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When you’re dreaming up a beach holiday, you’re probably imagining the sunny blue skies of Greece or the soft white sands of Australia. You know – somewhere far, far away from the chilly winds and murky waters of London. But it turns out you don’t have to travel far at all to get to one of the best beaches on the planet.
In celebration of its 25th anniversary, TripAdvisor has unveiled which beaches across the world are its best reviewed of all time. As expected, the list is full of Mediterranean island bays, south Asian paradises and Caribbean coastlines. But among all of those is a beach that’s just a two-hour drive from London.
Bournemouth Beach ranked number 12 on TripAdvisor’s 25th anniversary list of the top-rated beaches on the planet. Over 25 years, it’s gathered almost 9,000 TripAdvisor reviews with an average rating of 4.5 out of five. More than 6,000 visitors have given it a perfect five stars, calling it ‘truly beautiful’, ‘amazingly clean and well looked after’ and a ‘perfect beach for families’.
TripAdvisor said: ‘It's got smooth sand and clear water for swimmers, a lovely pier for walkers, and beach huts and ice cream stands for families. Plus, it's dog-friendly.’
Explore the full ranking TripAdvisor beaches ranking here and see the list of 2025’s top-rated beaches here. Two other UK beaches a little further from London made it onto TripAdvisor’s Best of the Best Beaches in Europe for 2025. You can read about those here.
For more sandy escapes from the city, see Time Out’s list of the best beaches near London.
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