Tripadvisor: Two Beaches on Crete Among 25 Best in the World for 2023

Falassarna beach, Crete.

Two beaches located on the Greek island of Crete – Falassarna and the Balos Lagoon – have been included on the Travelers’ Choice 2023 Best of the Best Beaches Awards list released recently by Tripadvisor.

Every year, Tripadvisor awards travelers’ favorite destinations, beaches, hotels, restaurants, and things to do around the world, based on the quality and quantity of ratings and reviews on the platform.

For 2023, according to Tripadvisor, the Falassarna beach, located on the eastern side of Crete, is the World’s 21^st Best Beach and Europe’s 6^th best with reviewers hailing its crystal clear waters and pink sand.

Balos Lagoon, Crete.

Furthermore, Crete’s Balos Lagoon (northwest of the town of Chania) ranked 25^th in the World’s Best Beaches list and 8^th in Europe’s Best Beaches list with Tripadvisor’s users calling it a “landscape from another planet”.

TripAdvisor’s Europe’s Top 25 Beaches list also includes another two Greek beaches – the Sarakiniko beach on Milos in the 17^th place and Kalamaki beach on Zakynthos in the 18^th.

According to Tripadvisor’s users, Baia do Sancho in Brazil and Reynisfjara beach on Iceland are the best beaches in the World and Europe for 2023 respectively.

Sarakiniko beach, Milos.

Furthermore, Ka’anapali beach on Hawaii, Cable Beach on Australia and Nungwi Beach in Tanzania got best of the best regional mentions among other locations characterized as ideal for lazy beach days or underwater adventures.

“As a huge beach fan myself, I know the impossible-to-resist allure of sunshine and turquoise water—and certainly, there’s plenty of that on this year’s list,” said Sarah Firshein, the Head of Editorial at Tripadvisor.

Top 10 Beaches – World 2023 by Tripadvisor

1. Baía do Sancho – Fernando de Noronha, Brazil
2. Eagle Beach – Aruba, Caribbean
3. Cable Beach – Broome, Australia
4. Reynisfjara Beach – Vik, Iceland
5. Grace Bay Beach – Turks and Caicos, Caribbean
6. Praia da Falésia – Olhos de Agua, Portugal
7. Radhanagar Beach – Havelock Island, India
8. Spiaggia dei Conigli – Sicily, Italy
9. Varadero Beach – Cuba, Caribbean
10. Ka’anapali Beach – Maui, Hawaii

Kalamaki beach, Zakynthos.

Top 10 Beaches – Europe 2023 by Tripadvisor

1. Reynisfjara Beach – Vik, Iceland
2. Praia da Falesia – Olhos de Agua, Portugal
3. Spiaggia dei Conigli – Lampedusa, Islands of Sicily
4. La Concha Beach – San Sebastian – Donostia, Spain
5. Playa de Muro Beach – Playa de Muro, Spain
6. Falassarna Beach – Falassarna, Greece
7. Nissi Beach – Ayia Napa, Cyprus
8. Balos Lagoon – Kissamos, Greece
9. Sotavento Beach – Costa Calma, Spain
10. Plage du Sillon – Saint-Malo, France

“Whether you’re looking to pack a windbreaker or a swimsuit, our list has something for a wide range of travelers—and it might even convince the most ardent beach skeptics to embrace some time on the sand,” Tripadvisor’s Sarah Firshein added.