The dangerous beach of black sand and icy waters that has been chosen as the best in Europe

• Discover These are the 10 safest countries in the world to travel to

• Getaways Jewels of industrial Spain that will surprise you

The grandeur of the Icelandic landscape is undeniable.

Lakes, volcanoes, glaciers and geysers come together in an island-country that also treasures, of course, spectacular beaches.

One of them, Reynisfjara, on the south coast, is today in the news for becoming the best beach in Europe, according to the annual ranking of Tripadvisor.

A

in which the sandy areas of

(number 4), in San Sebastián, the Mallorcan

(number 5) and

, in Fuerteventura, ranked 9.

Reynisfjara is hiding near the Icelandic city of Vik.

It is long, dark and rabidly wild.

In fact, it is

, as the Visit Iceland Tourism website warns visitors.

The main reason is that the beach is open to the North Atlantic, which brings powerful waves to the coast.

We are talking about waves that can easily reach

, similar to a 10-story building.

Hence, it is recommended to admire the ocean "from the shore".

Although, after all, it is the environment that makes this sandy area so special, as well as being the setting for the very famous

series , which

Iceland (and Spain) of a whole collection of locations.

Reynisfjara is famous for displaying crazy geology.

From glaciers to

pyramid-shaped

Its black color is due to the fact that it is covered with black volcanic ash and dark rocks.

Rock formations of Reynisfjara beach.SHUTTERSTOCK

"As a huge fan of the beach, I know the impossible-to-resist allure of sunshine and turquoise water, and certainly there's plenty of that on this year's list, but we also found delicious surprises," said Sarah Firshein, Editorial Director of Tripadvisor , alluding to the Icelandic one, which occupies the top of the ranking:

"With its black sands and towering rock formations, some may recognize the stunning backdrop of

. But Reynisfjara is also popular, especially with bird watchers for the various types of seabirds seen nearby, among them, the famous

", adds Firshein.

The list of the platform takes into account tens of millions of opinions sent by millions of

during the last 12 months.

As Tripadvisor explains, to determine which are the best beaches, both the quality and the quantity of ratings are studied.

This is how the European

this year has turned out:

The 10 best beaches in Europe 2023

1. Reynisfjara Beach (Iceland)

2. Praia da Falesia (Portugal)

3. Spiaggia dei Conigli (Sicily)

4. La Concha, San Sebastian

5. Playa de Muro, Majorca

6. Falassarna (Greece)

7. Nissi (Cyprus)

8. Balos (Greece)

9. Leeward, Fuerteventura

10. Armchair (Saint-Malo, France)

You can follow

on

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

• Tourism