Best Beaches in Sydney, Australia - Top 10 Beaches to Visit

The beaches in Sydney are legendary! When visiting, you have to visit at least one. Here are the Best Beaches in Sydney to visit (in my opinion):

The Best Beaches in Sydney, Australia

1. Bondi Beach, Eastern Sydney

Arguably Sydney’s most famous beach, Bondi always makes the list of “Best Beaches in Sydney!” It’s a great choice for a beach day — if you don’t mind the crowds. Bondi is popular for a reason, it is an absolutely stunning beach. And they have a ton of really cool places to eat and drink nearby.

My recommendation? Bondi Icebergs. It has amazing views and great food and drinks, plus, can you really go to Bondi and not get the classic Icebergs’s pool pic (above)?

2. Coogee Beach, Eastern Sydney

I absolutely love Coogee Beach. It’s usually a little less crowded than Bondi and has a more chilled out vibe. It also happens to have one of my favorite bars in Sydney: The Coogee Pavillion. It’s an awesome spot for drinks after a day at the beach — trust me, I would know, I have spent many a days there

3. Bronte Beach, Eastern Sydney

Bronte is another great beach along the Bondi to Coogee walk. It’s only 1 km south of Bondi. A bit smaller and less crowded than the last two, but still has some great views!

On the southern headland, there is also an ocean pool that’s great for swimming:

4. Manly Beach, Northern Sydney

Probably Sydney’s second most popular/famous beach, Manly always makes for a great beach day. Most easily accessible by ferry from Circular Quay, the ride over is almost as beautiful as the beach itself — you get to see all of Sydney’s harbor.

Hungry? There is a great fish and chips place called Manly Ocean Foods right before you get to the beach. Stop and get the calamari basket for a yummy picnic on the beach!

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5. Shelly Beach, Northern Sydney

Shelley Beach is just a short 10-minute walk along the coast from Manly and it’s definitely worth checking out. It’s a popular beach for snorkeling and swimming and not usually as busy as Manly.

There is also a really cool rock ocean pool (pictured above) along the walk from Manly that is worth checking out.

6. Maroubra Beach, Eastern Sydney

Nicknamed “The Bra,” Maroubra is one of Sydney’s iconic southern beaches for surfing due to it having some of Australia’s most consistent waves. It stretches for 1 km and has beautiful white sand. Easily accessible by bus, its only 10 km from the city center.

7. Palm Beach, Northern Sydney

Located an hour away up in Sydney’s northern beaches is Palm Beach. And let me tell you, this place is a dream. The beach almost looks fake it’s so perfect (just look at that pic, no surpise its one of the Best Beaches in Sydney). It was also the setting for the TV show Home and Away.

There are some great restaurants in the area, as well as the Barrenjoy Lighthouse that is worth checking out.

8. Jibbon Beach (Bundeena), South of Sydney

This one you probably haven’t heard of. It’s located an hour south of Sydney CBD in Royal National Park (another place you should absolutely check out and here’s why).

The beach has pretty cool views of Sydney’s skyline way off in the distance. It also has a lot of great rocks and shells to explore and look out!

9. Congwong Beach, Southern Sydney

This southern Sydney beach located in Kamay Botany Bay National Park should definitely be on your radar. It’s usually not too crowded and has some amazing ocean views. This beach is easily accessible by car and is only a short walk from the car park. The waves here aren’t too rough, so it’s good for swimming and snorkeling.

Beware not to mix this up with Little Congwong Beach as it’s a clothing-optional beach and that brings a whole different kind of view.

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10. Little Bay Beach, Southern Sydney

This beach might just be my favorite, so much so that I wrote an entire post on it! You probably wouldn’t find it on a typical “Best Beaches in Sydney” list. It’s a little-known beach that’s just south of Maroubra and north of La Perouse. It has beautiful sand and the water is gorgeous and calm, making it ideal for swimming.