The Best Toddler-Friendly Beaches in Europe for Stress-Free Family Travel
Planning a European beach vacation with little ones? Finding the perfect beach for babies and toddlers isn’t always easy—many European beaches are covered in pebbles, have big waves, or even steep drop-offs. Some are full of sea urchins (ask me how I know! 😱).
After traveling across Europe with our kids, we’ve discovered the best sandy, shallow, and truly family-friendly beaches that make traveling with young children easier and more enjoyable. Whether you’re looking for a relaxing spot with calm waters or a beach town packed with kid-friendly activities, this list has you covered.
Here are some bite-sized mini guides to each of our favorite European beach destinations with kids!
1. Antibes, France
Why It’s Great for Toddlers:
• Soft Sandy Beaches: Many beaches in the French Riviera are pebbly, but Antibes and nearby Juan-les-Pins boasts soft, sandy shores perfect for little feet.
• Family-Friendly Dining: The area has tons of restaurants offering kid-friendly menus, making mealtime stress-free.
The Best Beaches:
• Plage de la Gravette. Nearby Juan-les-Pins has both sandy public beaches (Plage Antibes) and restaurants/beach clubs that you can rent loungers and umbrellas at, while enjoying beach service for food and drinks, giving families multiple options. Finally, between the two, you'll find Plage de la Salis & Ponteil, two more sandy beaches with washrooms and restaurants nearby.
Other Things to Do & See:
• Jardin de la Pinède: This park offers toddler-friendly rides and a playground, plus lots of shade. It's a great way to break up the beach day before or after lunch.
• Le Petite Train: A charming tourist train runs between Antibes and Juan-les-Pins, making exploration easy and enjoyable without long walks.
Where to Stay:
2. Buggiba, Malta
Why It’s Great for Toddlers:
• Malta itself it about a THIRD of the size of the city of Calgary, making it really compact and fairly easy to get around. You can rent a car, take the local bus, Uber/Bolt, or even the hop-on-hop-off buses that cover almost the entire island (although these are a bit inconsistent and unreliable, NOT the most ideal with kids in tow!). There are plenty of playgrounds and fun things to do with toddlers and young kids.
The Best Beaches:
• Għadira Bay: Features shallow, white sand beaches—ideal for wading and playing - and clear water. There are some cafes right on the beach, and loungers and umbrellas for rent.
• Golden Bay - We did love this, and it's on the hop-on-hop-off route, although the water is a little rougher here and it gets really crowded in the summer.
Other Things to See & Do:
• The town of Buggiba houses an aquarium and an impressive playground, and you can walk along the promenade from the town to the aquarium. Along the way you'll find an adorable cafe called Promenade where you can have some local treats and a drink in the trees. Our kids loved it!
• Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus: Malta’s compact size and island-wide hop-on-hop-off buses make navigation effortless without long drives, although traffic can be brutal at times. There are two main routes on the island, but be warned - they can be long and a bit unreliable. If you're going to do this, definitely make it a day outing and plan to stop along the way. Some stops we really enjoyed (but you can drive or Uber to, as well):
- Hagar Qim Temple
- Marsaxlokk (traditional fishing village)
- Mdina/Rabat - Mostly pedestrian-only streets, perfect for strollers. You get an amazing view of the island, can take a tourist fun train and learn about the area, walk in the gardens and hedge maze below the walls, and play at the playground outside the town walls!
- Valletta - The historical hub of Malta, you'll find plenty of restaurants here.
• Playmobil Malta - While not on the bus route, this is a fun activity for younger kids, similar to a Legoland!
• Malta Fun Trains - We did these in both Mdina/Rabat and Valletta and enjoyed them both. You cover a lot of ground with both of them, far more than you would on foot (especially in Mdina/Rabat). Kids under 12 are 5 euros, and adults are 7 euros. Each lasts about 30 minutes and we found them to be quite informative and worth the money!
Where to Stay
- Sunseeker Holiday Complex
- Barcelo Fortina Malta (in Sliema, which is conveniently on the bus routes and boat ride)
3. Saint-Malo, France
Why It’s Great for Toddlers:
• Easy Access: A short and convenient train ride from Paris so you don't even need a car! It's also easily accessible from other cities like Nantes and Rennes.
• Historic Charm: The old town is a walled fortress with cobblestone streets which our kids loved. You can walk up along the walls around almost the entire centre, and wander the streets inside which are lined with cafes and restaurants. The entire centre is surrounded by beach or rocks for climbing..
The Best Beaches:
• Plage du Sillon: The main beach offers a 2 km stretch of golden sand, backed by charming, colorful homes.
• Plage de Bon-Secours This beach sits just outside the walled city. Here you'll find a really cool "ocean pool" - it's not really kid-friendly, but it's fun to watch!
• Tidal Exploration: At low tide, you can walk out to Grand Be island. This area is home to some of the highest tides in the world, so at low tide you can wander out REALLY far. It's important to be aware of the tide times, though, because high tide can trap you out on Grand Be or sneak up on you if you go too far out.
Other Things to See & Do:
• Nearby Attractions: The breathtaking island of Mont Saint Michel is just a short trip away. You can walk from the mainland out to the island along a sidewalk/boardwalk (highly recommend - it's beautiful!) or take a bus. The island itself is hilly and touristy, but it truly is beautiful.
• Try Local Delicacies: Our kids (okay, us too) LOVED trying local treats like galettes, crêpes, croissants, and kouign-amann pastries.
