Suggestions for the Best Beaches in Europe

Hello crzurbuchen. I suggest : go to a beach at the Atlantic Ocean coast of France. An easy train ride from Paris. The Atlantic Ocean water there will probably not be a warm temperature, but I think you could find a pleasant place at a beach : you could relax, and see and hear the ocean waves and surf. One of those Atlantic Ocean beach towns is Trouville. (Ride in a train from Paris, and ride in a bus a short distance to Trouville). The town itself is interesting to see. And there are beaches that are not at towns, to the north in France.

I like the North Sea beaches of Belgium, particularly the beautiful little town of De Haan. They remind of me of the wide sandy beaches and dunes of the south Jersey shore, where I spent many summers growning up. The water is usually warm enough for swimming by July. I also enjoyed my one day visiting Domburg, at the far tip of Zeeland province in the Netherlands.

I also found Binz on the Baltic island of Rügen a wonderful beach resort town, but it's a little far from what you have planned.

If you're willing to settle for a beach on a large lake, look to the Bodensee that borders Germany, Austria and Switzerland. I've never visited, but I know that the Neusiedler See on the border with Austria and Hungary has beaches... or at least, areas set up where you can swim. Because the lake is so shallow and can't trap cold like a deeper body of water could , supposedly it gets warm enough to swim rather earlier than most lakes of similar size.

Personally, I don't love the beaches I've seen on the Rivieras. Too narrow and rocky for my tastes.

One thing is for sure: there is nothing close to Vienna. The Neusiedler See was already mentioned, but the lake isn't that special. Bigger and better is the Bataton in Hungary, but the southern shore is extremely busy, and the more plesant northern shore doesn't offer many beaches.
The traditional summer vacation for Viennas rich and famous back in the good old days was Istria in Croatia, which I really like. There are some wonderful towns with a beautiful mix of Venecian, Croatian and Austrian influences, beautiful nature, food is great, and the area isn't that expensive. But there are two downsides: only pebble beaches (with crystal clear water though), and it takes forever to get there by train (unlike in the good old times). If you want to get there from Vienna you better rent a car.

There are no decent beaches between Paris and Vienna. If I were you, I would find a cheap airfare from Paris and then on to Vienna. Searching the budget airlines is likely to cheaply and easily get you to places like Sardinia, Sicily, Greece, Spain, etc. I, personally, don't really like the Italian or French Riviera as a beach destination.

The French Riverias beaches are not as nice as one would hope.. some, dare I say most.. are not sand but rocks,, like giant pebbles that hurt your feet to walk on!

However.. even on a budget you can jump on a lo cost carrier like Vueling or Easyjet.. and be at a lovely beach in Mallorca.. or on the Costa Brava of Spain.. We stayed in a place called Tossa De Mar two years ago.. hotel room overlooked the bay, had a great view of 13th century ramparts ruins.. and was air conditioned and included breakfast.. all for 100 euros a night. Flight from Paris to Barcelona was about

1.5 hours, and then we took the bus ( cheap ) to Tossa.

Or.. fly to Mallorca.. 3 hours as I recall,, ( we did this last summer).. we loved loved loved our stay in Cala D'Or.. beautiful bay/beaches,, crystal clear water, sand, lovely little town, EXCELLANT food and pretty cheap compared to mainland Europe. We spent 1000 euros for a week there.. that was at a hotel that included a GOOD buffet for breakfast and dinner.. We weren't interested in doing two meals a day there , but when we arrived we enjoyed the food so much we ate dinner then 6 nights out of 7,, but did enjoy some lunches and late night snacks in town( small town.. really fun though)

Even flying to a Greek island is a possibility.. flights can be so cheap.. like less then 100 euros.. some even LESS .. for both of you!

You could always go to the banks of the Seine in Paris, where from mid-
July to mid-August there are beaches! Google "paris plages" for info. No swimming, of course but it must be fun and Parisians love it.