Best family beaches in Europe

The best beaches in Europe for families — 181 calm, shallow and gently shelving shores with safe, warm swimming and no surf. Ranked by fame and mapped.

• 
  Playa de Maspalomas

  Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, Spain
• 
  Balos Lagoon

  Crete, Greece
• 
  Benagil Beach & Cave

  Algarve, Portugal
• 
  Blue Lagoon

  Comino, Malta
• 
  Cala Formentor

  Pollenca, Mallorca, Spain
• 
  Cala Macarella

  Ciutadella, Menorca, Spain
• 
  Cala Macarelleta

  Menorca, Spain
• 
  Elafonissi Beach

  Crete, Greece
• 
  Golden Sands

  Varna, Bulgaria
• 
  Ksamil Beaches

  Ksamil, Albanian Riviera, Albania
• 
  La Pelosa Beach

  Sardinia, Italy
• 
  Mamaia Beach

  Constanța, Romania
• 
  Mondello

  Palermo, Sicily, Italy
• 
  Nissi Beach

  Ayia Napa, Cyprus, Cyprus
• 
  Ölüdeniz (Blue Lagoon)

  Fethiye, Türkiye
• 
  Plage de Palombaggia

  Corsica, France
• 
  Plage de Pampelonne

  Saint-Tropez, France
• 
  Playa de la Concha

  San Sebastián, Spain
• 
  Playa de Monsul

  San Jose, Cabo de Gata, Spain
• 
  Playa de Ses Illetes

  Formentera, Spain
• 
  Praia de Porto Santo

  Porto Santo, Madeira, Portugal
• 
  Rodas Beach

  Cíes Islands, Spain
• 
  Spiaggia dei Conigli

  Lampedusa, Italy
• 
  Spiaggia del Principe

  Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, Italy
• 
  Spiaggia della Rotonda

