European

Each summer, thousands of travelers seek the perfect moment to capture coastal landscapes. Among them, the “golden hour”, that brief period after sunrise or before sunset when light is soft and warm, turns beaches into particularly photogenic settings. A study conducted by photography specialists reveals which European beaches offer the best conditions to capture these moments between July and August. And several French sites are among the destinations listed in this ranking.

Germany Dominates the Rankings

To establish this ranking, MPB experts, a platform specializing in second-hand photo and video equipment, analyzed 40 renowned European beaches. They relied on data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) regarding the sun’s position during July and August, examining in particular the average duration of the golden hour, the orientation of the beaches relative to sunrise and sunset, and the variation of the sun’s position over the summer.

The beach of Timmendorfer Strand, located in Lübeck Bay in Germany, takes first place with an overall score of 63.7 out of 100. It offers an average golden hour of 53.1 minutes and stands out especially for its exceptional sunrise alignment, rated at 87.5 out of 100. The sun thus appears almost in line with the axis of the beach, an ideal setup for photographers who want to shoot facing the sea.

Continuing in Germany, Warnemünde Beach near Rostock ranks second in the ranking. It shows the longest golden hour in the study, with an average of 53.4 minutes. Unlike Timmendorfer Strand, it does not stand out for an exceptionally well-aligned sunrise, but rather for a more balanced profile, with identical scores of 42.7 out of 100 for sunrise and sunset. Its wide sandy beach and its lighthouse thus offer shooting opportunities at various times of the day.

Mediterranean Beaches Do Not Fall Behind

The Italian beach of La Pelosa, in Sardinia, completes the podium with a score of 60 out of 100. Although it has a shorter golden hour, estimated at 39.1 minutes, it benefits from a low variation in the sun’s position during the summer (19.7 degrees). This stability makes it easier to plan shoots and allows photographers to reproduce similar light from one day to the next.

Other beaches also feature among the study’s top-ranked. La Concha, in San Sebastián, Spain, places fourth thanks in particular to a good alignment of the sunset (65.4 out of 100). In Spain as well, Playa de las Canteras, in the Canary Islands, and Playa de Muro, in Mallorca, appear in the top 10. Several Greek beaches also stand out, such as Navagio in Zakynthos and Paleokastritsa in Corfu, particularly favorable for sunsets with respective alignment scores of 81.8 and 81.1 out of 100.

Fig Tree Bay in Cyprus, as well as Cala Goloritzé in Sardinia, complete this group of well-positioned Mediterranean destinations. In the Netherlands, Scheveningen and Zandvoort offer some of the longest golden hours in the ranking, with averages of 50.2 and 50.5 minutes respectively, and prove especially suitable for late-afternoon photography.

Three French Beaches Among the Top-Ranked

In France, conditions vary significantly across the coastlines. Étretat Beach, in Normandy, ranks fifth in the European standings with an overall score of 52 out of 100. It notably has the best sunset alignment of the entire study, with a score of 90.1 out of 100. The famous Norman cliffs thus provide a setting particularly well-suited for images taken as the sun sinks toward the horizon.

With an average golden hour of 47 minutes, photographers also have a relatively long window to play with contrasts between the rocks, the sea, and light variations. This kind of landscape enables images where the relief gradually turns into silhouettes while the final glimmers of the day color the sky. On the Mediterranean coast, Palombaggia Beach in Corsica ranks twelfth ex aequo with a score of 49.5 out of 100. It stands out for its sunrise alignment, rated at 75.4 out of 100, but is not suitable for sunset photographs according to the study’s criteria.

The Pampelonne Beach, near Saint-Tropez, shows a similar profile with a sunrise score of 74.6 but a zero for sunset. It ties for fourteenth ex aequo with a score of 48.9 out of 100. Stretching about 4.5 kilometers, this famed beach in the Var department is known for its vast expanse of fine sand and turquoise waters. Its golden hour lasts on average 40.8 minutes, allowing photographers to enjoy morning light that enhances both the coastline and the renowned beach clubs and the pine trees that line part of the shore.

A Few Tips for Capturing Great Photos

MPB specialists also remind a few simple rules to succeed with your shots during this period. They especially recommend using a tripod to stabilize the camera when light drops quickly, as well as paying close attention to exposure to avoid losing the details of the sky around the sun. They finally suggest choosing an aperture between f/8 and f/11. This setting helps keep the foreground and the horizon sharp and can produce a starburst effect when the sun is partially hidden by an element of the landscape.