Top Beaches

20. Patnem Beach, Goa, India

 
All the charm of India, without the chaos.
Most tourists know Goa for Anjuna beach, hippie heaven of the 1960s and now a tourist magnet.
If the cacophony of flea markets and tourist raves are not your thing, head to the lesser-known shores of Patnem, a stone’s throw from the increasingly crowded Palolem beach.
Patnem may be smaller than its famous neighbor, but it’s also less claustrophobic, with cheaper beach hut accommodations. It’s the perfect place to enjoy the sunset while congratulating yourself on ducking the Goan tourist radar.

19. D-Day beaches, Normandy, France

 
The most important beaches in modern history.
History was made at Normandy’s D-Day beaches. On the morning of June 6, 1944, tens of thousands of Allied soldiers stormed the beaches, code-named Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. It was the largest amphibious operation in history.
The Normandy landings and subsequent Battle of Normandy eventually helped free Europe from Nazi occupation.
Visitors can retrace the fateful landings at the five D-day beaches, which are still referred to by their invasion code names. Moving cemeteries, memorials and small World War II museums dot the area.
In Caen, a nearby city that was heavily bombed during the D-Day invasion, a large museum now commemorates peace.

18. Dominical Beach, Costa Rica

 
The vultures are there to clean up anyone who stays a little too long.
People often stay longer in this sleepy surf town than they intended to, thanks to monster waves and lush green forests. Dominical’s warm waters also make it ideal for long, lazy swims.
Dominical’s beach shacks offer great food and company, but the highly regarded Tortilla Flats is the best -- it's a surfer hotel, seaside restaurant and happening night spot rolled into one.

17. Canggu Beach, Bali, Indonesia

 
A side of Bali beach life you'll be pleased to discover.
Bali's Canggu Beach is a long stretch of surf-perfect coastline, with everything from easy waves for beginners to serious breaks for those who need a challenge.
The scene is unpretentious and the mood is laid back. Expect to rub shoulders with adventurous people who know Asia well.
Since there are hardly any bars on Canggu Beach, don’t expect much nightlife. Instead, travelers tend to chill and get to know one another and the locals who run the venues after dark.

16. Karekare, West Auckland, New Zealand

 
You'd think a piano would be easy to spot.
Easily accessible from Auckland, Karekare was immortalized in 1993 film, "The Piano."
As seen in the movie, a grandiose sweep of black sand stretches as far as the eye can see, with bush-clad hills backing an isolated, wild beach.
Karekare tends to be less touristy than nearby Piha. If you prefer a quieter beach, this is the one for you.
The water can be extremely rough and swimming only “between the flags” is advised.
Karekare is popular for its annual beach race day, in which local ponies and horses race to raise money for charity. Beach race day is usually held in early April.

15. Bahia Solano, Colombia

 
The kind of place that'll eat up two weeks before you realize it.
The beach town of Bahia Solano is a unique scene of immobile boats rusting where river meets ocean. Fishermen languidly cast nets over a huge bay.
Fashion shops, vegetable markets, cafés and bars line a vibrant main street.
US$8 beds near the beach are a godsend for budget travelers.

14. Margaret River Beach, Australia

 

Make your beach trip sophisticated, with wine, rather than beer.
Nature has been kind to Margaret River. Not only is the western Australian town blessed with mild climes, baby powder beaches and drop-dead gorgeous scenery, it also produces some of the country’s finest wines.
The surf at Margaret River is top notch -- head to Margaret River’s official tourism website for details on the best breaks.
Wine-tasting at Margaret River’s 60-plus wineries is a favorite tourist activity. The town’s many art galleries showcase vestiges of the hippie culture that characterized the area in the late 1960s.