  Tropea, Calabria, Italy
• 
  Sunny Beach

  Nesebar, Bulgaria
• 
  Super Paradise Beach

  Mykonos, Cyclades, Greece
• 
  Vai Beach

  Palekastro, East Crete, Greece
• 
  Voidokilia Beach

  Pylos, Peloponnese, Greece
• 
  Agios Prokopios

  Naxos, Greece
• 
  Ammolofoi Beach

  Nea Peramos, Kavala, Greece
• 
  Anthony Quinn Bay

  Faliraki, Rhodes, Greece
• 
  Bačvice Beach

  Split, Croatia
• 
  Baia del Silenzio

  Sestri Levante, Liguria, Italy
• 
  Ballymastocker Bay

  Portsalon, Donegal, Ireland
• 
  Barafundle Bay

  Pembrokeshire, Wales, United Kingdom
• 
  Binz Beach

  Rugen, Germany
• 
  Butterfly Valley

  Faralya, near Oludeniz, Fethiye, Türkiye
• 
  Cala Aiguablava

  Begur, Costa Brava, Spain
• 
  Cala Brandinchi

  San Teodoro, Sardinia, Italy
• 
  Cala Coticcio

  Caprera, La Maddalena, Italy
• 
  Cala d'Hort

  Ibiza, Balearics, Spain
• 
  Cala Mondrago

  Santanyi, Mallorca, Spain
• 
  Cala Turqueta

  Menorca, Balearics, Spain
• 
  Cala Violina

  Scarlino, Maremma, Italy
• 
  Calamosche

  Vendicari, Noto, Sicily, Italy
• 
  Calanque d'En-Vau

  Cassis, France
• 
  Caló des Moro

  Mallorca, Balearics, Spain
• 
  Cefalù Beach

  Cefalù, Sicily, Italy
• 
  Cleopatra Beach

  Alanya, Türkiye
• 
  Dhërmi Beach

  Albanian Riviera, Albania
• 
  Dueodde

  Bornholm, Denmark
• 
  Es Trenc

  Mallorca, Balearics, Spain
• 
  Fetovaia

  Elba, Tuscany, Italy
• 
  Fig Tree Bay

  Protaras, Cyprus, Cyprus
• 
  Firiplaka Beach

  Milos, Greece
• 
  Fornillo Beach

  Positano, Amalfi Coast, Italy
• 
  Gerakas Beach

  Vasilikos, Zakynthos, Greece
• 
  Għadira Bay

  Mellieħa, Malta
• 
  Harmanite Beach

  Sozopol, Bulgaria
• 
  Ilica Beach

  Cesme, Izmir, Türkiye
• 
  Jurmala Beach

  Jurmala, near Riga, Latvia
• 
  Kavourotrypes

  Sithonia, Halkidiki, Greece
• 
  Keem Bay

  Achill Island, County Mayo, Ireland
• 
  Kolymbithres

  Naoussa, Paros, Greece
• 
  Konnos Bay

  Cape Greco, Protaras, Cyprus
• 
  Koukounaries

  Skiathos, Greece
• 
  Larvotto Beach

  Monte-Carlo, Monaco
• 
  Międzyzdroje Beach

  Wolin Island, Poland
• 
  Mogren Beach

  Budva, Montenegro
• 
  Moon Bay (Mesecev Zaliv)

  Strunjan, Slovenian Riviera, Slovenia
• 
  Omaha Beach

  Normandy, France
• 
  Paleokastritsa Beach

  Corfu, Ionian, Greece
• 
  Paloma Beach

  Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France
• 
  Parnu Beach

  Parnu, Estonia
• 
  Pescoluse (Maldive del Salento)

