40 of the best beaches in Europe | Beach holidays

Greece

Fteri, Kefalonia

Reached via a mildly adventurous hike or on a short bouncing taxi boat ride from nearby Zola harbour, Fteri is an alternative to this popular island’s busy big-hitter beaches such as Xi and Myrtos. Backed by white cliffs and a forested valley, Fteri remains relatively quiet thanks to the slight effort involved in getting there, but those who do are rewarded with cut-glass water and the sweep of white sand. An occasional luxury yacht might drop anchor but there are no snack bars or facilities, just caves to poke around in, interesting rock formations and darting fish to tail with your snorkel. A simple base for exploring this end of the island is the harbour’s Anna Studios Zola (from £205 a week room-only, sleep two).

Elafonisi, Crete

Elafonisi’s flamingo-pink beach, linked by a shallow turquoise lagoon to a dune-studded island where rare pancratium lilies perfume the air in spring, was once Crete’s best-kept secret. Even today these talc-soft sands 50 miles south-west of Chania are rarely crowded except in the height of summer, especially out on the island, where sunloungers are prohibited. It’s a bumpy ride on winding roads to this paradisiacal beach: for a stress-free way to soak up the vibe, stay close by at Elafonisi resort (doubles from €58 B&B).

Sarakiniko, Milos

Santorini’s spectacular caldera may be Greece’s poster child, but when it comes to volcanic beaches, lunar-like Sarakiniko in Milos, with its startling white rocks like chalky icebergs wins hands down. Inevitably such a striking beach is popular with Instagrammers who come to take selfies leaping from the cliffs or posing near the beach’s half-submerged shipwreck; luckily, there are plenty of sheltered coves to escape the crowds. White Pebble suites (doubles from €250 B&B, two-night minimum) provides an elegant spa haven 15 minutes’ drive from Sarakiniko.

Plaka, Naxos

Beautiful beaches abound on this Cyclades island renowned for its immense kouroi statues and kitro, a punch-packing lemon liqueur. Tucked behind grass-spiked dunes, Plaka sits between the lively resort of Agios Prokopios and the near-deserted swathes of windswept Mikri Vigla, and is definitely one of the best. Steps from Plaka’s dusky golden sands, Ammothines Cycladic Suites (doubles from €150 B&B) has 15 cosy suites and offers breakfasts featuring homemade spinach and feta pies and spicy rizogalo rice pudding, topped with honey, nuts and tahini.

Karavostási, Epirus

Karavostási means “the place where the ship stops”, and it’s a fitting name for this secluded, horseshoe-shaped cove between two pine-clad headlands near Perdika, a small village with a handful of traditional tavernas serving no-frills local cuisine on the Greek mainland near the popular resort of Parga. With silk-soft sands and shallow waters, this remote beach is perfect for toddlers, while parents can try their hand at paddleboarding and windsurfing in the small watersports centre. On a pine-studded hill above the beach and looking out to Corfu opposite, stylish resort MarBella Elix (doubles from €142 half-board, four-night minimum) has sea-view rooms – some with swim-up pools.

Simos, Elafonisos

Strung out on the southern shores of Elafonisos island, just a ferry hop away from the pretty taverna-lined streets of the Peloponnese town of Neapolis, this spectacular beach is shaped like a butterfly with two “wings” of fine white sand lapped by clear waters and linked by a narrow strip of grass-studded dunes. For the best sea views, stay in a stylish suite at Double Bay Beach (doubles from €95 B&B) within strolling distance.

Vagia Bay, Serifos, Cyclades

Serifos, though it features in myths about Perseus and was name-checked as a desirable destination in Yorgos Lanthimos’s 2015 film The Lobster, is one of the lesser-known Cyclades islands, generally ignored by those flocking to nearby Mykonos and Santorini. But it’s a beauty, home to what must be the most dramatically situated of all Greek island hilltop villages, Hora, and numerous fantastic beaches. There’s Kalo Ambeli, a buttery scoop of gold nudging clear bright water, and Ganema, backed by greenery and hills shaped like Mayan temples – but Vagia is utterly gorgeous, and home to Coco Mat Eco Residences (from €387 a night B&B, sleeps four), a low-slung villa hotel in a line of converted miners’ cottages just above the sand. Owned by a Greek interiors brand, it’s relaxed and driftwoody, with whitewashed walls and dashes of that inimitable Greek bright blue. There’s also a stylish restaurant in a rocky nook.

Germany

Sellin, Rügen

Germany’s magnificent 2,000-mile north coast – which spans two seas (North and Baltic) – has an impressive range of strands to…