Underrated European Beaches It’s January 1, 2026 and I’m in the Pacific Northwest where it’s currently 38 degrees, raining sideways, and my heating bill is trying to have a serious conversation with me. Meanwhile my brain is stuck on July 2025 when I was stupid enough to chase secret shores Europe like some deranged romantic who forgot how much sand gets everywhere.
I’m not even gonna front—I’m that basic American who used to think “beach vacation” meant Miami or Cancun. Then I went to Europe and found out the real ones, the underrated European beaches, are the ones that make you walk 45 minutes in the wrong shoes just to feel like you discovered something.
The Ones That Actually Got Me
Plage de Saleccia (Corsica) I still have scars on my feet from that one. Four hours of sketchy dirt road in a Fiat Panda that sounded like it was coughing up a lung, then suddenly — bam — empty white sand and water the color of melted turquoise jewelry. Almost nobody there. I laid on the sand feeling very small and very happy and also mildly concerned about how I was going to get back to civilization before dark.
Cala Macarelleta (Menorca) Smaller, quieter sister beach to the more famous one. You hike through pine trees that smell like actual Christmas, then drop down to water so clear I could see my own terrible life choices reflected back at me. Dropped my $9 gas-station sunglasses in the water and legit almost cried. They were ugly but they were mine.
Stiniva Beach (Vis, Croatia) This one looks fake. Like someone took a mountain, sliced a narrow gap in it, and poured the sea inside. You either boat in or hike down a goat path in flip-flops (don’t do what I did). My calves were on fire for three days. Worth every whimper.
Praia da Amoreira (Algarve, Portugal) River meets ocean, big dramatic cliffs, actual waves instead of the usual Med glass. I sat on a rock eating pasteis de nata from a sketchy van while watching surfers get demolished and thinking “this is better than therapy.”
(Quick side note — if you want the least-pain ways to reach some of these, Lonely Planet actually has decent practical guides: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/best-secret-beaches-europe and this Total Croatia piece on Stiniva is brutally honest: https://total-croatia-news.com/travel/stiniva-beach-vis)
The Less Instagram Part Nobody Talks About
Chasing underrated European beaches sounds poetic until:
- you realize there’s literally nowhere to pee
- a seagull steals half your sandwich and you scream at birds in public
- your “waterproof” phone case turns out to be splash-resistant at best
- you get back to the car and discover your parking ticket is in Croatian and the fine is more than your plane ticket
I once spent 40 minutes trying to parallel park on a 9-degree incline in Vis while locals watched like it was free entertainment. I waved like “yep, this is intentional” while sweating through my shirt.
But that mess is kinda the point, right? The best secret shores Europe don’t hand you perfection on a platter. They make you earn it. And when you finally get there — alone except for maybe one weird French dude doing tai chi at sunrise — it hits different.
What I Wish I Knew Before I Became That Guy
- Bring 2 liters of water per person minimum. I’m not kidding.
- Shoulder season (May–June or September) is where it’s at — fewer influencers, same water color.
- Offline maps are non-negotiable. Google Maps will abandon you in the middle of nowhere.
- Water shoes. I limped for four days because I thought “I’m tough.” I’m not tough.
- Talk to locals. The best hidden cove I found near Sagres came from a 70-year-old fisherman who communicated entirely in shrugs and pointing.
Right now I’m sitting under a blanket burrito googling cheap flights for May like a junkie.
If you’re even a tiny bit tired of shoulder-to-shoulder beaches and overpriced spritzes… go chase some underrated European beaches. Get a little lost. Get a lot sunburned. Come back slightly changed and with sand still in your suitcase six months later.
