Beaches in Dublin, County Dublin
The beach guide has 11 beaches listed in and around the town of Dublin. We have arranged these beaches in order of closest to the town first (distance in brackets).
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Seapoint Beach (4.5 miles)
Seapoint beach sits on the southern shores of Dublin Bay between Blackrock and Monkstown.
The beach here consists of areas of rocks interspersed with sand. Behind the beach is a section of promenade with a few slipways and steps with hand rails that lead into the water at high tide. This makes Seapoint a good spot…
Dollymount Strand Beach (4.8 miles)
Dollymount Strand is the closest large beach to Dublin city centre. It is situated on North Bull Island which was created in the 19th century in Dublin Bay to deal with silting problems. The sandy beach here runs along the full 5 kilometre length of the island. Today, it is an important nature reserve, being…
The Burrow Beach (7.2 miles)
The Burrow Beach in Sutton is a fine sandy beach stretching for nearly a mile. Joining the peninsula of Howth Head to the mainland the beach is backed by extensive sandy dunes.
Easily reachable from Sutton Cross train station this is a popular spot in the summer and has a seasonal lifeguard service.
Killiney Beach (7.7 miles)
Killiney is a long, stony beach located by the resort town of Killiney, one of the most exclusive suburbs of the Dublin area, whose residents include many Irish celebrities. The beach offers excellent views of the surrounding rocky coastline including Dalkey Island and Sorrento Terrace to the north, and Bray Head to the south.
Due to…
Portmarnock Beach (8.4 miles)
Within a stone's throw of Ireland's capital, Dublin, the beach at Portmarnock is also known as the Velvet Strand. This is on account of the beautiful smooth sand that makes up the three miles of Portmarnock Strand.
The beach here is backed by sand dunes which lead onto the Portmarnock Championship golf course. These dunes are…
Malahide Beach (9.4 miles)
Malahide is an expansive stretch of sand that runs between the town and the estuary. It is a popular spot with beach walkers with a mix of dunes, beach, footpath and promenade running along its 2km length. Whilst Malahide beach probably isn't the best place for swimming owing to strong tidal currents it is a…
Donabate Beach (11.1 miles)
Just beyond the outskirts of Ireland's capital city is the long, sandy beach of Balcarrick (or Donabate). Despite being only 22km from the centre of Dublin you will feel very much out in the countryside at Balcarrick beach. The beach is backed by an extensive area of sand dunes which is a valuable natural habitat…
Portrane Beach (12.7 miles)
The long sandy beach of Portrane is flanked by sand dunes and backs onto the small seaside village of Portrane. Behind the village and beach is the Rogerstown Estuary which empties at the northern end of the beach. This National Heritage Area (NHA) is home to various migrating wading birds during the winter. Despite there…
Rush South Beach (14.2 miles)
Of the three fine beaches in the coastal town of Rush the south one is widely considered the best. This is backed up by a Blue Flag award which means the beach is both clean and has great amenities.
Rush South Beach is a generous 2.5 km stretch of golden sand backed by low grassy dunes.…
Rush North Beach (15.1 miles)
As the name suggests this beach lies to the north of the fishing village of Rush. Somewhat smaller but just as sandy as the Blue Flag-awarded South Beach, Rush North Beach still stretches for around a kilometre.
While South Beach feels wild and remote North Beach still feels firmly connected to the village and is easily…
Greystones Beach (15.3 miles)
The long fine, sand and pebble Greystones beach is stiuated just to the south of the town of Greystones. Being located just 10 kilometres south of Dublin, the beach is a popular spot for day trippers with Greystones station, located behind the northern end of the beach, providing regular trains to the city. The beach…
Dublin beaches map
Map featuring Dublin beaches. Click on pins to view beach details