13. Playa Paraiso, Cayo Largo, Cuba

 
Chances are you'll have all the trees to yourself.
Cuba's finest beach island goes overkill on clear. Water like crystal, sand like sugar, there's barely even a cloud to disrupt the electric smoothness of the sky most days.
Playa Paraiso, meaning "paradise beach," is not quite as exposed to the elements as some of the other beaches on the island. The weather is usually calm and the sea here remains shallow most of the year.
Visitors will find a smattering of beach umbrellas and a small bar. But for the most part this place is about sea and sand and not much else.

12. Hanalei Bay, Hawaii, United States

 
If a storm is brewing, best head elsewhere.
Mountains in the background, ocean in front and five kilometers of sand underfoot, Hanalei Bay on the Hawaiian island of Kauai is one of the most picturesque in the world.
It's a surfer's and paddle boarder's dream, with a reef to the right-hand side of the bay (looking out to sea). Closer to the pier, novices and weaker swimmers can splash about without fear.
Hanalei can be a tempestuous mistress. Storms and poor weather will turn the strip into a formidable beast, with choppy ocean conditions and beach run-off that's best avoided.

11. Sun Island Beach, Maldives

 
Need to buy some milk? Leave the car keys, grab a snorkel.
Recognized in some polls as the world's best beach, this diamond in the middle of the Indian Ocean has become a favorite with celebs and rich honeymooners drawn by the thought of sleeping over the water, literally.
Nearby resorts offer luxury bungalows on stilts in the water, where you can be sent to sleep with the sound of real water lapping at your doorstep, not the fake kind from you iPhone app.
Nearby coral reefs attract thousands of tropical fish, snorkelers and divers.
But you don't even need to be a water baby to enjoy the scenery -- parts of the reef are visible from the beach, so clear is the water.

10. Nungwi, Zanzibar

 
Out of Africa, but planning to go straight back.
The island of Zanzibar has long been loved by intrepid travelers for its enigmatic old Stone Town and 30 or so pristine beaches.
Tourists tend to gravitate towards Nungwi, a settlement located along the coast of north Zanzibar. In Nungwi’s extremely shallow shores, travelers can quite literally walk on water, with baby formula sand between their toes.
The azure waters and coral around Nungwi are home to scores of marine creatures.

9. Boulders Beach, Cape Town

 
"Last at the bar buys the round."
At Boulders Beach, you’ll find one of the scenes that South Africa is most famous for -- penguins on a beach.
Boulders Beach is home to a colony of 3,000 jackass penguins that can be easily spotted waddling in and out of the sea.
The best place to see the penguins is from a special viewing boardwalk constructed on nearby Foxy Beach.
Boulders Beach forms part of the Table Mountain National Park.

8. Grace Bay Beach, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos

 
Best seats in the house for the humpback whale show.
Affectionately known as Provos, this 40-kilometer-long island, part of the Turks and Caicos archipelago, gives up half its length to one of the world's finest stretches of sand.
Now that the word is out, tourism infrastructure on Providenciales is developing a bit faster than some people would like.
Grace Bay Beach, a stunning, 19-kilometer stretch of sugary white sand, is host to most of the island's resorts. Other parts of the island, such as the Copper Jack beaches, still feel undiscovered.
Diving at Providenciales is world class, with stacks of healthy coral close to shore. The island is also close to a humpback whale migration route.

7. Maya Bay, Ko Phi Phi, Thailand

 
In beaches at least, Leo DiCaprio has great taste.
Yes, it’s filled with tourists, thanks in part to Leonardo DiCaprio, who starred in “The Beach,” which was filmed here. But there’s a reason Maya Bay is still on our list -- it’s just too perfect to pass up.
Maya Bay is a white sand beach hugged by steep limestone cliffs. Coral reefs make it an excellent spot for snorkeling.
Thousands of people visit the bay every day, so if you want to avoid the crowds, try to visit early in the morning or after 5 p.m.

