Lifestyle

And relax! 11 of the best beaches in Europe


Love beaches, hate crowds? Two words: shoulder season. It’s when the weather is fine and the shores are at their prime, but the kids are still in school, so hop over now or in autumn for an adults-only escape in the sun

Best for partying

Playa de la Salinas, Ibiza

If it’s a grown-up party crowd you seek, nowhere on Ibiza beats Playa de las Salinas. This pine-backed, one-mile beach is home to a clutch of cool chiringuitos (beach bars/nightclubs), including Malibu, Jockey Club and the achingly hip Sa Trinxa, each spilling out onto the sand.

Fly to Ibiza from London Gatwick with British Airways.

Best for culture

Patara, Turkey’s Lycian Coast

Birthplace of Apollo, Patara is an 11-mile sweep of bonewhite beach with a 2,000-year old ruin just back from the dunes. Sit atop the ancient amphitheatre at sunset and you’ll swear you’ve seen the Argonaut sail by. More ruins at Letoon, Xanthos and Sidyma are within a 10-minute drive.

Fly to Dalaman from London Gatwick with British Airways.

Best for stargazing

Pampelonne, French Riviera

No, we don’t mean Orion and the Plough. We’re talking Beyoncé, Leonardo DiCaprio and Naomi Campbell, all papped at this A-lister’s hotspot near St Tropez. Nikki Beach Bar and Club 55 are where they gather, though it pays to have your phone set to camera anywhere along this three-mile stretch of sand.

Fly to Nice from London Gatwick with British Airways.

Best for surfers

Famara, Canary Islands

Sandy of bottom, steady of swell, with water temperatures in spring averaging 23˚C, four-mile-long Famara beach in northern Lanzarote has the best surfing this side of Maui. Throw in a gently shelving beach and perma-sun, and it’s no wonder this is learn to surf’s Promised Land.

Fly to Lanzarote from London Gatwick with British Airways.

Best for sporty types

Mar Menor, Spain’s Costa Calida

Fringing the largest saltwater lagoon in Europe, Mar Menor is great for beginner wind- and kite-surfers, but also backs on to Club La Manga, a 1,400-acre sporting Valhalla with three championship golf courses, 28 tennis courts, a riding school and top-notch triathlon training facility.

Fly to Alicante from London Gatwick with British Airways.

Best for castaways

Cavo Paradiso, Kos

Marooned on the rugged southwest coast of Kos, Cavo Paradiso is reached only by a steep, switchbacking track that keeps out the holiday hoi polloi. A shack sells drinks in summer, but in spring and autumn it’s probably just you an Instagramable idyll of empty cliff-backed beach.

Fly to Kos from London Gatwick with British Airways.

Best for baring it all

Red Beach, Crete

It’s a 20-minute walk from the nearest car park in Matala, but Greece’s most spectacular nudist beach is a stunning kaleidoscope of colours, dwarfed below towering red sandstone cliffs that give the bay its famously emerald glint. A cocktail bar below the cliffs is just the spot to toast it from.

Fly to Crete from London Gatwick with British Airways.

Best for foodies

Grande Crohot, French Aquitaine

If the setting is good – the beach sand here stretches the entire length of Cap Ferret – the après ain’t bad either, courtesy of a string of simple, family-run oyster shacks close by. Best of the bunch is Chez Boulan, with tables gazing across Arcachon Bay to 110m-tall Dune du Pilat, the highest sand dune in Euope.

Fly to Bordeaux from London Gatwick with British Airways.

Best for campers

Cavallino, Italian Adriatic

A 45-minute ferry hop across the lagoon from Venice, Cavallino is a 10-mile strip of broad, sandy beach with one of the best campsites in Europe. Pitch your own tent just back from the beach in the pine forest, or choose from a range of two- or three-bedroom cute budget lodges.

Fly to Venice from London Gatwick with British Airways.

Best for a city-bikini-break

Sveti Jakov, Dubrovnik

Even off-season Dubrovnik can teem with tourists, so this tiny white-shingle cove is a godsend. Hidden below Sveti Jakov church one-mile west of town (take the no.5 bus if you don’t want to walk), the sunbleached shingle beach is reached via a 160-step staircase, has a beach bar and cracking views back to Dubrovnik.

Fly to Dubrovnik from London Gatwick with British Airways.

Best for sunsets

Meia Praia, Portuguese Algarve

Stretching nearly three miles from Lagos to the Odiaxere River, Meia Praia is one of the Algarve’s longest beaches, and a cracking spot for a sunset stroll. With tables right on the sand at the eastern end of the beach, Bar Quim is the perfect spot for sundowners and the best spicy prawns on the Algarve.

Fly to the Algarve from London Gatwick with British Airways.

 

Get there

All the beaches above can be reached from Gatwick Airport with British Airways, which has an extensive network of flights across Europe. Combine your flight with a hotel and car hire from British Airways Holidays to create a great-value getaway.





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