Countries with the Best Beaches in the World

After seeing a promotional article dubbing the “50 Best Beaches in the World” for 2024, I had …thoughts. As someone who has been to probably close to a thousand beaches all over the world, I could only agree with about ten of the listed “best beaches”, so I decided to make my own list.

BUT! My list is a bit more general, and names countries or destinations with many beautiful beaches to explore. This is partially because I don’t think it’s feasible to travel across the world to see one beach, and I also don’t want to contribute to overcrowding specific beaches.

This is not in any preferential order, and in an attempt to make it not seem so, I’ll list by continent! Please note, these are only places I have actually been to! Feel free to comment other destinations with beautiful beaches at the end!

Countries with the Best Beaches in THE AMERICAS

Mexico

Ok I’m probably a little biased because I have a condo in Tulum, but! I chose to have a home in Mexico partially because I LOVE the beaches there!

I’m a sucker for the Caribbean, and the coast of Riviera Maya does not disappoint! Well, except during sargassum season…check my blogs for how to avoid that and the alternative activities!

I also love Sayulita and Puerto Escondido!

Here’s my Mexico Blog Posts:

Bahamas

The Bahamas is a chain of islands in the Caribbean Sea, therefore by default, it is bound to have some of the best beaches in the world!

One of the most famous is the Exumas, and in particular the “Swimming Pigs Beach”. You can only get there by boat of course, and there are important rules to follow! Other fun islands are of course Nassau and Walkers Cay.

Here’s my posts for Bahamas:

Cuba

Cuba has always been a famous tropical beach vacation destination to the whole world, including USA before the Revolution. It’s still popular for USA people, just a little harder to get there and navigate, and most people go more for the culture, which I appreciate.

But Veradero, Cuba’s most famous beach is an absolute stunner, as are the lesser known local beaches near it!

Here’s my posts on Cuba:

Traveling in Time in Cuba Through my Grandma’s Journal
10 Solo Travel Tips for Cuba
Veradero Beach, Cuba
How to Get a Visa for Cuba
How I Found the Secluded Beach in the Photo Above in Cuba

USA

It’s easy for me to overlook USA as a country with the best beaches since I’m from there, but I’m also from South Florida, where we have beautiful beaches in Jupiter, Ft. Lauderdale, and Miami! Plus I lived in Los Angeles, which has one of my fave beaches in the world; Venice Beach (yes it’s a bit sketch but I love it).

Let’s not forget the cute beaches that range from the Hamptons and Nantucket, to small islands in Texas! You might as well be in the Caribbean in The Florida Keys, and you are if you go to Puerto Rico. Oh and of course Hawaii…which I consider in the South Pacific, but it’s still USA.

Here’s some of my beach related posts for USA!

Aruba

Aruba was a fun little solo vacation adventure, and there were definitely lots of beautiful beaches there! This is also where you can go to the famous beach with the friendly flamingos…If you have a bigger budget to book a night at the hotel they’re at!

Blog post for: Aruba Best Beaches and DIY Roadtrip

Belize

Belize is absolutely beautiful and really eco-friendly, and tourist-friendly. It has a reputation of being safe, and having great marine life. In fact, it has one of the world’s few Great Barrier Reefs, and also the peculiar “Blue Hole”!

Here’s How to Plan an Eco-Friendly Trip to Belize!

Turks and Caicos

Another Caribbean country with the best beaches in the world is definitely Turks and Caicos! The sand is powdery and white, and the water is as clear as a swimming pool!

This is also a fab destination to visit if you have a bit of a bigger travel budget!

Puerto Rico

I already mentioned Puerto Rico under USA, but since PR has it’s own Latin American culture, I gave it a separate spot. It’s a relatively small island, which makes it perfect for a quick but thorough adventure.

