Rick Steves Revealed His Favorite Beach Hideaways In All Of Europe

With so many amazing beaches on the European continent, it may be hard to choose the best one for you. That's where expert advice comes in handy. When the person giving advice is the world-renowned travel writer and TV host Rick Steves, we're all ears. It's always interesting what preferences a travel pro like Steves has. Recently, he published a list of his favorite beach destinations. While it had some classic entries like Amalfi Coast and French Riviera, there are also some lesser-known surprises. 

Let's take a closer look at the places favored by the famous travel show host and see what type of beach holiday they represent. We invite you on an enticing tour of European shores from Sicily up to Scandinavia through Ireland. Inspired by Rick Steves' advice and mixing it with our own experience of visiting each site, we're painting a picture of the most rewarding beach getaways in Europe here. It may inspire you book a ticket straight away.

While Varenna might be Rick Steves' favorite spot on Lake Como, he often mentions another well-known lakeside town for comparison. "[A] part of me enjoys the "tramp in a palace" feeling I get in Bellagio," he said in an article on his website about Italy's Lakes District, adding that this town may be the most famous Como getaway. And yes, the Ocean's Eleven-featured casino in Las Vegas is named after this quaint waterside gem. Historic villas dot the hills with manicured gardens, the ferries and high-end boats arrive and depart from the harbor terminal, and the exclusive restaurants greet you with lake-facing terraces. Bellagio is synonymous with dolce vita, but the good life here comes with a high price tag.

"Bellagio pleases well-heeled travelers," writes Steves, nodding at the town's penchant for luxury and opulence. Still, it's an uber-charming place where your morning espresso or midday Aperol Spritz will be accentuated by magnificent panoramas of mountains meeting the pristine Lake Como waters. Be sure to visit the 50-acre park at Villa Serbelloni on the hill above Bellagio for a refreshing panoramic walk.

No cars are allowed in UNESCO-protected Cinque Terre National Park, a set of five dramatically-placed villages overlooking the blue perfection of the Ligurian Sea. And while this fragile area is at the brink of its tourist-receiving capacities, it's still one of the most beautiful spots in Europe. Each visitor has their favorite village of the five; for Rick Steves, it's Vernazza. No matter which viewpoint you choose, it's eye candy. The medieval tower on the steep rocky cliff watches over the small harbor-turned-beach, the windwashed colorful facades of the fishermen's houses create a marine idyll, and the narrow streets end with perched cascaded vineyards. Everywhere you look in Vernazza, it's a postcard material.

There are two ways to reach the town. You can either take a train from nearby Levanto or La Spezia or opt for a more scenic hiking trail that runs through all the Cinque Terre villages. During the summer, crowds quickly fill Vernazza's narrow streets. Winter and early spring are among the best times to visit. As for activities, Steves recommends simple pleasures like enjoying a cup of gelato while people-watching, taking an evening boardwalk stroll, and savoring local wine on a picturesque terrace.

Rick Steves is a big fan of the Amalfi Coast, and Positano is the town he consistently names as the area's most spectacular destination. The author also writes that the bus ride from Sorrento along the twisted, perched roads of the Amalfi Coast is among the world's most striking. Be prepared to have a stiff neck afterward, as your head will turn left and right as you enter this marvelous land of vertical-colored towns, infinite Meditteranean blue, high cliffs, luxury hotels, and some of the most scenic restaurant terraces on the planet. Positano is where the Amalfi's beauty reaches a crescendo, and your camera space will be gone by the end of the visit, for every corner of this place is uber-photogenic.

Steves hails Positano as "a seductive gathering of name-brand boutiques and sand-splashed cafés." It is a place to splurge, so be ready to pay more for drinks, food, and activities while navigating tourist trap eateries and fake souvenirs on every corner. Nevertheless, it's a spectacular destination that is an absolute must for the scenery alone. If you're on the budget, check out the towns of Maiori and Minori, less than 5 miles away.

The Greek Saronic island number two on Rick Steves' European beach hideaways list, Hydra immediately charms you and doesn't let go of your imagination easily. Henry Miller, Sophia Loren, The Rolling Stones, and Leonard Cohen were among the lovers of its shores. The dream of an island idyll is strong with Hydra. It's calm and soothing, and the waves form its caressing music. One of the reasons for the island's magnetic appeal is a total ban on vehicles (including motorcycles). Donkeys roam the narrow cobblestone streets, the amphitheater-like historic harbor evokes the adventurous and the romantic, and the seaside boardwalk is perfect for long contemplative strolls.

Steves also describes the island's mouthwatering culinary side. The irresistible trio of "fresh seafood, Greek salad, and retsina wine" awaits you on Hydra. Explore the local tavernas, go to the countryside to get lost among the olive groves, discover the hidden rocky beaches of the southern coast, and give in to the laid-back atmosphere where nobody rushes anywhere.

Had Collioure been set in Côte d'Azur, it would be bathing in tourist attention. But this uber-picturesque historic resort town is located in Côte Vermeille, a lesser-known region next to the Spanish border. Rick Steves names it a "small-town-without-the-glitz antidote to condo-city Riviera" and recommends fully embracing all of its Mediterranean allure. That includes catching sun rays at the town's idyllic beaches, having ice cream, observing the boats in the harbor, and tasting the local red wines. The vistas here are nothing short of dramatic. You've got a mighty harbor fortress on the one hand and the peaks of the Pyrenees on the other.

Such scenery couldn't go unnoticed by those who create for a living. In the 20th century, Collioure emerged as a central place for Fauvism, with famous artists like Henri Matisse, André Derain, and Georges Braque coming to live and paint. Also, the town is a stronghold of Catalan culture in France; the street signs here are written in Catalan and French, and many locals use Catalan to communicate.

Ærø (pronounced air-rue) is not the first island that pops into mind when you think of a European beach vacation. However, Rick Steves is an expert in discovering and suggesting beautiful under-the-radar destinations, and this corner of Denmark is a pleasant surprise on his list. What you're getting here is the slow travel at its peak. The slow-burning, contemplative Baltic Sea vacation takes the central stage, with bicycles the prime mode of transportation. There are no jagged cliffs, dramatic villages, turquoise beaches, or awe-inspiring sights, but that's exactly why you should visit. Ærø is all about the sustainable, calm escape for everyone.

With the trademark Danish flair, that is. You will drink coffee with cookies in the hygge-preaching cafes, explore the historic 18th-century cobbled streets of miniature towns filled with gingerbread-like houses, and ride through the endless meadows with the greyish Baltic horizon ahead. Ærø invites you on a pastoral holiday; how can you resist such an invitation?

Croatia has a kaleidoscope of magnificent red rooftop towns along its 1,104-mile-long coast. Rick Steves chooses Rovinj as his favorite Adriatic beach hideaway. In a website post titled "Idyllic Istria," Steves calls this Istrian gem "a little hunk of Venice draped over a hill" and describes its silhouette as if the town was "being pulled up to heaven by its grand bell tower." Venetian architecture (including the winged lion, the symbol of Venice, on the main city gate) is everywhere in the historic center of Rovinj. Head to the observation platform atop the 18th-century St. Euphemia's Basilica for the best panorama of the city and the sea.

Rovinj is an ultimate destination for lovers and romantics. The photogenic streets here call to be digitally captured or, better yet, painted. The tables of the seafood restaurants occupy the seaside boardwalk and the narrow cobbled passages. They serve trademark Croatian specialties like fried and grilled squids, tuna steaks, and cooked mussels bathed in the local white wine. Rovinj is a go-to spot for epicureans; make no mistake about that.