When most of us picture a long beach, we imagine a mile or two of sand between two headlands enough for a decent morning walk. But scattered across the planet are coastal stretches so long that walking their full length would take days, not hours. Some run for over 200 kilometers without a single rocky interruption. Others hold the title of longest in their own country or continent, even if they don’t crack the global top spot.
Ranking the longest beaches in the world is trickier than it sounds. Coastlines are notoriously hard to measure precisely a phenomenon geographers call the coastline paradox, where the more closely you zoom in on a shore, the longer and more irregular it appears to be.
That’s why you’ll see slightly different numbers for the same beach depending on the source, the survey method, and whether inlets, river mouths, or tidal creeks are counted as breaks. With that caveat in mind, here is a well-researched, globally diverse list of the ten longest sea beaches in the world, based on the most consistently cited length estimates from geographic and travel sources.
Top 10 Longest Sea Beaches in the World
| Rank | Beach | Country | Approximate Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Praia do Cassino | Brazil | 212–254 km (132–158 mi) |
| 2 | Eighty Mile Beach | Australia | 230 km (140 mi) |
| 3 | The Coorong (Younghusband Peninsula Beach) | Australia | 194 km (121 mi) |
| 4 | Ninety Mile Beach, Victoria | Australia | 151 km (94 mi) |
| 5 | Cox’s Bazar Beach | Bangladesh | 120 km (75 mi) |
| 6 | Padre Island National Seashore | United States | 105 km (65.5 mi) |
| 7 | Playa Novillero | Mexico | 90 km (56 mi) |
| 8 | Ninety Mile Beach | New Zealand | 88 km (55 mi) |
| 9 | Troia Peninsula Beach | Portugal | 65 km (40 mi) |
| 10 | Ibeno Beach | Nigeria | 30 km (18.6 mi) |
Now let’s take a closer look at each of these incredible stretches of sand where they are, what makes them special, and what it’s actually like to visit them.
1. Praia do Cassino, Brazil
Topping nearly every credible list is Praia do Cassino, located in Rio Grande do Sul, in Brazil’s far south. Depending on how the measurement is drawn, this beach stretches somewhere between 212 and 254 kilometers (132 to 158 miles) along the South Atlantic coast, running from near the Uruguayan border up to the city of Rio Grande. That makes it, by most estimates, not just the longest beach in South America but the longest uninterrupted sandy beach on Earth.
What makes Praia do Cassino remarkable isn’t only its length. The beach is wide, flat, and firm enough that it functions as a legal roadway in parts, with cars and buses regularly driving along the sand. It’s a magnet for surfers thanks to consistent South Atlantic swells, and its enormous open dunes support a rich variety of coastal wildlife, from shorebirds to marine mammals occasionally spotted offshore. History buffs will also find the wreck of the Navio Altair just off the coast, a shallow, photogenic shipwreck that has become something of a local landmark.
Because the beach borders small towns and the city of Rio Grande itself, visitors get a rare combination: the emptiness of a wild coastline with just enough infrastructure cafés, guesthouses, and beach bars to make a multi-day visit comfortable. Given the scale of the place, no single visit could ever cover it end to end; most travelers instead pick a base town and explore a manageable slice of this record-breaking shoreline.
2. Eighty Mile Beach, Australia
Despite its modest-sounding name, Eighty Mile Beach in Western Australia actually measures around 230 kilometers (140 miles), making it a serious contender for the number one spot worldwide some geographic sources even argue it edges out Praia do Cassino, depending on measurement methodology. It sits along the remote northwest coast, roughly halfway between the towns of Broome and Port Hedland, where the Great Sandy Desert meets the Indian Ocean.
This is not a beach lined with resorts and beach bars. Eighty Mile Beach is wild, remote, and sparsely populated, which is precisely what makes it so ecologically important. It’s recognized under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international significance, largely because it’s one of the most critical stopover sites in the world for migratory shorebirds.
With hundreds of thousands of birds passing through each year on journeys that stretch from Siberia to Australia. Offshore, the waters are home to dugongs, dolphins, and whales, and the beach is also known for producing some of the world’s largest pearl shells.
For visitors, Eighty Mile Beach means fishing, four-wheel driving, birdwatching, and a genuine sense of isolation that’s increasingly hard to find on coastlines elsewhere in the world. There are no crowds here just tide, sand, and horizon.
