Beaches in Europe
Ayia Napa is Cyprus' party and water fun holiday spot number one. Here are nothing more than sandy beaches, hotels, restaurants, and theme bars. It's one of those unstylish holiday destinations that you either love or hate – and judged by the hordes of tourists here (many from the UK and Russia), people love Ayia Napa.
Below pine covered hillsides lies the crescent-shaped Konnos Beach. Though it's a popular beach for locals, it is a great alternative to the even more crowded beaches in Ayia Napa.
Another holiday town in Cyprus, but compared to Ayia Napa and Limassol, Paphos seems close to its expiration date – not unlike many of the tourists here. Many hotels and restaurants seem outdated and the once pumping bar street is half deserted and otherwise tacky. But the coastline is pretty with plenty of small beaches and coves, and the cute harbour is equal picturesque. There are also two fine historical sights: Paphos Archaeological Park, which has the famous Paphos Mosaics, and further north the Tombs of the Kings.
It used to be just a long natural beach near the airport, but has recently been transformed into an outdoor mecca. A white sandy beach with low dunes still runs the full length, but a protected lagoon has been added, perfect for kitesurfing and SUP. Along the beach winds a concrete path for running, bicycling and rollerblading passing areas assigned for beachvolley and picnics. The southern end the beach park ends at the marina, while the northern end is marked by the winter swimming and nude zone at Hegoland bath facilities. Amager Beach Park is easy reachable by bicycle or metro.
Vesterhavet (North Sea) is well known for its big waves and strong winds, but Klitmøller is particularly famous. It’s called Cold Hawaii because the weather conditions for wind- and kitesurfing are perfect year around. Windsurfers, not only from Denmark, but from all over Europe, come to Klitmøller to ride the waves. Pre surfing times, Klitmølle was a traditional fishing village, which was popular in summer with families on holiday, but today the town is flavoured by the growing international community of surf bums, who live out of their vans. Klitmøller is very unique in that aspect, that the fishing boats and surfboards share the beach together.
There are so many good spots along the west coast of Jytland, but some are more popular than others. While Klitmøller has become the trendy place for windsurfers (and those who want to mingle with them), Løkken is still the more traditional beach town for those who are more interested in the sun and sand, than the wind and waves. The wide sandy beach seems endless and is dotted with iconic beach huts, as far as the eye can see. All the summer cottages are semi hidden in the hilly landscape of sand dunes and lyme grass. Though Løkken town is small, it’s very lively with an abundance of cafes - it even has a bit of a party scene during the summer months.
Svanemølle beach is one of Copenhagen's not-so-few city beaches. It's a new and artificial stretch of sand located a bit north of the city centre wedged by the districts of affluent Østerbro and posh Hellerup. During grey and cold days, not much is happening, but duirng a hot summer's day (yes, Denmark does get a few of those), every single square metre of the small beach is occupied by half-naked bodies soaking up the sun.
One of the favourite weekend destinations in summertime for Talllinners is the gorgeous, crescent shaped beach at Vaana-Joesuu. Expect crowds of sun seeking bodies and families on picnic. However in winter, it's of course a totally different story...
The coast at the Black Sea, and especially at Batumi city, is a very popular summer destination for Georgians. During Soviet times, it was a favourite holiday spot for people from all over the Soviet Union. Today, Batumi beach is for Georgians, Armenians and Azeris what Cancun is for American spring breakers and Sunny Beach is for Europeans. The water is warm and not too salty, but there is no sand, just rounded pebbles. The rest of the setup is worthy of any beach resort with deck chairs, beach-front cafes, clubs during the night, a wide promenade and even a fairground. It is fun place to relax for a couple of days - or just people-watch Georgians when they let loose.
Germany don't have much coast line, so they cherries what they have. Rügen Island in the Baltic Sea is Germany's biggest island and has always been the top beach destination for who ever governed the area. There are entire vacation towns at the most popular beaches with traditional bathing hotels and rows of hooded beach chairs, which still attracts hordes of mostly local tourists. Other sections of the dramatic coast line consist of steep chalk cliffs on a backdrop of leafy beech forest. Beside forests, like Jasmund N.P., and cute seaside resorts, like Sellin, Binz, and Göhren, there are also more quirky sights like Putgarten, a small village of colourful houses with thatched roofs, and Prora, a 4,5 km long holiday complex built by the Nazi.