At certain dinner parties, listing the destinations you’ve visited has become a competitive sport. Dubrovnik? Done it. Positano? Spent a summer. St Tropez? Bought the T-shirt.
Despite this, some of Europe’s most beautiful beaches and seaside villages are hidden far away from the tick-off resorts, where both tourists and prices are sky high. There are towns where swathes of empty sand come backed by a sleepy beach bar or two and islands with little harbours full of bijou B&Bs and trailing paths that join the dots between empty coves.
If you’re after fewer English voices, better value for money and some unexpectedly stunning scenery, these are the places to make for. And we’ve found 10 of the best secret coastlines to put a smile on your face.
From a Croatian island closed to tourists until 1988 to Spanish city beaches steps away from restaurant-filled town squares, these under-the-radar destinations should ensure a sublime summer holiday. Just don’t tell the other dinner party guests…
Explore by country
Spain
Vigo
Southern Spain swelters in summer, which is why its residents increasingly make for cooler, greener Galicia. This north-western region is fast gaining popularity among foreigners too: in 2023, searches for local city Vigo shot up more percentage points than any other European destination, according to Skyscanner.
For now though, Galicia’s beaches are largely foreign-tourist-free and there are plenty to choose from: the region has 1,000 miles of coast. Refreshing and cool, just like the albariño it produces, the Rias Baixas wine region is a place where old fishing villages and towns stretch up towards Portugal and the three dots of the Cíes islands glimmer offshore. It’s here, in national parkland, that the best beaches are to be found.
They’re so protected that visitor numbers are capped during Easter and high season, so it pays to book ferry tickets in advance. Figueiras may be the most beautiful (a milk-white stretch backed by dense forest) but, as it’s also a nudist beach, only the bravest Brit will visit. As an alternative, Rodas is right by the ferry pier, a wide curve backed by dunes and bookended by hills.
Back on the mainland, the town of Baiona is a medieval stop-off on the Camino de Santiago and comes filled with buzzy backstreets where restaurants serve Galician specialities such as cuttlefish stew. It has its own rather spectacular city beach too, Ladeira.