3. The Coorong, South Australia
Running along the outer edge of the narrow Younghusband Peninsula in South Australia is The Coorong, officially recognized as the longest beach in Australia at roughly 194 kilometers (121 miles). It stretches from the mouth of the Murray River down toward Kingston SE, separating the Southern Ocean from the Coorong lagoon system, a labyrinth of channels, salt pans, and wetlands that is one of Australia’s most important bird habitats.
The Coorong is famous well beyond beach-length trivia it was the setting for the beloved Australian film Storm Boy, about a boy who befriends a pelican, and the region still draws pelicans, sharp-tailed sandpipers, and Australasian bitterns by the thousands. The beach itself is wild and largely undeveloped, accessible mainly via the Princes Highway between Meningie and Kingston SE, with a string of basic campsites along the way rather than resort strips.
Visitors typically experience the Coorong through guided cruises from the town of Goolwa, which combine boat travel along the lagoon with a walk over the dunes to the ocean-facing beach itself a good way to appreciate the scale of the place without attempting to walk it.
4. Ninety Mile Beach, Victoria, Australia
Australia claims yet another entry in the global top five with Ninety Mile Beach in the state of Victoria, which measures just over 151 kilometers (94 miles). It runs along the southeastern coastline of the East Gippsland region, facing the often-rough waters of Bass Strait while backing onto the calmer Gippsland Lakes a series of large, interconnected lakes including Lake King, Lake Victoria, and Lake Wellington.
This beach is genuinely uninterrupted no rocky headlands, no platforms, just one continuous run of sand from a spit near Port Albert to the entrance channel at Lakes Entrance. That said, it’s not considered especially safe for casual swimming; the sheer length of open beach means waves break close to shore, and strong rip currents are common. Local authorities recommend swimming only at patrolled sections near the towns of Woodside, Seaspray, and Lakes Entrance.
Beyond swimming, Ninety Mile Beach is popular for surf fishing (snapper, flathead, and gummy shark are common catches), whale watching, and simply driving the coastal road that links its small holiday towns. Nearby Rotamah Island, home to a well-known bird observatory, adds another draw for nature-focused travelers.
5. Cox’s Bazar Beach, Bangladesh
Cox’s Bazar, on Bangladesh’s southeastern coast along the Bay of Bengal, is widely cited as the longest natural sea beach in Asia, and often described locally as the longest unbroken sandy beach in the world, at roughly 120 kilometers (75 miles). Whatever its exact global rank, there’s no disputing its scale and significance as a destination it’s Bangladesh’s single most popular tourist attraction, drawing millions of domestic and international visitors each year.
Unlike some of the wilder entries on this list, Cox’s Bazar is a genuinely developed beach town, lined with hotels, seafood restaurants, and markets selling shell crafts and dried fish. The sand is broad and gently sloping, and the beach is known for dramatic sunrises and sunsets over the Bay of Bengal, plus a notable stretch of coral-influenced coastline nearby at Himchari and Inani.
For travelers, Cox’s Bazar offers something the more remote entries on this list can’t: accessibility. It’s well connected by domestic flights and roads, has a full range of accommodation from budget guesthouses to beachfront resorts, and is set up for family holidays as much as for solo backpackers chasing a long coastal walk.
6. Padre Island National Seashore, Texas, USA
On the Gulf Coast of Texas lies Padre Island National Seashore, protecting roughly 105 kilometers (65.5 miles) of beach along the world’s longest undeveloped barrier island. It’s the longest beach in the continental United States and a rare example of a major coastal barrier island preserved almost entirely in its natural state, with no permanent hotels or high-rises along the protected stretch.
Padre Island is a haven for wildlife, most famously as a nesting site for the critically endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle park rangers and volunteers monitor nests each summer, and visitors sometimes get the rare chance to watch hatchlings released into the surf. The island also supports extensive dune systems, grassland habitats, and hundreds of bird species, making it a magnet for birders as well as beachgoers.
Because much of the seashore is only accessible by four-wheel-drive vehicle, Padre Island manages to feel remote despite being within a few hours’ drive of major Texas cities. Camping directly on the beach is permitted in designated areas, giving visitors a genuine wilderness-by-the-sea experience that’s increasingly rare along the heavily developed U.S. coastline.
7. Playa Novillero, Mexico
Along the Pacific coast of Nayarit state sits Playa Novillero, frequently cited as the longest beach in North America at around 90 kilometers (56 miles). The beach fronts calm, gently sloping waters that are well suited to swimming and wading rather than serious surfing, which gives it a relaxed, family-friendly character quite different from Mexico’s more famous surf beaches further south.