The beaches are nice, but one thing that stands out here is one of the world’s brightest bioluminescent bays, like the photo above! Spoiler alert: you cannot swim in it, and getting a photo like that is nearly impossible…

Check out how to see it here: 5 Affordable Adventures in Puerto Rico

Countries with the Best Beaches in EUROPE

Italy

Actually, I don’t think it’s even being biased because I also part time live here, I have to truthfully say that Italy is a country with some of the best beaches in the world. Especially my island of Sardinia! I’ve only ever seen this many “Blue Flag Beaches” in a few other places, and there’s hundreds of them!

Sicily also has beautiful beaches, and I haven’t been to Puglia, but I hear they’re beautiful there too! Amalfi Coast and Capri are cute, but the beaches aren’t nearly as nice!

Here’s all of my beach related posts for Italy!

Greece

Santorini actually does not have nice beaches. But Islands like Mykonos, Paros, and Corfu do!

Taking a cruise around the Greek Islands is an absolute must if you love beautiful beaches! Santorini admittedly does’t really have any, but places like Mykoos, Paros, and Corfu definitely do!

Spain

Spain has an array of diverse types of beaches, plus it has islands, so it’s overall definitely one of the European countries with the best beaches in the world!

Barcelona has fun beaches, but I wouldn’t call them beautiful. However you can go north to Costa Brava, or south to Sitges for better options too.

And of course you have Ibiza’s may gorgeous beaches, plus Formentera nearby (one of the BEST), and Mallora, Menorca, and the Canary Islands!

Here’s some of my Spain Blog Posts:

Croatia

Croatia was one of my favorite countries to road trip around solo, especially when I found so many hidden gem beaches! The boat tours around the small islands near Split are also a lot of fun too!

Plus, although it’s not a beach, don’t forget that Croatia is home to the beautiful Plitvika Lakes waterfalls, and the ever popular little town of Dubrovnik!

Blog Posts for Croatia:

Solo Travel Roadtrip Itinerary for Croatia

Cyprus

I found Cyprus both beautiful and fascinating! Somehow I haven’t finished my blog posts for it yet, but I went mostly to scuba dive to a new underwater museum, and it was really cool!

The beaches I went to were mostly coves, like the one above, but in the main areas there’s plenty of popular beaches, and definitely a night life vibe. We also ventured up north into the Turkish-occupied area of Cyprus (the south is occupied by Greece), which was interesting.

If you can find a tour or guide to take you to the abandoned city, it’s absolutely mind boggling. It looks like South Beach in 1970’s except completely abandoned and frozen in time. We rented very old rickety bikes there and biked around the ghost-city!

Malta

Malta is another country with more coves than actual beaches, but they’re very beautiful, so I’ve included it on this list. The Blue Lagoon is the most popular tourist attraction there, and I’d say it’s worth it.

A boat drops you off at the location in the photo above, and you basically chill on the rocks or swim in that bright blue water! I found that there were better coves in the north part of the islands, and would recommend renting a car to see them!

Here’s all the info you need to do that: Ultimate MALTA Travel Guide

Iceland

Iceland was one of my first solo travel destinations, and to this day ten years later, it’s still one of my favorite countries! And it has some pretty cool beaches too! Not for sun bathing or swimming, but definitely for admiring!

Since it’s a highly volcanic island, all of the beaches have black sand! My favorite one is on the south-east coast, across from the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon that most people call “Crystal Beach” or “Ice Beach” because it has stunning pieces of the broken glaciers that wash up on the shore from the nearby lagoon!

Full info to get here and everywhere else in Iceland:

Countries with the Best Beaches in AFRICA

Tanzania

zanzibar countries ith the best beaches — Zanzibar, the island of Tanzania, has some of the top beaches I’ve seen in the world!

Tanzania leads this list because Zanzibar is there, which is one of my favorite beach islands in the world! It’s not exactly easy to get around, but it’s worth it to explore all the areas of the island to see the different pretty beaches.

One of my favorite luxury boutique resorts is in the photo about, called Tulia!

