Surfers Paradise Beach, Queensland, Australia

The name says it all: this is one of the ritziest, glitziest beaches in Australia. Surfers is a clever creation, fabricated by corporations. It started out like every other beach town on Australia's East Coast, but in the past 50 years, its transformed into an entirely different beast. Rampant commercialization and condo and hotel building have led to an incredible increase in tourism. Casinos also abound in this tourism mecca. In our opinion, Surfers is similar to Venice Beach in Los Angeles: worth seeing for the spectacle, but worth skipping for the beach experience.

The beach, though beautiful, is jam-packed with people almost all of the time. Surfers serves as the beach destination point of many Australians, including playing host to the "Schoolies Week", when groups of recent high school graduates looking to party roam the streets day and night. This festival in December is one of the best and worst times to visit Surfers Paradise, depending on what kind of fun you're looking for.

The enormous number of tourists means an enormous number of companies and tour agencies, so you'll never run out of things to do. There's parasailing, jetskiing, and the sling shot, a bungee like adrenaline experience right outside of town. Surfers is also home to Australia's only outdoor beach cinema. Watch a flick while curling your toes in the sand. If you're into fine dining, Surfers has some of the most options outside of Sydney and Melbourne.

Surfers is a party spot; there's no other way to put it. Definitely don't miss this wild ride, but if you're looking for a quieter, more tranquil vacation, we suggest one of the other towns of the Gold Coast like Byron Bay or Noosa.