Summer is here, so let’s get to the beach. Sure, Europe’s great cities are beloved for their museums, monuments, culture, and cuisine, but sometimes you just want to lather on the suncream and spend a day doing nothing in the sun. Luckily, many of Europe’s most intriguing urban escapes double up as coastal destinations, offering sightseeing and seaside bliss in equal measure.
We’ve gone for a quality-over-quantity approach here, as this is a collection that could run long. The six destinations are all about that most blissful of adventures, one spent wandering ancient streets and admiring world-class architecture before spending some serious time working on that tan. When the sun dips below the horizon, these cities come alive through fantastic food and electric nightlife, sometimes taking place on the very sands you spend the day lounging upon. Can’t choose between a city break and a beach holiday? Are we still doing the ‘get you a destination that can do both’ trend? These spots fit the bill.
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Which European city has the best beaches?
As far as we’re concerned, this one isn’t up for debate: it’s the Spanish capital of Barcelona. One of the many, many draws to this incredible city is its proximity to a never-ending string of beautiful beaches, from Bogatell to Sant Sebastià. You can find our full guide to them here. But that’s an obvious choice – why not read on, for more under-the-radar picks by our expert.
This guide was written by Time Out contributor John Bills. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by experts across Europe. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines.
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