Beaches in Jersey

Hotel owner Patrick Burke moved to the island with his family when he was just two years old. He is a passionate ambassador for his adopted home and believes it has some of the best beaches to be found anywhere in the world. Here are a few of his favourites.


St Ouen’s Bay – I have been fortunate to travel all over the world but I have never found a finer beach than St Ouen’s – think five miles of golden sand and some of the best surf in Europe. This is a special place for me as we live at one end of the bay and The Atlantic Hotel is at the other end making my commute to work one of the best anywhere.


Plémont – I think this is possibly Jersey’s most beautiful beach, with safe swimming in calm conditions and plenty of rock pools and caves for the children to explore. It’s off the beaten track on the north coast and has a Famous Five feel about it. But be warned, Jersey has one of the highest tidal ranges anywhere in the world which means that at high tide the beach can disappear completely!


Grève de Lecq – This is a popular beach for local families, it’s easy to get to with good parking nearby and the sand is a strikingly golden colour and great for building sandcastles. The cafés on the pier here are legendary (we take our food seriously in Jersey). The island is only nine miles by five but believe it or not there’s a café, pub or restaurant for every day of the year.


Beauport – A sunseeker’s paradise tucked away on the south coast of the island. It’s best accessed by kayak or boat but as with many of Jersey’s hidden treasures, the climb down can be fun as well. Jersey is the warmest place in the British Isles so we enjoy an enviable outdoor lifestyle and even in the winter months, this bay has its fair share of visitors enjoying the coastal path.


Portelet Bay – Peaceful and picturesque with soft golden sand, this is where it all started for me. When we first moved to Jersey we had a guest house here called The Penguin and lived onsite in a little wooden chalet. So I grew up on this extraordinarily beautiful beach. Depending on the tide, walking or swimming out to Janvrin’s Tomb in the middle of the bay is an absolute must, one of the best beaches in Jersey.


Please note that, while most beaches in Jersey offer safe swimming, bathing can be dangerous in some locations. From mid-May to the end of September St Ouen’s Bay, St Brelade’s Bay and Plémont are patrolled by lifeguards. Patrolled areas, which are safe for swimming, are indicated with red and yellow flags, but be aware that these may be moved during the day depending on the state of the tide.