These are the world’s most—and least!—accessible beach destinations

You've made it through security lines, sat through a flight and finally landed. It's time for that well-earned beach vacation. But the beach getaway doesn't truly begin until your feet finally touch the sand. For many popular coastal escapes, getting from the airport to the beach ends up turning into an unexpected endurance test. To find out where travelers can swap terminal gates for ocean waves the fastest, transportation platform Mozio analyzed door-to-door distances and drive times from major airports to 100 top beach destinations worldwide. Here's where you can go from landing to leisure in the shortest amount of time.

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Leading the global rankings for effortless access is Cozumel, Mexico, where travelers sit just 1.2 miles and a five-minute drive from the runway to the oceanfront. Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, claims the single quickest drive time at a brisk four minutes, while Key West, Florida, rounds out the top trio with a short 1.8-mile, six-minute trip. Destinations like Mallorca’s Playa de Palma and Corfu, Greece, similarly deliver vacationers to the shore in eight minutes or less.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, certain drivable paradises demand significant patience after landing: Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, claims the title for the longest drivable transfer. Navigating nearly 98 miles of winding mountain roads takes almost three hours. The Outer Banks in North Carolina rank as the world's farthest drivable beach from a major airport at 120 miles, requiring a drive of roughly two hours and 20 minutes. Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, along with regional staples like The Hamptons and Cape Cod, showcase how airport distance can significantly extend travel time.

A separate tier of iconic island destinations skips the highway entirely, adding extra water transfers beyond the flight. Landing in Malé (Maldives), Bora Bora (French Polynesia) or Boracay (Philippines) requires a mandatory 10- to 30-minute speedboat or ferry crossing to reach resort shores.

When planning your next escape, be sure to account for transfer times alongside your flight time so you're not disappointed when you've got an extra slog before you can finally settle in to soak up the sun.

The most accessible beach destinations in the world

1. Cozumel, Mexico
2. Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
3. Key West, Florida
4. George Town, Cayman Islands
5. Mallorca (Playa de Palma), Spain
6. Corfu, Greece
7. Montego Bay, Jamaica
8. Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
9. Mykonos, Greece
10. San Diego, California

The least accessible beach destinations in the world

1. Boracay, Philippines
2. Malé, Maldives
3. Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
4. Outer Banks, North Carolina
5. Rehoboth Beach, Maryland
6. The Hamptons, New York
7. Saint-Tropez, France
8. Cape Cod, Massachusetts
9. Negril, Jamaica
10. Goa (Palolem), India