12 Beautiful Beaches in Italy and How to Visit Them

Updated September 2026. We checked access rules for the beaches with limited numbers on the official booking sites and local sources in September 2026; authorities set them each season and they can change.

Italy has thousands of kilometers of coastline, and the beaches below are twelve that show its range: Caribbean-looking sand in Sardinia and Sicily, hidden coves at the end of mountain trails, and town beaches with everything to hand. We chose them to cover six regions and every kind of beach, from easy to demanding. Several now limit numbers in summer, so for each one we say how to get there and whether you need to book.

Italian beaches at a glance

Spiaggia dei Conigli, Lampedusa

The Spiaggia dei Conigli, the Rabbit Beach, is a small bay of fine sand and shallow, clear water inside a nature reserve on Lampedusa, and one of the places where loggerhead turtles nest. There are no rabbits.

Access: from June 8 to October 18, 2026, entry is limited to 550 people per shift, in two shifts, 8:30 am to 1:30 pm and 2:30 to 7:30 pm. You book most places online, for a fee of €1.30 per booking of up to two people, one shift per day and once a week; 50 more places per shift go to people queuing at the entrance. A path of about 800 meters leads to the beach, and there are no lifeguards, bars or toilets.

Tropea, Calabria

Tropea’s beach stretches below the old town, which stands on a cliff above the sea, with the sanctuary of Santa Maria dell’Isola on its rock at the water’s edge. The water is calm and clear, good for swimming and snorkeling, and the town has bars and shops right above the sand.

La Pelosa, Stintino (Sardinia)

At the northwest tip of Sardinia, La Pelosa is a strip of white sand with shallow, bright blue water, facing the Isola Piana and a 16th-century watchtower on its islet, at the entrance to the Asinara strait.

Access: from May 15 to October 15, 2026, La Pelosa is limited to 1,500 people a day, booked on the beach’s official site for €3.50 per person. Children under 12 do not need to book. Checks run from 8 am to 6 pm, with a QR code shown at the entrance. The official site warns about unauthorized sites selling tickets: book only there.

Cala Goloritzé, Baunei (Sardinia)

On the east coast of Sardinia, in the Gulf of Orosei, Cala Goloritzé is a small cove of white pebbles below limestone cliffs, with a 143-meter pinnacle, the Aguglia, rising above it and a natural stone arch on its northern side. It is a Natural Monument of Sardinia.

Access: on foot only. Boats cannot land, and the trail down from the Golgo plateau takes about an hour and a half down and two hours back. Entry is limited to 250 people a day and in 2026 costs €7 per person, booked through the official Heart of Sardinia app or site; the trail opens at 7:30 am. There are no services on the beach.

Porto Giunco, Villasimius (Sardinia)

In the Capo Carbonara marine protected area, at the southeastern tip of Sardinia, Porto Giunco is a strip of fine white sand between the open sea and the Notteri lagoon, where flamingos are often seen.

Baia del Silenzio, Sestri Levante (Liguria)

The Bay of Silence is a small beach in the heart of Sestri Levante, lined by colorful houses, with fishing boats in the calm water of the eastern Riviera. Sestri Levante is on the railway line east of Genoa.

Access: from July 1 to August 31, 2026, the town caps the beach at 450 people at a time, from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm. There is no booking: staff let people in until the limit is reached, and entry is free.

Cala Mariolu, Baunei (Sardinia)

A few coves north of Cala Goloritzé, Cala Mariolu is a beach of small white pebbles with rocks rising out of the clear water. Most visitors arrive on boat trips along the Gulf of Orosei, from Santa Maria Navarrese or Cala Gonone; on foot, it is a long and demanding trail.

Seeing the Baunei coast by boat

Boat trips are the easy way to reach Cala Mariolu and to see Cala Goloritzé from the water. We chose the tours below on Viator for a rating of 4.3 or higher across more than 190 reviews, checked in September 2026.

Affiliate link: Italy2Love earns a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you.

• Gulf of Orosei tour by RIB from Orosei: a small inflatable boat for 12 passengers at most, with lunch and snorkeling equipment included, stops to swim at Cala Mariolu and Cala Biriala and a view of Cala Goloritzé. Rated 5.0 across 197 reviews; it leaves the Orosei marina at 9 am.
• Full-day boat tour of the Baunei coast from Santa Maria Navarrese: a large boat for up to 150 people, with stops at Cala Mariolu, the Grotta del Fico and Cala Luna, from about $80 (checked September 2026). Rated 4.3 across 380 reviews; you pay the Grotta del Fico ticket and a €3 environmental contribution on top, and reviewers say it gets crowded in high season.

