Summer holidays are on the horizon, but with overtourism and extreme heatwaves causing concern in Southern Europe, many UK travellers are looking to escape the hot spots in favour of cooler and less crowded places.

According to eDreams Odigeo, parent company of online travel brands Opodo and eDreams, interest in destinations with temperate summer climates is on the rise. UK users’ searches for trips to Sweden in July and August were up by 27 per cent year on year in the first five months of 2025. Norway, Finland and Denmark all had increases of between 11 and 16 per cent. Intrepid Travel, meanwhile, has reported a rise of 22 per cent in bookings for Iceland and 41 per cent for Estonia this summer.

Despite this interest, there are still plenty of beaches on which to enjoy milder weather away from the hordes – as long as you’re happy to put in the miles.

Gateway to the Danish wilderness – Vorupør, Denmark 

In north-west Jutland, at the heart of Thy National Park, Denmark’s most extensive wilderness, Vorupør is a beach town unsullied by development. Traditional fishing boats, or “cutters”, are still hauled ashore by winch, adding a dash of nautical heritage to the charming village’s strip of pale sand. The beach is one of few in Denmark to have a tidal swimming pool with a wheelchair ramp and is part of the surf-centric “Cold Hawaii” coast.

Vorupør might be lively by the standards of lonesome Thy region, but it is blissfully quiet compared with most Mediterranean beach resorts. And don’t miss the national park’s ethereal landscape of heath-topped dunes, stretching about 34 miles beyond the village.

From Copenhagen, travel by rail to Sjørring and onward by bus to Vorupør, or drive the 256 miles from the capital or 110 miles from Billund airport.
Boutique hotel Vø Drop Inn, one of the closest accommodation options to the beach, has doubles from £96, including breakfast, vodropinn.dk.

Edge of the archipelago – Naantali, Finland 

With its historic centre of 300-year-old wooden houses, Naantali is an engaging introduction to the Archipelago Sea, a tract of the Baltic peppered by the world’s largest archipelago. One of Finland’s oldest towns and original holiday resorts, Naantali has been nicknamed the “Sunshine Town of Finland”, thanks to the area’s comparatively clement weather (by Finnish standards) – summer might bring highs of around 20°C.

Take a boat trip out to some of the 50,000 or so islands or visit Moominworld, a theme park dedicated to Tove Jansson’s beloved characters. And – of course – hit the beach.

Several enticing options lie close to town, including popular Nunnalahti, a gently-shelving strip of sand near the bridge to Moominworld. Another less-crowded possibility is Kailon uimaranta (Kailo Beach), a tree-backed slice of sand on Kailo, the island hosting Moominworld, but outside the Moominworld paid attraction.

From Helsinki, it’s either a 115-mile drive or take the train to Turku and then a bus to Naantali. Nunnalahti and Kailon uimapaikka beaches are accessed from Nunnakatu, around a mile north-west of central Naantali.

Doubles at Naantali Spa Hotel, on a headland with a sandy beach, start at £154, naantalispa.fi. 

Unesco-listed dunes – Curonian Spit, Lithuania

There was a time when the quickly shifting dunes of the Curonian Spit would routinely bury its settlements, but in the 19th century, savvy locals planted pine forests, stabilising the ground and further enhancing the region’s beauty. This 61-mile, beach-rimmed band of land, shared between Lithuania and Russia, is today Unesco-protected and still hosts the world’s highest moving dunes.

The place to base yourself is undoubtedly the smart, artsy Lithuanian resort town of Nida. Its Blue Flag beach, part of which is naturist, is often described as the best stretch of sand in the Baltics.

Nida was a base for many turn-of-the 20th-century Expressionist painters and writers, including Thomas Mann, but it is also defined by the colourful pennants that decorate many buildings. Plus, it hosts several festivals showcasing music, literature and cinema – including a celebration of jazz and a Thomas Mann Festival, both held in July.

Nida is the start of the Baltic Coastal Hiking Route, which also passes through Peraküla (see below). 

From Lithuania’s second city Kaunas, it’s a 166-mile drive to Nida, or take the train to Klaipeda and bus from there. The best strip of beach is a mile and a quarter north-west of central Nida. 

Prie Mariu is a small half-timbered hotel with its own beach on the lagoon. Doubles from £59, priemariunida.lt.

Scandinavia’s best beach bar – Stokkøya, Norway

It’s a long and winding road out to the island of Stokkøya – even from the nearest city, Trondheim, 150 miles to the south. But beach lovers who make it will not be disappointed. Hosnasand has perhaps the finest beach bar in all the Nordics, near its northern end.