6. Pulau Perhentian Kecil, Malaysia

 
Almost as if God saw a postcard, and made a beach to match.
If you’re a beach bum you’ve probably already heard of, or visited, or fallen in love with, Malaysia’s Perhentian Islands.
The two main islands are the backpacker-happy Pulau Perhentian Kecil (Small Perhentian Island), and Pulau Perhentian Besar (Big Perhentian Island), which has slightly more expensive accommodation.
Dive in the crystal blue waters off Pulau Perhentian Kecil and you’re almost guaranteed to swim with sea turtles and small sharks.
Hang around the island’s beach-side restaurants at 5 p.m. to watch fishermen bring in the day’s catch and haggle with restaurant owners.

5. Tulum, Mexico

 
Along with Normandy's D-Day beaches, a beach where you get a history lesson with your tan.
There aren’t many places in the world where people can swim in the shadow of ancient Mayan ruins. Mexico’s Tulum is one of them.
Tulum is famous for being the home of a Mayan archeological ruin that teeters on the edge of a sheer cliff. Beneath it, baby powder sands and jade green waters glisten.
The dramatically situated ruin makes it one of the three big Mayan sites for tourists, the other two being Chichen Itza in Mexico and Tikal in Guatemala.
The Yucatan's turquoise cenotes and excellent diving are also tourist draws. Everything from mega-resorts to thatched cabanas offering boutique accommodations are available.

4. Whitehaven Beach, Queensland, Australia

 
 Watercolors are made of this.
With more than four kilometers of sand that is 98 percent pure silica -- so clean it squeaks -- Whitehaven Beach is part of the Whitsunday Islands National Park.
As part of the park’s conservation policy, visitors have to register with a tour guide for access, and can stay only for a few hours. That’s one way it maintains its postcard-like perfection.
Local conservation efforts here have been internationally applauded. In 2010, the beach won CNN’s Most Eco Friendly Beach award.
Watch out for jellyfish in summer. For those who’d rather look like a condom than get stung, most tour boats provide head-to-toe, skin-tight stinger suits.

3. Champagne Beach, Vanuatu

 
If only this WAS a beach full of Champagne.
The South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu broke into the headlines a few years ago when the Happy Planet Index ranked it the happiest nation on earth. With beaches like this, how could locals not be euphoric?
The crescent of sand at Champagne Beach looks upon a lagoon fringed with coral. The beach gets its name from a phenomenon witnessed by the first travelers to the region -- the shallow waters appear to fizz at low tide, as if the beach is swimming in bubbly.
In truth, the effect is caused by gas escaping from volcanic rocks on the sea floor.
On the east coast of Espiritu Santo, the country's biggest island, Champagne Beach is a relatively popular tourist destination, particularly with Australian cruise shippers, though it does retain a quiet, laid-back feel.

2. Anse Source d’Argent, Seychelles

 
The beach that makes everyone with a camera feel talented.
A major contender for the top spot, this ribbon of sand on the Seychelles’ third-largest island, La Dique, mixes salt-white and flamingo-pink sands to create one of the most photographed beaches in the world.
A reef keeps the water calm, so make the most of rental snorkels to explore the shallow waters, after which you can explore granite boulders further inland.
The nearby restaurant, Lanbousir, offers local Creole dishes, including the tempting fruit-bat curry. DIY lovers can fix their own picnic from a supermarket just five minutes from the beach.

1. Matira Beach, Bora Bora, Tahiti

 
No parties, but a whole bunch of dreams realized.
Bora Bora is like the Gwyneth Paltrow of beaches -- a little too perfect to be believable.
But the spell that this small island in French Polynesia has cast on probably every traveler ever to dip a toe into its soft sands or calm waters has yet to be broken.
No question, Bora Bora is a heavy tourist destination -- luxury resorts and budget bungalows dapple the white sand perimeter. But its best spot, Matira Beach, reminds you why places like this become popular in the first place.
Feed sharks, hunt for black pearls, look through World War II memorabilia or just laze on the sand. At the world's greatest beach, life takes you easy.