Beach sights in Europe
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Agia Anna Beach
Agia Anna Beach is the nearest beach to both Katapola and Hora, and is where The Big Blue was filmed. The beach is actually a series of small pebbly coves strung out along the rocky shoreline, which can get really busy in summer. There's a small cantina next to the car park on the cliff-top, selling food and drinks.
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Baldeneysee Seaside Beach
South of the city centre is Essen's sprawling green belt, which follows the flow of the Ruhr River to the large Baldeneysee. It's not quite the Med, but on hot summer days there's an undeniable holiday feeling at the Baldeneysee Seaside Beach, a 250m-long stretch of sand where you can swim, windsurf and play beach volleyball.
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Gyllyngvase Beach
Falmouth is blessed with a trio of town beaches. Most popular is Gyllyngvase Beach, a flat sandy beach backed by the funky Gylly Beach Café. All of Falmouth's beaches are accessible from the coast path, or you can catch the X89 bus from town. There are car parks at Swanpool and Maenporth, but they fill up quickly in summer.
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Nab Lenina
Step right up! Take a stroll along nab Lenina, the good-time seaside promenade. The sea view is not at its best here - rusting ships along the jetty, anyone? - but it's the town's main artery, pulsing with life. The pedestrian zone passes palm trees, restaurants, clubs, shops, stalls and photographers before reaching Primorsky Park.
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Southern Beaches
The packed, party-hard beaches are on the island's south coast. Platys Gialos has wall-to-wall sunlounges, while many patrons nude up at Paradise Beach, Super Paradise, Agrari and gay-friendly Elia. The less-squashy beaches are Kalo Livadi and Kalafatis in the southeast. All can be accessed by bus or caïque (fishing boat).
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Spiaggia Grande
It's a short hop to the nearby beach, Spiaggia Grande. Although it's no-one's dream beach, with greyish sand covered by legions of brightly coloured umbrellas, the water's clean and the setting is memorable. Hiring a chair and umbrella in the fenced-off areas costs around €17 per person per day but the crowded public areas are free.
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Vathi Beach
Vathi has one of the best beaches on the island - it is a lovely curved, sandy bay with clear waters, suitable for children. The best part of the beach is probably in front of the chichi beachfront hotel, with its loungers and umbrellas set out for guests (though the beach is open to all-comers). There's a good choice of beachside tavernas too.
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Cap Blanc-Nez
The White-Nosed Cape, as its name translates, is a white cliff - not a cape at all - on a stretch of the Côte d'Opale between Sangatte and Escalles. It affords breathtaking views of the Bay of Wissant, the port of Calais, the Flemish countryside and the cliffs of Kent and is the perfect point to start or end an exploration of the coastline.
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Palavas-les-Flots
The closest beaches to Montpellier are at Palavas-les-Flots, 12km south of the city and very much Montpellier-on-Sea in summer. Take TaM bus No 131 from the Port Marianne tram stop. Heading north on the coastal road towards Carnon, you stand a good chance of seeing flamingos hoovering the shallows of the lagoons on either side of the coastal D21.
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Beaches
Avoid the public beaches on Petőfi Island in favour of the less crowded Beaches on the mainland in Szentjános, east of Halász-part, or on Nagy Pandúr Island. But be prepared to swim to the latter or face a long walk to the southern suburb of Homokváros, across the bridge to Nagy Pandúr Island and then north to the beach.
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Beaches
From the parking area beyond Mumbles Head (continue along Mumbles Rd, past the pier), you can hike along a cliff-top path to Beaches. Hike for a mile to Langland Bay, and on for another mile to Caswell Bay; both are popular swimming and surfing beaches. You can return to the Mumbles waterfront by walking back along Caswell Rd, Langland Rd and Newton Rd.
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Swanpool Beach
A pleasant half-hour stroll along the headland is Swanpool Beach, backed by a small inland lagoon and nature reserve, populated by grebes, coots, kingfishers and mute swans. All of Falmouth's beaches are accessible from the coast path, or you can catch the X89 bus from town. There are car parks at Swanpool and Maenporth, but they fill up quickly in summer.
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Beaches
The Etruscan Coast (Costa degli Etruschi) begins south of Livorno. The town's beaches stretch for some way southwards but they are pebbly and generally nothing special. Overlooking a few are some grand old seaside villas that merit more than a glance. Bus No 1 from the main train station heads down the coast road, passing via the town centre and Porto Mediceo.
