The 10 Best Beach Towels of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Beach towels come in a variety of materials and textures, from thick cotton options to lightweight microfiber towels . To help you find the best beach towels for every occasion, we tested 57 popular options, evaluating them on quality, texture, absorbency, durability, and overall value. We also spoke to Kasouf and textile expert Deborah Young for expert tips on choosing the right beach towel for every need.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Quick drying printed towels. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

A quality beach towel makes lounging by the pool or beach so much more enjoyable. But what makes a beach towel high quality isn’t always obvious. Kelly Kasouf , chief marketing officer at Kassatex, says that “for a beach towel, you want something that is absorbent, dries quick, and is soft, comfortable, and lightweight since you will carry it back and forth.”

The towel has held up well to regular washing, and a large drink spill came out of it with ease. It’s also made with GOTS-certified organic Turkish cotton, and comes with decorative tassels along the edge (none of which have unraveled in the wash). The Icon towel was created in collaboration with Coral Restoration Foundation, and 10 percent of all profits go towards marine conservation. According to Sand Cloud, it can even double as a saron, a tapestry, or a picnic blanket . Although this is a very packable beach towel, we would like to see an included carrying case, especially for the price.

Most traditional beach towels hold onto sand, which then ends up in your beach bag, car, or on your floors. Sand Cloud, the beach towel brand made famous on Shark Tank, lives up to its promise to repel sand: We used its Icon towel at the beach, and found that the sand rolled right off the fabric by simply lifting the towel off the ground. What’s more, it has a very thin, blanket-like construction that’s easy to pack. The towel is generous in size, though it’s not quite oversized, which makes it better suited to carrying to and from the beach. But don’t be fooled by its thin construction—it’s still highly absorbent. And of course, it’s super lightweight and quick to dry, especially in the sunshine, both of which are attributes that make it more travel-friendly.

It comes in five different earth tones, including Rust and Deep Pewter. Do note that it comes with a fringe trimming, which isn't to everyone’s taste and can be frustrating to maintain. It’s also over twice the median cost of the towels we tested, but for those looking to invest in organic textiles, it may be worth the cost.

Although it has a premium look and feel, we used it (somewhat reluctantly) for lounging on a sandy beach, a rocky river bank, and a grassy patch by the pool. Despite its luxurious appearance, it held up well in all different elements, and all the dirt and grass stains came out easily in the washing machine. Its ample surface area was able to accommodate three people when seated, although we did find that the towel retained some moisture while on the ground. Like all Turkish towels, it’s lightweight and quick to dry once hung up. The organic cotton is naturally absorbent, and the waffle texture not only adds to its aesthetic appeal, but also helps pull moisture away from the skin.

Young says that while an organic certification doesn’t improve the quality of the fabric, it’s still important to consider for both sustainability and health reasons. The Coyuchi Mediterranean Organic Beach Towel is made from 100 percent Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)-certified organic Turkish cotton that grows softer and more pliable with each wash. It’s also somewhat of a shape shifter, since it can also be used as an oversized bath towel.

Though it’s not sand-repellent, this towel shakes out most sand with ease. It has a soft cotton velour front that makes it perfect for longing, and the thick construction makes it extra absorbent. It has a generous, 70-inch length, but we wish it was just a few inches wider so that we could roll over more comfortably. The dye did bleed some in the wash, and there was some slight shrinking around the edges, but no pilling or loose threads. But we love the retro, ‘70s-inspired design, which is available in four different colorways. This towel is priced on the higher end, but you can save money by purchasing it in a bundle of two or three.

According to Young, towels are often treated with a softening finish that is completely water-soluble. This means that soft-to-the-touch feel you experience in the store often won’t last after the first wash. The editor-loved Brooklinen Beach Towel has proven itself to be the exception, growing softer and softer with each wash. We used it to dry off after regular swimming at an indoor pool and during a beach trip, and found it to be very absorbent—so much so that more than one person was able to dry off using just one of these towels.

We think this towel would be ideal for large family trips to the beach, as you can easily fit several of them in one beach bag, and the price point makes it easier to purchase more than one. Although it’s not the coziest towel to dry off with when soaking wet, it does make a great option for lounging or some light drying off. And bonus: It’s available in six different vibrant patterns, all of which are reversible. (Better Homes & Gardens is owned by Real Simple’s parent company, Dotdash Meredith.)

We used this lightweight and packable towel for lakeside lounging, and it provided a great barrier between ourselves and the ground. It has a smooth, moisture-wicking fabric that is quick to dry, especially while out in the sunshine. Plus, its texture helps to repel sand and other debris. At six feet long, it’s large enough for most people to lay flat on it without their head or feet hanging off one end, though it’s certainly not the most oversized option we tested. It comes with a zippered corner pocket to keep small items safe, like sunglasses or a phone, as well as a reusable bag for toting it around.