Hosnasand itself, a tawny sandy bay on Stokkøya’s west shore, shelves gently into waters backed by high green hills. Restaurant Strandbaren’s floor-to-ceiling glass and stepped terrace up from the beach mean you can enjoy a meal of local fish with sensational sea views.

From Trondheim, it’s just over three hours’ drive to Stokkøya (connected by bridge). Stokkøya Strandhotell in Hosnasand is an eco-chic option with beach-view hotel rooms, tents and motorhome pitches. Double rooms from NOK 1,950 (£145) B&B, stokkoy.no.

Royal retreat – Öland, Sweden

This narrow, gangly, bridge-connected island off Sweden’s south-east coast is a legendary holiday destination for Swedes, but receives few foreign visitors.

Around Böda village in the north-east, Böda Sand is one of the country’s longest beaches, with 12-and-a-half miles of white sand and shallow sparkling water that will fulfil your Caribbean beach fantasies for a fraction of the cost and effort.

Plus, Öland enjoys one of Sweden’s loveliest climates, with average maximum temperatures during July and August in the early 20°Cs; the northern part around Böda generally gets the island’s balmiest weather.

This part of the island is a former kronopark – a Swedish royal hunting ground comprising swaths of sandy conifer forest ribboned by
hiking trails.

Elsewhere, the island is packed with history, from Iron Age remains to a baroque castle, near which sits the Swedish royal family’s summer residence.

The island’s grassy, wildflower-­bestrewn southern plains, Stora Alvaret, are emblematic of traditional Öland farming culture, and a Unesco World Heritage Site.

From Stockholm, take the train to Kalmar (just over four hours), where you can pick up a hire car to drive across the bridge to Böda. Alternatively, it’s 313-mile drive south from Stockholm to Böda Hotell, an early 20th-century railway hotel a mile from the beach, with doubles from £132 B&B, bodahotell.se.

There are also many campsites beside the beach, such as Bödagårdens Camping, which has tent pitches from £20 a night, camping.se.

Solitude and singing sands – Peraküla, Estonia

Estonia has no shortage of sandy seaboard – indeed, its beaches cover a greater distance than its land borders. The special thing about west coast Peraküla is its seven-and-a-half miles of blonde singing sand: sand so fine it will squeak, or “sing”, under your bare feet.

There are two main beaches: Nova Rand and Keibu Rand. The other big draw is that the coast here has not been developed, so all-comers can find a piece of unpeopled paradise (be aware, though, it is also unstaffed by lifeguards).

You’ll need to stay a few miles away, then walk through the pine forest to the beach. Do what lots of the locals do and stop to forage for berries, at their ripest from July-September. The forest-backed sands form a particularly pretty stage of the Baltic Coastal Hiking Route, which runs between Nida and Tallinn. 

From Tallinn it’s 50 miles’ drive west to Peraküla. Marika Puhkeküla is a secluded resort village with self-catering cabins scattered throughout the forest, from £42 a night, sleeping two, marikapuhkus.ee. It’s a mile and a half from Keibu Rand and around twice that from Nova Rand.

Black sands and sea stacks – Reynisfjara, Iceland

A stay on Iceland’s south coast is surely the most singular beach holiday you can have north of the 60° latitude line, albeit not one for sunbathing.

One of the most striking beaches is Reynisfjara, with its black sand, sea stacks, rock formations and the lava-flow-sculpted Hálsanefshellir cave.

The cave and beach can be hazardous, especially during stormy conditions. Joining a guided tour can help to alleviate risk. Arctic Adventures offers a one-day “south shore adventure” that includes Reynisfjara, from $137pp (£102).

There is Icelandic folklore at the beach. According to legend, two trolls were turned to stone by the sun while attempting to drag a ship ashore, and became the Reynisdrangar sea stacks.

After taking in the coastal wonder, consider a trip to Sólheimajökull glacier, part of the larger Mýrdalsjökull ice cap, which is accessible by road and has a car park. It is around 40 minutes’ drive from Reynisfjara.

Other attractions within driving distance of the beach include the waterfalls of Skogafoss (35 minutes) and Seljalandsfoss (55 minutes).

The beach is next to Vik i Myrdal fishing village, where the guesthouses include Farmhouse Lodge. Here, accommodation includes rooms sleeping one, two or three people, and glamping tents. Doubles start from €250 (£214), farmouse.is. Vik i Myrdal is around three hours’ drive from Keflavik airport.