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Poetto Beach
The 6km Poetto Beach is the longest stretch of beach in Italy and forms an integral part of the life of any Cagliaritani. In summer it has a cheerful holiday atmosphere and is lined with funfairs, restaurants, bars and discos. The southern end is undoubtedly the most popular, with its picturesque Marina Piccola, yacht club and outdoor cinema (July and August only).
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Zafer Gazinosu Beach
A 12km stretch west of Gemikonağı has sandy and pebbly beaches, ending at the border with the Republic. First up is the prominently signposted Zafer Gazinosu Beach. It's mainly a pebble beach with some imported sand for those who prefer it. There is a wooden diving and swimming pier, changing rooms and toilets, as well as an attendant bar and restaurant.
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Cala Deià
This shingled beach is a popular swimming spot with a couple of busy summertime bar-restaurants. The steep walking track from town takes about half an hour. You can also drive down (3km from central Deià), but competition for a parking spot (€5 for the day) can be intense.
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Stabilimento Il Lido
For bathers Poetto Beach is lined with lidos (managed sections), like the Stabilimento Il Lido, where you can hire umbrellas and loungers. The lidos also offer useful facilities such as changing cabins and showers as well as pedalos, canoes and surf-bikes. To get here catch the PF or PQ buses from the terminus in Piazza Matteotti. Both run the full length of the beach.
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Kadınlar Denizi
Kuşadası's most famous beach is Kadınlar Denizi (Ladies Beach), south of town and served by dolmuşes running along the coastal road. Kadınlar Denizi is small and crowded with big hotels, but beach-goers love it for its high-density hustle and bustle. The coast south of Kadınlar Denizi has several small beaches, each backed by big hotels.
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Plage de Pampelonne
The golden sands of Plage de Tahiti, 4km southeast of St Tropez, morph into the 5km-long, celebrity-studded Plage de Pampelonne, which sports a line-up of exclusive beach restaurants and clubs in summer.
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Cape Yılancı
You can swim from the rocky shores of Güvercin Adası, but Cape Yılancı (Yılancı Burnu), the peninsula less than 1.5km to the south, is more enticing. Alternatively, catch the şehiriçi (intracity) dolmuş to the northern beach near the yacht marina or further north to the beach opposite the Tur-Yat Mocamp in Kuştur.
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Limni Vouliagmenis
You can swim year-round at Limni Vouliagmenis, a part-saltwater/part-springwater lake whose temperature never falls below 21°C and is known for its therapeutic mineral qualities. It is set dramatically against a huge jutting cliff, just off the coast, and has a quaint old-world atmosphere thanks to the regular clientele of elderly citizens dressed in bathing caps and towelling gowns.
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Kalajoki Särkät
Kalajoki Särkät is one of the country's most popular holiday spots for Finns. It has a lot to offer: Jukujukumaa Amusement Park, spa, golf course, holiday villas, beaches, restaurants and cafés, hotels and discos. It's billed as a 'Mediterranean-style holiday experience at a latitude of 64º', but it's all very Finnish - saunas, summer cottages and humppa music.
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Maenporth Beach
A couple of miles further along from Swanpool Beach is Maenporth Beach, trammelled by cliffs and a fine spot for some sheltered swimming. There's also a small beach café selling drinks, snacks and ice-creams. All of Falmouth's beaches are accessible from the coast path, or you can catch the X89 bus from town. There are car parks at Swanpool and Maenporth, but they fill up quickly in summer.
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Municipal Beach
The most popular town beach is the municipal beach. Although it is next to Posidonos in central Kato Pafos, tourists love it and the swimming is good.
The blue waters around Pafos are clean and alluring, and the beaches have earned EU Blue Flags for cleanliness, so you can swim freely. Keep in mind, however, that the open sea often develops a swell, making swimming a bit of a hit-and-miss affair unless you like choppy seas.
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Konyaaltı Plajı
Neither of Antalya's two beaches have much to recommend them - at least not as far as silken sand nor paradise views are concerned. For a good dose of well-rounded beach culture amusement, head to Konyaaltı Plajı; it can be accessed by taking the tram to its final stop (Müze), and then walking further west and down the snaking road. Dolmuşes run from Fevzi Çakmak Caddesi to Lara Plajı, passing the aquapark.
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