The World’s 8 Most Unique Beaches (2 of 3)

4. Reynisfjara Beach, Iceland

People used to assume Iceland was boring and, well, icy. But thanks to all those Instagram posts, everybody wants to travel to the Land of Bjork in order to take in all the natural beauty. Perhaps the most famous of their beaches is Reynisfjara, with its exquisite black basalt columns. According to legend, these columns were trolls that had turned to stone when the sun came up, because apparently the sun rising in Iceland is completely out of the ordinary? Unlike most beaches where you’d want to visit during the dog days of summer, this is best visited during the winter when you can see the Northern Lights at night. Just make sure you keep the waves within your eyesight, so they don’t knock you down!

5. Giant’s Causeway Beach, Ireland

Take it from me, if you visit Northern Ireland, you’re in for some pretty dreary times if you limit yourself to the capital of Belfast. You need to get up to Northern Ireland and check out the Giant’s Causeway, consisting of 40,000 hexagon black basalt poles that resemble a jigsaw puzzle. How was all this formed? If you’re a believer in science, the explanation is volcano eruptions that took place tens of millions of years ago. But if you would prefer a more intriguing story, it has to do with a pair of giants that walked across the stones, creating cracks in the process.

6. Benagil Sea Cave Beach, Portugal

Every year Portugal sees around 27 million tourists, which is nearly 3 times the population of the country. For the majority, they dream of taking a dip in the waters of western Algarve. But the real jewel is in the sea cave of Benagil. The downside is that it can be difficult to get there. Trains, planes and automobiles won’t work; your only option is to rent a fishing boat or kayak. But on the other hand, this means you won’t have to deal with huge crowds. The best time to come is in the early morning to beat the rush and witness the glistening sun.