Having grown up with amazing Australian beaches on my doorstep, I often long for a deserted sandy…read morebeach to escape to, to indulge my sand and surf addiction. Howth doesn't cut it, nor Dun Laoghaire, and Bray doesn't have the answer either. For me, the only Dublin beach that even goes halfway towards holding the answers to all of life's problems is Malahide. If you're lucky enough (go on a weekday!) you might even get the entire beach to yourself. There's nothing more enthralling than being alone with a vast expanse of beach infront of you, and being free to skip, dance, sing or scream, whatever floats your boat at the time. Malahide Beach is also good for a sit down. It offers a lovely vista out to Lambay Island, Howth and Island's Eye (depending on how far you walk, that is..) Also look on the ground.. there are some lovely shells for the finding if you look hard enough. From Malahide Beach you can take the coastal walk all the way to Portmarnock (but beware, it's 5km away so is no stroll through the park.) Malahide is definitely my pick of Dublin beaches.

I love this beach on my doorstep. The views are amazing across to other beaches such as Donabate…read more It's s short beach but links to portmarnock beach by footpath which is a great length for walking and running in the evening...... 5km each way. Unfortunately no swimming on malahide beach due to dangerous tides.

Known locally as Jamesons beach this is a real hidden gem - in fact I shouldn't even be telling you…read moreabout it ! So at the risk of getting thrown out of "The Peninsula Club" here goes. The beach lies at the bottom of the cliff path between Sutton and Howth. It is directly beneath the house that was occupied by the Jameson family (yes the whiskey dudes) and there is a little tunnel from the house that leads to the cliff path. They had children who liked to swim in the ocean but they were worried that they might swept out to sea and end up on the beach in Wales. So Mr.Jameson built a wall in the sea and in doing so created a makeshift seawater swimming pool. There is a big diving rock on the outer edge and a small little pool in the shallows for the littlest swimmers. Sadly due to the power of the sea a lot of the walls have crumbled but you can still see them at low tide. The beach itself is quite small but the views are spectacular. The path down although partly paved is steep and rocky so not suitable for small kids or those unsteady on their pins. To get to the beach you can walk up along the cliff path from Sutton or walk down from the Summit or Carrickbrack Road - There are a few other access points to the cliff walk

One of the most amazing beach in dublin. Liberty is the word. You feel appart and you can have an…read moreinspiring walk on the beach . Colors of the sunset are amazing.

I think this is the closest to a beach Dublin has to offer. A little away from city's usual hustle…read morebustle, this place offers a pleasant change. A good location for a run/ walk. Wish there wasn't low tide most of the times I have visited. Would love to see a real beach but hey the view is good particularly on a nice sunny day.

It's a sandy beach! Nice, clean, fine, lovely-to-walk-in sand!…read more In the last spate of sunny weather, I trekked out to Killiney thinking this was the spot, the pretty spot the place to go. Pretty yes, nice to sit down or lie on, no! It's all stoney and not conducive to the lazy beach day you would generally have in your mind. Now as for Portmarnock! I had quite the opposite image in my mind, especially after the recent press, but ladies and gentlemen, you will be rather pleasantly surprised if you take the trip out here! Ice cream vans, sculptures, a nice grassy verged area, a huuuuggge beach that goes on for miles, and - wait for it - SANDY sand! The only cautionary note I will end with is - if you're not a major fan of teenagers, or perhaps the younger childer - perhaps stay away. The place is jam packed full of em! The further down the beach you go (away from the parking), the better. You get better sand, more of it, and you are less likely to have to stick some ear plugs in! Re. the parking - we ended up driving into one of the local estates as we couldn't find room anywhere along the roads, and the White Sands Hotel was charging a tenner (TEN EURITS!!) to make the most of their tarmac!

When I have worked too much and have too many tests to correct and too many lessons to prepare and…read moretoo much going on (wow I need to breathe!), I cycle all the way from Dublin centre to this beach. I love cycling and this route is about 17 kms long and I love every second of it! This place makes me feel peaceful and the strand is very long with beautiful rocks and scenery. If you do not exercise that much, there are buses and a main Dart train line in this area too. There is also a Martello tower overlooking the beach, a very local small ice cream stand besides several hotels along the path and a nice monument to honor the first solo westbound transatlantic flight which began there. When you are in the middle of the beach you can see a bit far away Ireland's Eye, a tiny uninhabited island directly north of Howth Harbour. I swim most of the times when I am feeling brave enough and the waves can be quite rough so you need to be a kind of good swimmer.

Gorgeous weekend destination with lots to do and see in the downtown area and the outskirts. Plan a…read moresummer getaway here and include taking in the lough, beaches, castle and monastery ruins, downtown area, restaurants featuring oysters, and overall natural beauty!

I love the walk along the cliff here especially on a quiet sunny day on the way to the beach. its…read morepeaceful and there is a great view of Howth head and Bull Island. The beach is not too sandy, has rather more stones than usual but is without any kind of commercial appendages unlike Bray for example. It has a few towers dotted here and there and there are some small private coves for the more adventurous. But have some care when climbing down as one slip and you're a goner! I was there yesterday and the sound of silence was wonderful. I met a few other people alone like myself and they seemed to have the same idea as me. At the end of the walk is the Waterside hotel that you could nip into for a coffee or glass of wine. I didn't as i don't wine alone but seemed nice and comfortable.

