This Beautiful European Country Has The Cleanest Water In The World For Swimming

Few experiences rival the sense of peace and relaxation you get from swimming in crystal-clear waters. Unfortunately, crystal-clear waters aren't a guarantee everywhere you go. Safety measures on France's beaches include using a purple flag to signal pollution dangers, and contamination issues related to climate change are making some people avoid certain European beach vacation destinations.

As part of ongoing water quality assessments, as well as to guide travelers toward safe shores, the European Environment Agency (EEA) released an interactive water quality map and rankings that identified the continent's cleanest swimming areas based on data collected between 2021 and 2024. The report analyzed over 22,000 bathing waters (aka swimming waters) and highlighted five countries with outstanding water conditions. Croatia placed fifth, Austria ranked fourth, Greece came in third, and Bulgaria earned a respectable second place. In first place, Cyprus stood out as the European country with some of the cleanest waters in the world for swimming.

Home to the third best beach in all of Europe, Cyprus is surrounded by the vibrant Mediterranean Sea. Of this island's 123 reported bathing waters, 122 ranked as excellent quality. As for that final location, did it rank poorly as an unexpected outlier? Nope. Instead, it remains unclassified (likely due to a lack of suitable samples for analysis). Cyprus deserves praise for these findings, especially considering the report's last-place country, Albania, lagged with only 16% of reported locations ranking as excellent. While nearly half of Albania's waters achieved good quality (just a step below excellent), the 41 waters comprising over a third of the country's locations earned merely sufficient or poor quality classification.

Now that we know how sparkling Cyprus' shores are, a few questions remain. What makes the island's waters so clean? What factors affect the water's cleanliness? And, of course, where can people go for the best swimming in Cyprus?

First, the country enjoys clear waters largely thanks to the Mediterranean Sea. Famously clean and clear, the Mediterranean Sea avoids murkiness because of its enclosed nature. This closed system limits water exchange, a process that can introduce water-muddying algae. Further boosting local water quality levels are conservation efforts from groups like Let's Make Cyprus Green and initiatives like the Plastic Free Beach Project.

Meanwhile, the second question is answered by the EEA report. Focused on "coastal and transitional waters, rivers and lakes," but not spas or swimming pools, the assessment determined quality via bacteria concentration levels (E. coli and intestinal enterococci specifically). Per EEA findings, 99.2% of Cyprus' waters achieved excellent quality classification due to low bacteria concentrations. However, an important detail to remember is that all Cyprus locations studied in this report are coastal waters. These places may accurately depict the country's overall water quality, but know that cleanliness levels could differ at inland swimming locations. That said, given the area's many miles of coastline and travelers' ability to drive from one end of the region to the other in less than a day, Cyprus boasts enough shorefront spots to make seeking out landlocked swimming holes laughable. Speaking of, let's address that final question by exploring the island's top places to swim.

Comforted by the knowledge that wonderfully clean waters await, sightseers can begin exploring the best beaches in Cyprus. Start by grabbing your favorite swimwear, stocking up on sun protection, and putting on water shoes to handle some of the island's craggier coastal spots. Next, pick where to go.

On the island's southeast side, find the shallow waters of Ayia Thekla Beach. About 2 miles further west, lifeguards watch over the serene shores of Makronissos Beach (one of Tripadvisor's top 25 European beaches) and neighboring Landa Beach. From there, Cyprus' natural beauty gets even more amazing at another Tripadvisor-recognized destination, Konnos Bay. Afterward, go diving in Green Bay for a subaquatic perspective of the island's waters. Before you leave Cyprus' southeastern coast, cap off your adventures at Protaras Beach. Also known as Fig Tree Bay Beach, this sandy stretch earned third place in Tripadvisor's 2011 list of Europe's best beaches. For a memorable experience here, try snorkeling.

Discover another side to Cyprus in the southwest. At Kalymnos Beach, camping enthusiasts can gaze upon blue waters and white rocks from their tent. If you'd like a quick swim or spot of snorkeling, adjoining Governor's Beach makes a nice stop, too. Further west, Aphrodite Beach appears with its relaxing shaded hideaway and pebbly, tree-speckled patch of coastline. From there, carry on to Kourion Beach, where wind rolls off dramatic alabaster hills and kicks up waves in the Mediterranean Sea's mesmerizing blue waters. Once you've had your fill of beach activities, visit Kourion's fascinating historical sights. The ancient amphitheatre and village ruins are sights every traveler should witness. And if you need to further justify taking this trip of a lifetime, check out these reasons why Cyprus is such a great, underrated spot for your next beach vacation.