Best Beach Destinations

Key West feels like a small island town where the past lives side by side with the present. The Old Town area around Duval Street is the most walkable, with pastel houses and narrow lanes that lead to the water. Just a short walk south you’ll find Ba

Mauritius feels like a small island that’s packed with variety. The east coast’s Grand Baie is where you’ll find the best bars and seafood shacks, while the soft sands of Flic en Flac stretch for miles and stay quieter after sunset. In Port Louis you

Muscat feels like a city that’s learned to sit comfortably between the sea and the desert. In Mutrah you’ll wander narrow alleys past the old fort, hear the call to prayer echo over the harbor, and haggle for silver bracelets in a market that’s been

Los Angeles spreads over a huge basin in Southern California, from the San Fernando Valley in the north to the Port of Los Angeles in the south, a distance of almost 50 miles. The city sits in a metropolitan area of more than 18 million people that s

Split feels like a city that never quite lets go of its Roman roots, even as you sip a cold kompot on the Riva and watch yachts bob beside fishing boats. The Old Town, Stari Grad, is a maze of limestone streets that wind past the massive walls of Dio

Phuket’s real magic isn’t in the postcard beaches, it’s in the messy, vibrant details you only notice if you skip the resort shuffle. Forget the overhyped Patong strip; head to Kata Beach instead, where the sand’s actually clean, the water’s calm for

Tel Aviv feels like a Mediterranean city that never really sleeps. You can wander down Rothschild Boulevard in the morning and hear the clink of coffee cups outside a sidewalk café, then catch a sunset from the promenade at Banana Tree. The architect

Monterey, California sits on the Pacific coast and feels like a small coastal town that still holds onto its maritime roots. The vibe is relaxed, with a mix of historic charm and laid‑back surf culture. You’ll love it if you enjoy strolling through O

Mallorca feels like a compact version of the Mediterranean, where the mountains rise sharply behind a coastline that shifts from sandy coves to pebble beaches in a matter of miles. In Palma, the historic quarter around Almudaina still buzzes with loc

Dubrovnik feels like a postcard that actually works. The Old Town, perched on a limestone promontory, is surrounded by 16th‑century walls you can walk from Pile Gate to Fort Lovrijenac in about 45 minutes, and the view over the terracotta roofs and t

St. Augustine feels like stepping into a living museum where Spanish‑style architecture rubs shoulders with 19th‑century brick streets. The walkable downtown is lined with narrow colonial lanes, locally owned shops and restaurants that spill onto ter

Seychelles feels less like a resort catalogue and more like a handful of islands that have kept their own rhythm. On Mahé, the capital Victoria spills up the hills in pastel houses, and you can wander the Sir Selwyn Selwyn, Cromwell Market where the

Porto Santo feels like a quiet cousin to its more famous neighbor, Madeira. The island’s main town, Vila Baleira, is a compact cluster of pastel‑colored houses that spill down to a long, golden beach where the sea stays warm enough for a dip well int

Madeira feels like a place that’s been stitched together from a handful of very different threads, steep cliffs that drop straight into the Atlantic, a network of irrigation channels that double as walking trails, and a patchwork of micro‑climates th

Miami Beach is a barrier island just east of Miami, built on former mangrove land and incorporated in 1915. The city is divided into three districts that stretch along the shore, with South Beach at the southern end offering the most famous stretch o

Cartagena feels like a sun‑soaked postcard that you can actually walk through. The walled Old Town, especially the cobblestone streets of Getsemaní and the polished plazas around Plaza Santo Domingo, buzzes with colorful murals, street‑side cafés, an

Charleston, South Carolina, feels like a walk through a well‑preserved 19th‑century town. The streets are lined with pastel houses, Spanish moss hangs from live oaks, and the harbor offers views of historic forts. The city attracts visitors who love

Sydney feels like a city that’s always half‑sun, half‑sea. You can start a morning in Surry Hills, tucking into a buttery meat‑pie from a tiny bakery on Oxford Street, then hop on a tram and be sipping coffee with a view of the Opera House before lun

Zanzibar feels like stepping into a place where the sea breeze carries more than just salt, it brings the scent of cloves, cinnamon and cardamom from the spice farms that fringe the island. The old quarter of Stone Town is a maze of coral‑block house

Rio feels like a city that never stops moving, but it also knows when to slow down for a sunset on Ipanema. You’ll find the iconic Christ the Redeemer watching over the hills from Parque Nacional, and the cable car up Sugarloaf gives you a panoramic

San Francisco feels like a city that never stops rearranging itself, and that’s part of its charm. You can start a morning in the Mission with a Mission‑style burrito from La Taqueria, about $9 for a filling, slightly spicy beast that’s become a rite

The Galapagos feel like stepping onto another planet. In Puerto Ayora you’ll watch sea lions sprawl on sun‑warmed sand, then walk a short distance to the Charles Darwin Research Station where hatchlings are fed daily. If you hike up Sierra Negra on I

The Great Barrier Reef stretches over 2,300 kilometres off Queensland’s northeast coast, wrapping around the Whitsunday Islands and lapping against the coral cays of Heron Island and the sandy shores of Port Douglas. It isn’t a single spot but a patc

