Beaches for

The best beaches for coastal hiking

Trails that reward you with stunning beaches and jaw-dropping views.

About coastal hiking

Trails that reward you with stunning beaches and jaw-dropping views.

13 beaches found

Crystal clear turquoise water at Cala Goloritzé beach with the dramatic limestone Aguglia pinnacle rising in the background
Italy

Cala Goloritzé

3.4 / 5

A dramatic limestone cove on Sardinia's Gulf of Orosei, Cala Goloritzé is famous for its towering rock pinnacle and some of the clearest water in the Mediterranean.

pebblesecluded covesnorkelingswimming
Pink-tinted sand and shallow turquoise lagoon at Elafonissi Beach in Crete, Greece
Greece

Elafonissi Beach

4.0 / 5

A rare pink-sand lagoon at the southwest tip of Crete, where shallow turquoise waters and crushed-shell shores create one of the Mediterranean's most unforgettable beaches.

pink sandswimmingsnorkeling
Honokohau Beach Big Island inside Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park with sea turtles and ancient Hawaiian fishponds
Hawaii·United States

Honokohau Beach

3.8 / 5

The Kona coast beach inside Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, with a sea turtle haul-out zone, two ancient Hawaiian fishponds engineered 600 years ago, petroglyphs, and a short walk from the harbor that filters out the rental-car convoy.

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Karoumes Beach east Crete at the end of Chochlakies Gorge with calm Aegean water and pebble shore
Greece

Karoumes Beach

3.4 / 5

The remote east-Crete pebble beach reachable only by a 3.5-kilometre hike through Chochlakies Gorge or by private boat. Calm east-facing water, shade from sparse trees, no facilities, no road, and the kind of total isolation that hardly any beach on Crete still delivers.

pebblesecluded coveswimminghiking
Ke'e Beach lagoon at the end of Kuhio Highway with the Na Pali cliffs rising behind the sand
Hawaii·United States

Ke'e Beach

3.6 / 5

The Kauai beach where Highway 56 runs out, the Na Pali coast begins, and the reef-protected lagoon turns into a swimming pool in summer. The reservation is real, the construction in 2026 is bigger than most guides admit, and the snorkeling window is narrower than it looks.

sandylagoonswimmingsnorkeling
The dramatic T-Rex shaped cliff of Kelingking Beach in Nusa Penida with turquoise water and white sand below
Bali·Indonesia

Kelingking Beach

3.2 / 5

Home to Bali's most iconic cliff formation, the T-Rex of Nusa Penida, Kelingking Beach rewards those brave enough to descend with pristine white sand and turquoise water far below the crowds.

white sandcliff beachswimminghiking
Mystic Beach Vancouver Island BC with the waterfall dropping onto the sand and the sea cave at the south end
British Columbia·Canada

Mystic Beach

3.0 / 5

The Vancouver Island hike-in beach 2 kilometres down the Juan de Fuca Trail from China Beach, with a waterfall that drops directly onto the sand, a sea cave accessible at low tide, a rope swing, and the most photographed pocket-cove on the Pacific west coast of Canada.

sandysecluded covehikingphotography
Sweeping view of Playa de Cofete's vast empty shoreline backed by rugged Jandia mountains on Fuerteventura
Spain

Playa de Cofete

3.0 / 5

A wild, windswept 12-kilometer stretch of golden sand on Fuerteventura's remote Jandia peninsula, Playa de Cofete feels like the edge of the world and rewards anyone willing to brave the rough dirt road to get there.

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Golden limestone cliffs and turquoise water at Praia da Marinha beach in the Algarve, Portugal
Portugal

Praia da Marinha

3.6 / 5

One of the Algarve's most dramatic cliff beaches, framed by golden limestone arches and sea stacks, with crystal-clear water and over 100 steps down to the sand.

sandyswimmingsnorkeling
Rovinia Beach Corfu with the white pebble cove framed by limestone cliffs and clear deep turquoise water
Greece

Rovinia Beach

3.4 / 5

The Corfu hidden cove tucked into the limestone cliffs near Liapades, reached by a 15-minute forest hike that filters out the casual day-trippers. White pebble shore, crystal water, dramatic cliffs, no facilities, and the seasonal kantina boat that visits in high summer.

pebblesecluded coveswimmingsnorkeling
Shipwreck Beach Kauai with the Makawehi Bluff cliff at the east end and golden sand
Hawaii·United States

Shipwreck Beach

3.6 / 5

The Kauai south-shore beach with the 40-foot cliff Harrison Ford jumped off in Six Days Seven Nights. The cliff is the photo, not the activity. The real reason to come is the Maha'ulepu Heritage Trail that starts behind the sand.

sandycliff beachhikingphotography
Tsampika Beach on the east coast of Rhodes seen from a pine-topped viewpoint, the long golden sand bay and turquoise Aegean water below
Greece

Tsampika Beach

4.4 / 5

The 1.5-kilometre east-coast Rhodes beach below the Tsambika monastery, with shallow water that extends 30 metres from shore (the best family swim on the island), full amenities, and a 300-step pilgrimage climb to the mountaintop monastery for sweeping Aegean views.

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Bright white silica sand and turquoise water at Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island, Australia
Australia

Whitehaven Beach

3.0 / 5

A 7km stretch of pure white silica sand on Whitsunday Island, where swirling turquoise tides meet the Great Barrier Reef in one of the world's most photographed coastal landscapes.

white sandswimmingsnorkeling