This affordable towel is easy to pack for a day at the beach or even a picnic in the park.

While not as oversized as some of the other towels on this list, it’s still larger than your standard beach towel at 68 inches long. Sand fell off the fabric with ease, and it washed without any damage or loose threading. This towel also comes with the Oeko-Tex certification , meaning it’s been tested for harmful chemicals. It is priced a little higher than the median price of the towels we listed, but given its luxurious feel and thick construction, we’re confident it’ll provide many summers of use. Just keep in mind that its thickness causes it to take up more room in a beach bag.

This towel is as vibrant and colorful as it is soft to the touch. Made from a velvety soft cotton velour, the Out To Sea Towel has a unique sun and ocean waves design that all eyes are immediately drawn to. The sun portion of the design, along with the back of the towel, have a softer texture, while the ocean portion is a bit coarser. Both portions of the towel proved very effective at drying our hands and absorbing an entire ¼ cup of water—and it remained just as absorbent post-wash.

The beach towel is available in three different sizes, including 41 x 73 inches, which is enough to fully cover a pool chair. It also comes in a variety of fun designs and patterns, although we wish they were visible on both sides. Compared to a cotton beach towel, this one from Novforth is relatively thin, so if you’re looking for a plush, resort-style beach towel, this may not be the one for you. But this towel’s lightweight construction and quick-dry material make it an excellent choice for transporting to and from the pool, beach, park, and more.

The NovForth beach towel costs less than half the median price of the beach towels we tested, yet its performance was among the best. We found this microfiber beach towel to be incredibly absorbent both before and after washing: It quickly dried our hands and was able to absorb a bowl of water in less than a minute. The sand-repellent microfiber is easy to keep clean, and it dries faster than a standard cotton towel, so you can repeatedly use it after each dip in the pool or ocean. After one wash and one dry cycle, we didn’t notice any shrinkage, loose threading, or bleeding.

The towel is a little thin, and the pattern is only visible on one side.

It’s so thin that it can even be worn as a sarong or used to wrap wet hair, too. And most importantly, it quickly absorbs water from the skin. In direct sunlight, it is able to air dry fairly quickly, but we wish it was faster to dry given how thin it is. It comes with a reversible pattern, a hook for hanging it up to dry when you get home, and a mesh bag to carry it in (which the towel easily fits into).

Don’t expect the traditional feel of terry cloth from this towel—it’s more of a beach blanket than a towel, although it’s still effective when it comes to drying off. We used it at the beach in Florida, and the sand rolled right off the microfiber fabric. It has a generous surface area of 35 x 71 inches, which provides ample room for lounging on the beach or wrapping yourself up after a dip in the water.

It’s thin enough to be worn as a sarong, and sand slides off the microfiber with ease.

It didn’t hold on to much sand, and it washed like a dream. We’d note that it’s likely too thin for lounging on particularly rocky beaches, but otherwise, it makes a great option for accommodating more than one person on the beach.

We were blown away by the size of this towel, which spans nearly five feet wide and almost seven feet long, making it easy for two people to lounge on it at the same time. It’s made with a very thin microfiber fabric that quickly wicks away moisture and dirt. Plus, it’s quick to dry and easy to pack up—it even comes with a mesh bag for carrying (though getting the towel back in the bag can be challenging). We used it for relaxing and drying off at the beach, and found the towel to be almost too large if you’re using it exclusively for drying off (for that, you’d want to purchase it in one of the smaller sizes).

After washing, this towel had no damage or change in absorbency. Its thin construction makes it easy to pack, and it comes with a mesh carrying bag that the towel actually fits into after the first use. For these reasons, we think it would be a great towel to keep in your car for spontaneous beach trips or picnics. It comes in a number of colorful patterns, but do keep in mind that the pattern is only visible on one side. But for the price, we’re willing to overlook this.

Priced at less than half the median of the beach towels we tested, the Decomen Microfiber Beach Towel proves you don’t need to spend a lot to get an effective beach towel. The microfiber material can absorb lots of water without the heft or dry time of cotton. While it’s not plush, the towel is noticeably soft, and it wicks away moisture very quickly. And it’s generously sized at over six feet long and nearly three feet wide, so you have plenty of rollover room or space to accommodate multiple people when seated. Plus, it shakes out sand easily, so you can put it right back in your beach bag without fear of carrying sand back with you.

