Where do you find the best beaches in Wales?? Well Pembrokeshire in the South West Corner of Wales definitely has an unrivalled amount of incredible beaches!
The best beaches in Pembrokeshire are the best for a range of reasons, from being family-friendly with facilities and calm water to being secret bays and coves that you might end up having all to yourself!
I’ve spent a lot of time in Pembrokeshire over the last few years so here are the best Pembrokeshire beaches I have found and I recommend you visit!
Best Beaches in Pembrokeshire
Below is also a map of the best beaches in Pembrokeshire because Pembrokeshire is a fairly big county! If you are staying in Tenby for example, you’ll be able to easily find the best beaches near Tenby but maybe you’re staying on the West Coast and need the best beaches near Cardigan!
Best Beaches in Pembrokeshire Map
Plan your trip to Pembrokeshire using this map to find the best beaches in Pembrokeshire near to where you are visiting and staying in Wales!
1. Manorbier Beach
Manorbier Beach quickly became my favourite beach in Pembrokeshire after visiting recently! This beach is definitely a favourite with the locals too!
Manorbier Beach is not a huge beach but it has a good-sized sandy area to sit as well as rocks surrounding it. What makes it top of the list of the best beaches in Pembrokeshire to visit for me is the water!
When I went, lots of children and adults were surfing, body boarding and paddle boarding on the gentle waves making it a safe beach for children to swim in Pembrokeshire.
I decided to walk along the coastal path to Church Door Cove and as I returned back to Manorbier Beach all I could see was bright blue water and people on boards, I felt like I was looking at a beach in Croatia!
Because of its fairly close proximity to Tenby, Manorbier Beach is one of the best beaches near Tenby to visit, especially if you want a less commercialised beach than the beaches near Tenby!
Another positive to Manorbier Beach is the good-sized car park with toilet facilities and the cafe’s that are in Manorbier village nearby. Be sure to stop off at Manorbier Castle too!
Manorbier Beach Parking: Manorbier Beach Car Park or in the lay by alongside the beach.
2. Barafundle Bay
Barafundle Bay is one of the best beaches in Wales! It is an award-winning beach so it has to be high on my list of the best beaches in Pembrokeshire and best places in Pembrokeshire generally!
I think what makes Barafundle Bay so great and so appealing is its slightly difficult location!
Getting to Barafundle Bay requires you to park at Stackpole Quay car park and then walk through 2 fields to get to the bay. Once there, there are no facilities such as toilets or a cafe.
Barafundle Bay is a soft sandy beach and although it is not one of the biggest beaches in Pembrokeshire by far, it is still a good size in length and depth, even on busy summer days!
It is good for swimming and waterspouts such as paddle boarding and kayaking. In high season you should be able to hire these at the beach.
Popular activities include cliff jumping from Stackpole Quay near by and kayaking from Stackpole to Barafundle Bay.
Barafundle Bay Parking: Stackpole Quay Car Park
Related Post: How to Get to Barafundle Bay. Barafundle Bay Walk from Stackpole Quay!
For more posts to help you plan your trip to Pembrokeshire and Wales whether you live here or are visiting as a tourist see:
Complete South Wales Itinerary For A Lush 1 Week in South Wales!
56 Places To Stop On Your Wales Road Trip!
Best Time To Visit Wales By Weather & Things To Do!
16 Beautiful Staycations in Wales To Feel Like You’re Abroad!
3. Freshwater West Beach
A lot of people know Freshwater West Beach as the Harry Potter Beach in Wales because it was the setting for the famous Shell Cottage in The Deathly Hallows and is home to Dobby the house elf’s grave.
This is a huge beach with sand dunes separating it from the road. It’s one of those Pembrokeshire beaches that is good to visit all year round, whether it’s for a long wintery walk or for some sunbathing in the summer.
Freshwater West Beach is a brilliant place for surfing in Pembrokeshire with the best consistent waves in the area.
Freshwater West Beach Parking: There are lay-bys and car parks all along the road alongside the beach.
4. Broad Haven South Beach
There are a few different beaches with the name Broad Haven in Pembrokeshire so be aware of this!
This beach is the one closest to Bosherston village and it’s actually not on many maps making it harder to find and more of a secret beach in Pembrokeshire! Although many locals know about it!
The best way to find it on the map if you are having difficulty is to look for Trefalen car park or Church Rock which is a unique free-standing rock in the ocean and can be seen from the beach.
I stumbled upon Broad Haven South Beach whilst on a walk around Bosherston Lilly Ponds and I was so surprised and delighted by this soft sand beach with plenty of space!
