Australia is spoiled for choice when it comes to standout beaches, but Tasmania’s Bay of Fires has been singled out as one of the world’s top beach picks for 2026 by BBC editors compiling their annual collection of the most “unique and unexpected” beach holidays.
BBC editor Ellie Cobb said the Bay of Fires made her feel like she was “at the edge of the world”. “I remember standing there, exhilarated, knowing there was nothing out there but open ocean for thousands of kilometres, and thinking how little of the world still feels this untouched,” she wrote.
Stretching along Tasmania’s north east coast from Binalong Bay to Eddystone Point, the Bay of Fires is known for its white sand, gentle waves and striking orange lichen covered boulders that regularly stop visitors in their tracks.
Elsewhere on the list, El Nido on Palawan Island in the Philippines was recognised for its white sand beaches, coral reefs and access to the Bacuit archipelago, a scattering of islands backed by steep karst cliffs. “Among these limestone island clusters, we swam, kayaked and snorkelled before anchoring in a solitary beach cove where our guides set up a meal of traditional Filipino meat and seafood dishes,” travel editor Francis Agustin shared.
In India, the Andaman Islands also featured, with a beach on Havelock Island described as the “best beach ever in terms of water, Moon, trees, overall serenity and environmental awareness”. The only US location mentioned was Brighton Beach in New York, while Grand Case Beach on the French side of St Maarten earned a place among the experts’ favourites. In Puerto Rico, the uninhabited island of Icacos was labelled “the stuff of idyllic beach cliché”.
Europe’s highlighted beaches for 2026 included Achmelvich Beach in Scotland and La Baia di Ieranto on Italy’s Sorrentine Peninsula.
