Best beaches in Jersey: top 10 ranked and reviewed

Jersey’s beaches: context and conditions

Jersey is the largest of the British Channel Islands and has more beach variety per square mile than almost anywhere in northern Europe. The island’s tidal range is extraordinary — up to 12 metres between high and low water, among the highest in the world — which means that a beach that barely exists at high tide can transform into a vast sandy expanse at low water, and vice versa. Several beaches (Plémont, Beauport) are inaccessible at high water entirely.

The practical takeaway: always check the Jersey tide table before choosing your beach for the day. The Jersey tide times tool on this site shows predicted times and heights for St Helier port, which is the reference point for the whole island.

This guide ranks and reviews the ten best beaches, from south-coast resort strands to hidden north-coast coves.

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1. St Brelade’s Bay

The benchmark. St Brelade’s Bay is a wide crescent of pale sand on the south-west coast, sheltered from prevailing winds by headlands on both sides. Water quality is consistently rated among the best in Jersey; sea temperatures reach 18–20°C by August. There is a beach café, water sports hire, and a lifeguard service in summer. The twelfth-century fishermen’s chapel at the far end of the bay — one of the oldest buildings in Jersey — adds a layer of atmosphere that a resort beach rarely has.

• Access: bus from St Helier or St Aubin (route 12A); free car park adjacent
• Best for: families, couples, swimming, paddleboarding
• Accessible at all tides: yes — wide enough that even high water leaves a strip of sand
• Facilities: café, toilets, sun lounger hire, water sports hire, lifeguard (seasonal)

Browse St Brelade’s Bay activities on GetYourGuide — paddleboarding, kayaking, and guided coastal tours that depart from this bay.

Internal link: St Brelade destination guide.

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2. Plémont (Grève au Lançon)

The most dramatic. Plémont is an enclosed cove at the north-west tip of the island, accessible only at low tide via a steep footpath down the cliff. Red-tinged granite walls rise sixty metres around the sand, creating a feeling of complete enclosure. There are rock pools rich with marine life at low water, a sea cave at the northern end, and precisely zero commercial infrastructure — no café, no hire equipment, no lifeguard. The beach vanishes entirely at high tide, so timing is everything.

• Access: car park at Grève au Lançon (no direct bus service); 10-minute walk down from car park
• Best for: adventurous walkers, geology enthusiasts, photography, rock pooling
• Accessible at all tides: NO — only accessible for roughly three hours either side of low tide. Check the tide times tool.
• Facilities: none

Combine a Plémont visit with the coastal walk west towards Grosnez Point (45 minutes) for the best of the north-coast scenery.

Internal link: Plémont Bay guide — detailed tide access window and walking notes.

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3. St Ouen’s Bay

The surf beach. Five miles of unbroken Atlantic-facing sand, St Ouen’s is Jersey’s longest beach and its most energetic. The bay catches consistent swell from the open Atlantic and has been a surfing destination since the 1960s; several surf schools and boards hire from the beach. The surf is genuine — not the tame push of a sheltered bay — and rip currents form regularly, particularly after storms. Confident sea swimmers enjoy the power of the water; less experienced swimmers should treat it with caution.

• Access: route 8 LibertyBus from St Helier (runs to the Watersplash venue); car parks along the bay road
• Best for: surfers, seasoned sea swimmers, walkers, kitesurfers
• Accessible at all tides: yes — wide enough to always have sand exposed
• Facilities: surf schools, café at Watersplash, toilets at various car parks, lifeguard (limited sections in summer)

The dune system (Les Mielles Nature Reserve) behind the beach is a protected conservation area and one of Jersey’s best habitats for wildlife. A walking path runs the length of the dunes.

Internal link: Channel Islands coastal walks guide.

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4. Greve de Lecq

Best north-coast family beach. Greve de Lecq is a wide sandy bay on the north coast, sheltered enough for safe family swimming and with a pub and café right at the waterline. The gradient into the water is gentle, and the bay faces north rather than the open Atlantic, meaning smaller waves. A ruined Napoleonic barracks sits at one end of the bay, adding a mild historic interest. It’s a livelier, more communal beach than the remote north-coast coves and genuinely feels like a hidden local secret despite being signposted.

• Access: route 8 LibertyBus stops nearby; car park adjacent
• Best for: families, local atmosphere, sheltered swimming
• Accessible at all tides: yes — loses sand at very high tide but retains a strip
• Facilities: pub (The Moulin de Lecq), café, toilets, car park

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5. Beauport

Best combination of seclusion and quality. Beauport is a small bay tucked between St Brelade and St Aubin, reachable only on foot via a fifteen-minute coastal path from the cliff above. There is no road access to the beach itself. The water is exceptionally clear — sheltered from Atlantic swell, south-facing, and flanked by granite outcrops. In July and August it fills with those prepared to carry their kit down, but weekday mornings are quiet.

• Access: walk from the clifftop car park on La Rue de la Moye (no bus access to the start point)
• Best for: couples, clear water swimming, snorkelling, those wanting natural setting without full remoteness
• Accessible at all tides: mostly yes — a narrow strand remains at high tide but most of the beach shows from mid-tide downwards
• Facilities: none

Internal link: the best area to stay near south-west beaches.

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6. Anne Port

Best east-coast family cove. Anne Port is a small, sheltered bay below the village of St Martin on the east coast, five minutes’ drive from Gorey. The beach is a quiet arc of sand with a gentle gradient, a beach café in season, and the advantage of facing south-east — sheltered from the prevailing south-westerlies that bring chop to the west coast on windier days. It’s a regular with local families and substantially quieter than St Brelade’s Bay.

