From pink to black: these are the most beautiful colorful beaches in Europe

The epitome of beach vacation, sun, sea and good life is a powdered sugar beach with palm trees and turquoise sea. Images from the Caribbean, the Maldives and the South Seas flash into your head. But there are also such beach beauties in Europe. And much more. Beaches in bright colors not only make life more diverse, but also show the diversity and endless beauty of nature. A flying visit to the most beautiful colorful beaches on our home continent.

1. Beach paradises in white: Milos, Fuerteventura, Mallorca

Let’s start with the classic color white. It represents purity, peace and cleanliness and can be found in the middle of the southern Aegean, approximately halfway between Athens and Crete. The unknown Cyclades island is 21 kilometers long and 14 kilometers wide and stands out with Sarakiniko Beach. This dazzles in brilliant white, but is not made of sand, but also white, smoothed tuff rocks. Nestled between the baby blue sky and the emerald green sea, the beach in the northeast of Milos looks like a surreal lunar landscape.

If you prefer this scenario with soft sand, you will find it in several places in Europe. In shades of vanilla, butter and milk star white. Like in the north of the Canary Island of Fuerteventura with its white shifting dunes near Corralejo or the kilometers of white sandy beaches on the Jandia peninsula in the south. The reason for the bright white color is the coastlines, which consist largely of limestone. The lime industry was already flourishing on the island in the 17th century. Mallorca also has dream white beaches, such as Playa de Muro in the northeast. It is located in the extensive Bay of Alcúdia, is six kilometers long and is known for its white, fine sand dunes. Or the Es Trenc beach in the southeast of the Balearic island. It looks like the Caribbean there. The only difference: Instead of coconut palms, pine trees swayed in the wind in Es Trenc. However, the sand is white as powdered sugar, the sea is crystal clear and shines in finely tuned turquoise tones.

2. Dream beaches in pink and pink: Sardinia and Crete

From milkshake pink to cherry blossom pink to pastel pink and hot pink. The color palette in terms of pink tones is huge, the effect is gentle and friendly. Tourists on the Spaggia Rosa beach in the La Maddalena archipelago in the north of Sardinia must also behave in this spirit. The famous pink sand beach on the small island of Budelli is not allowed to be entered – and can only be admired from the boat. Too many people wanted to grab a bag of the pastel pink sand. The sand gets its unreally beautiful color from the shell remains of marine microorganisms, the “Miniacina miniacea”, which live in the turquoise blue water off the island.

The creator must have had think pink in mind when he created the beach of Elafonissi at the southwesternmost point of the island of Crete. He embedded it in a nature reserve, gave it the shape of a sickle and an unreally beautiful pink sand color. This is ensured by millions of finely ground mussels. The crystal clear water of the Elafonissi lagoon is no deeper than one meter and is therefore suitable for children. An offshore island makes the picture-perfect beauty perfect; it can also be reached on foot at low tide through the shallow water. On the eastern side of the beach there are umbrellas, showers, changing rooms, some stalls and small restaurants. The only thing that isn’t there are palm trees, like on Crete’s most crowded beaches Vai and Preveli. But who needs palm trees in this magical place?

3. Rocky coast in orange: Praia da Falésia in Portugal

The Algarve coastline is 200 kilometers long and, with its orange tones, evokes fun, optimism and energy. That may also be one of the reasons why one of the most beautiful beaches in the world is located here. The award-winning Praia da Falésia impresses with its orange cliffs and a six-kilometer-long sandy beach. Its intoxicating play of colors ranges from honey yellow to light saffron orange to apricot and mango orange and tones of gold.

The beach with its impressive cliffs has also been awarded the European Blue Flag seal of quality for its cleanliness. There are toilets, a snack bar and good public transport connections. And a scenic walk along the cliffs and with stunning views of the complementary colors of blue and orange.

4. Greek beach in red: The Red Beach on Santorini

White houses, blue roofs, red beach – what a triad of colors: the island of Santorini lies in the south of the Aegean and is the star among the many Greek islands. It was created by a volcanic eruption and its landscape is characterized by black and red sandy beaches. In contrast to this are the whitewashed houses with their roofs that nestle against the volcanic rocks. Eleven kilometers south of the capital Fira, Red Beach signals that passion and power reign supreme here. Both are necessary to get to the extraordinary beach. Because this is only possible by boat or on foot.

The latter variant leads over rocky paths and cliffs from the neighboring Buch Akrotiri. But the reward for this effort is a setting that is unique in Europe: turquoise water splashes onto the red-black pebble beach made of lava rock, behind which red rocks rise. The strong color comes from the iron content of the volcanic rocks. Despite all the scenic beauty, it is important to remain vigilant because there is a risk of falling rocks here – but this does not detract from the popularity of the Red Beach, as can be seen from the large number of people in high season.

5. Beach Secrets in Black: Tenerife’s lava beaches

Black beaches have their own fascination. Mysterious, elegant, extravagant – that’s the color psychology of black. They can be found in many places with volcanoes. The subsoil made of solidified lava and black basalt rock leads to black sand beaches – well-known examples of this are Hawaii, Iceland or the Canary Islands of Lanzarote and Tenerife. With a length of 80 kilometers and a width of 50 kilometers, Tenerife is the largest of the seven Canary Islands – in many ways: the dormant volcano Pico del Teide is the highest mountain in Spain at 3,718 meters. And among its 40 beaches there are also some black lava beaches in the northwest. Playa Jardin, for example, attracts visitors with its unusual combination of gray-black lava sand and palm trees.

If you want to experience a black, even pitch-black sand beach between bizarre rock formations, you have to go to Playa de la Arena. Located as the last beach before the rock giants “Los Gigantes” on the west coast, the approximately 250 meter long and 30 meter wide beach fulfills everything you would expect from a truly hot beach. Because in March the sand temperature is 46 degrees Celsius, with an air temperature of 25 degrees, and the water is 20 degrees. Walking through the sand with your bare feet is only recommended for people with thick calluses; for everyone else, the wooden planks that are laid across the beach are available. Bathing shoes are recommended here. There are also loungers and parasols for rent on the well-maintained beach. Nothing stands in the way of a turbo tan here, because Playa de la Arena has the strongest sunlight on the island.