THE best 100 beaches in the world have been named – and two can be found in the UK.
Announced by Corona, the 2026 Corona Beach 100 has revealed the best spots around the world from well-known spots to hidden coves.
Three criteria were analysed – Beachside Culture, Connection to Nature and Scenic Aesthetics.
A new entry on the list this year is Barafundle Bay in Pembrokeshire.
The first Welsh beach to make the list, it was praised for its “remote and dramatic landscape, as it is “accessible only by clifftop walk through a medieval archway.
It wrote: “Barafundle Bay feels hidden even when people talk about it.
“Reached only by a clifftop walk along the Pembrokeshire coast, this crescent of pale sand sits tucked between limestone cliffs with nothing built around it.
“No road, no cafés, no signal, just seabirds overhead, cold clear water below, and the kind of quiet that makes you slow down without realising it.”
And returning to the list this year was Fistral Beach in Cornwall, praised for being a “social and cultural hotspot” by being the UK’s surfing capital after hosting the first British Surfing Championships in 1966.
It added: “Facing the full force of the Atlantic, it’s where you go to chase sets, drink tea with cold hands, and feel like you’re part of something.
“The beach delivers all year, with consistent swell, golden sands, and a surf scene that’s as seasoned as it is welcoming.
“From world-class comps to waist-high rollers, Fistral doesn’t need sunshine to shine — just wind, water, and the right kind of restlessness.”
Europe featured heavily on the list as well.
When it came to Greece, Agia Anna Beach in Naxos and the famous pink Elafonissi Beach in Crete made the cut, as well as Sarakiniko Beach on Milos.
For Spain, there was Aiguablava Beach, as well as Ibiza’s Casa Salada and Majorca’s Cala Mondragó.
Beaches across Italy, France and Croatia were also included, as well as other holiday spots such as Turkey, Morocco and Thailand.
The 2026 Corona Beach 100 list is part of it’s This Is Living campaign.
Full list of the 2026 Corona Beach 100
- Agia Anna Beach, Naxos
- Aiguablava Beach, Spain
- Alegria Beach, Philippines
- Anakena Beach, Chile
- Bahía Bustamante, Argentina
- Bahia do Sancho, Brazil
- Bahia de las Aguilas, Dominican Republic
- Baia Verde, Italy
- Banzai Pipeline, Hawaii
- Barafundle Bay, UK
- Boheme Beach, Turkey
- Boulders Beach, South Africa
- Cala Domestica, Sardinia
- Cala Mondragó, Majorca
- Cala Salada, Ibiza
- Calanque d’En-Vau, France
- Caleta Cóndor, Chile
- Camps Bay, South Africa
- Chepes Beach, Honduras
- Cloud 9 Beach, Philippines
- Copacabana, Brazil
- Corona Island, Columbia
- Cox Bay, Canada
- Crash Boat Beach, Puerto Rico
- Dune du Pilat, France
- Elafonissi Beach, Crete
- Fistral Beach, Cornwall
- Flamenco Beach, Puerto Rico
- Grandes Playas de Corralejo, Fuertuventura
- Gulangyu Beach, China
- Hiriketiya Beach, Sri Lanka
- Huanchaco Beach, Peru
- Ilha do Amor, Brazil
- Isla Perro, Panama
- Jōdogahama Beach, Japan
- Koh Mak Island, Thailand
- Kraalbaai Beach, South Africa
- La Mina Pisco, Peru
- La Pelosa, Sardinia
- Legzira Beach, Morocco
- Little Corn Island, Nicaragua
- Little Cove Beach, Canada
- Lucky Bay, Australia
- Madeiro Beach, Brazil
- Mancora, Peru
- Manu Bay, New Zealand
- McBean Lagoon, Colombia
- Nacpan Beach, Philippines
- Nosy Iranja, Madagascar
- One Foot Island, Cook Islands
- Padar, Indonesia
- Palomino Beach, Colombia
- Pilar Beach, Cuba
- Pink Beach, Indonesia
- Pipe Creek Sandbar, Bahamas
- Placencia Beach, Belize
- Plage de la Dune du Sud, Canada
- Playa Balandra, Mexico
- Playa Carrizalillo, Mexico
- Playa Cocles, Costa Rica
- Playa Conchal, Costa Rica
- Playa del Cabo, Colombia
- Playa El Tunco, El Salvador
- Playa Ermitano, Dominican Republic
- Playa Escondida, Mexico
- Playa Los Barriles, Mexico
- Playa Mangos, Nicaragua
- Playa Mansa, Uruguay
- Playa Ses Illetes, Majorca
- Playa Sur (Cabo Polonio), Uruguay
- Playa Uvita, Costa Rica
- Playa Venao, Panama
- Pori Beach, Greece
- Praia da Comporta, Portugal
- Praia da Engenhoca, Brazil
- Praia de Atins, Brazil
- Praia do Bonete, Brazil
- Praia do Rosa, Brazil
- Punta de Lobos, Chile
- Railway Beach, Thailand
- Riyue Beach, China
- Saco do Mamanguá, Brazil
- San Vito Lo Capo, Sicily
- São Miguel dos Milagres, Brazil
- Sarakiniko Beach, Milos
- Sea Me Beach, Turkey
- Seven Mile Beach, Cayman Islands
- Shroud Cay, Bahamas
- Soi Sim Beach, Vietnam
- Taipu de Fora, Brazil
- Tavarua Island, Fiji
- Tofo, Mozambique
- Tortuga Bay, Ecuador
- Tulum Beach, Mexico
- Villa Tacul Beach, Argentina
- Warwick Long Bay, Bermuda
- Whitehaven Beach, Australia
- Wilderness Beach, South Africa
- Zlatni Rat, Croatia