These Vancouver Island beaches were named the best in Canada for 2026

If you needed another reason to plan a staycation on Vancouver Island’s rugged west coast, a new international ranking has supplied two.

Chesterman Beach in Tofino and Long Beach in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve have claimed the top two spots on a new list of Canada’s best beaches.

The ranking was released by travel industry publication Travel And Tour World, which evaluated more than 500 beaches while compiling its Top 50 Beach Travel Destinations in the World for 2026.

Chesterman Beach was named the best beach in Canada, recognized for its surfing and Pacific coastline.

Located just outside downtown Tofino, the beach is divided into north and south sections connected by a sandspit. At low tide, visitors can walk toward Frank Island, explore tide pools or simply take in the sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean.

Both ends of Chesterman Beach are also popular locations for surf lessons, according to Tourism Tofino.

Coming in second was Long Beach, the largest and longest beach in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.

Stretching along the coastline between Tofino and Ucluelet, Long Beach was highlighted for its vast shoreline and nearby hiking opportunities.

According to Parks Canada, Long Beach contains approximately 22 kilometres of beach and 12 kilometres of trails, surrounded by temperate rainforest and, of course, the coastline.

The two destinations finished ahead of some of Canada’s best-known urban and Atlantic beaches, including Kitsilano Beach and English Bay Beach in Vancouver, Cavendish Beach in Prince Edward Island and Lawrencetown Beach in Nova Scotia.

Canada’s top 10 beaches for 2026

1. Chesterman Beach, Tofino
2. Long Beach, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
3. Kitsilano Beach, Vancouver
4. English Bay Beach, Vancouver
5. Cavendish Beach, Prince Edward Island
6. Singing Sands Beach, Prince Edward Island
7. Lawrencetown Beach, Nova Scotia
8. Ingonish Beach, Cape Breton
9. Parlee Beach, New Brunswick
10. Sandbanks Beaches, Ontario

Canada placed 27th overall among the world’s top beach travel destinations.

Greece took the top global spot, followed by Australia, Mexico, Spain and Thailand. The United States, Türkiye, the Philippines, Italy and Portugal rounded out the top 10.

Travel And Tour World said countries were assessed based on natural beauty, beach diversity, accessibility, tourism infrastructure, sustainability, marine biodiversity, visitor experience and global appeal.

While tropical destinations may offer warmer water, Vancouver Island’s towering forests, rolling surf and dramatic coastline helped put us at the very top of the Canadian list.