In photographs, Praia da Marinha, Cala Goloritzé and Reynisfjara look like just three more pretty beaches. In practice, none of them work like a normal beach day. One means going down — and back up — roughly 150 wooden steps cut into a cliff. Another can only be reached on foot, and only after booking a time slot in advance. The third isn't really for swimming at all: it's one of the few beaches in the world whose own safety notice tells you never to turn your back on the sea. Here's what's worth knowing before packing for any of them.
Praia da Marinha, in the municipality of Lagoa between Armação de Pêra and Carvoeiro, is reached only by a wooden staircase built into the limestone cliff face — sources put the count at roughly 150 to 165 steps, enough to rule out wheelchairs or strollers entirely. A paid car park sits at the top; Lagoa's municipal council has also created a free parking area for around 300 vehicles nearby to ease pressure in the busiest months. In August especially, arriving early is worth it.
There's no natural shade on the sand — sunbed and umbrella rental only operates during the June-to-September bathing season, when the water sits around 18-22°C. For fewer crowds without giving up decent weather, May and October tend to strike a reasonable balance; winter leaves the beach nearly empty, but colder and windier. Caves near the cliffs are only reachable by swimming at low tide, and it's worth checking sea conditions first, since currents near the rocks can be treacherous. Water shoes help on the loose-stone sections, and since the only way down is a narrow staircase, it's not the beach to bring heavy luggage to.
Cala Goloritzé, on Sardinia's eastern coast in the municipality of Baunei, has no access road and no buildings near the water — it's reached on foot from the Golgo plateau, or by boat anchoring roughly 300 metres offshore. Walking in requires a reservation made in advance through the Heart of Sardinia app or website, capped at 250 people on the trail at once between April and October; bookings open up to 72 hours ahead and cost €7 per person (free under 6), a fee that includes guarded parking at Su Porteddu, the trailhead on the Golgo plateau.
From there it's about 3.5km to the beach with nearly 500 metres of elevation change — the descent takes roughly 1h15 to 1h30, but the climb back up can take around 2 hours and is the harder half of the trip. The trail opens at 7:30am and closes to new entries at 2:00pm; anyone already on the beach can stay until 5:00pm. The path is uneven, with slick limestone slabs and exposed roots, which is why closed-toe shoes with good grip are compulsory — this isn't a walk for sandals. There's no bar, no toilet and no shade on the beach itself, so water (especially for the climb out) and sun protection both need to go in the backpack. May to September tends to bring the best water and weather; April to June offers softer light and a quieter trail.
Reynisfjara sits on Iceland's south coast beside Vík í Mýrdal, right off Route 1 — about 188km and a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Reykjavík. Getting there is the easy part: two paid car parks sit by the sand, one closer to the water (1,000 ISK, up to 3 hours), one slightly further back (750 ISK, a five-minute walk), both payable through the Parka app. The real challenge isn't reaching the beach — it's what happens once you're on it.
Reynisfjara isn't a beach for swimming; it's a beach for looking, from a distance. The open North Atlantic produces so-called "sneaker waves" — rogue waves with no predictable pattern that arrive between much smaller ones and can drag a person into freezing water before they can react. There's no lifeguard. A light system by the sand flags the risk level: a red light means stay behind the red zone, a yellow light means stay behind the yellow zone — and according to safety information published for the beach, the last three recorded drownings there all happened near the basalt columns while the light was flashing yellow. The practical advice is simple: keep well back from the waterline, never turn your back on the ocean, keep children close, and if exploring the caves or cliff base, check tide charts first and go only at low tide.
None of these three beaches rewards showing up unprepared. At Praia da Marinha, the limit is physical — the staircase and the lack of shade. At Cala Goloritzé, it's bureaucratic — without a booking made in advance, there's no way in. At Reynisfjara, it's about how you behave near the water, more than how you get there. In all three cases, ten minutes of research before leaving home avoids the most common outcome: reaching the top of the stairs, the trailhead or the car park and discovering, too late, that one detail was missing.
Yes — between April and October, walking access requires a reservation made in advance (up to 72 hours ahead) through the Heart of Sardinia app or website, capped at 250 people on the trail at once, for a fee of €7 per person that includes guarded parking.
Sources put it at roughly 150 to 165 wooden steps cut into the limestone cliff — a steep access with no alternative, unsuitable for wheelchairs or strollers.
It's not recommended. The open ocean produces unpredictable "sneaker waves" that have caused deaths, there's no lifeguard, and the advice is to keep well back from the water and never turn your back on the sea.
Picked by the editorial team.