The towel wicks away moisture from the skin and dries quickly. It did hold on to some sand, but a few hard shakes was all it took to remove it. Stains came out easily in the wash; however, there was some pilling after the first wash (although this didn’t affect its absorbency). The short cotton loops are intended to resist snagging, while the flatweave edges prevent unraveling. The towel comes with a UPF +50 rating that keeps you protected from UV rays when the towel is wrapped around you. It comes in five different nautical striped patterns, and as is the case with many Lands’ End products, you can add a monogram or logo for an additional fee. On top of all this, it’s below the median price of all the beach towels we tested.

We used this beach towel for lounging and drying off at a sandy beach and found it to have a nice weight that provides some cushion when lounging on the ground, but not so much that it becomes overly cumbersome to carry. We were especially struck by just how soft and plush it feels for a beach towel, and it remained this way for the entire two weeks we tested it. Additionally, it’s more than six feet long and three feet wide, giving you plenty of room to rollover or rest your head without touching the sand. One plus-size tester said they were able to wrap the towel fully around their body while still having fabric leftover to tuck in.

Final Verdict

The Lands’ End School Uniform Rugby Stripe Beach Towel is our best overall pick because its medium weight provides the right amount of cushion and absorbency without making it overly cumbersome to carry. Plus, it’s bigger than your standard beach towel and it comes with a UPF +50 rating. For a more budget-friendly option, the Decomen Microfiber Beach Towel is made from absorbent microfiber that repels sand and packs up neatly into the included carrying bag.

Our Testing Process

To come up with this list, we put 57 beach towels through a series of tests. First, we completed a visual inspection of each towel to evaluate its quality, noting things like design, construction, size, and comfort. Prior to use, we washed each towel according to the manufacturer’s instructions. We then folded the towel and brought it with us to a pool or beach destination in order to evaluate its portability. 

At our destination, each towel was used for drying off after swimming and lounging on the beach or by the pool. During use, we evaluated the towels on their texture, absorbency, dry time, coverage, and ability to repel sand. We continued to use and wash the towel for a two week period, noting any signs of wear along the way. Finally, we scored the value of each towel based on its retail price relative to its performance. We will continue to test the towels over a longer period of time and update this piece with new insights as we have them.

How to Shop for Beach Towels Like a Pro

Material

The most commonly used materials in beach towels are cotton and microfiber, both of which are highly absorbent, though this is where their similarities end. 

Cotton: Because of its absorbency and plushness, cotton is considered the gold standard for beach towels. Some towels are made with a blend of cotton and other materials (such as polyester or bamboo), which gives them a softer, more velvety texture and helps prevent shrinkage (which cotton has a propensity for). But the tradeoff here is that they’ll be less absorbent than a towel made with 100 percent cotton. 

Turkish Cotton: Many premium quality towels are made with Turkish cotton, which has superior absorbency and dry time. Turkish beach towels—such as our best organic pick, the Coyuchi Mediterranean Organic Beach Towel—are typically constructed with a flatweave of long cotton fibers, as opposed to a loop weave. That’s what makes Turkish towels thinner and lighter than your standard cotton towel.

Microfiber (Polyester): The least conventional of the bunch, microfiber beach towels are becoming increasingly popular. (Towels marketed as “sand-free” are often made of microfiber.) They’re made from synthetic materials, typically a blend of polyamide and polyester. “Polyester tends to have a faster drying time than cotton,” says Young. Microfiber towels are extremely absorbent, lightweight, and fast-drying, and they can fold up into a fraction of their original size, making them some of the best beach towels for travel. Microfiber towels can have varying degrees of thickness, but usually, they aren’t as soft and plush as cotton towels.

Weight

It's important to remember that beach towels are not bath towels. The fluffiest, thickest towel is not necessarily the one you want to pack for your beach trip—these towels can take a long time to dry and make it hard to remove sand and other debris. Thinner towels are much easier to transport and can dry off in time for your next swim, but they don't always give you the plushness and absorbency of a thicker towel. For a beach towel, it's best to look for something in the middle.

The weight of a towel is measured in grams per square meter (GSM). The higher the GSM, the heavier the towel. Your standard cotton beach towel will fall somewhere in between 400 and 650 GSM, while microfiber towels and Turkish towels are usually between 200 and 400 GSM. 

If you prefer a more luxurious and fluffy beach towel, look for one with a higher GSM. If your priority is something quick-drying that won’t hold onto sand at the beach, look for a beach towel that’s 400 GSM or below.

Portability

Keep in mind that a plush terry cotton towel will take up a lot of space in your carry-on or beach bag, while a microfiber towel with a lower GSM is going to be pretty compact and fold up nicely in your luggage. Turkish beach towels and other towels with a flat weave are also great in terms of portability thanks to their ultra-thin construction.

