in summer.
Valencia · Spain
Combines a historic centre, an urban beach and the Turia gardens — nine kilometres of park in a diverted riverbed. Very easy with children.
Heads up: During Las Fallas in March the city transforms and prices spike. It's spectacular, but it isn't a quiet trip.
Asturias · Spain
Mountains and sea less than an hour apart: you can walk a Picos de Europa trail in the morning and be on a sandy beach by afternoon.
Heads up: The water is cold, 17 to 19 degrees, and it rains often even in summer. Always keep an indoor plan B.
Costa Brava · Spain
Coves between pines and cliffs, linked by a coastal path that runs along the water's edge. The Begur and Calella de Palafrugell stretch is the prettiest.
Heads up: Many coves are reached by steps and parking is very limited in summer. Arrive before ten or use public transport.
Costa Rica · Costa Rica
Volcanoes, cloud forest and two distinct coastlines in a small country, with well-established tourism infrastructure and abundant wildlife visible without effort.
Heads up: Road distances are slow despite looking short on the map. And in the rainy season many secondary roads become difficult without a 4x4.
Colombia · Colombia
Caribbean coast, mountain range and colonial cities in one trip, at low prices and with one of the best ratios of what you see to what you spend.
Heads up: Safety varies a lot by region and by neighbourhood within the same city. Check official sources before travelling and avoid overnight road journeys.