Novillero remains relatively low-key by Mexican beach-tourism standards. There are simple seafood restaurants scattered along the shore, but no major resort development, which means visitors should plan to bring their own supplies and any beach equipment they need public amenities are minimal. That lack of infrastructure is also part of its appeal: long, uncrowded walks along golden sand with the option to simply keep going for miles in either direction.
The nearby town of Novillero serves as the main access point, and the beach is popular with Mexican domestic tourists, especially during Semana Santa (Holy Week) and summer holidays, though it remains far less known internationally than Cancún or Puerto Vallarta.
8. Ninety Mile Beach, New Zealand
On the western coast of New Zealand’s Far North District, near the top of the North Island, runs a beach that locals also call Ninety Mile Beach, generally measured at around 88 kilometers (55 miles) despite the name suggesting a much longer distance (a naming quirk shared, confusingly, with its Australian namesakes). It stretches from Ahipara in the south to Scott Point near Cape Maria van Diemen in the north, forming one continuous run of hard-packed sand.
This beach is unusual in that it’s officially classified as a highway State Highway 1 technically routes along it at low tide and it’s a popular route for guided bus tours that combine beach driving with visits to the towering sand dunes at Te Paki, where sandboarding is a major draw for visitors. Fishing is also a big part of local life here, with the beach known for toheroa and tuatua shellfish as well as good surfcasting for kahawai and snapper.
Because tidal conditions and soft sand patches can make independent driving genuinely dangerous, most visitors experience Ninety Mile Beach as part of an organized tour rather than a self-drive trip, especially those combining it with a visit to Cape Reinga at New Zealand’s northern tip.
9. Troia Peninsula Beach, Portugal
Europe’s entry on this list is the beach along the Tróia Peninsula, south of Lisbon across the Sado Estuary, which runs for about 65 kilometers (40 miles) and is generally recognized as the longest uninterrupted sand beach in Europe.
Unlike some of its wilder counterparts elsewhere on this list, Tróia combines long, open sand with a genuine resort scene near its northern tip, including a marina, golf courses, and beachfront apartments while the vast majority of the peninsula further south remains undeveloped dunes and pine forest.
The peninsula is best reached by a short ferry crossing from the historic fishing town of Setúbal, a trip that also offers a good chance of spotting the resident bottlenose dolphin population in the estuary. Once on Tróia, the beach itself is wide and gently shelving, backed by dunes and pine woodland that shelter it from the wind, making it a comfortable spot for swimming as well as long walks.
Because development is concentrated in one small area, visitors willing to walk even a short distance south from the resort zone can find themselves on completely empty sand within minutes a rare combination of convenience and solitude for a European beach this close to a major capital city.
10. Ibeno Beach, Nigeria
Rounding out the list is Ibeno Beach, at the southern end of Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria, generally cited as around 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) long and recognized as the longest beach on the African continent. It runs along Nigeria’s Atlantic coastline near the mouth of the Qua Iboe River, close to major oil and gas infrastructure that has shaped the region’s economy for decades.
Ibeno remains far less developed for tourism than its length might suggest, with limited formal infrastructure compared to entries elsewhere on this list. What draws visitors instead is the sheer openness of the coastline: wide sand, consistent Atlantic surf, and a quieter, more local beach experience than the more commercialized coastal spots found in places like Lagos.
For travelers interested in West African coastal ecosystems, mangrove forests near the Qua Iboe estuary and small fishing communities along the shore offer a glimpse of daily coastal life that’s largely unaffected by mass tourism though visitors should plan ahead, as accommodation and services in the immediate area are limited.
Why Is It So Hard to Rank the World’s Longest Beaches?
If you’ve read travel articles or trivia lists before and seen different beaches claimed as the longest in the world, you’re not imagining things the numbers genuinely vary between sources. There are a few reasons for this:
- The coastline paradox. The more precisely a shoreline is measured, the longer it appears, because sand doesn’t run in straight lines. Zoom in far enough and every beach’s true length increases.
- Where a beach starts and ends is subjective. River mouths, rocky outcrops, harbor walls, and tidal inlets are sometimes counted as breaks and sometimes not, depending on the survey.
- Barrier islands versus continuous coastline. Some of the longest beaches, like Padre Island, are technically part of a barrier island system rather than a single unbroken mainland beach, which complicates direct comparisons.
