The island of Elba is a beach paradise, Mediterranean at its best with a hint of the Caribbean thanks to its crystal clear waters – as long as you don’t come in July or August. Elba in high season is obviously still beautiful, but the time spent enjoying the beach will be amazingly short. Most of the day, you will be looking for parking, a free parasol or an unoccupied square meter of sand to lay down your towel before you join the queue for ice cream.
Elba may be the biggest of the seven islands in the Tuscan archipelago and, after Sicily and Sardinia, already the third largest island of Italy, but it’s still… small. In any case too small to absorb the huge amount of tourists scouting for the best beach on Elba from mid June to the first week of September (Italian school holiday time).
Hence, the most important advice in regard to beach hunting in Elba is timing. Napoleon’s island is paradise on Earth from the second week of September to the second week of June and hell in between (unless you own a private beach or a mighty yacht). However, once you get the dates right, Elba will roll out one picture-perfect beach after the other. So, let’s nail them down.
11 Best Beaches in Elba
The paper map you can get at any tourist office in Elba indicates something like 76 beaches, which can be reached without a boat. Most of the big ones are close to a road, and some of the small ones ask for a bit of a walk. Whether pebble, rock or sand, they come in all shapes and sizes, and most of them wouldn’t quite count as a beach in Queensland or California. But the charm of Elba’s cale or coves lies exactly in their small dimensions.
Biodola and Scaglieri
The two beaches sharing one bay on the island’s north coast are often named Elba’s most beautiful. Clear waters for snorkeling and the finest sands, plus the lovely Mediterranean ambiance in the tiny villages around them. Order a glass of white wine in the bar on Scaglieri beach, lean back and enjoy one of Tuscany’s best sunsets whilst the rocky silhouettes of the isles of Capraia and Corsica appear on the horizon.
Capo Bianco and Sansone
The famous white beaches of Elba are perfect if you are staying in Portoferraio. Capo Bianco and Sansone’s white gravel and the steep cliffs at the back of the narrow beaches make for a beautiful sight. You can walk to Capo Bianco from Napoleon’s former headquarter, but there is also a designated parking area (on payment) if it is too hot for a stroll. For Sansone Beach, drive on further and leave your car on the roadside near restaurant Tre Colonne. A lovely walk will take you to the beach (walk via Spiaggia Sorgente). Remember to bring water as there is no bar on this beach.
Cavoli, Seccheto and Fetovaia
The beaches of these three small bays on the southwestern coast of Elba are tiny but lovely, with the finest sand and a bit of rock on the side for climbers and clear water for snorkelers. All of them are quite protected and are a good option when northern winds make swimming or sunbathing a little more chilly on the opposite coast of Elba.
Sant’Andrea, Chiessi and Patresi
Capo Sant’Andrea is Elba’s boulder beach. The perfect holiday location if you are fussy about sand and prefer beautiful rocks to lie on or jump off from. The bays of Chiessi and Patresi don’t have a single grain of sand. This allows them to stay off the beaten path since the main tourist assault happens mainly around Elba’s sandy beaches (but don’t think you will be on your own here in August). The atmosphere is laid-back, and Corsica seems a stone’s throw from the western coast of Elba.
Cala Seregola
This sandy beach on Elba’s south-eastern shore still has some leftover constructions from the island’s industrial past. The soil and sand around Cala Seregola contain iron, hence their reddish color. The beach makes for a great sight and a stopover for a refreshing bath if you explore Rio Marina and this less touristy corner of Elba.
How to avoid Crowds in Elba?
The only way to ditch the crowd in high season is a boat. Renting one and enjoying Elba’s bays, which aren’t accessible from a road, is definitely one of the best options once the island gets packed in summer. However, remember that if you plan to sail around Elba in July or August, jetties for sailing boats get booked out, too, and rubber dinghies have to be reserved a day in advance.
Don’t care about romantic coves and rock climbs? Just need a bit of shade for your children and a cold beer for their stressed-out parents? Procchio, Lacona and Marina di Campo offer deckchair, pedalo and parasol rental on the longest (and busiest) sandy beaches on the isle of Elba.
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