Most Beautiful Coastal Towns in Europe — 15 Places Worth Travelling For
Europe's coastline is one of its greatest gifts — from the turquoise of the Aegean to the wild Atlantic edge of Cornwall, from the painted harbours of the Cinque Terre to the cliffs of the Algarve. The difficulty is never finding somewhere beautiful. It's choosing between places that all deserve more time than you give them.
Here are the 15 most beautiful coastal towns in Europe, and what makes each one worth the journey.
15 Most Beautiful Coastal Towns in Europe
1. Positano, Italy
The most photographed village on the Amalfi Coast — vertical streets descending to a pebble beach, bougainvillea spilling over white walls, small boats in the harbour and the entire Tyrrhenian Sea glittering below. Positano is one of those places that genuinely exceeds the photograph, which is a rarer thing than it sounds.
2. Oia, Santorini, Greece
White cubic houses on the rim of a volcanic caldera, blue-domed churches and the most famous sunset in the Mediterranean. Oia at dusk, with the last light turning the caldera gold, is one of the great travel experiences in Europe — and it earns its reputation every single evening.
3. Cinque Terre, Italy
Five fishing villages on a stretch of Ligurian coastline accessible only by train, boat or foot — no cars, no through roads, just coloured houses stacked above the sea and walking paths connecting the villages along one of Italy's most dramatic coastlines. Vernazza is arguably the most beautiful of the five.
4. St Ives, Cornwall, England
The most beautiful town on the Cornish coast — white-washed fishermen's cottages, the Tate gallery on the headland, the harbour turning gold in low evening light and the particular quality of Cornish air that makes everything look slightly better than it should. St Ives in May or October, before and after the summer, is one of England's finest travel experiences.
5. Dubrovnik, Croatia
A walled medieval city on the Adriatic coast — the most intact city walls in Europe, terracotta rooftops dropping to the sea, the marble-paved Stradun running through the heart of the old town. Dubrovnik in early morning, before the cruise ships arrive, is genuinely extraordinary.
6. Portofino, Italy
A tiny Ligurian fishing village that became one of the most glamorous harbours in the world without losing its beauty. The pastel-coloured houses around the small piazzetta, the boats in the harbour and the view back from the headland are as beautiful as the Italian Riviera gets in a very small space.
7. Myrtos, Kefalonia, Greece
Not a town but a beach that defines why the Ionian Islands are among the most beautiful places in Greece — limestone cliffs dropping vertically to water of a blue that doesn't look real until you're standing in front of it. The road down from the cliff above is one of the most dramatic approaches to a beach anywhere in Europe.
8. Kotor, Montenegro
A medieval walled city at the foot of dramatic limestone mountains, the Bay of Kotor spreading silver and still before it. One of the best-preserved medieval towns in the Adriatic and still genuinely off the main tourist circuit — Europe's hidden gem on the coast.
9. Collioure, France
A small Catalan town on the French Mediterranean coast near the Spanish border — a painted harbour, a medieval castle, a church tower that doubles as a lighthouse and the light that made Matisse and Derain abandon Impressionism for Fauvism. One of the most beautiful and least visited small towns on the French coast.
10. Lagos, Portugal
The Algarve's finest town — limestone arches and sea stacks on a coastline of extraordinary drama, a whitewashed old town behind ancient walls, and the best beaches in mainland Europe within walking distance. Lagos is what the Algarve was before it became famous, preserved almost intact.
11. Hydra, Greece
No cars, no mopeds, no roads — donkeys carry everything on an island where the town rises steeply from the harbour in tiers of stone mansions and whitewashed houses. Hydra is the Greek island as it was before tourism, and the most elegant small town in the entire Aegean.
12. Mousehole, Cornwall, England
The most beautiful village in Cornwall — a tiny granite harbour sheltered by a stone pier, fishing boats, whitewashed cottages and the kind of stillness that feels increasingly rare. Mousehole is best visited in winter, when the harbour lights are strung and the village belongs to itself again.
13. Cefalù, Sicily
A Norman cathedral rising from the centre of a small Sicilian fishing town, a beach of extraordinary clarity, a labyrinth of medieval streets and the pale limestone of La Rocca looming above it all. Cefalù is the most beautiful small town in Sicily and one of the most underrated destinations in the Mediterranean.
14. Honfleur, France
A Normandy harbour town of slate-fronted houses reflected in the Vieux Bassin — the most painted harbour in France, which drew Monet, Boudin and the Impressionists here in the 19th century and hasn't stopped inspiring people since. Beautiful in all seasons, best in autumn when the crowds have gone.
15. Padstow, Cornwall, England
The estuary town on Cornwall's north coast — a working harbour, exceptional seafood, the Camel Trail stretching inland and Rick Stein's restaurants responsible for making it one of the most visited towns in the county. But beneath the foodie reputation is a genuinely beautiful Cornish harbour town that earns its place on any list of Europe's finest coastal destinations.
Bringing the Coast Home
The coastal towns that stay with you longest are the ones that change how you see light, water and the relationship between a place and the sea. If one of these destinations got under your skin, a watercolour print of it is one of the most lasting ways to keep it close. Sundays In Tuscany covers destinations across Italy, Greece, France, the Mediterranean and Cornwall — printed on premium matte fine art paper, free UK shipping, made to order.