If you are already dreaming of the summer holidays, prepare for a news that will make you want to book a flight to Crete. According to the Tripadvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Awards 2025, the most beautiful beach in the world for the arrival summer is Elafonissi. Yes, just her: the Greek pearl with pink sand, crystal clear waters and that atmosphere that knows of dreams. And Italy? Out of the top ten. The beach of the Ragli di Lampedusa occupies only the eleventh position. Hard blow, but no dramas: there is always time to make up for it.
Elafonissi: Paradise on earth exists (and is in Crete)
What makes Elafonissi so special? Imagine lying on a pink sand, caressed by a light breeze and with a transparent sea in front that fades in all shades of blue. A real living postcard. It is no coincidence that TripAdvisor travelers decided to crown her queen of the beaches for 2025. After four years of absence from the top positions, Greece returns to shine. And he does it with style.
The advice of experts? Visit Elafonissi in May, or in September. The beach, connected to Crete by a thin strip of sand, gives quiet and colors even more intense away from the summer chaos. A corner of the world where time seems to stop. And for those who fear to get lost: don’t worry, Google Maps will lead you straight to Paradise.
Italy, where are you over?
And here comes the painful note. Italy can count on 8,300 km of coasts, famous all over the world, yet it cannot conquer even a position in the top ten. It seems incredible, right? The beach of the rabbits, authentic Sicilian jewel, stops in eleventh place. An excellent placement, of course, but it hurts to see it out of the circle of the ten best, like Tropea, another all -Italian pearl, which is even twentieth.
A low blow for those who thought that the Belpaese had beaches capable of making anyone falling in love. But perhaps, the competition this year was really ruthless. Or maybe we must admit that clear waters and golden sands are not enough to climb the summit.
The rest of the podium: between Thailand, Caribbean and the USA
If Elafonissi has earned the most beautiful beach title, who completed the podium? In second place we find Banana Beach, in Phuket, Thailand: a tropical corner with the name that tears a smile and with transparent waters. Bronze medal for Eagle Beach, in Aruba, in the Caribbean. And then? Siesta Beach in Florida and Praia from Falésia in Portugal close the top five.
The ranking continues with Playa Varadero in Cuba, Bavaro Beach in the Dominican Republic, Playa de Muro in Majorca, Kelingking Beach in Indonesia and Myrtos Beach in Kefalonia. A tour of the world between dreamy beaches, white sands and turquoise seas. A real challenge between paradises.
Here is the top ten of the best beaches 2025, signed by TripAdvisor:
- Elafonissi beach – Crete, Greece
- Banana Beach – Phuket, Thailand
- Eagle Beach – Oranjestad, Aruba
- Siesta Beach – Siesta Key, Florida
- Praia da Falésia – Algarve, Portugal
- Playa Varadero – Varadero, Cuba
- Bavaro beach – Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
- Playa de Muro beach – Majorca, Spain
- Kelingking beach – Nusa Penida, Indonesia
- Myrtos beach – Island of Kefalonia, Greece
Why did Italy stay watching?
At this point, the question arises spontaneously: why did no Italian beach manage to enter the top ten? Perhaps we are underestimating the power of the TripAdvisor community, which rewards those who collect the greatest number of excellent reviews in twelve months. Or maybe it is the signal that, however enchanting, our beaches must deal with exotic and less crowded destinations.
TripAdvisor is clear: the competition has been tightened. More than 100 beaches awarded in 50 different countries, distributed on six continents. Yet it finds out that less than 1% of the 8 million ads on the platform manages to reach the title of “Best of the Best”. The beach of the rabbits and Tropea console themselves with excellent placements, but it remains a little bitterness in the mouth.
The Italian revenge: San Teodoro in the celebratory ranking
Not everything is lost. To celebrate his 25 years, Tripadvisor has drawn up another special ranking: the ten best beaches of the past 25 years. And here, finally, Italy appears. The belt of San Teodoro, in Sardinia, wins seventh place. A recognition that warms up the heart and recalls that our country, after all, still knows how to assert itself.
At the top of the celebratory ranking we find the Balos lagoon, another Cretan wonder, followed by famous beaches such as Waikiki in Hawaii and Ipanema in Rio de Janeiro. A list that makes you dream and that reminds us how beautiful it is, sometimes, to get lost in sand and sea.
Here is the ranking of the best beaches of the last 25 years:
- Balos lagoon – Crete, Greece
- Eagle beach – Oranjestad, Aruba
- Waikiki beach – Oahu, Hawaii
- Ipanema beach – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Passion Island – Cozumel, Mexico
- Manuel Antonio beach – Quepos, Costa Rica
- La Cinta beach – Sardinia, Italy
- Banana Beach – Phuket, Thailand
- Falesia beach – Algarve, Portugal
- Manly Beach – New South Wales, Australia
