Spiaggia della Paolina

Spiaggia della Paolina lies just off the coastal highway in a large bay on Elba’s northern coast. Apparently named after Napoleon Bonaparte’s sister (the French emperor was exiled on the island in May 1814), Spiaggia della Paolina is a mix of sand and small pebbles reached by following a well-used path through coastal woodland.

Approximately six metres wide, enough for a row of hireable sun loungers with umbrellas, Spiaggia della Paolina slips down to warm shallow water studded with a tiny islet at its western end. One hundred metres long, the beach receives most of its sunlight in the morning hours, before being cast into shade in the afternoon. Sun-worshippers will therefore want to visit before midday.

Perhaps the most notable feature of the beach is the tree-topped island of Isola Paolina a matter of metres offshore. You can wade out here from the left of the beach or swim across from the other end.