Europe's Secret Beaches

Finding your own little slice of sand in Europe can be as challenging as finding a local boutique open in August. Here's a list of off-the-beaten-path beach escapes.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

You've donned oversize sunglasses and slathered on sunscreen for a blissed-out day of sunbathing along the French Riviera -- you and about a million other pasty tourists. Finding your own little slice of sand in Europe can be as challenging as finding a local boutique open in August.

"You have to be prepared to make that extra effort: a drive down a dirt track, a hike down and around a hill, or a boat ride around a headland," Kirsty Hathaway, editor of Beach Tomato, says. "There's a direct correlation between just how amazing a beach is and the difficulty in getting there."

Read on for more off-the-beaten-path beach escapes. And don't worry -- you can still rock those shades.

--Colleen Clark

Ortolo Valley, Corsica, France

Europe's Secret Beaches (PHOTOS)

Popular in the Community

Close

HuffPost Shopping’s Best Finds

MORE IN LIFE