- National pride and local sources. Many countries promote their own record-holding beach Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh is a good example using figures that may be measured differently than international geographic databases.
None of this means the list above is unreliable; it simply means longest beach in the world is a title best understood as a well-supported estimate rather than a laboratory-precise measurement.
Planning a Visit Practical Tips for Exploring Long Beaches
Visiting a beach that stretches for over a hundred kilometers requires a slightly different mindset than a typical seaside day trip. A few practical tips can make the difference between a memorable visit and a frustrating one:
- Pick a base, not the whole beach. With beaches this long, trying to see it all in one visit is unrealistic. Choose a town or access point Rio Grande for Praia do Cassino, Goolwa for The Coorong, Lakes Entrance for Victoria’s Ninety Mile Beach and explore outward from there.
- Check tide times before driving on sand. Several beaches on this list, including Eighty Mile Beach and New Zealand’s Ninety Mile Beach, are regularly used as informal or even official driving routes at low tide. Soft sand and incoming tides can strand vehicles quickly, so always confirm timing locally before attempting a beach drive.
- Bring your own supplies on remote stretches. Beaches like Playa Novillero, Ibeno Beach, and Eighty Mile Beach have minimal public infrastructure. Water, sun protection, and snacks are essential, since the nearest shop may be a long drive away.
- Respect wildlife zones. Several of these beaches, including Padre Island and Eighty Mile Beach, are active nesting or migratory sites for turtles and shorebirds. Seasonal closures or roped-off nesting areas are common and should always be respected, both for conservation reasons and because disturbing protected species can carry legal penalties.
- Consider a guided tour for tricky terrain. For beaches with strong currents, unpredictable tides, or navigation challenges New Zealand’s Ninety Mile Beach and The Coorong are good examples a local guided tour is often safer and more informative than attempting to explore independently.
- Time your visit around the seasons. Southern Hemisphere beaches such as Praia do Cassino, Eighty Mile Beach, and The Coorong are generally most comfortable in the local summer and shoulder months (roughly November through March), while Northern Hemisphere entries like Cox’s Bazar and Tróia are typically best visited outside the peak of their respective monsoon or winter storm seasons.
What Makes a Beach Long in the First Place?
It’s worth pausing on why these particular stretches of coastline grew so long in the first place, since the geology behind them is genuinely interesting. Many of the beaches on this list Praia do Cassino, Eighty Mile Beach, The Coorong, and Padre Island among them sit along low-relief coastlines where rivers, ocean currents, and prevailing winds have deposited enormous volumes of sand over thousands of years, without significant rocky headlands to interrupt the flow.
This combination of a gently sloping continental shelf, a steady sediment supply, and long-term coastal stability allows sand to accumulate into vast, unbroken systems rather than the small pocket beaches you’d find along a rugged, cliff-lined coast.
Barrier islands like Padre Island form somewhat differently, built up as offshore sand ridges that gradually became separated from the mainland by lagoons and channels. Peninsula beaches such as Tróia and The Coorong, meanwhile, are shaped by the interaction between river deltas and ocean currents.
Which push sediment sideways along the coast to build long, narrow spits over time. In every case, the length we admire today is really the visible result of a very slow, very patient geological process one that continues to reshape these coastlines a little more with every tide.
FAQs
What is the longest beach in the world?
Praia do Cassino in Brazil is most commonly cited as the world’s longest beach, stretching up to 254 kilometers (158 miles) along the South Atlantic coast, though Eighty Mile Beach in Western Australia is a close and sometimes disputed rival depending on how it’s measured.
Which country has the most beaches on this list?
Australia dominates the ranking, with three separate beaches Eighty Mile Beach, The Coorong, and Victoria’s Ninety Mile Beach all placing in the global top four.
Are these beaches safe for swimming?
It varies widely. Some, like Cox’s Bazar and Tróia, have developed areas with lifeguard-patrolled sections that are safe for casual swimmers. Others, including Ninety Mile Beach in Victoria and Eighty Mile Beach in Western Australia, have strong rip currents or remote locations and are generally safer for fishing, walking, and driving than for swimming.
Why do so many longest beach lists disagree with each other?
Because there’s no single global authority that measures every beach in the world using identical methods. Different sources rely on different satellite resolutions, different definitions of where a beach starts and ends, and sometimes national or local pride, which is why you’ll see Praia do Cassino, Eighty Mile Beach, and even Cox’s Bazar each described as “the longest” depending on which article you read.