From the warm turquoise waters of the Caribbean to the dramatic seaside cliffs and black sand of Iceland, people love visiting where the land meets the sea on their travels. With countless beaches to visit around the world, which are the most beloved by travelers?
Tripadvisor, the world’s largest travel guidance platform, just announced its Best of the Best Beaches for 2023, part of its annual Travelers’ Choice Awards. To determine the list, Tripadvisor analyzed tens of millions of reviews of beaches from around the world, specifically looking at the “quality and quantity of ratings for beach experiences.”
Picturesque tropical destinations weren’t the only ones that made the list.
“In addition to the much-loved beaches of Hawaii, the Caribbean, and mainland Europe, our community is really looking to kick up their experiences by embracing the cliffs of Cannon Beach, on the coast of Oregon in the Western United States, and cooler destinations like Reynisfjara Beach in Iceland,” said Sarah Firshein, the Head of Editorial at Tripadvisor, in a statement.
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“So whether you’re looking to pack a windbreaker or a swimsuit, our list has something for a wide range of travelers – and it might even convince the most ardent beach skeptics to embrace some time on the sand.”
Read below to see which beaches were voted the best for 2023 by the Tripadvisor community.
1. Baia do Sancho – Fernando de Noronha, Brazil
Flanked by cliffs, this secluded crescent-shaped beach is located in a bay on Fernando de Noronha, a pristine island off the northern coast of Brazil that’s also part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is only accessible by a series of old ladders and paying a fee. The clear waters surrounding the island are a National Marine Park, making it a paradise for divers and snorkelers.
2. Eagle Beach – Aruba, Caribbean
As the widest beach in Aruba, Eagle Beach has plenty of space for its guests to sprawl out and enjoy the sunshine. The soft white sand and gentle warm waters make it idyllic for relaxing, but it’s popular for watersports like jet skiing too. Since it sits on the western part of the island, the beach, spotted with the leaning divi-divi trees, has become a famous place for viewing the sunset.
3. Cable Beach – Broome, Australia
Sitting along the Indian Ocean, Cable Beach is one of the most popular beaches in Western Australia. Spanning almost 14 miles, the flat white sandy beach blends seamlessly with the blue water. The beach is known for its gorgeous sunsets and camel rides. At one end of the beach is Gantheaume Point, known for its redstone cliffs and fossilized dinosaur footprints that become visible during low tide.
4. Reynisfjara Beach – Vik, Iceland
No swimsuit is needed to visit the striking Reynisfjara Beach in Iceland, you may actually want a jacket instead. This year, the beach made its debut on the list. Tourists enjoy taking in the powerful waves (sometimes up to 40 feet), sea stacks, basalt columns and black sand made of volcanic ash and dark rocks.
5. Grace Bay Beach – Turks and Caicos, Caribbean
This beach is consistently ranked as one of the best beaches in the world because it looks like it’s straight off a postcard. Located along the gentle Caribbean Sea and protected by a barrier reef, this calm beach is ideal for wading or watersports such as kayaking or paddle boarding.
6. Praia da Falésia – Olhos de Agua, Portugal
Praia da Falésia is known for its stunning beauty, as nature offers up some of its best contrasting tones for people to take in. From the sand, beachgoers can look up and be face-to-face with red and orange cliffs. At the top of the cliffs, which you can wander via a hiking trail, are green pine trees and pink thrift flowers.
7. Radhanagar Beach – Havelock Island, India
Located on one of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and reachable by seaplane or boat, Radhanagar Beach is surrounded by thick foliage, adding to the remote vibe of the beach. It offers travelers with calm waters to enjoy and vibrant coral reefs to explore and is often regarded as the best beach in India and even Asia.
8. Spiaggia dei Conigli – Sicily, Italy
Although stunning, it takes effort to visit Spiaggia dei Conigli, a beach with clear blue water that’s located on Lampedusa, an island that’s closer to Tunisia than Sicily. Many Tripadvisor users compared this beach to somewhere in the Maldives, not Europe. The long stretch of sand is one of the few places in Italy where loggerhead sea turtles lay their eggs, which is during the summer.
9. Varadero Beach – Cuba, Caribbean
For a few years now, Varadero Beach has scored a place on the Best of the Best Beaches for 2023 list. Located about two hours from Havana, Varadero Beach is also called Blue Beach for how blue the ocean looks against the white sand.
10. Kaanapali Beach – Maui, Hawaii
As the only beach located in the U.S. that made the list, the three-mile-long Kaanapali Beach is known for having everything that any beachgoer could ever want: clear waters that are warm year-round, surf, cliff diving, snorkeling, catamaran tours and more. In the winter, you can even spot humpback whales along the horizon.
Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter based in Hawaii. You can reach her at kwong@usatoday.com
