Top Beaches Day Trips from Belfast
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The top Beaches Day Trips from Belfast include Newtownabbey Bay Beach, High Tide Covers Rock Beach, Helens Bay, Crawfordsburn Beach, Carnalea Bay Beach, Smelt Mill Bay, Brompton Bay and Ballyholme Bay.
Belfast wraps around the head of Belfast Lough, and the shores of that sea inlet give the city an easy run of beaches within a short drive. On the northern edge, at Newtownabbey, Hazelbank looks back across the water toward the city.
Cross to the County Down side and the coast unspools eastward toward Bangor, taking in the tidal flats of the Holywood shore and the wooded sands of Helen's Bay and Crawfordsburn within Crawfordsburn Country Park. Carry on past Carnalea Bay and the little cove of Smelt Mill Bay, both stops on the North Down Coastal Path, to the sea-swimmers' notch at Brompton Bay and the broad curving sand of Ballyholme on the far side of Bangor.
Some of these are gentle waterside walks along the lough rather than bathing beaches, others open into real sand backed by parkland or promenade. Together they show off the calm, sheltered character of the lough and the coast just beyond its mouth.
Here are eight beaches for a day trip from Belfast.
Newtownabbey Bay Beach
Photo: Albert Bridge via Geograph.org.uk
Newtownabbey Bay Beach Also known as Hazelbank, this sand and shingle shore lies on Belfast Lough at Newtownabbey, right on the northern edge of the city and only a short drive from the centre. It is backed by Hazelbank Park, with parking and toilets, and a walking and cycling path runs behind it as part of the wider Loughshore Trail.
The main draw is the open view across the lough to Belfast and the far County Down shore. This is a gentle waterside spot for a stroll or a cycle rather than a bathing beach, easy to reach and easy to enjoy.
High Tide Covers Rock Beach
Photo: Rossographer via Geograph.org.uk
High Tide Covers Rock Beach This low foreshore runs along Holywood's shore on the south side of Belfast Lough in County Down, between the town and Cultra, a short drive from Belfast. It is a mix of sand, shingle and mudflats: at high water the tide covers it almost completely, then draws back to uncover wide flats that bring in wading birds and gulls.
The North Down Coastal Path follows the back of it, with views across the lough to the hills of Antrim. The calm, muddy water makes this a place for walking and birdwatching rather than bathing, best enjoyed at a gentle pace.
Helens Bay
Photo: Albert Bridge via Geograph.org.uk
Helen's Bay Set within Crawfordsburn Country Park on the south shore of Belfast Lough near Bangor, Helen's Bay is a proper sandy beach a short drive east of Belfast. The sand shelves gently into clean, sheltered water, backed by the wooded ground of the park, and the whole place has a quiet feel.
Grey Point Fort, an old coastal gun battery, stands on the headland close by, and paths wind through the park's woods to a small waterfall. The village behind the beach grew up as a railway resort in Victorian times, and the train still makes it an easy trip today.
Crawfordsburn Beach
Photo: Rossographer via Geograph.org.uk
Crawfordsburn Beach Next along from Helen's Bay, Crawfordsburn Beach also sits within Crawfordsburn Country Park on the southern shore of Belfast Lough in County Down, a short drive from Belfast. Sandy beaches run along a couple of miles of coast, backed by a wooded glen where a stream drops over a small waterfall.
An old railway viaduct, still carrying the Belfast to Bangor line, spans the glen above. The park has a visitor centre, a cafe and walks through wood and meadow, with the former coastal gun battery at Grey Point close by.
It makes an easy, family-friendly day by the water.
Carnalea Bay Beach
Photo: Rossographer via Geograph.org.uk
Carnalea Bay Beach Just west of Bangor in County Down, Carnalea Bay is a small, low-key stretch of shore on Belfast Lough, a short drive from Belfast. The North Down Coastal Path runs right along the front here, well used by walkers, runners and cyclists, with a golf course bordering it on the landward side.
For a change of scene, the wooded ground at Kerr's Wood gives an inland route close by. A railway halt at Carnalea sits a short way back from the water, so you can arrive by train and walk straight onto the coastal path.
It is an unshowy but pleasant corner of the coast.
Smelt Mill Bay
Photo: Rossographer via Geograph.org.uk
Smelt Mill Bay Where the stream from wooded Stricklands Glen runs down to the sea at Bangor, this small pebble cove makes a scenic pause on the North Down coastal path between Bangor and Crawfordsburn, a short drive from Belfast. The trees of the glen back the shore, and the water laps a shingle beach in a sheltered notch of the coast.
Its name comes from a lead smelt mill that once stood here, driven by the glen's stream, though little of it now survives. There is not much in the way of facilities, just a quiet, pretty spot to stop and take in the coast.
Brompton Bay
Photo: Rossographer via Geograph.org.uk
Brompton Bay A short way east of Bangor, Brompton Bay is a small rocky swimming cove rather than a broad sandy beach, a sheltered notch in the shore a short drive from Belfast. Local sea swimmers love it, getting into the water down a set of steps and a fixed ladder set into the rocks.
The coastal path runs right past, with views out across the mouth of Belfast Lough. Recently recognised as an official bathing spot, with water quality tested through the summer, it draws groups who swim here in all weathers.
There are no facilities to speak of, just the rocks, the ladder and the sea.
Ballyholme Bay
Photo: Rossographer via Geograph.org.uk
Ballyholme Bay On the eastern edge of Bangor, Ballyholme Bay is a broad, curving sweep of sand, a little over a kilometre backed by a promenade and a line of houses, a short drive from Belfast. Wooden groynes run down the beach at intervals, and the shore looks out across the mouth of Belfast Lough toward the Antrim hills.
It is a busy local beach, good for walking, paddling and sailing, with a yacht club at the western end. Back in 1903 a Viking-age grave was uncovered on this shore, a woman buried with bronze brooches, a reminder of how long people have used this sheltered coast.
Bangor town centre lies a short way off.
FAQs
Which beach near Belfast is best for a sandy day out?
For real sand, head east from Belfast to Helen's Bay or Crawfordsburn within Crawfordsburn Country Park, or to the broad curve of Ballyholme Bay on the edge of Bangor. All three shelve gently and have parkland or a promenade behind.
Can you swim in the sea near Belfast?
Yes. Brompton Bay, just east of Bangor, is a recognised bathing spot with its water quality tested through the summer, and local swimmers use it in all weathers, getting in by a ladder set into the rocks. Some lough-shore beaches near Belfast are muddy tidal flats better suited to walking.
How do you reach the County Down beaches from Belfast?
Most of these County Down beaches lie a short drive east of Belfast around Holywood, Crawfordsburn and Bangor, and many sit right on the North Down Coastal Path. Several, such as Helen's Bay and Carnalea, also have their own railway halts, so you can arrive by train.
Conclusion
For a city set at the head of a sea lough, Belfast is remarkably well served for a day beside the water. The northern shore gives you the easy waterside walk at Hazelbank, while the County Down side runs east through the wooded sands of Crawfordsburn Country Park to the swimming cove at Brompton Bay and the long promenade sweep of Ballyholme.
Some are gentle tidal flats for birdwatching and strolling, others proper sand for paddling and sailing. Many link up along the North Down Coastal Path, so you can walk from one to the next, and several have a railway halt close by for an easy car-free trip.
Whether you fancy a swim, a shell hunt or simply a stroll with the Antrim hills across the water, these are the beaches for a day trip from Belfast.
