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Science Says This Little-Known Beach Has the World’s Bluest Waters

Albania
by Alex Bresler Mar 27, 2024

Comparing side-by-side images of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, most people would be hard-pressed to say whose water is bluer. The folks at holiday-rental agency CV Villas made that question a matter of science, not opinion.

The agency set out to determine which beaches around the world have the bluest waters. Its team sourced unedited images of 200 global beaches from Google Maps, generated digital color codes for each one, and cross-referenced those color codes against YInMn Blue, a shade discovered at Oregon State University in 2016 that’s touted as the bluest blue of all.

The results revealed an overwhelming trend: Of the top 30 beaches with waters closest in shade to YInMN Blue, 26 are located in Europe.

Albania’s Pasqyra Beach, located on the Ionian Sea, took the number one spot. Greece has the most beaches in the top 30 with seven entries — five of which ranked in the top 10 — including the second bluest waters at Paralia Mpouka beach in the Peloponnese region and third bluest waters at Kassiopi beach on the island of Corfu.

French and Portuguese beaches also made the top 10 list while Türkiye represented the only non-European destination with a top 10 ranking, securing the number five spot with Kaputas Beach in Antalya.

Only one US beach made the list of the top 30 beaches with the bluest waters: Oregon’s Cannon Beach, which ranks 15th. Bora Bora’s Matira Beach and Argentina’s Playa El Doradillo round out the non-European destinations in the top 30 bluest beaches at 28th and last place, respectively.

There’s more to consider when planning a beach vacation than the blueness of the water. But it’s worth daydreaming about. And if true blue waters are what you’re after, you might as well start packing your bags for Europe now.

The top 10 beaches around the world with the bluest waters

  1. Pasqyra Beach, Albania
  2. Paralia Mpouka, Greece
  3. Kassiopi, Greece
  4. Plage de la Vernette, France
  5. Kaputas Beach, Türkiye
  6. Voulisma Beach, Greece
  7. Foki Beach, Greece
  8. Praia do Carvalho, Portugal
  9. Omprogialos, Greece
  10. Los Lances Beach, Spain

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