• Access: car park adjacent; seasonal bus
• Best for: families, calm swimming, east-coast location
• Accessible at all tides: yes
• Facilities: café (seasonal), toilets, car park

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7. Portelet Bay

Most scenic south-coast bay. Portelet is a horseshoe bay at the western edge of the south coast, accessed via a steep cliff path from the road above. The circular bay with its small island (Île au Guerdain, topped with a Martello tower) is one of the most aesthetically complete scenes in Jersey. The descent takes about ten minutes from the car park; the beach is quiet, sandy, and faces south. Some people snorkel around the island.

• Access: car park at Portelet Common; path to beach
• Best for: photography, couples, snorkelling around the islet
• Accessible at all tides: yes — it retains sand at high tide but the bay is small
• Facilities: none at the beach; café at Portelet Common car park

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8. Bouley Bay

Best for serious swimmers and divers. Bouley Bay is a shingle-and-sand bay on the north coast with unusually deep water for Jersey — the bay drops away steeply from the shoreline, making it the island’s primary dive site. The Jersey Underwater Centre is based here. The water is cold (Jersey north coast runs 1–2°C cooler than the south), clear, and rich with marine life. Not a beach for sunbathing; everything about it is for active water use.

• Access: car park adjacent; no direct bus service
• Best for: divers, open-water swimmers, snorkellers
• Accessible at all tides: yes — loses shingle area at very high tide
• Facilities: Jersey Underwater Centre dive centre, limited parking, pub (Black Dog Inn) nearby

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9. Le Hocq

Best for low-key locals’ beach. Le Hocq is a quiet stretch of sand in St Clement parish, east of St Helier along the coastal road. Easy access, free parking, and a café/kiosk make it a go-to for Jersey residents on a casual beach afternoon. Not spectacular, not remote, but reliably pleasant and rarely as crowded as the marquee beaches in summer.

• Access: buses from St Helier (route 1); car park adjacent
• Best for: easy access, families, casual day trips, accessible from St Helier without a car
• Accessible at all tides: yes
• Facilities: café/kiosk (seasonal), car park, toilets

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10. Royal Bay of Grouville

Best for space and Gorey views. Grouville Bay is a wide, exposed south-east-facing bay that stretches from Gorey harbour south for nearly two miles. The water is shallow for a long distance at low tide and the bay is famous for its oyster beds — Jersey’s best oysters come from here. The beach is exposed to easterly winds, which can make it uncomfortable on windier days, but on a calm summer morning the combination of wide sand, Mont Orgueil Castle at the northern end, and the view towards France makes it one of the most satisfying beaches on the island.

• Access: east-coast bus stops nearby; car parks along the bay road
• Best for: space, oyster lovers, castle views, walking
• Accessible at all tides: yes — the bay is very wide, always sand available
• Facilities: cafés in Gorey village, toilets at car parks, no dedicated beach facilities

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Getting to Jersey’s beaches without a car

Several beaches are well served by LibertyBus: St Brelade’s Bay (route 12A), St Ouen’s Bay (route 8), and Le Hocq (route 1) are all accessible without a car from St Helier. Plémont and Beauport are essentially car-dependent.

The west-coast open-top bus tour also serves St Brelade’s Bay and the road near Beauport, and can be used as a hop-on-hop-off beach day.

Book the Jersey west coast open-top bus tour — covers St Brelade’s Bay, Corbière Lighthouse, and the main south-west coast in a half-day loop.

Full guide: Jersey without a car — using the bus network.

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Tide safety essentials

Jersey’s tidal range means that conditions change quickly and dramatically:

• Always check tide times before heading to Plémont, Beauport, or any north-coast cove. Use the tide times tool or the official Jersey Met service.
• Do not walk along the base of cliffs at high tide. Several coastal paths and beach approaches flood completely.
• Rip currents form most frequently at St Ouen’s Bay on the ebb tide — if you feel yourself being pulled sideways, swim parallel to the shore, not against the current.
• Keep an eye on parked items. At St Brelade’s Bay, bags left at the waterline at mid-tide can be inundated within minutes on a rising tide.

Internal link: Channel Islands tide times explained — why the tidal range is so extreme and how to read the predictions.

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Frequently asked questions — Best beaches in Jersey

Which Jersey beach is best for children?

St Brelade’s Bay is the easiest all-round choice: lifeguard, gentle entry, facilities, and not too far from the car park. Greve de Lecq is the best family beach on the north coast. Anne Port is quieter and still safe. Full guide: Jersey with kids.

Which beaches are accessible without a car?

St Brelade’s Bay (route 12A), St Ouen’s Bay (route 8), Greve de Lecq (route 8 with walk), Le Hocq (route 1), and Royal Bay of Grouville (east-coast bus). See Jersey without a car for bus stop details.

When does the sea warm up in Jersey?

Sea temperatures peak in August at 18–20°C on the south coast, 16–18°C on the north coast. Late June to early September is the swimming season for most visitors. Outside this window, water temperatures drop below 15°C and a wetsuit is sensible.

Is Plémont worth the walk?

Absolutely, but only if you plan the visit around low tide. The combination of the dramatic enclosed cove, rock pools, and total absence of tourist infrastructure makes it one of the most memorable beaches in the British Channel Islands. Allow three hours from the car park (including descent, one hour on the beach, and ascent).