Our top 10 beach cities

No.10 Venice, Italy

Body of water the city borders: Adriatic Sea
Population: Around 271,251
Average temperature in the winter: 40°F
Average temperature in the summer: 73°F

Built on water, Venice was destined to rank as one of our top 10 beach cities. Its beaches are often overlooked, however, given the meandering canals, gondola rides and stunning architecture that take up most of visitors’ precious time. When they get past those attractions, they’ll find that the romantic Italian city is actually home to some of the most hush-hush beaches in Europe, where nature and history collide.

Best beach

Venice Lido is one of the world’s best-kept secrets, and is only 10 minutes away from the throngs of tourists that congregate around St. Mark’s Square. An 11-mile island that stretches between the open sea and a lagoon, the sands of Venice Lido play host to some of the most stylish Italians off the catwalk. Excelsior and Des Bains are Lido’s best private beaches (belonging to hotels), but there are two public beaches to be found on either end of the white sandbar if you’re too cheap to check in.