Region and interest
Best destinations for beach in Europe
7 of the 16 destinations we track in Europe score highly for beach, ranked here from strongest to weakest.
Rankings come from our own destination scoring model. Costs are estimates, not live prices.
Ranked for beach in Europe
#1
Croatia
Croatia
beach score: 10/10
USD 120–220 / person / day
Best May to September
#2
Greece
Greece
beach score: 10/10
USD 130–230 / person / day
Best May to October
#3
Albania
Albania
beach score: 9/10
USD 60–100 / person / day
Best May to September
#4
Montenegro
Montenegro
beach score: 9/10
USD 90–160 / person / day
Best May to September
#5
Portugal
Portugal
beach score: 9/10
USD 140–220 / person / day
Best April to June
#6
Spain
Spain
beach score: 9/10
USD 140–230 / person / day
Best April to June
#7
Italy
Italy
beach score: 8/10
USD 160–300 / person / day
Best April to June
Spend a little more for a better fit?
Croatia costs about 113% more than Albania (roughly 90 more per person on our mid-range estimate), and scores higher on fit. Whether that is worth it depends on your budget, not on our model.
Albania: lower costCroatia: better fit
Comparison uses our own fit scores and mid-range cost estimates. It says nothing about popularity, availability or live prices.
Common questions
- Which destinations are best for beach in Europe?
- 7 of the 16 destinations we track in Europe score highly for beach, ranked here from strongest to weakest.
- What is the cheapest beach option in Europe?
- Albania carries our lowest mid-range estimate here, around 60–100 per person for a typical trip.
- When is the best time to go in Europe?
- For Croatia our season model points to May to September.