Sylt, Germany

The island of Sylt is a favourite holiday resort for Germans, but rarely visited by Brits, though for no good reason when it has wide sandy beaches, 200km of walking and cycling trails and dozens of seafood restaurants in its pretty towns. The Long Island House Sylt in the main town Westerland is a good example of the island's laid-back style.

· 00 4651 9959 550, sylthotel.de. Rooms from €78. Eurostar to Brussels (from £59 rtn, eurostar.com), change to Thalys high speed train to Cologne (from £79 return, raileurope.co.uk). Train to Westerland from Cologne (around €90 rtn bahn.hafas.de).

Plage de la Courtade, Porquerolles, France

Porquerolles is the largest (and the nearest to the mainland) of the three islands in the Hyères gulf, just east of Toulon on the French Riviera. Plage de la Courtade is one of several long sandy beaches close to the island's only village on the north coast where you can stay at L'Arche de Noé, a fish restaurant with rooms and a large terrace.

· 0033 4 94 58 33 71, arche-de-noe.com. From €210 half-board per room for two. Train London-Hyères (via Paris) from £138 return (0844 848 4070, raileurope.co.uk) then ferry to Porquerolles £10.70 return (+ 4 94 58 21 81, tlv-tvm.com).

Vert Bois, Ile d'Oléron, France

Ile D'Oléron off France's west coast is much flatter than its neighbour Ile de Ré and has an extensive network of cycle paths. Vert Bois is a long, sandy beach on the south of the island, bordered by dunes and pine forest. Stay at Habitation Léonie, a small B&B with a tennis court and pool near St Giles.

· +5 46 36 88 42, oleron.org. Rooms from €75. Train to La Rochelle (via Paris) from £99 return (0844 848 4070, raileurope.co.uk) then ferry to Boyardville €19 one way (inter-iles.com).

Scuba diving, South of France

Diamond Diving is a small, family-run company that picks up clients from Nice or Toulon stations for the short transfer to one of their hotels (two-stars) in the south of France. They will also arrange transfers from either the hotel to a dive centre in Nice, Sainte Maxime, St Raphael, Le Londe or Antibes. Divers will see healthy sealife including barracuda, grouper and lobster. Temperatures hover around 25C in July and Diamond also offers diving courses.

· 01908 234 030, diamonddiving.net. From £199 for a three-night, three-dive weekend or £229 for a four-night, five-dive weekend (excluding train fares). The train from London to Nice (via Paris) costs from £109 return (0844 848 4070, raileurope.co.uk).

Mimizan Aquitaine, France

If the breakers are just as important to you as the beach, pack your surf bag and head to Mimizan, south of Bordeaux on the Atlantic south-west coast. One of the unofficial surfing capitals of Europe, Mimizan is also beginner-friendly with plenty of space to find your own rhythm along 10km of surf. Rosco's Surf Lodge just outside town has surfboard storage.

· 020-3239 8181, surfnlodge.com. £20pp per night B&B. Surf lessons £20 (for groups of up to 8) or £40 for a private lesson. Train from London to Bordeaux (via Paris) from £99 return (raileurope.co.uk, 0844 848 4070) then bus to Mimizan for €27 return (cars-jarraud.com, 35 58 09 10 89).

Playa la Vega, Asturias, Spain

Your reward for the long ferry trip across the Bay of Biscay is this wild beach with its spectacular mountainous backdrop. Inland, a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Bilbao, is Posada del Valle, a 19th-century farmhouse, organic farm and eco hotel. If you want to work up a sweat before cooling off in the sea, walk to the beach on tracks that pass through the hills.

· 0034 985 841 157, posadadelvalle.com, doubles from €62. Portsmouth-Bilbao ferry from £324 for car plus two, inc cabin (08716 645 645, poferries.com).

De Haan Belgium

Make the most of the free 24-hour rail travel to any station in Belgium available when you buy a Eurostar ticket to Brussels. De Haan is a seaside resort on the Flemish coast that you can reach in just over an hour from the capital. It has wide sandy beaches excellent for kite-surfing and horse-riding. The Manoir Carpe Diem is a family-friendly four-star hotel, 300m from the sea.

· 0032 59 233 220, manoircarpediem.com, room from €125 B&B. Eurostar to Brussels from £59 return (eurostar.co.uk, 8705 186 186) then train to Ostend to get the Coastal Tram to De Haan for €1.6.

Collioure Languedoc-Roussillon, France

You've three beaches to choose from in the Mediterranean fishing port of Collioure on the Catalan coast. French Travel Service runs a "holiday by rail" trip to Collioure - staying at Hotel Madeloc, a family-run hotel 500m from the centre of Collioure - followed by a train ride up to the Cerdagne plateau.

· The Catalan Experience trip costs from £510pp, inc three nights' B&B in Collioure, three nights' half-board at Hotel Saillagousse and all train travel from London via Paris or Lille (08702 414243, F-T-S.co.uk).

Es Trenc Majorca

One of Majorca's few remaining undeveloped beaches in the rural south-east of the island. The only access is on foot or by bike. It's a far cry from the Palma crowds; just a few huts, dunes, pine and juniper trees line 4km of sandy coastline. Nearby is Es Torrent, an agrotourism country estate with a barbeque terrace and pool.

· 0034 971 650 957, estorrent.com. From €88 per room B&B. Take the overnight train to Barcelona (via Paris) from £167pp return in a 4-berth couchette (0844 848 4070, raileurope.co.uk) then fast ferry (within walking distance from the train station) from Barcelona to Palma, a four-hour journey, from €128 (trasmediterranea.es) then taxi to Es Torrent.

Plage de Lozari Corsica

Take advantage of the fast ferry from Nice to Corsica and bask on the island's dazzling white beaches. Plage de Lozari is a wild, semi-circular sweep of white sand a short bus ride east of the ferry port at L'Ile Rousse. Stay 2km inland at Auberge de Tesa, a chambre d'hôte renowned for its Corsican food.

· 0033 4 95 60 09 55, aubergedetesa.com. Rooms €59, dinner €38. Train London-Nice (via Paris) from £109
return (0844 848 4070, raileurope.co.uk) then ferry to L'Ile Rousse from €128 (0033 4 95 32 95 95, corsicaferries.com). Bus from L'Ile Rousse to Lozari €5 (corsicabus.org). For info on ferry travel, visit sailanddrive.com.