Beaches destinations

Egypt's flagship Red Sea resort, with world-class reef diving and a lively strip of beachfront hotels and bars.

A long-established Red Sea hub for diving, island-hopping day trips and family-friendly beach resorts.

A barefoot Sinai beach town beloved by divers and backpackers, with the famous Blue Hole just up the coast.

Subtropical islands with white-sand beaches, coral reefs and a distinct Ryukyu culture.

Korea's beach-and-seafood second city, terraced hillside villages tumbling down to the sea.

A volcanic holiday island of craters, waterfalls, lava tubes and coastal drives.

A breezy resort town on the sandy shores of Lake Kivu, Rwanda's favourite spot for lakeside lounging and golden sunsets.

Indonesia's temple-and-surf island, where rice terraces, beach clubs and Hindu shrines share one lush coast.

Bali's quieter neighbour, ringed by empty white beaches and crowned by the volcano Mount Rinjani.

The launch point for Komodo National Park — dragon-inhabited islands, pink beaches and world-class diving.

A palm-fringed coast of golden beaches, Portuguese churches and India's most laid-back nightlife.

The country's southern hub, mixing Spanish heritage with whale sharks, waterfalls and island-hopping reefs.

Palawan's postcard bay of limestone karsts, hidden lagoons and turquoise island-hopping tours.

A small island famous worldwide for the powdery white sand and sunset sailing of White Beach.

The Philippines' surf capital, a laid-back teardrop island of coconut palms, lagoons and reef breaks.

A breezy central-coast city of long sandy beaches, the Marble Mountains and a giant golden-handed bridge.

Gateway to Ha Long Bay, where thousands of limestone karsts and sea caves rise from emerald waters.

A sun-drenched resort city with a long crescent bay, island-hopping trips and ancient Cham towers.

Africa's megacity of hustle and creativity, where Afrobeats nightlife, contemporary art and ocean beaches collide.

The sun-drenched hub of the Turkish Riviera, pairing a Roman-era old harbour with long Mediterranean beaches.

A whitewashed peninsula resort where a Crusader castle overlooks marinas, beach clubs and buzzing nightlife.

A yacht-filled harbour town beside Oludeniz's blue lagoon, one of the world's most celebrated paragliding spots.

A beautifully preserved Dutch fort town on the south coast, its ramparts lined with boutique cafes and sweeping ocean views.

A palm-fringed beach town on the south coast, one of the world's best places to see blue whales and catch surf sunsets.

Brazil's carnival city of samba and sunshine, strung between granite peaks, rainforest and world-famous beaches.

The Afro-Brazilian soul of the country, where pastel colonial streets pulse with capoeira, drums and beach life.

An island city of 42 beaches, where surfers, lagoon seafood shacks and Azorean fishing villages share a single shoreline.

The 'Venice of Brazil', a city of rivers and bridges beside colonial Olinda, with reef-sheltered beaches and frevo rhythms.

Pakistan's sprawling seaside megacity, a melting pot of street food, colonial architecture and Arabian Sea beaches.

The island's liveliest beach resort town, a curve of turquoise bay lined with restaurants, boutiques and catamaran piers.

A long west-coast ribbon of white sand famed for lagoon snorkelling, dolphin mornings and blazing sunsets.

A dramatic UNESCO-listed peninsula where a basalt monolith towers over kite-surf lagoons and luxury resorts.

A ring of man-made islands off Muharraq with marina cafes, lagoon-front beaches and resort hotels minutes from the airport.

The only town on remote Easter Island, where hundreds of monolithic moai statues stand guard over Polynesian shores.

A laid-back Caribbean archipelago of stilted water bungalows, starfish beaches and reggae-soaked beach bars.

An autonomous indigenous archipelago of 365 palm-dotted islets, ringed by reefs and run by the Guna people.

A sleepy Pacific surf village and the jumping-off point for the shark-rich dive sites of Coiba National Park.

Home to the world's longest natural sea beach, a 120-kilometre sweep of sand backed by seafood shacks and green hills.

