Best Beach Destinations

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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