Stretching across northern Europe from Denmark to Lithuania, the Baltic Sea region has long midsummer days, crisp sea breezes, and lesser-known swimmable waters. You won’t find party scenes or luxury mega-resorts here. Instead, it’s all about slow mornings in sun-bleached cafés, afternoons biking along the dunes, and locals diving headfirst into the sea after a sauna session.
From Danish design hubs to hidden islands in Estonia, these seven Baltic beach destinations showcase the best of the region.
Danish Riviera
The Danish Riviera is one of Afar’s recommended places to go in 2025.
Photo by Andreas Mikkel/knud (L); courtesy of Ann Jørgensen / Visit North Zealand (R)
- Best for: easy beach days near Copenhagen with a side of Scandi-cool
- Location: North Zealand, Denmark
An hour north of Copenhagen, the Danish Riviera offers a seamless blend of coastal nature and Nordic design. Hornbæk is a popular favorite, boasting white sand, calm water, and stylish seaside cafés. Tisvildeleje has a relaxed, bohemian vibe and is known for its colorful beach huts and artistic spirit. Gilleleje, one of the oldest fishing towns in the area, still feels delightfully unpolished. Stay at the historic Helenekilde Badehotel in Tisvildeleje, located on the beach; it feels like a country home with outdoor dining tables.
Jurmala
A short train ride from Latvia’s capital, Jurmala feels like a throwback to another era.
Photo by Tanya Keisha/Shutterstock
- Best for: art nouveau charm and Baltic spa culture
- Location: Near Riga, Latvia
Grand wooden villas with ornate facades peek out from the trees, remnants of Jurmala’s 19th-century heyday as a spa town. Its beach stretches for more than 20 miles along the Gulf of Riga, backed by pine forest and dotted with seaside cafés. The water is shallow and warmer than you’d expect for this part of the world. For a local experience, book a treatment at one of Jurmala’s historic sanatoriums.
Curonian Spit
The narrow Curonian Spit is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Photo by photopixel/Shutterstock
- Best for: raw natural beauty and soft, golden dunes
- Location: Lithuania
Dividing the Baltic Sea from the Curonian Lagoon, this 60-mile peninsula is a place of shifting dunes, sleepy fishing villages, and forest trails where wild boar sometimes wander. The beach at Nida, a former artists’ colony, is the most popular stretch—its powdery sand and gentle waves attract both Lithuanians and in-the-know Europeans from further afield. While there’s little resort infrastructure, that’s part of the charm. You come here for the solitude, the sunsets, and the feeling of being far from everything.
Pärnu
Pärnu is often called Estonia’s “summer capital”.
Photo by Aleksei Zhludov/Shutterstock
- Best for: laid-back vibes and family-friendly fun
- Location: Pärnu, Estonia
Pärnu combines wide, shallow beaches with a cheerful town center full of boutiques and ice cream stands. The beach itself is a long curve of pale sand that stays shallow for quite a distance—ideal for wading and water games. Estonians come here to soak up the brief but brilliant summer season, and the town’s rhythm is set to a leisurely pace: morning sauna, mid-day swim, afternoon aperitif. For a chic stay, Hedon Spa & Hotel is right on the beach in a former 1920s mud bath house.
Hanko
Finnish and Swedish are official languages in Hanko.
Photo by shushonok/Shutterstock
- Best for: small-town charm and island-hopping
- Location: southern Finland
Hanko is Finland’s southernmost point. Nearly 30 beaches line its coastline, many of them dotted with smooth granite boulders and wind-swept trees. The city has a yacht-harbor feel with clapboard houses, a grand old casino building, and a weekly market where you can pick up local berries and smoked fish. While the Baltic water is bracing, saunas abound, and many beachgoers alternate dips with warming sessions in a seaside cabin. From Hanko, ferries run to tiny nearby islands where you can swim off the rocks or picnic among the pines.
Skanör-Falsterbo
Skanör and Falsterbo merged in the 1960s.
Photo by Caroline Ericson/Shutterstock
- Best for: gentle, family-friendly swimming and pretty beach huts
- Location: Skåne, southern Sweden
On Sweden’s southern tip, the twin towns of Skanör and Falsterbo offer miles of soft white sand, shallow turquoise water, and grassy dunes dotted with pastel-colored beach huts. The area is especially popular with families, thanks to the calm shallows and easy bike access between the beaches.
Bird-watchers also flock here: Falsterbo is one of Europe’s top migration spots, and many species, such as raptors, appear in large numbers in late summer and early fall.
Ruhnu Island
Ruhnu Island feels peacefully empty.
Photo by Miks Mihails Ignats/Shutterstock (L); Regina M art/Shutterstock (R)
- Best for: true solitude and nature lovers
- Location: Gulf of Riga, Estonia
Ruhnu is a remote island in the Baltic Sea. It’s reachable only by ferry or small plane and home to fewer than 100 permanent residents. The beaches are long, with white sand and grassy dunes that gradually give way to thick forest. There’s one small village with a general store and a historic wooden church, but otherwise, it’s just you, the sea, and the sky. This is a great place to disconnect for a few days—Liise Farm is one of the top farm and guesthouse accommodations on the island.
