Neon-lit Tokyo street at night with Japanese signage, pedestrians, and reflections on wet pavement

Italy beaches

15 Best Beaches in Italy for 2026

Italy’s coastline runs 7,600 km — from Liguria’s Cinque Terre to Puglia’s salt-white beaches, Sicily’s volcanic black sands, and Sardinia’s Caribbean-clarity coast. The 15 below span the country.

Cala Goloritzé (Sardinia)

White pebbles + 143m limestone spire + crystal water. Accessed by hike or boat. UNESCO-listed.

Best for: dramatic scenery

Cala Mariolu (Sardinia)

Pink-white pebbles + impossibly clear water. Boat-only access.

Best for: photographers

Cala Luna (Sardinia)

Crescent beach with caves at the base of a cliff. Boat or hike from Cala Fuili.

Best for: cave explorers

Polignano a Mare (Puglia)

Town built on cliffs above the Adriatic. Beach is small but the setting is iconic.

Best for: photographers + day-trippers

Cala Bianca (Cilento, Campania)

Voted Italy’s most beautiful beach. Long crescent of white pebbles below a cliff. 90 min from Naples.

Best for: dramatic views

Spiaggia di Tuerredda (Sardinia)

White sand + green water on Sardinia’s southwest coast.

Best for: families

San Vito Lo Capo (Sicily)

White-sand beach below a mountain. North-west Sicily.

Best for: beach resort + couscous festival

Isola Bella (Taormina, Sicily)

Tiny island off Taormina connected by sandbar at low tide.

Best for: combination beach + town visit

Cala Domestica (Sardinia)

Hidden cove in southwest Sardinia. Former mining beach, now Caribbean-clear water.

Best for: serenity

Spiaggia La Pelosa (Sardinia)

Caribbean-shallow water in north Sardinia. Walk 100m out and it’s still ankle-deep.

Best for: families + photographers

Sansone (Elba)

Limestone-pebble cove on Elba island. Crystal water.

Best for: snorkelers

Spiaggia dei Conigli (Lampedusa)

Caribbean of Europe — turquoise water + nesting sea turtles.

Best for: travel-to-the-end-of-Italy seekers

Tropea (Calabria)

Cliff-edge town with white-sand beach below. South-Italy’s most-photographed.

Best for: beach + town combo

Cala Coticcio (Sardinia)

Tahitian-blue water in protected La Maddalena archipelago.

Best for: boat-trippers

Vernazza (Cinque Terre, Liguria)

Small fishing-village harbor beach. Not the best swimming but the most photographed.

Best for: Cinque Terre photographers