The Best of St Brelades Bay: Your Guide to Jersey’s Most Beautiful Beach
About St Brelade’s Bay
One of Jersey’s most beloved beaches, St Brelade’s Bay is renowned for its golden sands, clear turquoise waters and family-friendly atmosphere. Located on the island’s south-west coast, this crescent-shaped bay is sheltered by rugged headlands that protect the beachfront and make it ideal for safe swimming, sunbathing and a variety of water sports. Visitors can enjoy activities such as kayaking, paddleboarding and jet skiing on this vast beachfront with multiple watersport companies offering rental services. Alternatively, St Brelade’s Bay is a great place to simply relax on the beach and for families to enjoy a day by the sea. The bay is also home to several seafront cafes and restaurants, offering a range of dining options with views of the ocean and exquisite menus. For those interested in history, there are many heritage sites around the bay providing a glimpse into the island’s past. The most popular holiday resort on the island with so much to offer, it is no surprise that visitors and locals flock to St Brelade’s Bay.
St Brelade’s Bay Historic Sites
Le Coleron Battery
A coastal heritage site on the western edge of St Brelade’s Bay, Le Coleron Battery reflects Jersey’s impressive coastal defence history. Originally constructed to defend the bay during the late Georgian period, Le Coleron was later fortified by German forces as part of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall of Defence during the island’s occupation in World War II. Preserved by the National Trust for Jersey, this once private site now has public access and showcases the layered history of the island.
St Brelade’s Bay Other Points of Interest and Things to Do
As the centrepoint of the village, there is no avoiding Gorey’s idyllic harbour. The harbour has historic roots in oyster fishing and later became a ferry link to Normandy. With Gorey Pier extending out into the sea, it is easy to admire the beauty and peacefulness of the harbour as you watch the local fishing boats bobbing on the glistening waters with a charming village backdrop.
A delightful afternoon trip following a morning on the beach, Jersey Lavender is a breathtaking site to visit during late spring and early summer. The lavender fields are breathtaking to look at, smell incredible and the harvest produces delicious food items and body products.
The private garden known as Reg’s Award Winning Garden is the result of a family campsite that turned into a retirement project and became a spectacular landscape. Featuring a magnificent koi pond with a waterfall, an alpine garden and an aviary sanctuary, the garden is a place of tranquillity. There is also plenty to keep all ages entertained with a fairy garden and themed play areas.
Visiting St Brelade’s Bay
Visiting St Brelade’s Bay is a must when in Jersey and timing your trip well can make it truly magical. This sheltered, west-facing bay is best visited between the summer months of May and September. During this period, the weather is warmest and the sea is more inviting for swimming and water sports. For water activities, the sea temperatures are highest during the month of August. However, July and August are also peak tourist months, so if you prefer a quieter atmosphere, opt for late May, June or early September when it is still sunny but the beach is less crowded.
It will also be less crowded early in the morning, especially if you visit before 10:30am. It is the ideal time to enjoy a calm walk along the promenade or have a quiet paddle in the sea. However, be aware that the lifeguard service is not in operation before 10:30am. Late morning and afternoons are best if you want the security of monitored swimming and the buzz of watersport options. However, one of the best times of day to visit St Brelade’s Bay is in the evening. During the summer months, the evenings are golden and the views are simply breathtaking. With the bay facing south-west, sunsets here can be particularly stunning and there are plenty of beachfront bars and cafes to admire the sun dipping over the horizon.
St Brelade’s Bay Shopping, Dining and Nightlife
If you are in search of shopping, dining and nightlife, St Brelade’s Bay offers the whole package. As the island’s premier holiday resort, St Brelade’s Bay offers a wide variety of dining opportunities, serving up a range of different cuisine as well as cafes, quick service kiosks and table service restaurants. For shopping, you will find everything you need here including convenience stores and small supermarkets for food and essentials, plus souvenir shops, ideal for gifts and beach necessities. In terms of nightlife, St Brelade’s Bay is thriving, particularly throughout the summer months. Far from the club scene of the capital, nightlife is more of a laid back affair in St Brelade with live music in bars and pubs. There is also plenty of family entertainment on offer and more chilled evening entertainment such as pub quizzes.
St Brelade’s Bay Sport and Events
Jono’s Watersports
For watersports and beach activity, St Brelade’s Bay is the leading spot on the island. Home to Jono’s Watersports, visitors to the beach can rent equipment such as paddleboards, kayaks and surfboards. The watersport shop also offers land-based activities, including volleyball and football.
Jersey Parkrun
St Brelade is home to Jersey’s only parkrun. A great opportunity to tick off a letter on your parkrun A-Z or check off another destination on your parkrun world map, Jersey parkrun is a casual running event that brings locals and visitors together in a 5k community running event every Saturday morning.
Tourist Attractions in Gorey
St Brelade’s Bay Facilities
Parking
There are multiple public car parks along the length of St Brelade’s Bay, offering ample parking opportunities for visitors. Car parks operated by the States of Jersey are chargeable during the seasonal months of April to September, including Midbay, Tams and Woodford. Outside of these dates, parking is free. There is a mixture of both short stay and long stay parking, with season tickets also available, ideal for frequent visitors to Jersey. In addition, there is also plenty of accessible parking, as well as drop-off zones.
Public Transport
Two services operated by LibertyBus service St Brelade’s Bay, 12A and 14. Both routes run from Liberation Station in St Helier, offering great connections between this great coastal spot and the capital. Route 15 also stops nearby, a 5-minute walk to the bay.
Toilets
St Brelade’s Bay offers multiple public toilet facilities conveniently located along the promenade and at car parks across the bay. Most are open year‑round and also feature accessible toilets and baby changing facilities.
Changing and showers
There are a handful of outdoor showers located across the promenade, ideal for rinsing off sand after a day at the beach; however, there are no changing rooms along the bay other than the Changing Places facility at Sir Winston Churchill Memorial Park Woodford’s car park, opening summer 2025.
Accessibility
St Brelade’s Bay is one of the best beaches for accessibility on the island. There is ample disabled parking and accessible toilets along the bay as well as ramp beach access. At Sir Winston Churchill Memorial Park Woodford’s car park, you will also find a new Changing Places facility opening summer 2025. Designed for people with complex needs, Changing Places includes a hoist, changing bench, shower and plenty of space for caregivers, operating 24/7 via radar key access. St Brelade’s Bay also offers the island’s BeachAbility service. The service offers the free hire of beach wheelchairs with balloon tyres opening the beach up to all. BeachAbility is also based at the Churchill car park.
Lifeguards
St Brelade’s Bay is an RNLI lifeguarded beach. Patrol dates are between May and September, with hours between 10 am to 6 pm. It is important to be aware of tide times and safe swimming, regardless of whether lifeguards are on duty, but especially outside of these times. Remember, no flags mean no lifeguards.
Food and Drink
There are an incredible number of food and drink options along St Brelade’s Bay, from kiosks and quick service eateries to table service and fine dining locations.
Shops
St Brelade’s Bay has an abundance of shops along the promenade, from food and convenience stores to souvenir shops selling gifts and beach essentials.
