The debate over the world's best beach title is fiercely contested. Every player has their own champion and rallies behind it for different reasons, be it the sun-kissed shores, gnarly surf or golden sands. Down Under, you’ve got big names like Bondi Beach and the Whitsundays, which were recently recognised in Lonely Planet's rankings of the 100 best beaches in the world. Yet, underrated gems like Manly in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, along with Wategos in Byron Bay and Noosa Main Beach, also snuck into global round-ups, published by Tripadvisor and Conde Nast Traveller in 2024.
We at Time Out certainly have our own top beach picks in Australia, but now it’s Beach Atlas’s turn to spotlight their rankings for the world’s finest beaches.
The online beach guidebook compiled a list of the 100 best beaches on the planet, looking beyond the mere natural beauty of each shoreline. They judged beaches around the world against diverse criteria, including party and nightlife offerings, sense of community, cultural significance and natural diversity. They then compiled a shortlist of the top 100, from which a panel of travel experts and influencers voted for their favourites, ultimately leading to two destinations from Australia being included in the Golden Beach Award 2024.
First up was Whitehaven Beach in far north Queensland, which came in at number 11. This 7-kilometre aqua paradise on the cusp of the Great Barrier Reef is known for its bright blue waters, isolated location and pure silica sand – it's considered one of the whitest sandy beaches in the world.
Surprise, surprise, the only other Aussie spot included in the list was Bondi Beach, securing 16th spot. This famous seaside gem was recently ranked as the number one most Instagrammed location in the country. Visit at any hour of the day and it’ll be buzzing with surfers and swimmers, whale watchers and walkers, or picnickers and party-goers like.
So, who claimed the crown of the Golden Beach Award in 2024? That would be Bora Bora in the French Polynesia. You can see the list of the 20 best beaches in the world below and take a look at the top 100 right here.
- Bora Bora, French Polynesia
- Boulders Beach, South Africa
- Waikiki Beach, Hawaii
- Copacabana, Brazil
- Maya Bay, Thailand
- Black Sand Beach, Iceland
- Glass Beach, USA
- JBR Beach, UAE
- Skeleton Coast, Namibia
- Omaha Beach, France
- Whitehaven Beach, Australia
- Pattaya Beach, Thailand
- Cap d’Agde, France
- Lake Lucerne, Switzerland
- Barceloneta Beach, Spain
- Bondi Beach, Australia
- Source d’Argent, Seychelles
- Playa d’en Bossa, Spain
- Elia Beach, Greece
- Playa del Amor, Mexico