What makes a beach one of the best in the world? Many will say its the powdery white sands and turquoise blue waters, but Beachatlas – an AI-powered encyclopaedia of global beaches – ranks takes other factors into consideration. 

Classic beauty, party and lifestyle, DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), community, natural diversity and cultural significance all make up the Beachatlas’s criteria for what sets great beaches apart from the rest. 

Based on this criteria a selected group of travel experts and influencers were asked to nominate their favourite beaches to make a shortlist of 100 of the world’s top 100 beaches from which Beachatlas’ Golden Beach Award 2024 will be selected. 

Beaches from Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Oceania and Asia made up the top ten. No surprises here, Bora Bora topped the list. From here you can snap postcard-perfect sunsets and crystal-clear waters. South Africa’s Boulders Beach, where you can sunbathe among African Penguins, came in second. Hawaiian tourist hotspot, Waikiki Beach, was ranked third, followed by Brazil’s Copacabana in fourth place, Thailand’s Maya Bay coming in at fifth, Iceland’s Black Sand Beach in sixth position, USA’s Glass Beach in seventh place, UAE’s JBR Beach ranked eighth and Namibia’s Skeleton Coast in ninth place. Rounding out the top ten is France’s Omaha Beach. 

Surprisingly, only two Aussie beaches made the top 100 shortlist. The Whitsundays’ Whitehaven Beach just missed out on a top 10 position, coming in at 11th place. While Sydney’s jewel in the crown, Bondi Beach, was the only other Aussie beach to make the list, coming in at number 16. 

You can see the full shortlist of Beachatlas’ Top 100 beaches in the world, here. If this has you dreaming of being on a beach somewhere warm why not cool off at 8 of the best beaches in Milos or add one of 50 of the world’s best beaches to the top of your bucket list. 

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