For some reason I haven’t written blogs about Tanzania or Zanzibar, but I’ve just been inspired to do it soon, for now I have a: Tanzania and Zanzibar Packing Guide!

Madagascar

Madagascar is absolutely fascinating, but definitely a destination that’s hard to do logistically. It’s also a bit dangerous due to nightly car-jackings! I went there for a collab where they took us to an extremely remote beach area on the west coast called Morondova, which is pictured about.

The easier area that’s also beautiful is “Nosy Be”.

Madagascar Blog Posts:

Egypt

dahab blue lagoon best beaches — Dahab in Egypt exceeded my expectations!

Most people only think of pyramids and the desert when they think of Egypt, but it actually has a lot of stunning beaches thanks to the coastline being along the Red Sea! By the way, the Red Sea is not red at all! It’s very blue and very clear!

In the north you have a hidden gem called Dahab (pictured above) and the more tourist-popular Sharm el Sheik. Then there’s the other tourist beach town called Hurghada, and a lot of lesser known local beach areas above and below it!

Here’s all of my Egypt blog posts:

Seychelles

Ok so I feel like I’ve already said this several times, but, the Seychelles has some of my favorite beaches in the entire world! Specifically on La Digue island, where you see those famous giant boulders that line the shores. It’s just absolutely stunning.

Plus, the Seychelles is also home to the world’s largest nut, which I call a “butt nut” because it looks human female genitals. In fact, they say that the Seychelles might be the Garden of Eden, because the palm trees have what looks like both male and female sex parts!

Here’s my Blog Post for The Ultimate Seychelles Travel Planning Guide!

Mozambique

There’s a peculiar island that’s part of Mozambique, called Bazaruto. The only way to get there is by boat, and there’s really only one place to stay, which happens to be a luxury hotel!

Bazaruto island has many nice beaches, but the most notable is the one pictured above, which has striking red sand dunes that meet the white sandy beach, and the whole area is a swirl of crystal blue waters and brilliant white sandbars!

Plus, it’s one of the few places in the world that you can spot a Dugong if you’re REALLY lucky. Not to brag…but I was lucky. I saw the elusive Dugong on the way to the island!

Check Out: How to Get to Bazaruto in Mozambique

Socotra Island

The continent that Socotra Island belongs to is debatable, but I listed it as Africa, because geographically, it is closest and likely was fragmented from it. It also has beaches that look more like the ones I’ve seen in African countries, than Asian ones; where the country that owns it is a part of (Yemen).

Anyway, Socotra Island is definitely one of the most intense and rugged adventures I’ve ever been on. Since there’s constant conflict with it’s owner-country, it’s difficult to even get a flight there, and then there’s quite the lack of tourism infrastructure, which is likely a good thing, since it preserves the beautiful nature of the island.

Here’s my blog posts for Socotra Island:

*I am also offering a group trip here in February of 2025! We have a few spots left, so if interested, please email traveltribe@gmail.com!

Countries with the Best Beaches in ASIA

Thailand

I’m sure it’s no surprise that Thailand is listed as one of the countries with the best beaches in the world! Most of them can be found on the smaller islands off the southern coast, like Koh Tao, Koh Phi Phi, and Phuket.

The boat tours around those islands are usually a lot of fun, and a great way to explore them all! Plus, Thailand is relatively inexpensive, so you can have a lengthy vacation adventure in paradise!

Here’s some of my Thailand blog posts:

Philippines

Again, another country I am like, “Ohhh yeah that’s also my favorite for beaches”. The Philippines is obvious because it’s made up of hundreds of islands! And we know that tons of tiny islands usually equals tons of pretty beaches!

I absolutely love doing boat tours around El Nido of Palawan. Bohol was also nice, and in low season, Boracay is very beautiful too.

Blog posts for Philippines:

Japan

Japan may not strike you as a country with beautiful beaches, but that’s only if you don’t know about the islands of Japan! Namely, Okinawa islands!