Size

A standard-size beach towel is typically around 31 x 63 inches. Oversized beach towels—usually measuring 40 x 70 inches—are becoming increasingly popular because they can completely cover a pool chair and give you more space to spread out. Our favorite oversized beach towel, the Ocoopa Microfiber Beach Towel, measures an impressive 57 x 80 inches. Just keep in mind that a bigger towel means more material to store and transport.

More Beach Towels to Consider

L.L. Bean Seaside Beach Towel: This soft, medium-weight towel is very comparable to our best overall pick, the Lands’ End School Uniform Rugby Stripe Beach Towel. Like the Lands’ End towel, the pattern is reversible, although we found that you can clearly see the reverse side colors through the towel, which makes us question how well it will hold up to several beach seasons. 

Clowood Bamboo-Cotton Beach Towel: Made from a blend of cotton and bamboo fiber, this ultra-thick beach towel from Clowood feels like it belongs at a resort—and it received high marks across the board in our tests. We were very impressed with its absorbency both before and after washing, and we found that it provides a nice amount of cushion when laying directly on the sand. The only downside is that it's not very compact when folded, and thus can be pretty bulky in a beach bag.

Questions You Might Ask

What's the difference between a beach towel and a bath towel?

For starters, beach towels are generally much longer than bath towels. Beach towels are meant to accommodate the full length of your body for lounging and they can act as a barrier between you and the sand. But more importantly, beach towels tend to be thinner and less plush than bath towels so they dry more quickly and hold onto less sand: “They need to be comfortable to lie on, light to carry, and absorbent,” says Kasouf. “They are also exposed to more elements so they should be more resilient and not pull easily.” For those reasons, we do not recommend bringing your bath towel to the pool or beach.

How do you wash beach towels?

Before washing your beach towels, thoroughly shake out the sand and then wash on the cold setting to help preserve the colors and prevent shrinkage. Once they're clean, beach towels can either be hung to dry or tumble dried on low. "Avoid items like bleach, fabric softener, and dryer sheets since they can damage the cotton and make the towels less absorbent over time," says Kasouf. As always, refer to the tag for the manufacturer's specific instructions.

And considering they come in contact with sand, water, sweat, and sunscreen, beach towels should ideally be washed after each use. If this is not possible (say, if you're on vacation without access to a washing machine), shake the sand out and hang the towels to dry in the sun. To keep the colors from fading, rinse your towels after going to the pool to remove chlorine residue.

Take Our Word for It

This article was written by Melanie Fincher, associate commerce editor for Real Simple with nearly four years of experience writing product reviews and lifestyle content. To compile this list, we tested 57 beach towels and evaluated them based on their quality, texture, absorbency, durability, and overall value. For expert tips on buying beach towels, we consulted Kelly Kasouf, chief marketing officer at Kassatex, and Deborah Young, a textile expert.

What Is Real Simple Selects?

Next to each product on this list, you may have noticed a Real Simple Selects seal of approval. Any product appearing alongside that seal has been vetted by our team—put through tests and graded on its performance to earn a spot on our list. Although we buy most of the products we test, sometimes we do get samples from companies if purchasing a product ourselves isn't an option. All products go through the same rigorous process, whether they are purchased or sent by the company.

Love our recommendations? Check out more products that have earned the Real Simple Selects, from humidifiers to cordless vacuums.

How often should you change your towels?
While the exact frequency for which experts recommend washing bath towels varies, the consensus falls around every three uses. Naturally, circumstances such as getting blood or other fluids on towels will warrant an immediate wash. Avoid adding softener or bleach to the load. “They coat the natural fibers, decreasing your towels’ absorbency,” says Kaye. (For a natural alternative, add 1/4 cup of distilled white vinegar to make whites brighter and towels softer.) Also avoid washing towels with items that could pull or snag the fabric, like zippers, hooks, or Velcro. “In the event of a snagged loop, do not pull it; simply cut the loop with scissors,” says Kaye.

How to wash your towels
Wash bath towels in hot water to kill bacteria, and for a really thorough job, use the sanitize cycle. Avoid washing towels with articles of clothing (especially darker or rougher pieces) to prevent discoloration and cross-contamination. Before putting towels in the dryer, shake them out to prevent clumping, then toss in a few tennis balls to up the fluff factor. Dry for at least 45 minutes on a normal heat setting — extra high will damage fibers — and if they’re still damp, keep them in a little bit longer. If you prefer line drying, there are a few steps to take to avoid that rough finish. Use less detergent (to prevent buildup) and add a little baking soda to break down the stiffening ingredients in detergents. Then, vigorously shake the towel after it’s washed to loosen the fibers.