If you had to guess which country was home to the most Instagrammed beach, which one would you pick? Greece, Italy, Spain, and France often rank high for their photogenic stretches. Some of the most popular include Navagio, better known as Shipwreck Beach on Zakynthos, La Pelosa in Sardinia, La Concha in San Sebastian, and Étretat Beach in Normandy.
But a recent study by Europe Private Tours, which analyzed Instagram hashtag data, found that Oludeniz in Turkey is No. 1, with nearly a million hashtags, placing it far ahead of any other in its ranking.
Why Oludeniz Is So Appealing & When to Go
Located on the Turquoise Coast, which is just as breathtaking as the name suggests, Oludeniz boasts a stunning lagoon with brilliant blue-green water and a dramatic mountain backdrop. Calm, warm, and shallow, it’s perfect for swimming and popular for scuba diving and paragliding.
The primary tourist season is May through October, with July and August the busiest and hottest period, with temperatures regularly exceeding 95°F. For those who don’t relish scorching temperatures and crowds, visit during one of the “sweet spots,” May through June or mid-September through October. Temperatures will be more pleasant, ranging from about 70°F to 85°F. Early fall brings some of the most comfortable water for swimming, hovering around the upper 70s to low 80s.
Europe’s Other Hottest Spots for Instagrammers
Of course, Oludeniz isn’t the only beach to consider if you’re looking to fill your Instagram feed. Some of the usual suspects made the ranking, including iconic Shipwreck Beach, which landed at No. 2 with 299,000 hashtags. It’s become a symbol for the Greek island of Zakynthos in the lush Ionian Islands. Often featured in tourism ads, a rusted shipwreck lies on its chalk-white sands, framed by towering cliffs and lapped by electric blue waters.
Cyprus took the third and fourth spots with tranquil Golden Beach and Nissi Beach. At No. 5 was Italy’s Scala Dei Turchi, renowned for its white limestone cliffs, nestled along the coast of Realmonte in southern Sicily.
Rounding out the top 10, the sixth most Instagrammable beach was Sveti Stefan in Montenegro, a small island renowned for its sandy beaches with pink hues. Its striking beauty has attracted Hollywood stars and royals, including Queen Elizabeth II. One of Europe’s most talked-about beach destinations in recent years, Ksamil in Albania was No. 7. With so many beautiful beaches, it’s not surprising that Sicily has yet another highly Instagrammable beach: San Vito Lo Cap which came in at No. 8. Portugal’s Costa Nova, just south of Porto, followed at No. 9. Finally, it was the spectacular crescent-shaped urban beach of La Concha in the foodie city of San Sebastian, Spain that landed at No. 10.