Cala Rossa, Favignana (Sicily)

Favignana is the largest of the Egadi Islands, off Trapani, and Cala Rossa is its best-known bay: a rocky cove with very clear water, framed by old tuff quarries. There is no sand; you reach it on foot or by bike along a path, or by boat.

By sea from Trapani, the Egadi Islands small-boat cruise to Favignana and Levanzo stops at Cala Rossa and on Levanzo, for 12 people at most. Travelers rate it 4.9 across 820 reviews on Viator, from about $110 (checked September 2026).

Maria Pia, Alghero (Sardinia)

A short drive north of Alghero’s old town, Maria Pia is more than a kilometer of soft white sand with dunes and pine woods behind it, and calm, shallow water. Wooden walkways lead down to the beach.

Marina Piccola, Capri

On the south side of Capri, Marina Piccola is a small bay of pebbles and rocks where tradition places the sirens of the Odyssey. It gets very crowded in summer. From Naples, Capri is a day trip: compare the Pompeii and Capri day trips, and see the Amalfi Coast travel guide for the coast across the water.

From Sorrento, the best way to see Capri’s coves is from a boat. Two small-group trips with the most reviews among those we checked on Viator in September 2026:

• Capri and Blue Grotto small-group boat trip from Sorrento: rated 4.9 across 2,494 reviews, from about $208 (checked September 2026), with Sorrento hotel pickup, drinks on board and free time on the island. The Blue Grotto ticket (€19) is extra.
• Capri small-group boat tour with swim stops from Sorrento: 12 people at most and about four hours ashore, rated 4.8 across 648 reviews, from about $115 (checked September 2026).

San Vito Lo Capo, Sicily

On the Trapani coast, San Vito Lo Capo’s beach is a long curve of pale golden sand below Monte Monaco, with calm, shallow water that suits all ages.

Mondello, Palermo

Palermo’s city beach is a long stretch of fine sand between two headlands, with bars and restaurants along the front and mountains behind. It is easy to reach from the city and very crowded on summer weekends. Pair it with a Palermo street food tour, and plan the rest of the island with the Sicily travel guide.

Tips for the beaches in summer

• Book the protected beaches as soon as booking opens, and only on the official sites.
• Bring water and shade to the wild coves: Cala Goloritzé and the Spiaggia dei Conigli have no services.
• Wear proper shoes for the trails; flip-flops are not enough.
• Go early or late at the town beaches in July and August.
• See the coast from the sea: on the Amalfi Coast, compare the Amalfi Coast boat tours.

Sources: La Pelosa from the official booking site and the Comune di Stintino; Spiaggia dei Conigli from the official booking site of the reserve; Cala Goloritzé from Turismo Baunei and idealista (June 9, 2026); Baia del Silenzio from the Comune di Sestri Levante (June 26, 2026). Boat tours: ratings, review counts, prices and inclusions read on each Viator product page (product codes 163869P4, 133264P1, 123609P1, 51921P48 and 42612P5). Checked in September 2026.

Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited in each caption; licenses CC BY-SA 4.0, CC BY-SA 3.0, CC BY 2.0, CC BY-SA 2.0, CC BY 3.0. Images resized and converted to WebP.

Italy’s Adriatic coast has its own beaches too. In the Marche, the white cliffs of the Riviera del Conero are best seen from the water: our Conero boat tour page compares a shared cruise from Numana with a private sailboat.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need to book beaches in Italy?

Most Italian beaches are free to walk onto, but a few protected ones now limit numbers in summer. In 2026, La Pelosa in Sardinia (May 15 to October 15, €3.50 per person), Cala Goloritzé in Sardinia (250 people a day, €7) and the Spiaggia dei Conigli on Lampedusa (June 8 to October 18, two shifts a day) all required a booking.

How much does it cost to visit La Pelosa beach?

In 2026, €3.50 per person per day, booked on the official site from May 15 to October 15. Children under 12 do not need a reservation.

Can you reach Cala Goloritzé by boat?

No. Boats cannot land at Cala Goloritzé; you can see it from the sea on a boat trip, but to swim there you walk down the trail from the Golgo plateau, with a booking.

Which Italian beach is best for families?

Of the beaches on this list, the ones with shallow water and easy access are the simplest with children: La Pelosa, Porto Giunco, Maria Pia, San Vito Lo Capo and Mondello. Cala Goloritzé and the Spiaggia dei Conigli involve walking trails and have no services.

When is the best time to visit Italian beaches?

June and September are warm with fewer crowds than July and August. The booking systems at the protected beaches run through the summer season, so check the dates before you go.