Lough Shore is a fantastic park area on the shores of Belfast Lough at Jordanstown / Whiteabbey…read morewhere the kids can play at the fun park, adults can stroll along the beach / shore path and everyone can some good clean fun in the sun (or rain, as is often the case!) There's a great kids play area which was recently refurbished to keep it up to date with the times. There's also a big grass area where the kids can play a game of footie or you can throw down a towel and relax in the summer sun (while you can!) There are also picnic tables and benches where you can enjoy a quiet sarnie by the sea. There's even a small caravan site where touring caravans can set up camp and enjoy a stay at the shore for a minimal fee. The facilities of the camp site are currently being updated so hopefully this out of date and small camping area will be modernised to a quality, attractive area. Currently it is a one star park that accommodates six caravans and one tent.

Beautiful little fishing village located just a 30 minute train ride from Dublin!…read more We heard great things about Howth and honestly this made a great side trip on our first day in Dublin. Away from the city we were transported to a small village town with gorgeous scenery and people. We went for a ferry ride to see Irelands eye and the Howth cliffs and unfortunately it got too foggy during the tour. For an hour long it was mostly fog but we did see a seal just chilling in the water. It was sunny on the mainland so it was very unexpected that there would be not much visibility on the water. We wanted to see puffins but they are rare to see I think. The ferry ride was pricey so not sure I would recommend it especially since you're not guaranteed to see everything. I would suggest going up the Howth cliffs walk as it is a beautiful view from up top! The locals in the village are also super friendly and love a good chat. Such a great place to visit if you are travelling around Dublin!

Without a doubt one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited…read more Howth is a quaint and beautiful fishing village only about 30 minutes away from Dublin if you take the Dart train from Connelly station. It was 6,50 euro round trip per person and trains pass by about every 20 minutes or so. I would definitely recommend visiting the Howth Market if you come on the weekend. It's like a little farmers market that sells loads of coffee, tea, baked good, prepared foods, souvenirs, etc. This market is located right across the street when you exit the Dart station, you can't miss it. Once you're done there if you continue walking towards the ocean there is a trail that leads you to Howth's head and while you're making your way over there you'll pass by many shops and restaurants. The trail is a steep climb, and if you're not in relatively good shape or have proper shoes on, I'd recommend just staying in town and maybe having a drink at one of the many pubs, but if you're able to make the climb, it's completely worth it. The views are absolutely breath taking, and along the way there are endless vines of wild black berries which you'll see various people (myself included) eating as a snack. I ended up climbing the top by myself while the rest of my party waited for me back down. Please be careful and don't be stupid and take selfies in dangerous areas, make sure to stay on the trail all the time. Enjoy the beauty and charm that Howth offers, I loved it more than Dublin itself.

A sanctuary in Ireland, we came to this beach that was simply heaven on earth. Perfect for long…read morestrolls on the beach with your dogs. Big sand dunes line the beach with sand speckled with shells and round stones. Only 60 minutes away from Dublin city center and plenty of parking.

Roughly an hour away from our door in Dublin is Brittas Bay Beach, which is pretty fantastic in my…read moreopinion. 4KM of beach. Sandy beach. With sand dunes. This is stuff great childhood memories are made of. Fantastic. Now I've not had the chance to get into the water here, but it looks pretty good to me.... as long as I have my wet suit ;) There are great facilities here too, a car park, lifeguards during the summer months and decent enough toilets WITH toilet paper. I would imagine the toilets are abused on busy days... sorry that's the cynic in me, so BYOP. The notice board here is full of useful information also, including info to a website called www.jellyfish.ie. Who knew that existed, I didn't :) There is also a but... the south car park costs 4 EUR to get into. OK, so the money goes towards the car park, the lifeguard and the toilet maintenance. But I do think this is a bit steep if you are just dropping in for a look. But if you are going for the whole day, its fine. FYI the car park gates are unmanned and take coins, so make sure you have the right coinage with you before to depart for Brittas Bay. Also, the south car park closes at 8pm according to signs.

I don't know how I never knew this beach was here! I felt like my Dub credentials were under threat…read moredue to my ignorance until I realised that apparently nobody else knows about it, not even Yelp! It's a lovely stretch of beach with pure white sand that I can only assume was imported... Located at the back of Sutton Village you have Ireland's Eye, Howth Head and Malahide on the horizon and a lovely mix of young, old, Irish and new Irish alike, not to mention some rather impressive eye candy (i.e. Tim sunning). Definitely my new fair weather spot!

Having grown up on this beach it holds a special place in my heart but I thinks it's one of the…read morenicest beaches in Dublin. Located on the Burrow Road it is known as either Burrow Beach or Hole in the wall beach as the access to the beach used to be through a large hole in a wall - you still need to climb over what's left of the wall but much easier now ! It's a lovely long flat beach and has great views out to Ireland's Eye. It's good for swimming but be careful as there can be strong currents. A great walk you can do is to get the DART to Sutton station which is very close to the beach and then walk along the beach up to Howth - then you could walk the pier and replenish your lost calories with some chips or just jump back on the DART. This however is only possible at low tide and you must be careful not to get trapped by the incoming tide