Ten dreamy beaches for your next summer escape

You don't need a long-haul flight to find water so clear it looks retouched. Europe's coastline hides beaches that rival the Caribbean — you just need to know which cove to aim for and when to arrive. This list rounds up ten of the continent's finest stretches of sand and pebble, from famous showstoppers to bays you'll have almost to yourself in June. Pack the snorkel; several of these are as good below the surface as above it.

Regularly voted among the world's most beautiful beaches, Marinha is the Algarve in one frame: honey-coloured cliffs, sea stacks rising from clear green water and a crescent of soft sand. Come early — the car park is small and the descent via steps keeps the biggest crowds away. At low tide you can wander between rock arches, and the snorkelling around the stacks is the best on this coast.

A protected national monument on Sardinia's wild east coast, Goloritzé is reached by a ninety-minute walk down a limestone gorge or by boat from Cala Gonone. The reward is a small beach of white pebbles, an impossibly blue sea and a needle of rock beloved by climbers. Visitor numbers are capped in high season, which keeps it blissfully calm. Bring water and decent shoes — this one is earned.

Tiny Antipaxos has no hotels to speak of, a couple of hilltop tavernas and two of the clearest bays in the Ionian. Voutoumi is the prettier: a strip of white sand and pebble backed by green hills, with water that shades from glass to deep sapphire. Day boats hop across from Paxos in fifteen minutes. Arrive on the first one, leave on the last, and swim while everyone else is at lunch.

Croatia's most photographed beach is a golden spit that changes shape with the wind and current, jutting into the channel below the town of Bol. The fine shingle is kind to feet, the water is Adriatic-clear, and a steady afternoon breeze makes this one of Europe's best places to learn windsurfing. Pine trees behind the beach offer real shade — rarer than you'd think on this list.

Half an hour by ferry from Ibiza, Formentera moves at bicycle pace, and Ses Illetes is its crown: a Caribbean-flat lagoon of pale turquoise over white sand, with views across to the islet of Espalmador. It gets busy in August, but the water is so shallow and wide that it rarely feels crowded once you're in. Hire a bike at the port and make a day of the whole peninsula.

Seen from the cliff road above, Myrtos is pure drama — a mile of dazzling white pebbles pinched between two mountains, meeting a sea of electric blue. Down at beach level it's simpler: sunbeds, one canteen and serious swimming. The pebbles shelve steeply, so it suits confident swimmers more than paddling toddlers. Stay for sunset from the viewpoint; it's one of the great views of Greece.

Proof you don't have to leave Britain: on a bright day Porthcurno's shallows glow tropical turquoise against white shell sand, framed by granite headlands near Land's End. The open-air Minack Theatre is carved into the cliff directly above — book an evening performance and watch the sea change colour behind the stage. The water is bracing, obviously, but that's what makes the first plunge memorable.

Corsica's south coast does a convincing Indian Ocean impression, and Palombaggia is the pick: red rocks, umbrella pines and long shallows the temperature of bathwater by July. It's family-friendly without being tame, with paddleboards for hire and a couple of excellent beach restaurants. June and September are the sweet spots, when the light turns golden and the crowds thin out.

At Crete's remote south-western tip, Elafonissi is famous for sand blushed pink by crushed shells and a lagoon so shallow you can wade to the islet opposite. It's protected, gorgeous and — fair warning — popular, so treat it as a day trip with an early start. The drive through the Topolia gorge is part of the pleasure, and nearby Kedrodasos offers an escape if you crave solitude.

At Crete's north-western horn, Balos is a lagoon of white and pink sand pooling between the mainland and the rocky islet of Gramvousa, shading through every blue in the paintbox. Day boats run from Kissamos, but driving the rough track and walking the final twenty minutes gets you there before them — and the view from the path is the one on all the postcards. Wear proper shoes and carry water; there's little shade below.