When you hear the word "city," what do you think of?
Skyscrapers? Traffic jams? Great restaurants? Bad service?
How about beaches?
There are some cities where the working class can strip off the suit and tie, jump into the swimming shorts or bikini and enjoy a day with their toes in the sand without having to leave the urban perimieter.
By talking with our well-traveled friends and colleagues, collating data from tourism authorities and using our own experiences, we've put together a list of what we think make up 10 of the best city beaches in the world.
No doubt you've got your own. We'd love to hear about them in the comments.
Start your city-beach tour by clicking on the graphic below.
Also on CNNGo: World's 50 best beaches
1. Ipanema Beach, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Ipanema Beach, Rio De Janiero
A beautiful beach, but take care in the currents.
Ipanema was famed long before Vinícius de Moraes and Tom Jobim composed their 1962 ode to one of the "tall and tanned and young and lovely" females that still throng the beach.
"The Girl From Ipanema," however, perfectly encapsulates the eternal allure of the 1,600-meter-long, 90-meter deep stretch of white sand. Majestic granite peaks create a spectacular backdrop while the Cagarras Islands in the distance offer a counterpoint to the brilliant blue of the Atlantic.
This is the place where the dental-floss bikini and the crocheted G-string for men made their debuts, however, and it’s the sight of the beautiful people of the Cidade Maravilhosa strutting their scantily clad stuff that makes for arguably the most compelling spectacle.
Lowdown (marks out of 5)
Cleanliness: 4 -- Ipanema is regarded by Cariocas (Rio natives) as the city’s cleanest beach.
Visual stimulus: 5 -- Need we explain?
Food/drink options: 5 -- Hawkers ply the sand selling everything from cold beer and caipirinhas to grilled sticks of halloumi cheese, while the streets that back the beach host some of the Rio’s best restaurants.
Safe swimming: 2 -- The word Ipanema translates from native Indian as "bad, dangerous waters" and the undertow and the crashing waves should not be underestimated.
Party factor: 5 -- Rio’s inland districts have the edge when it comes to partying down but Ipanema’s clubs are no slouches either.
Also on CNNGo: World's 50 best beach bars
2. Gordon-Frishman Beach, Tel Aviv, Israel
Gordon-Frishman Beach, Tel Aviv
Sun, sand and formation planes.
Jerusalem may be the capital but the youthful pulse of Israel can be felt most keenly in Tel Aviv and especially at its tremendous beaches.
Stretching for miles down the western side of the city, the golden sand offers a range of possibilities from hedonistic bar scenes to family orientated fun. Hipsters and the city’s (many) beautiful people tend to flock to the Gordon-Frishman beach in the heart of the strip to sit in a seaside café or take a dip in the saltwater pool.
On Fridays many Tel-Avivians head a little further south to Dolphinarian Beach where a weekly music festival gets the weekend off to a suitably rousing start.
Lowdown (marks out of 5)
Cleanliness: 4 -- Tel-Avivians take great pride in their beaches and they are kept accordingly pristine.
Visual stimulus: 4 -- Tel Aviv is home to some of the most beautiful people in the Middle East. The sunsets aren’t bad either.
Food/drink options: 4 -- The beach fare (think wraps, hummus, salads and fried calamari) is simple and healthy and there’s no shortage of lively bars.
Safe swimming: 5 -- The beach is manned by lifeguards and the warm, generally placid, water is ideal for swimming.
Party factor: 4 -- Beach parties are a regular occurrence during the summer months.
Also on CNNGo: Hong Kong's best beaches
3. Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia
Bondi Beach, Sydney
Major cause of Sydney's office sick days.
Most of Australia’s main cities are close to great beaches, but Sydneysiders are justifiably bullish about the ones on their doorstep.
Coogee, Manly and gorgeous and often practically deserted northern beaches such as Palm Beach all have their advocates but for an iconic all-rounder you can’t go far wrong with Bondi.
One of the world’s most famous strips of sand, Bondi is the closest ocean beach to the center of the city ensuring its popularity with tourists and locals alike. The wide curving crescent of white sand can get incredibly busy but the turquoise water and the prime people-watching opportunities offer ample recompense.
Lowdown (marks out of 5)
Cleanliness: 4 -- Bondi has been one of Sydney’s cleanest beaches since an outlet pipe was installed in 1991 to discharge Sydney's waste five miles offshore rather than just off the cliff face that juts out of the beach.
Visual stimulus: 5 -- The beach itself is picture perfect and the surfing contingent ensures a healthy stream of toned flesh.
Food/drink options: 5 -- With over 130 eateries in Bondi, beachgoers can chow down on everything from Asian tapas to gourmet fish-and-chips.
Safe swimming: 3 -- An underwater net keeps the sharks away but dangerous rip currents mean you should swim only in designated safe-swimming areas.
Party factor: 4 -- It’s not the most sophisticated clubbing scene but there’s plenty of scope to cut loose in Bondi’s nightspots.
Also on CNNGo: Best beaches in Sydney
4. Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Waikiki Beach, Honolulu
And you can stay right where you are for the honeymoon too.
The hula girls and twangy guitars may mostly be confined to Honolulu’s hotel lobbies these days but Waikiki Beach retains a widescreen aura fostered in countless movies.
The beach sprang to worldwide fame during the 1950s but was sought-after long before exotic dancers started putting leis around the necks of stars such as Elvis Presley. Originally a retreat for 19th-century Hawaiian royalty the beach was also a favorite of author Robert Louis Stevenson.
Today the clutch of high-rise hotels is evidence of its status as one of the top holiday destinations in the United States but the turquoise waters and the killer views of the Diamond Head crater make up for the surfeit of concrete and garish short-sleeve shirts.
Lowdown (marks our of 5)
Cleanliness: 5 -- Work by pressure groups such as Healthy Hawaii Coalition ensures that the beach and the water remain pristine.
Visual stimulus: 4 -- Even the lardy tourists can’t detract from the spectacular sight of the Diamond Head crater.
Food/drink options: 3 -- Waikiki Beach is both touristy and commercial so it can be hard to find anything cheap or leftfield.
Safe swimming: 5 -- The water is shallow and warm and perfect for bathing.
Party factor: 4 -- Plentiful bars and nightclubs advertising foam parties and a "relaxed" dress code make for a raucous after-hours scene.
