Destinations To Skip When Booking A European Beach Vacation, According To Research

A party-hard destination, Mykonos is a place for young people looking to get boozed up and sun-bronzed while dipping a toe into the azure Aegean Sea. Yes, its beaches are pretty if you can see the sand through the revelers, but they (and the town) are often overcrowded, overhyped, and noisy, especially during summer (aka high season). Mykonos is a hotspot for cruise ship passengers, adding to the deluge of tourists. Expect music pumping from dance clubs and beach parties until the wee hours of the morning (or even till dawn). If you're hoping for access to facilities like bars, restaurants, and watersports during your beach vacation, you'll find them all here, but they're most prominent on the south coast, which is also the busiest area. 

While you will find good restaurants in town, reviewers have slammed a beachfront restaurant called DK Oyster for its deceptive practices and insane overcharging – we're talking $898 for lunch for two. According to reviewers, the restaurant says using their beach chairs and umbrellas is free as long as you buy a drink, but neglects to tell tourists that those drinks are exorbitantly priced. Tripadvisor has put a warning on its site to conduct further research before visiting this restaurant. Speaking of overpriced, reviewers bemoan the high cost of vacationing in Mykonos. One Reddit user said, "You picked the wrong island...it's 10 x any other island in price."

In 2023, 49 people were murdered in drug-related incidents in Marseille, as reported by Euronews. This Southern French city has suffered from a lengthy and serious issue with drug trafficking spanning decades. Recently, violence between rival gangs has ramped up, with more murders in 2023 than in previous years, and many of those involved are just teenagers. In other words, Marseille is not the safest place to visit in France or any other European country, for that matter. It's been deemed one of the "most dangerous" cities on the continent. 

Yes, this French city boasts pretty beaches, some of which are entwined with the French Riviera, but the region has many problems, which is not something you should look for when planning a beach holiday. While you'll hopefully never witness a gang-related incident, pickpocketers are also an annoyance you'll likely encounter on a visit to Marseille, especially in busy places like the city center. TravelSafe explains that they often work in groups, with one person sent to distract tourists while the other nabs their bag or wallet. Scammers are also ready to steal your information from ATMs positioned in crowded locales.

Nerja lies 35 miles east of Malaga, on Spain's southern coast. Part of the Costa del Sol, this Spanish spot is home to 12 beaches that span close to 10 miles of shoreline. Sounds divine, right? It is if you can overlook the pollution. In 2022, Nerja was presented with a black flag by the Ecologistas en Acción for pollution and poor management. While it boasts many gorgeous sandy spots, this coastal region is often crammed with tourists, resulting in a form of pollution that hasn't been measured by this group before now – sunscreen. 

According to the ecologists who created the rankings, the chemicals contained in sunscreen (endocrine disruptors) can have negative effects on both humans and the surrounding ecosystem. Combined with sheltered coves in Maro-Cerro Gordo Cliffs Natural Park, sunscreen pollution has become a big problem. The beaches here are partially enclosed, which means the water doesn't have enough opportunity to move around, leaving the chemicals to sit. Nerja's two flags join 46 others given to Spanish beaches in the same year. 

According to travelers who've visited its sandy shore, Bulgaria's Sunny Beach doesn't earn its perky moniker. One Tripadvisor reviewer claimed this was "the worst place [I] have ever been on holidays." Another titled their critique, "Don't go there." Their reasons had much to do with feeling unsafe due to muggings. The U.K. government warns its citizens about pickpockets and thieves who target tourists in this area. Poor attractions, inflated prices for food and beverages, and a garbage-strewn beach are other reasons to skip this less-than-stellar beach town.

Speaking of the gross beach, travelers claim the sand is so packed with chairs that there's little space for a towel. They also mentioned that the water was green with algae. Party Hard Travel claims Sunny Beach is the "number 1 destination for clubbers from the U.K." That pretty much tells you all you need to know about the party scene — it's loud and vast, with enough bars and clubs to keep boozed-up revelers dancing for hours. If you're looking for a quiet vacay, head elsewhere.

If it's a sun-soaked strand you're looking for, you should probably avoid most U.K. beaches. All of 2023 only saw about 1,435 hours of sunshine, per Statistica, which means you're more likely to experience a shower or an all-out downpour while lounging on an English beach. No wonder so many Brits head to sunnier destinations like Spain and Greece for their holidays. If you add pollution into the mix, you'll want to nix Devon's beaches from your must-visit list. 

Data collected by East Devon Watch revealed that four of the five worst English beaches for pollution are found on this region's southwestern shore. A popular holiday destination for Brits who don't want to travel overseas, there are several beaches you'll want to skip. Instow (which lies in the north) is unswimmable due to water quality that is so low it's not expected to improve anytime soon. You won't want to wade in the water at Wildersmouth Beach, either. It received 42 pollution-based warnings in 2017. As reported in East Devon Watch, Meadfood Beach suffered 79 sewage spills in 2022, Blackpool Sands Beach saw 63 spills, and Sidmouth Town Beach had 59 sewage spills within its borders. Yuck!

There's a lot to love about the Algarve region in Portugal. A southern beauty lined by beaches protected by towering cliffs, this is one of the country's most captivating and popular places to enjoy a holiday. Well, most of it is. Portimão, the Algarve's largest western city, is one spot to skip when booking a European beach vacation. A former industrial center that was once a historic shipbuilding hub, this city has been described as "shabby." A survey conducted by Which? gave the area two stars for attractiveness and three stars for "tranquility."

Portimão's main beaches lie close by (about a seven-minute drive). Praia da Rocha and Praia do Tres Castelos feature golden sand and striking cliff backdrops. The latter beach boasts secret caves, while Praia da Rocha has an array of watersports. Sounds nice, right? Not really, say multiple reviewers on Tripadvisor. When writing comments about visiting Praia da Rocha, many noted that they were hassled by drug dealers. One reviewer wrote, "Very uncomfortable and disturbing. Brings the area down massively."

While located on the coveted Costa del Sol in southern Spain, Benalmádena is one of its least beautiful places for those searching for a peaceful, relaxing beach vacation. According to a survey conducted by Which?, the beach in this seaside town earned a mere two stars for its attractiveness. To give you an idea of what this means, one Tripadvisor reviewer mentioned the "awful coarse sand" and said that "anything natural has been concreted over." Others bemoaned the prevalence of pickpockets in busy places. Tourists should be wary when they're near a bustling bus stop or market, for instance.

While deemed a fun place to visit for families due to the area's many tourist attractions like Sea Life Benalmádena, Selwo Marina Delfinarium, and an amusement park, this Spanish town also has a nudist beach, aptly named Benalnátura, where tourists can shed well, everything. Speaking of town, this is where you'll find the 24-hour main square, known as a "party plaza." It has many bars and clubs that are open until the wee hours. 

No one wants to travel to Europe to be stuck on a dirty, unsafe, or overcrowded beach. That's why we dedicated so much time and effort to finding the worst places to visit when you're on a beach vacation in Europe. Since we haven't been to all these beach locales ourselves (which seems like a blessing considering our findings), we spent hours reading through travelers' reviews before turning to the experts to examine the results of environmental reports and surveys conducted on European beach destinations. 

While researching, we also considered the area's accommodation ratings, nearby tourist attractions, and the accessibility of restaurants. Then, we dug through official crime and safety statistics. If a destination was deemed dangerous, it made our list. If the beach was leached into by excrement, it ended up here. So did destinations that were polluted (by noise or garbage), crowded, and overpriced.