For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, summer is right around the corner, meaning it’s about time to start planning a proper beach holiday. And what better place to start than with the annual global rundown of the World’s 50 Best Beaches?
The 2026 hotlist has just dropped, featuring 50 stunning shorelines across the globe. There are beaches of all stripes on this year’s list, from a tiny teardrop-shaped island in the Philippines to an Australian cove frequented by dolphins and a pink sand beach named after Princess Diana in Barbuda.
How are the World’s 50 Best Beaches selected?
The ranking is created on the back of a vigorous selection process. Over 1,000 travel pros nominate their favourite beach, which are then vetted by the team at World’s 50 Beaches in collaboration with a dedicated team of ‘Beach Ambassadors’ (who each nominate three beaches themselves).
Each beach is then ranked across eight criteria: uniqueness, wildlife, untouched nature, soundtrack of nature, easy to enter water, calm water, lack of crowds and the odds of perfect conditions.
What is the world’s best beach in 2026?
Topping the list as the best beach in the world this year is Entalula Beach in the Philippines, an ‘overlooked slice of heaven’ in the province of Palawan. It’s not hard to see why this place clinched the gold: a picture-perfect white sand stretch, backed by limestone cliffs and shaded by towering palms, with some of the most crystalline water you can find.
It fringes a small, wild island of the same name, and has retained its beauty thanks to its seclusion (it’s only accessible by boat). Unique, untouched and not too crowded: the winning formula for the world’s best beach, according to the ranking.
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Second place this year goes to Fteri Beach on Kefalonia in Greece, praised for its white pebble-and-sand beach and dramatic limestone cliffs. In third is Western Australia’s Wharton Beach, known for dolphin-spotting and surfing, while fourth place is claimed by Nosy Iranja in Madagascar, where two islets are connected by a 2-kilometre sandbar that disappears in high tide.
World’s 50 Best Beaches in 2026: The full list
Here are all 50 beaches that made the ranking this year (and you can check out the 2025 best beaches list here).
- Entalula Beach, Philippines
- Fteri Beach, Greece
- Wharton Beach, Australia
- Nosy Iranja, Madagascar
- East Beach, Vomo Island, Fiji
- Shoal Bay East, Anguilla
- Dhigurah, Maldives
- Playa Balandra, Mexico
- Koh Rong, Cambodia
- Donald Duck Bay, Thailand
- Cayo De Agua, Venezuela
- Cala Macarella, Spain
- One Foot Island, Cook Islands
- Princess Diana Beach, Barbuda
- Turquoise Bay, Australia
- PK 9 Beach, French Polynesia
- Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos
- Cala Dei Gabbiani, Italy
- Saadiyat Beach, UAE
- Canto De La Playa, Dominican Republic
- Wineglass Bay, Australia
- Pink Beach, Indonesia
- Paradise Beach, Thailand
- Anse Sourse d’Argent, Seychelles
- Kalanggaman, Philippines
- Seven Mile Beach, Cayman Islands
- Freedom Beach, Thailand
- Siesta Beach, USA
- Kaputas Beach, Türkiye
- Cayo Zapatilla, Panama
- The Baths, British Virgin Islands
- Cabo San Juan Del Guia, Colombia
- Baia Do Sancho, Brazil
- Porto Katsiki, Greece
- Santa Giulia, France
- Blue Lagoon, Fiji
- Playa Xpu Ha, Mexico
- Ofu Beach, American Samoa
- Playa Cofete, Spain
- Le Morne Beach, Mauritius
- Flamenco Beach, Puerto Rico
- Grand Anse, Grenada
- Praia Da Falesia, Portugal
- Pontal Do Atalaia, Brazil
- Boulder Beach, South Africa
- Porto Timoni, Greece
- Paje Beach, Zanzibar
- La Pelosa, Italy
- Cas Abao, Curaçao
- Keem Beach, Ireland
Did you see that these are the world’s best new hotels in 2026?
Plus: The affordable Lake Como ‘dupe’ named the prettiest place in Europe.
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