This Country Is Home To Europe's Cheapest Beaches

Summer will be here before you know it, and what better way of gearing up for it than by booking a beach holiday? If your bank balance looks unpromising, that’s hardly a reason to skip the sun and surf. To help you plan your next summer getaway, travel agency TravelBird ranked 250 spectacular beaches from 66 countries, based on the daily expenses incurred at each. The country with the cheapest beaches in Europe is not one that you would necessarily think of first when you picture a beach holiday.

The index

To create the index, TravelBird scourged TripAdvisor for the 250 highest-ranked beaches in the world. Subsequently, they calculated the average amount a beachgoer would spend at each of these beaches on bottled water, sunscreen, ice cream, beer, and access fees in a day. The beaches were then ranked from most to least expensive (the lower the rank, the cheaper the beach).

The most and least expensive beaches

Plage du Maui in French Polynesia tops the list as the most expensive beach in the world, setting a visitor back US$60.13 a day. The cheapest beach award goes to Cua Dai Beach, Hoi An, Vietnam, where a day of beach fun costs less than US$13.54. In Europe, Italy’s beaches were found to be the most expensive.

The cheapest beach in Europe

The crown for the cheapest beach in Europe was bagged by the rather unsung Baltic Sea beach of Timmendorfer Strand in Schleswig-Holstein, North Germany. However, cheap does not indicate that the beach is short on beauty or fun. This seven-kilometer (four-mile) stretch of coastline boasts soft sand, a golf course, nude beach, spas, a Sea Life aquarium, and extensive water sports opportunities.

Other cheap beaches in Germany

While Spain, Italy, and Greece are home to Europe’s most popular beaches, if you want the best value for your buck, it seems that Germany is the ideal destination for you. A total of 12 German beaches made it to the list, beating other European countries hands down in claiming the biggest share of cheap beaches on the continent. Prices are in US dollars and are from 2016.

1. Timmendorfer Strand, Ostholstein, rank: 238 out of 250, daily expense: $18.84

2. Eckernförder Bay, Schleswig-Holstein, rank: 236, daily expense: $19.38