Essaouira feels like a breath of Atlantic wind that never quite stops. The old medina, wrapped in ochre walls and capped by the Skala de la Ville, sits right on a natural harbor where fishing boats bob beside sleek wind‑surf boards. Walk down the nar

Lagos doesn’t feel like a city you can neatly package. It’s a place where the hum of traffic on the Third Mainland Bridge mixes with the smell of grilled suya from a street vendor in Surulere, and where a quiet evening in Freedom Park can suddenly tu

The Big Island is the largest of the Hawaiian islands and is dominated by volcanoes. Kilauea erupts nearly constantly in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park while Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea rise inland. The windward side near Hilo receives about 180 inches o

Kauai feels like a place where the land still talks. The north shore’s Hanalei and Princeville keep a laid back feel, while the west side around Poipu offers quieter beaches. You’ll find the dramatic Waimea Canyon and the emerald cliffs of the Na Pal

Maui’s character comes from the contrast between the lush Upcountry towns and the resort‑heavy western shore. In Makawao you’ll find former ranch houses turned into art galleries and coffee shops, while Haiku offers a quiet plantation feel with a few

Naples is an ancient port on the Mediterranean that still feels like a living museum. The historic centre, the largest in Europe according to the UNESCO evaluation committee, is a maze of streets where Greek, Roman, Norman, Angevin, Spanish and Frenc

Newport, Rhode Island, feels like a small New England town that has kept its historic charm while offering a refined coastal experience. The city’s character comes from its well‑preserved 19th‑century mansions, its sailing heritage, and a downtown th

Negril is one of the most beautiful towns in Jamaica, defined by seven miles of white sand beaches and another seven miles of 40 foot cliffs. The vibe is more laid back than Montego Bay, though it feels more touristy than Ocho Rios. It is a great spo

Barcelona feels like a city that never stops mixing sea, art, and market life. You can wander the narrow lanes of El Born, where medieval walls meet modern boutiques, then step onto Barceloneta’s sandy stretch for a quick dip before sunset. The food

Fiji feels like a place where the ocean sets the clock. In Suva’s downtown you’ll hear the clatter of the market on Cumming Street, while the white‑sand beaches of Natadola stay quiet enough that you can hear the waves slap the shore without a crowd

Colombo feels like the country’s front‑door, less about pristine beaches and more about a city that’s still figuring out how to blend its colonial past with the rush of modern life. You’ll walk from the quiet, tree‑lined lanes of Cinnamon Gardens, wh

Jeju Island feels like a place you stumble into after a long flight and instantly forget you were ever in a hurry. The landscape is starkly beautiful, volcanic cliffs that plunge into the sea, fields of bright orange tangerines, and the ever‑present

Montevideo feels like a small European capital that decided to set up shop on the Río de la Plata. Stroll through Ciudad Vieja and you’ll see pastel‑colored colonial buildings rubbing shoulders with street‑art murals, while the smell of fresh empanad

Los Cabos is located at the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula where the desert meets the sea. It consists of two main towns, Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo, connected by a thirty-two kilometer stretch known as the Resort Corrid

Playa del Carmen, or just Playa, is a coastal resort town in Quintana Roo on the Yucatán Peninsula. It sits at the center of the Mayan Riviera, about 70 km south of Cancún and 20 km west of Cozumel. While it has the same beaches, nightlife, and food

Puerto Vallarta, or Vallarta as locals call it, is a great spot if you want a mix of nature and luxury on Mexico's Pacific Coast. The vibe is friendly and welcoming, especially for LGBT travelers who frequent the Zona Romantica. This historic core is

Tulum is located on the Yucatán Peninsula and is famous for its ruins on the shore of the Caribbean Sea. These ruins were once a place of worship for Mayan kings and clergy, and they offer spectacular vistas at sunrise. You should expect large crowds

If you are looking for a spot south of Cancún, the Riviera Maya is a great choice. It stretches along Federal Highway 307 in Quintana Roo, covering everything from Puerto Morelos in the north down to Felipe Carrillo Puerto. The vibe varies depending

Punta Cana is located at the easternmost tip of the Dominican Republic in the province of La Altagracia. It is basically a giant tourist resort town with white sandy beaches and shallow ocean waters that feature natural marine pools for bathing. The

Santorini is an archipelago in the southern Aegean Sea shaped by one of the most massive volcanic eruptions in human history around 1600 BCE. This explosion created the current geological caldera, which is basically a giant crater filled with seawate

The Amalfi Coast is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Campania region, stretching from Sorrento to almost Salerno. It is famous for its medieval cliffside fishing villages, colored terrace houses, and steep lemon tree gardens overlooking an azure s

Cozumel is a Caribbean island off the Yucatán Peninsula that focuses more on underwater exploration than lounging on the sand. If you want white sandy beaches, you are better off heading to Tulum or Isla Mujeres. This spot is really for people who lo

The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean made up of over 40 islands and cays. If you want world class beaches, head straight to Grace Bay on Providenciales, which is one of the main hubs along with Grand Tur

Bora Bora is one of the most beautiful places in the world, located in the Leeward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. The vibe is defined by its geography: an extinct volcano at the center with two peaks, Mount Pahia and Mount Otemanu,