Okinawa has some of the clearest waters I’ve seen, and is actually one of the world’s “Blue Zones”, which means there’s more people that live to one hundred there than most other places in the world!

It’s an easy flight from Tokyo, but like everywhere in Japan, no one speaks English, so be sure to check out my guide to make your trip easier!

Here’s my complete Travel Guide for Okinawa Japan

Indonesia

Komodo Island top 2019 destinations mylifesamovie.com — Padar Island is where you can see a pink, white, and black beach at once!

Fun fact: I absolutely love Bali, but not the beaches there. Most of them have darker water, and the beaches aren’t that clean. However! Indonesia is another country made up of hundreds of islands, and there are very pretty beaches on the other ones!

Padar Island is shown above, and it has a pink, white, and black sand beach! Closer to Bali you can find Lombok, and also the Gili Islands that have really nice beaches. And of course, one place that’s still on my bucketlist that I know has amazing beaches, is Raja Ampat!

Here’s my blog posts for Indonesia:

India

Although wearing a swimsuit anywhere in India isn’t exactly comfortable, it still has some beautiful beaches that you’ll want to dive into!

I specifically ventured to the Andaman Islands of India to see the beach pictured above, which used to be home to one of the world’s very few “swimming elephants” (he has passed away now). To get there I needed a flight, boat, and a few hours of hiking! It was well worth it for that clear water!

There are also beautiful and very fun beach towns on mainland India, like Goa and Kerala! Always be vigilant and self-aware there though, as sexual harassment seems to be prominent.

Here’s my blogs for India beach areas:

Maldives

I’m sure everyone knows that the Maldives is one of the top countries with the best beaches in the world. But did you know you don’t have to be super rich to go there?

There are hundreds of atolls and islands, and now so many hotels and lodges, that you can probably even find an over-water bungalow for a decent price! Or, you can splurge and get one of the luxury ones that will absolutely blow your mind! Check out the one I stayed at below!

Here’s my budget itinerary and also luxury one for the Maldives!

Countries with the best beaches in OCEANA

Palau

Palau is another multi-island country, and it’s located in the South Pacific, AKA in the continental region of Oceana. I specifically wanted to go there to see the “gum drop islands” pictured above, which have glorious white sandy beaches surrounding them, BUT! Most you’re not allowed to go to.

In fact, the only actual beach you can easily go to is at the Palau Pristine Villas and Hotel! But the untouchable beaches are still worth going to see from above, or around on a boat tour.

Blog Posts for Palau:

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea has a bad stereotype for being “dangerous”, but I spent two glorious weeks there with no problems, and very much enjoying the beaches of the smaller islands!

The best ones were in Rabaul and the East New Britain islands! You’ll need to do a boat tour to see them, and definitely have your guide ask the locals permission before you just swim up to one!

In the photo above, we were granted access to swim up to that tiny beach cove, where kids helped us climb up the rocks onto the island, so we could cliff jump back down into the water below! (Def don’t try that without a professional guide!)

Blog Posts for Papua New Guinea

Cook Islands

Heres: 17 Best Things to do in Rarotunga, Cook Islands

Samoa Islands

Here’s my blog posts for Samoa:

Australia

There was a time when I was ready to straight up just move to Bondi Beach in Australia (pictured above). I absolutely loved it, and I can’t believe I’ve only seen the beaches in Sydney!

I’d say they remind me of Los Angeles beaches, with darker water but fun vibes. However I still have places like Whitsands on my bucketlist! I’ve been to Cairns but only to dive the Great Barrier Reef, otherwise I didn’t like that town.

Here’s some Australia blogs:

ANTARCTICA

Deception Island

Antarctica Blog Posts:

11 Day Antarctica Itinerary
Antarctica Packing Guide
Travel Stories: The Girl Who Wears Gowns in Antarctica
Why Is Antarctica Turning Green?
How Female Influencers Changed the Demographic of Antarctica Travelers

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