The historic heart of the Spice Islands, a labyrinth of carved doors, sultans' palaces and turquoise Indian Ocean water.

Tanzania's bustling ocean-side metropolis, mixing Swahili street food, busy markets and quick escapes to island beaches.

The lively hub of the Galápagos Islands, where giant tortoises, marine iguanas and sea lions live steps from town.

Macau's sleepy green corner, a fishing village of egg-tart bakeries, hiking trails and the black sands of Hac Sa Beach.

A rugged northern emirate of desert dunes, beaches and the world's longest zipline down its highest peak.

The UAE's only emirate on the Gulf of Oman, a diving haven of mountains meeting the Indian Ocean.

The tropical capital of the south, where khareef monsoon mists turn the Dhofar mountains green above banana-fringed beaches.

A historic dhow-building port on Oman's east coast, and the gateway to the turtle-nesting beaches of Ras Al Jinz.

Thailand's largest island, pairing buzzing beach resorts with a charming Sino-Portuguese old town.

A dramatic coast of limestone karsts, hidden lagoons and the launch point for island-hopping to Railay.

A brash, high-energy beach city near Bangkok, known for its nightlife, cabaret shows and offshore islands.

A palm-fringed Gulf island of coconut groves, luxury resorts and a landmark golden Big Buddha.

A former pearling town just south of Doha, reborn with a heritage seaside souq, a long family beach and a landmark stadium.

A quiet northern fishing town known for its dhow harbour, flamingo-dotted mangroves and the family beach at Al Farkiah.

Qatar's west-coast oil town turned weekend escape, near the Zekreet desert's mushroom rocks and Richard Serra's steel monoliths.

A modern reclaimed island next to the airport, with a long public beach and a relaxed, budget-friendly base for stopovers.

The Maldives' most popular local island, where guesthouses, sandbank trips and snorkelling make paradise affordable.

A castaway stretch of the Maldives, from Fulhadhoo's empty white sandbars to Baa Atoll's UNESCO manta-ray waters.

A show-stopping coastal city beneath Table Mountain, where beaches, vineyards and dramatic capes meet a buzzing food scene.

A subtropical beach city on the Indian Ocean, famous for its Golden Mile promenade and spicy Indian-influenced cuisine.

A laid-back bay city on the Sunshine Coast, pairing warm swimming beaches with easy trips to elephant-rich Addo.

Australia's glittering harbour city, where the sail-shaped Opera House meets golden surf beaches and a buzzing waterfront.

A string of surf beaches, high-rise glamour and theme parks, with rainforest hinterland just inland.

The tropical gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and ancient Daintree Rainforest, where reef meets jungle.

One of the world's most isolated cities, blessed with sun-drenched beaches, riverside parks and nearby wine country.

The Riviera's sun-soaked capital, where a pebble beach meets a pastel Old Town and the Promenade des Anglais.

A glamorous Riviera resort of red-carpet film premieres, luxury yachts and palm-fringed promenades.

A dizzying ribbon of pastel villages clinging to cliffs above the turquoise Tyrrhenian Sea.

Five candy-coloured fishing villages linked by cliff trails along the rugged Ligurian coast.

A duty-free tropical archipelago of white-sand beaches, mangrove tours and a vertigo-inducing sky bridge.

Borneo's coastal gateway to Mount Kinabalu, island reefs and fiery sunsets over the South China Sea.

A laid-back Atlantic port of whitewashed ramparts, fresh seafood grills and steady winds beloved by kite surfers.

A resort island of theme parks, beaches and cable cars, minutes from downtown.

A Mediterranean beauty of Gaudi fantasy architecture, tapas bars and buzzing city beaches.

Birthplace of paella, blending a medieval old town with futuristic waterfront architecture.

A Basque seaside jewel ringed by a scallop-shaped bay and renowned for pintxos bars.

Sun-drenched Costa del Sol gateway, birthplace of Picasso, with beaches and a hilltop fortress.

Art-deco beaches, Latin nightlife and a gateway to the Everglades and the Keys.

Sprawling home of Hollywood, surf beaches, theme parks and endless sunshine.