Irish beach named among the top 20 in Europe by Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet has issued its list of the Best Beaches in Europe and a west of Ireland favourite has made the top 20.

The beauty of Keem Bay won’t be lost on anyone who has been there and it seems its charms haven’t escaped the travel experts at Lonely Planet either. Ranking the beach at number 18 in the list, Kerry Christiani described Keem Bay as ‘bearing the brunt of stormy seas and the fickle whims of the Irish weather, this half-moon bay of golden sand spreads at the foot of steep cliffs and grassy slopes.’ She added that ‘basking sharks can sometimes be sighted offshore.’

Located on the west of Achill Island off Co. Mayo, Keem Bay finished ahead of Myrtos Beach in Greece and Spiaggia dei Conigli in Sicily. At the top of the list is the stunning Haukland Beach in Norway, where visitors can enjoy ‘spiky granite peaks thrusting above creamy sands and sapphire sea.’

The whole list is basically a guide to the some of the most stunning sights you’ll wish to see once travel restrictions allow and you can tick them all off your list here.

READ NEXT: Six cute tote bags to buy from Irish designers