It’s one of those beaches in Wales that is great on a sunny day, especially if you’re taking children, but it’s also good for a big winter walk with the dogs and therefore one of the best beaches in Pembrokeshire for dogs.
Broad Haven South Beach Parking: Trefalen is the closest car park, or Bosherston if you want a walk to the beach.
Related Post: Broad Haven South Beach Directions, Information & Things To Do.
5. Newgale Beach
If you’re looking for the biggest beach in Pembrokeshire, Newgale Beach is at the top of this list!
Newgale Beach is almost 2 miles long and extremely wide too! It is backed by a huge pebble bank that you have to walk up and over to get to the beach.
It’s a popular beach for kitesurfing and surfing and lessons can be taken at the beach.
There are toilet and cafe facilities along the beach but because it is so big it doesn’t feel like a commercial beach at all.
Because of its length it’s one of the best beaches for dog walking in Pembrokeshire but restrictions apply on parts of the beach during parts of the year.
Newgale Beach Parking: There are 3 car parks along the length of the beach.
6. Tenby Beaches
Tenby is the seaside favourite in Pembrokeshire! It’s the most popular place for a seaside holiday and it’s colourful buildings make it a popular place to visit!
Tenby is not only popular for its town and activities but because of its many beaches which are definitely some of Pembrokeshire’s best beaches!
Tenby has 4 beaches – South Beach, North Beach, Castle Beach and Harbour Beach!
‘What is the best beach in Tenby?’
This is a popular question. Castle Beach was voted the best beach in the UK in 2019 but they are all good for different reasons and different preferences.
Personally, my favourite is South Beach because it is less commercialised and a bit further away from the touristic town, followed by North Beach because of it’s big size and because of the view of all the colourful buildings that make up Tenby from the beach.
Tenby Beach Parking: Tenby has many different car parks so it will depend which beach you want to visit and the time of year as the car parks get very busy, but there are plenty in the town and around the edges.
Related Post: How to Walk from Saundersfoot to Tenby & Tenby to Saundersfoot!
7. Saundersfoot Beach
Saundersfoot is an all-time favourite and one of the best places to visit in Pembrokeshire for its harbour, shops, cafes and restaurants, luckily it has a beautiful golden sand beach too!
The beach has many blue flag areas making it a good and safe beach for swimming, especially for children and it is a dog-friendly beach in Pembrokeshire.
Saundersfoot is on my list of best beaches in Pembrokeshire because of its easy access from South Wales – it’s one of the closest beaches in Pembrokeshire to Swansea & Cardiff and because it’s close to Tenby it’s the best beach near Tenby.
I also love Saundersfoot Beach for its facilities as the town is right by the beach but you can also walk along the beach to find quiet spots and it has a nice seaside charm to it.
Saundersfoot Beach Parking: Saundersfoot Harbour Car Park or Coast Restaurant Car Park.
Related Post: 13 Top Things To Do in Saundersfoot & Near Saundersfoot
8. Skrinkle Haven Beach
Now for a hidden beach in Pembrokeshire! Skrinkle Haven takes some getting to and it isn’t a Pembrokeshire beach that you’ll come across whilst driving and it doesn’t have a car park.
It is a golden sand cove with some rocks located close to Manorbier Beach! I got to Skrinkle Haven Beach by walking from Manorbier Beach along the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path.
It is an amazing 45-minute walk along the coast followed by some steep steps down to the beach and I really recommend this coastal walk in Pembrokeshire!
Next to Skrinkle Haven Beach is Church Door Cove named after the huge gap in the cliff that looks like a door.
These two beaches together are highlights of Pembrokeshire and secret beaches in Pembrokeshire that make this part of Wales so incredible!
Skrinkle Haven Beach Parking: Manorbier Beach Car Park followed by a 45 minute walk, or asking to park at or near YHA Manorbier.
Related Post: How To Get To Church Door Cove & Skrinkle Haven Beach.
9. Swanlake Beach
Swanlake Beach is another hidden beach in Pembrokeshire that takes some getting to because just like Skrinkle Haven Beach above, you have to walk along the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path from Manorbier Beach! (But in the other direction.)
Let’s face it, when a beach takes some getting to, you know it’s going to be an amazing beach! And that’s generally what I’ve found from travelling around Pembrokeshire!
I did the walk from Manorbier Beach to Swanlake Beach and I was so surprised by the beautiful and quiet cove that awaited me and this is why it’s on my list of the best beaches in Pembrokeshire because it’s not really well known at all!
However, one thing Swanlake Beach is known for (by some people), is for it being a nudist beach and one of the few nudist beaches in Pembrokeshire and nudist beaches in Wales!