• In the summer, there is a carousel and ferris wheel outside the old city walls.
• Take a 1.5 hour boat tour and learn about Saint-Malo's history while seeing the beautiful city from the water!
Where to Stay
4. Sardinia, Italy
Sardinia, next to Portugal, is our absolute favorite family-friendly beach destination in Europe. You can find an entire blog post dedicated to our trip to Sardinia here.
Why It’s Great for Toddlers:
• Pristine Beaches: Sardinia is renowned for its Caribbean-like white sand beaches and turquoise waters. We did a lot of research before deciding on Sardinia with our toddlers, and we spent 10 days exploring the island. In our opinion, the northeast coast had the best beaches for toddlers as the waters are calmer than the west side.
The Best Beaches
Our favorite beaches in Sardinia for toddlers were:
- Budoni/Capannizza
- La Cinta
- Porto Taverna - Park HERE so you can walk along a boardwalk with amazing views of Tavolara Island, a really fun activity for toddlers
• Budoni Beach: A 4 km stretch of soft sand, perfect for playing and running. We loved this beach, and stayed at an AirBnB just a three minute walk to the beach! The beach is surrounded by a pine forest, with the Pineta Sant'Anna forming the southern edge. You cross a little bridge and enter the forest, which is open and soft and we had the best little hike with a toddler. You'll find the restaurant Shardana with a beautiful patio, and the best little hidden playground. It's a great way to spend an hour or two!
Other Things to See & Do:
• Road Trip: We rented a car from Olibia airport and found driving in Sardinia relatively easy. There are so many beaches and things to explore, you can't possibly see them all. Visit the west side of the island and explore the charming town of Bosa, where you can take yet another tiny tourist train and climb up to the castle.
• Stay in an Agriturismo: Sardinia is FULL of farm stays where kids can interact with animals, try local cuisine (they often have set dinner menus right on the farm), and some even have playgrounds and pools!
• Take a Boat Trip: We had a 10 month old with us at the time, so we didn't take a boat tour, but I often recommend boat tours of the Maddalena Archipelago (or this tour) or Baunei Coast - both are stunning - but not great tours with babies just an FYI.
Where to Stay
5. Algarve, Portugal
Why It’s Great for Toddlers:
• Sun-Kissed Shores: The Algarve is home to soft golden sand beaches and nearly year-round sunshine (although, as I write this from our temporary home in the Algarve, it's been raining for almost 2 weeks!). Portugese hospitality is second-to-none, and you can skip lines everywhere if you're pregnant or have kids under 2 with you!
The Best Beaches:
• Praia Grande (Ferragudo): Located at the mouth of the Arade River, behind a breakwater, creating calm, clear waters ideal for toddlers. A small playground and boardwalk provide extra entertainment, and there’s even a nearby castle (although it's private and you can't visit inside). Restaurants like Escondinho (for a coffee or toastie) and Club Nau (for sushi and cocktails) are situated right on the sand—allowing kids to play while parents enjoy a drink. During summer season, you can even take a water taxi from here to Praia da Rocha across the river (and in the winter you can take it from the town of Ferragudo except in January when they take holidays).
• Tres Irmaos & Praia Prainha (Alvor): Located at the end of Alvor Beach (which is also really nice, especially the closer you get to Tres Irmaos, plus it has an amazing boardwalk!), you can either park HERE or walk along the beach or boardwalk from Alvor. The Prainha access is limited to lower tides, so be sure you check the tide tables before entering. It's also challenging and requires a bit of rock climbing to get down between the beaches, so don't bring a stroller and be prepared for a bit of lifting!
You'll find the restaurant Canico built into the cliffs at Prainha Beach. While we don't love the food, they have a great sangria and gelato!
Other Things to See & Do:
• Silves: We LOVE this adorable town. You can spend half a day here exploring. Park HERE for free and enjoy the castle-themed playground, cafe, smooth river path, and climbable letters that spell "SILVES" (they actually have climbing grips on them for kids!). From there, make your way up to the Silves Castle where you can walk along the walls and explore inside. Kids under 3 are free, adults are 2.80 euros, and children & seniors are 1.40 euros. Once you're done exploring, head downhill and grab a fun sandwich at Cafe da Se (they are BIG) which come sliced on a board with Portugese flags in them, or head through the old city gate to the town square and grab a treat and coffee at Cafe DaRosa.
• Water Parks: There are multiple in the Algarve, but only AquaShow Indoor is open in the winter months.
- Slide & Splash - If you're staying in Alvor, Ferragudo, or Lagos, this is the closest park.
- AquaShow - If you're staying in the eastern Algarve, this will likely be closest.
• Carvoeiro: This has an almost 1km boardwalk with hidden caves at Algar Seco you can explore (even with toddlers, although you'll definitely need to hold hands! From the town itself, you can take a zodiac boat tour to the Benagil caves and along the gorgeous coast (even with babies!), enjoy the beach, and even play at the brand new playground (it's not on Google Maps yet, but you'll find it HERE at the end of the boardwalk).
Where to Stay
- One2Seven, Ferragudo
- Vitor's Village, Ferragudo
- Prainha Village, Alvor
Final Thoughts
Traveling with toddlers doesn’t mean sacrificing beautiful destinations—it just requires a bit of planning! These European beaches offer calm waters, sandy shores, and plenty of nearby activities to keep your little ones happy.
If you need help planning your European family vacation with toddlers, I'm also a travel agent! Feel free to reach out at bbritten@travelonly.com
- Brittany