  Salve, Salento, Italy
• 
  Petani Beach

  Paliki, Kefalonia, Greece
• 
  Plage de Notre-Dame

  Ile de Porquerolles, Hyeres, France
• 
  Plage de Rondinara

  Bonifacio, Corsica, France
• 
  Plage de Santa Giulia

  Corsica, France
• 
  Plage de Trestraou

  Perros-Guirec, Cote de Granit Rose, Brittany, France
• 
  Plaka Beach

  Naxos, Cyclades, Greece
• 
  Platja de Migjorn

  Formentera, Balearics, Spain
• 
  Playa de Gulpiyuri

  Llanes, Asturias, Spain
• 
  Playa de las Teresitas

  San Andres, Tenerife, Spain
• 
  Playa de los Genoveses

  Cabo de Gata, Almería, Spain
• 
  Playa de Papagayo

  Playa Blanca, Lanzarote, Spain
• 
  Playa de Zahara de los Atunes

  Cádiz, Costa de la Luz, Spain
• 
  Poetto

  Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
• 
  Porto Giunco

  Villasimius, Sardinia, Italy
• 
  Porto Timoni

  Afionas, Corfu, Greece
• 
  Praia da Falesia

  Olhos de Agua, Algarve, Portugal
• 
  Praia do Camilo

  Lagos, Portugal
• 
  Praia Dona Ana

  Lagos, Algarve, Portugal
• 
  Praia dos Galapinhos

  Arrábida, Setúbal, Portugal
• 
  Punta Prosciutto

  Porto Cesareo, Puglia, Italy
• 
  Ramla Bay

  Xagħra, Gozo, Malta, Malta
• 
  Sakarun

  Dugi Otok, Zadar, Croatia
• 
  San Vito Lo Capo

  Sicily, Italy
• 
  Sandhammaren

  Skane, southern Sweden, Sweden
• 
  Scala dei Turchi

  Sicily, Italy
• 
  Seitan Limania

  Akrotiri, Chania, Greece
• 
  Simos Beach

  Elafonisos, Peloponnese, Greece
• 
  Sopot Beach

  Sopot, near Gdansk, Poland
• 
  Spiaggia di Grotticelle

  Capo Vaticano, Calabria, Italy
• 
  Spiaggia di Levante

  Sperlonga, Lazio, Italy
• 
  Timmendorfer Strand

  Lübeck Bay, Germany
• 
  Torre dell'Orso

  Melendugno, Puglia, Italy
• 
  Tossa de Mar

  Costa Brava, Spain
• 
  Tsambika Beach

  Rhodes, Greece
• 
  Tuerredda

  Teulada, Sardinia, Italy
• 
  Tylösand

  Halmstad, Sweden
• 
  Voutoumi Beach

  Antipaxos, Ionian, Greece
• 
  Zrće Beach

  Novalja, Pag, Croatia
• 
  Albena Beach

  Albena, Bulgaria
• 
  Barleycove Beach

  Mizen Peninsula, West Cork, Ireland
• 
  Berchida

  Siniscola, Sardinia, Italy
• 
  Böda Sand

  Öland, Sweden
• 
  Bolata Beach

  Cape Kaliakra, Bulgaria
• 
  Borsh Beach

  Borsh, Albanian Riviera, Albania
• 
  Cala Benirràs

  Ibiza, Balearics, Spain
• 
  Cala Pregonda

  Menorca, Balearics, Spain
• 
  Cala Salada

  Sant Antoni, Ibiza, Spain
• 
  Cape Kolka

  Kurzeme, Latvia
• 
  Copacabana Beach

  Babin Kuk, Dubrovnik, Croatia
• 
  Coral Bay

  Peyia, Paphos, Cyprus
• 
  De Haan Beach

  West Flanders, Belgium
• 
  Deauville Beach

  Normandy, France
• 
  Divna Beach

  Pelješac Peninsula, Croatia
• 
  Dog's Bay

  Roundstone, Connemara, Ireland
• 
  Eforie Nord

  Eforie, Constanța, Romania
• 
  Fiesa Beach

  Piran, Slovenia
• 
  Fontane Bianche

  Siracusa, Sicily, Italy
• 
  Giola Lagoon

  Thassos, Greece
• 
  Gümüşlük Beach

  Bodrum, Türkiye
• 
  Hietaniemi Beach

  Helsinki, Finland
• 
  Jale Beach

  near Himarë, Albania
• Järve Beach

  Saaremaa, Estonia
• 
  Kabak Beach

  Faralya, Fethiye, Türkiye
• 
  Kalajoki Hiekkasärkät

  Kalajoki, Ostrobothnia, Finland
• 
  Kedrodasos

  near Elafonissi, Crete, Greece
• 
  Łeba Beach

  Słowiński Coast, Poland
• 
  Livadhi Beach

  Himarë, Albania
• 
  Makronissos Beach

  Ayia Napa, Cyprus
• 
  Marielyst

  Falster, Denmark
• 
  Maronti Beach

  Ischia, Campania, Italy
• 
  Mylopotas Beach

  Ios, Greece
• 
  Narva-Jõesuu Beach

  Ida-Viru, Estonia
• 
  Neum Beach

  Neum, Bosnia & Herzegovina
• 
  Nugal Beach

  Makarska Riviera, Croatia
• 
  Ostend Beach

  Ostend, Belgium
• Ovabükü

  Datça Peninsula, Türkiye
• 
  Palanga Beach

  Palanga, Lithuania
• 
  Palasë Beach

  Palasë, Albanian Riviera, Albania
• 
  Pirita Beach

  Tallinn, Estonia
• 
  Plage d'Argent

  Porquerolles, Provence, France
• 
  Plage de l'Espiguette

  Camargue, France
• 
  Plage de Roccapina

  Corsica, France
• 
  Plage de Saleccia

  Desert des Agriates, Saint-Florent, Corsica, France
• 
  Plagen Beach

  Hanko, Finland
• 
  Platja de Castell

  Palamós, Costa Brava, Spain
• 
  Playa de Cuevas del Mar

  Nueva de Llanes, Asturias, Spain
• 
  Pori Beach

  Ano Koufonisi, Cyclades, Greece
• 
  Portorož Beach

  Portorož, Slovene Istria, Slovenia
• 
  Praia de São Rafael

  Albufeira, Algarve, Portugal
• 
  Prerow Beach

  Darß Peninsula, Germany
• 
  Raudasandur

  Westfjords, Iceland
• 
  Saplunara Beach

  Mljet, Croatia
• 
  Sjosanden

  Mandal, Southern Norway, Norway
• 
  Skanör Beach

  Falsterbo, Skåne, Sweden
• 
  St Paul's Bay

  Lindos, Rhodes, Greece
• 
  Stafylos Beach

  Skopelos, Greece
• Sudersand Beach

  Fårö, Sweden
• 
  Suluada

  Adrasan, Antalya, Türkiye
• 
  Sunj Beach

  Lopud, Elaphiti Islands, Croatia
• 
  Šventoji Beach

  Šventoji, Palanga, Lithuania
• 
  Tofta Beach

  Gotland, Sweden
• Vela Pržina

  Lumbarda, Korčula, Croatia
• 
  Warnemünde

  Rostock, Germany
• 
  West Sands

  St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom
• 
  Zavratnica

  Jablanac, Velebit, Croatia