I didn’t know this at all until I watched a YouTube video by Welsh Vloggers Kinging-it. In their video, they say that part of the beach was for nudists and part of it was for those wearing clothes! They did try out being nude and loved it!
Swanlake Beach Parking: Manorbier Beach Car Park followed by a 20-30 minute walk.
10. Whitesands Beach
Whitesands Bay is one of the most popular beaches in Pembrokeshire and definitely the best beach near St David’s, a small city in the corner of Pembrokeshire.
It has fine white sand and is one of the best beaches in Wales for surfing!
Whitesands Beach is west facing so perfect for a sunset spot in Pembrokeshire and it has views of nearby Ramsey Island and other islands nearby.
The beach is accessible to wheelchair users so another accessible beach in Pembrokeshire because of the slipway and there are even beach wheelchairs to hire!
Whitesands Beach Parking: Whitesands Bay Car Park is above the beach. In the summer when the crowds are high you can take a shuttle bus from The Oriel y Parc car park near St Davids to Whitesands.
11. Marloes Sands
Many of the best beaches in Pembrokeshire are seaside holiday beaches, but if you want a long stretch of beach loved by nature lovers and adventurous people, Marloes Sands is the beach for you!
At low tide, you can see part of a shipwreck sticking out of the sand. There are rock pools for children to play in and there’s also a nearby sandy beach called Albion Sands that you can get to across the rocks.
If you’re staying near Pembroke town, Haverfordwest or Milford Haven, this is going to be the best beach in Pembrokeshire that you’ll find near them to visit!
Marloes Sands Parking: Marloe Sands National Trust Car Park is half a mile from the beach.
12. Poppit Sands Beach
Poppit Sands Beach was one of our family’s favourites when growing up because of its close location to Cardigan on the West Coast of Wales.
The beach is one of the best beaches in Pembrokeshire because it is popular for windsurfing, kayaking and surfing and great for children to run around on.
Poppit Sands is surrounded by sand dunes which make these beaches in Pembrokeshire even more beautiful I think.
There is a boardwalk to protect the sand dunes from the car park which also gives the beach mobility access so it’s a good disabled-access beach in Pembrokeshire.
Poppit Sands Beach Parking: Along the beach road.
13. Freshwater East Beach
Freshwater East Beach, not to be confused with Freshwater West Beach (this is not the Harry Potter beach where Dobby died!) is a bit of a remote beach too, mainly because it isn’t found on many maps!
Freshwater East is a village and it does have a lovely sandy beach, it is surrounded by fields and a perfect family-friendly beach in Pembrokeshire.
It’s on the same stretch of coast as Barafundle Bay, Swanlake Beach and Manorbier Beach so its another one of the best beaches near Tenby to visit!
Freshwater East Beach Parking: Drive down the road to as close to the beach as you can get and you’ll see a car park not far from the beach.
14. Aberfforest Beach
This is another secret beach in Pembrokeshire and it’s in my list of the best beaches in Pembrokeshire because of its remote location.
Aberfforest Beach does not have any facilities, it barely has a car park. You park at the end of the track near the beach and then walk down a footpath to the beach.
Once there you are at a small sand and rock cove with calm water. This is definitely the beach in Pembrokeshire to visit to avoid the crowds!
There is a small river and after a short walk you’ll reach Aberfforest Waterfall.
For the best beaches near Newport, Aberfforest Beach is a good one to visit!
Aberfforest Beach Parking: Drive to the end of the track you see on the map and then follow the footpath to the beach.
15. Broad Haven Beach
Broad Haven is a little seaside village in Pembrokeshire Wales. I found it to be a slice of remoteness from the outside world.
Broad Haven Beach is pretty big in length and when the tide is out it’s pretty big in-depth too.
It’s perfect for families who want to let their children play on the beach, around the rock pools and in the ocean.
There are some good waves which are perfect for surfing and body boarding and boards and wetsuits can be hired at the shops on the edge of the beach and there are surf lessons on offer too.
Broad Haven Beach Parking: There is parking in the town and close to the beachfront.
Related Post: 10 Things To Do In Broad Haven and Nearby in Pembrokeshire!
Beaches in Pembrokeshire FAQ:
Let me help you with more information on Pembrokeshire beaches:
What is the nicest beach in Pembrokeshire?
The nicest beach in Pembrokeshire, in my opinion, is one of the following: Manorbier Beach, Saundersfoot Beach, Tenby South Beach, and Freshwater West Beach.
Which is the best part of Pembrokeshire?
The area of Pembrokeshire close to Tenby is the best part of Pembrokeshire in my opinion because it has the most attractions, the best beaches in Pembrokeshire and it’s the easiest part of Pembrokeshire to get to from South Wales and England!