Aerial view of a shallow turquoise lagoon and sand spit at Balos on the north-west coast of Crete

Pick a starting point

What kind of beach
are you after?

Start with the sand under your feet, the water you want to get into, the part of the world, or what you want to do there. Pick one and we will show you the beaches that match.

Photo: dronepicr / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
26,424sourced beach records in the index

Prefer searching by name or place? The beach directory holds the paginated index, and the map plots every coordinate.

Sand, as reviewed

Start with the ground you walk on

Pick the ground you want to walk on.

Wide view of Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island, Australia. 75 records White sand for example Whitehaven Beach, Australia Wide view of Praia da Marinha, Algarve, Portugal. 82 records Golden sand for example Praia da Marinha, Portugal Wide view of Reynisfjara, Vik, Iceland. 17 records Black sand for example Reynisfjara, Iceland Wide view of Elafonisi, southwest Crete. 5 records Pink-tinged sand for example Elafonisi Beach, Greece View of Ruby Beach in Forks 8 records Grey sand for example Ruby Beach, United States Wide view of Zlatni Rat, Brac, Croatia. 19 records Pebble and shingle for example Zlatni Rat, Croatia

Water character

Then the water you are getting into

Then the water you are getting into.

Wide view of Flamenco Beach, Culebra, Puerto Rico. 51 records Clear water for example Flamenco Beach, Puerto Rico Wide view of Ipanema Beach, Rio de Janeiro. 34 records Surf and swell for example Ipanema Beach, Brazil Wide view of Playa de La Concha, San Sebastian, Basque Country. 25 records Calm water for example Playa de La Concha, Spain Wide view of Anse Source d'Argent, La Digue. 15 records Reef-influenced water for example Anse Source d’Argent, Seychelles Aerial view of Miyako Island's coastline and pale reef lagoons 8 records Lagoon shallows for example Yonaha Maehama Beach, Japan Haystack Rock rising from the sand at Cannon Beach, Oregon 20 records Cold water for example Cannon Beach, United States

World region

Or begin with the part of the world

Or begin with the part of the world.

Wide view of Punalu'u Black Sand Beach, Kau, Hawaii Island. 9,559 records North America for example Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach, United States Juno Beach, France 9,086 records Europe for example Juno Beach, France Wide view of Manly Beach, Sydney, New South Wales. 4,069 records Oceania for example Manly Beach, Australia Wide view of Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro. 1,609 records South America for example Copacabana Beach, Brazil Wide view of Nacpan Beach, El Nido, Palawan. 1,283 records Asia for example Nacpan Beach, Philippines Wide view of Boulders Beach, Simon's Town, Cape Peninsula. 785 records Africa for example Boulders Beach, South Africa

What people actually do there

Or begin with the reason to go

Or begin with the reason to go.

Wide view of Grace Bay Beach, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. 98 records Swimming for example Grace Bay Beach, Turks and Caicos Islands Wide view of Diani Beach, Kenya. 23 records Snorkeling for example Diani Beach, Kenya Wide view of Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii. 30 records Surfing for example Waikiki Beach, United States Wide sandy sweep of Ipanema Beach backed by the Rio de Janeiro skyline 106 records Walking the shore for example Ipanema Beach, Brazil View of Palolem Beach in Canacona 20 records Wildlife for example Palolem Beach, India Wide view of Coney Island Beach, Brooklyn, New York. 77 records Photography for example Coney Island Beach, United States

Why the numbers are small in places

A filter can only search what an editor has written down.

Sand, water and activity live on reviewed records; the rest of the index carries name, position and provenance only. A tile therefore counts fewer beaches than the country facets in the directory, and that gap is the honest state of the catalogue rather than a gap in the interface. Photographs on this page are licence-checked Wikimedia Commons and Unsplash images of the records named on each tile — see image credits.