How do you imagine a dream beach? Maybe you’re thinking of a stretch of sand lined with palm trees, lapped by gentle waves and overlooking the turquoise sea. Or a picturesque bay, surrounded by rugged sandstone cliffs, where snorkeling is particularly good in the crystal-clear water. However, very few of us initially think of a dream beach as a river in the middle of a city, surrounded by an idyllic garden – but without sand or a view of the sea. According to this year’s “Beach Atlas”, exactly this place is more popular than many beaches from all over the world – and it is in Germany, of all places.
We’re talking about the Eisbach in the English Garden in Munich. It comes in at number 45 in the ranking of the 100 most beautiful beaches, without being a classic beach by definition. The fact that this is even possible is due to the portal’s quite unusual evaluation criteria. The ranking is therefore not based on the classic criteria such as location, length of beach or water sports options, but rather takes into account the following factors: importance for the population, lifestyle offerings, cultural significance, classic beauty, biodiversity and feel-good factor. And because this can only be assessed subjectively, the world’s beaches were examined according to the criteria using an algorithm and influencers and travel experts from all over the world were surveyed for the ranking.
The list that came out is not entirely objective. But the fact that the Eisbach in Munich beats beaches in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean or Down Under at the “Golden Beach Award 2024” is quite surprising. And a real compliment for the people of Munich, as it is the only “beach” from Germany that even makes it into the ranking. Otherwise, the top ten of the rankings mainly feature picturesque beaches – for example Boulders Beach in South Africa, Waikiki Beach in Hawaii or Maya Bay in Thailand. First place goes to Bora Bora – paradise.
The top ten of the 100 most beautiful beaches:
1st place: Bora Bora, French Polynesia 2nd place: Boulders Beach, South Africa 3rd place: Waikiki Beach, Hawaii 4th place: Copacabana, Brazil 5th place: Maya Bay, Thailand 6th place: Black Sand Beach, Iceland 7th place: Glass Beach, USA 8th place: JBR Beach , Dubai9th place: Skeleton Coast, Namibia10th place: Omaha Beach, France
But what is so special about the Eisbach? The jury justified its decision as follows: “The English Garden in Munich is famous for the Eisbach, which is home to the best river surfing spot in the world in a city center, a surprising discovery in the south of Germany. An artificially created stone step has been created for over 40 years a wave that has attracted some of the world’s best surfers. Who would have thought that Munich had such a cool surfing scene right in its heart?” And who would have guessed that this place, of all places, would appear in a beach ranking?
Source: Golden Beach Award 2024
