Jersey Beaches and Coastline

(Jersey, Channel Islands, British Isles)



Aerial photo of St. Brelade's BayThe Jersey beaches have always been one of the leading attractions on this beautiful island and regularly appear on postcards and in tourism brochures. Each beach on Jersey is really quite different and some feature fine sand, coarse soft sand, pebbles, rocks, or a mixture, such as the dramatic rocks at the beach known as Green Island, which emerge from fine golden sand.

The most popular family beaches on Jersey are without doubt St. Aubin's Bay, St. Brelade's Bay and St. Ouen's Bay, the latter of which is the largest on the island and stretches for no less than 8 km / 5 miles, with its size meaning that it is never overcrowded, even in the very height of summer. Plemont Bay is considerably smaller, but with dramatic cliffs, caves, picturesque waterfalls and soft sand, this is one not to miss.


In total, there are around 30 beaches spread all around the island of Jersey, with the most appealing located towards the south, and the more rugged to the north.

Anne Port Bay

Location: north-east
Anne Port Bay is a relatively secluded bay, with the beach comprising both pebbles and sand. This beach is usually fairly quiet and often features rock pools.

Archirondel

Location: north-east
Archirondel offers a mix of both sand and stones and is little known to tourists, being more popular with locals. There is a lack of facilities here, but the scenery more than makes up for that.

Picture of St. Aubin's Bay

St. Aubin's Bay

Location: south
Edged by a lengthy promenade, where you will surprisingly find an outdoor fitness trail ('Trim Trail') with a series of work stations, St. Aubin's (pronounced 'Saint Owe-bans') Bay is home to a huge and sunny sandy beach, together with a landmark fortress. St. Aubin's Harbour is filled with popular restaurants, many of which overlook the harbour. Close by is the public house which featured strongly in the television series, Bergerac.

Beauport

Location: south-west
This southerly beach is nothing short of a suntrap and boasts calm, crystal clear waters, perfect for swimming. However, Beauport Beach can only be reached by a fairly steep path, which is off putting for some and prevents it becoming overly busy. The beach offers soft sand, after an initial stretch of small pebbles.

Belcroute Bay

Location: south-west
An especially quiet and pretty cove, Belcroute Bay is a pebbly area, with no sand.

Bonne Nuit Bay

Location: north
Bonne Nuit Bay is a small and peaceful fishing harbour, complete with pebbly beach and high cliffs, sheltering sunbathers from the wind. Facilities here are good, with public toilets, a boat jetty, payphone and nearby hotel, complete with bar and great coastal views.

Bouley Bay

Location: north
Many visitors come to Bouley Bay each year for the shore diving alone. The beach itself is just pebbles and stones, and is accessed by a steep hill, which results in quite a climb when you leave. Towards the end of the day, Bouley Bay quickly loses the sun.

Picture of surfer at St. Brelade's Bay

St. Brelade's Bay

Location: south
Perhaps the most famous and commercialised Jersey beach, the sandy St. Brelade's Bay is large and one of the fewest beaches to contain so many good facilities. Close by is a large car park, gift shop, cafes, bars and the highly acclaimed beachfront Pizza Express restaurant. St. Brelade's Bay is presided over by the Beau Rivage Hotel.

Fliquet Bay

Location: north-east
Located on the far north-eastern side of Jersey, Fliquet Bay is a scenic spot, where it is possible to enjoy views as far as France. Fliquet Bay features a mixture of pebbles and sand.

View of St. Catherine's Bay

St. Catherine's Bay

Location: north-east
With views of France, St. Catherine's Bay is favoured by locals, and this pebbly bay is rarely busy. At night, people are known to gather here, around beach bonfires.

Green Island

Location: south-east
Green Island boasts one of the most dramatic beaches on Jersey, with huge rocks appearing through the fine sand at low tide. The resulting rock pools are always of great interest, while good beach facilities are on hand if required. However, do note that areas can be quickly cut off by the incoming tide.



Aerial view of Gorey Beach

Gorey Beach

Location: south-east
With endless sand and no sign of any stones, Jersey's Gorey Beach is a good family beach, perfect for young children with a bucket and spade. Close by are plenty of good beach facilities, including a cafe, gift shop and toilets. Part of Gorey Beach is dominated by the truly breathtaking and iconic Mont Orgueil Castle.

Greve d'Azette

Location: south-east
Greve d'Azette is a great town beach, in proximity to Green Island and conveniently close to a public car park.

Photo of Greve de Lecq

Greve de Lecq

Location: north-west
Greve de Lecq is amongst the most easy to reach of all the northerly beaches on Jersey and as such, is always popular with seasonal tourists. You can expect to find coarse sand, walking trails and good beach facilities.

Havre de Fer

Location: east
Havre de Fer stands adjacent to Anne Port and is almost overlooked. This means that whatever the time of year, you can be sure that the beach will likely be deserted.

Havre des Pas

Location: south
Conveniently close to the centre of St. Helier, Havre des Pas is usually busy and contains a Victorian-style seawater swimming pool, which soon fills up on a sunny day when the tide retreats. However, if you prefer a paddle, you will likely have a long walk to actually find the sea itself, which can often be more than 1.5 km / 1 mile away.

La Coupe

Location: north-east
Usually quiet and fairly unknown, La Coupe is a small and appealing sandy cove, well worth searching out if you have the time.

Image of La Rocque

La Rocque

Location: south-east
La Rocque is a sandy harbour, usually filled with a number of rock pools, ideal for exploring at length.

Le Hocq

Location: south-east
The small and sandy beach is perhaps most dramatic at low tide, when the scenery resembles a moonscape.

Ouaisne Bay

Location: south
Adjoined St. Brelade's Bay and actually connected at the time of low time, Ouaisne Bay is always popular, sunny and sheltered. Those feeling a little peckish can be sure to find hearty pub grub at the neighbouring Smugglers Inn.

Picture of horserider at St. Ouen's Bay

St. Ouen's Bay

Location: west
The spectacular stretch of beach is famous all over Jersey and its immense size means that you can easily find a quiet area, away from the crowds, even during its annual Surfing Championships. St. Ouen's Bay is backed by tall fortified walls and is overlooked by a number of interesting landmarks, such as Kempt Tower and a unique bungalow shaped as a barge boat. Beach guards patrol St. Ouen's Bay in the summer.

Plemont Bay

Location: north-west
With strong waves, Plemont Bay is a popular spot for surfing on Jersey and this picture-postcard cove boasts sand, sea caves, rock pools and plenty of large rocks. This is a great family beach and often suitable for swimming. There are two car parks, with the lower car park being adjacent to the cafe and quickly filling up on busy days.

Portelet Bay

Location: south
Portelet Bay is a beautiful and sunny, south-facing beach, although on the downside, it can become busy during the high season. Ideal for swimming, the soft, golden sand is ideal for families, but the steep walk can be quite tiring, and the strong tide can quickly arrive without warning.

Royal Bay of Grouville / Longbeach

Location: east
The aptly named Longbeach is a sandy spot, suitable for swimming, sunbathing and families. During July and August, an array of watersports becomes available.

Rozel Bay

Location: north
Known for its small harbour and selection of seafood restaurants, Rozel Bay is regularly frequented by both tourists and local fisherman alike.

Saie Harbour

Location: north-east
Saie Harbour is a tranquil beach, untouched by tourism and quite natural in its appearance.