Beaches

With more than 70 beaches and coves, Elba offers swimmers and sunbathers myriad ways to enjoy that crystalline Mediterranean water. Not all spiagge (beaches) are wide expanses of white sand, and those that are also tend to be the most crowded in July and August. However, if you're willing to accept a mixture of soft sand and polished pebbles or smooth sunning boulders, you'll have no trouble finding almost-deserted stretches of seashore, even in highest season. (And your feet will get a nice exfoliation treatment.) Newsstands and bookshops sell tourist maps of Elba that feature handy information about what type of sand or pebble you'll find at all the different beaches; otherwise, if all you want is an accessible bit of coastline, simply follow any road sign with a brown background, blue squiggly lines, and the word spiaggia -- universal Italian highway shorthand for "you can swim here." A great way to discover your own favorite coastal spot is to rent a gommone and putter around the island, dropping anchor at whatever cove captures your fancy.

My list of beaches below is by no means exhaustive, but I've included Elba's most popular-for-a-reason beaches as well as some more secluded and harder to reach coves, in every part of the island.

Central Elba: Northern Coast

Le Ghiaie is Portoferraio's gravelly town beach and can be quite crowded, but it's handy if you've got a few daylight hours to kill before catching a ferry back at the port. A few kilometers west of Portoferraio (follow road signs toward Enfola) is the dramatic beach of Capo Bianco, so named because of the white rocks that frame it. Several kilometers farther west (still on the road to Enfola), you'll see signs for La Sorgente, which is a short stretch of soft, white gravelly beach (no facilities) and gorgeously clear water in shades from light green to cobalt blue. La Sorgente is connected by another 200m (656-ft.) footpath to the bigger and better "insider's" beach of Sansone, which has the same clear water but an even more peaceful, uncontaminated atmosphere. Capo d'Enfola is connected to mainland Elba by a very narrow strip of land, along both sides of which are short gravelly beaches. Enfola is recommended not so much as a beach as for the interesting manmade sights here, including World War II-era bunkers that are easily visible from the hiking paths here.

To the south of Enfola, Biodola is one of Elba's top beaches, with sugary white sand that extends for 600m (1,969 ft.). The coast here has a very gentle grade, so the water is calm and shallow at quite a distance from the shore -- great for families, though it's always crowded in summer. Continuing south, the next major beach is Procchio, a kilometer-long curve of golden sand, whose proximity to the town of Procchio and its services make it convenient but also highly frequented in summer. Both Biodola and Procchio are chock-full of boat and watersports equipment rentals, snack bars, and other beach services.

Central Elba: Southern Coast

Just south of the town of Marina di Campo is the beach of Galenzana, whose coarse golden sand is almost always empty, because you have to walk there -- you can't drive to it. The largest beach on Elba is the beach of Marina di Campo, a 1,500m-long (4,921-ft.) crescent of wide, soft white sand stretching north of the eponymous town. It's often packed, but it's your best bet for watersports and boat rentals on the southern coast of Elba. A favorite of the camping set is Lacona, another lengthy section of white sand and calm, shallow water. Toward Capoliveri, Felciaio is unremarkable for its sandy shores; the unique feature here is a shallow reef against the shore that acts as a sort of diving board just beneath the water.

Western Elba

Just outside the town of Sant'Andrea (park there and follow the pedestrian path east along the rocks) is a unique little cove called Cotoncello, where a tiny strip of fine sand is practically enclosed by smooth reefs, creating a sort of natural swimming pool.

The beach of Fetovaia, a narrow inlet on the southern coast between Pomonte and Marina di Campo, is very pretty but perhaps too crowded for its small size in the summer months. Nearby, Cavoli is another beach with lovely natural scenery -- smooth rocks slope into the light blue water; you'll see it on many a postcard of Elba.

Eastern Elba

The lower half of Elba's "fishtail" -- the coastline around Capoliveri -- is sprinkled with beaches and coves, none of them particularly outstanding for swimming and sunbathing unless you find yourself in the area and dying for a dip. The north part of the fishtail offers some better options. Just across the gulf from Porto Azzurro, Naregno is a good-size golden sand beach with lots of facilities. Immediately north of Porto Azzurro is Barbarossa, a little sandy cove whose name and evocative appeal come from the belief that the legendary Greek pirate Barbarossa once landed here. At the far northeastern tip of the island, the coarse-sand town beach of Cavo is clean and quiet and within striking distance of beach bars, restaurants, and the hydrofoil to Piombino. On the northwest edge of the fishtail, heading back toward Portoferraio, two decent beaches are Nisportino, a calmer alternative to the adjacent Nisporto, and Ottone, below the Villa Ottone hotel. The latter has wonderful views across the bay.