The coastline of Torquay is a trove of sandy shores and picturesque views. So, it can be tough to determine which among the many Torquay beaches is the “best”. Luckily, we’ve compiled a list of the 12 most popular beaches in Torquay, based on ratings and reviews from various online sources. Whether you’re looking for a relaxing day by the ocean or some exciting waves to surf, this list has got you covered. Let’s take a look!
Best Beach in Torquay
Torquay Beach
- Address: Torquay Beach, A379, Torquay TQ2 5HA, United Kingdom
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.5 (1444)
- Phone: +44 1902 758849
- Opening hours:
Monday: Open 24 hoursTuesday: Open 24 hoursWednesday: Open 24 hoursThursday: Open 24 hoursFriday: Open 24 hoursSaturday: Open 24 hoursSunday: Open 24 hours
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Top 12 Most Beautiful Beaches in Torquay
Torquay Seafront
- Address: Abbey Sands, 15962 Abbey Road, Torbay Rd, Torquay TQ2 5HB, United Kingdom
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (1223)
- Opening hours:
Monday: Open 24 hoursTuesday: Open 24 hoursWednesday: Open 24 hoursThursday: Open 24 hoursFriday: Open 24 hoursSaturday: Open 24 hoursSunday: Open 24 hours
- Reviews:
Beautiful place to be all year round. Beautiful blue sea in the summer with plenty of people enjoying the sand and a swim. Quite an incredible place to be during a winter’s storm. There’s always something to do and see.By Hippy Chippy (5 months ago)Pretty though needs some upgradation/renovation to spruce it up a bit. Nice pier and gr8 fish and chips (‘blue’ takeaway joint with no seating). Fishing allowed. Ferris wheel on site.By Kaptain Guzzy (4 months ago)Truly is the cult name it earns it The English Rivera with restaurants bars beautiful walks watching the amazing sun sets over the sea ! Very tidy award winning beaches! My first time here & it won’t be my last ! Not forgetting the beautiful wildlife you see !By Massimino Malacrino (4 months ago)Beautiful Tourquay, palm trees everywhere, lovely hourbour, good size sandy beach with clear water so we could see fish and crabs especially by the harbour lots of families crabbing there! Lots of seaside shops selling fudge, magnets, sweets, mugs etc..a long high street just behind the sea front with shops like Primark, Waterstones, Cinema, McDonald’s and a Wetherspoons (tip – you need to go across a bridge at the bottom of the high street to get in the Weatherspoon, we spent a while trying to figure that out). There’s a beefeater on the harbour which has great views but was busy so best to book a table. Lots of little coves to explore further up and a coastal walk if you don’t mind hills.
The seafront itself is flat and has parking either side, with some lovely looking restaurants. At night it’s all lit up, usually a busker playing something or a singer near the big wheel, and up by the Clock tower there were bars with live music. Really great atmosphere, will definitely visit again 🏖By Deb (2 months ago)Check out Rock Walk and it’s illuminated steps.If you time it right, you get a perfect view of the setting sun, the ‘golden hour, and the lights along the front coming on.
By Craig Cameron-Fisher (11 months ago)Babbacombe Beach
- Address: Babbacombe Beach, Beach Rd, Torquay TQ1 3LX, United Kingdom
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.5 (1142)
- Phone: +44 1803 324532
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: Open 24 hoursTuesday: Open 24 hoursWednesday: Open 24 hoursThursday: Open 24 hoursFriday: Open 24 hoursSaturday: Open 24 hoursSunday: Open 24 hours
- Reviews:
Lovely little beach. Stones not sand but watershoes help that. We hired a kayak and a pedalo was only cheap and staff great. Lovely little ice cream shop further down by the cliff railway museum.
Little shops for some gifts and little bits you may need.
Toilets on site 30p to use but large and clean.
Little shower on edge of beach to wash off the sand and stones.
By Lauren Coombs (4 months ago)Tempting walk across the cliffs from Oddicombe Beach to Babbacombe Beach. There was a mini, hidden waterfall on route. Views when we got to Babbacombe Downs Road was amazing. Scenic cottage, house and garden as well as a lovely brick wall overlooking the sea. Colours of the bricks are beautiful in particular the red stones.By Zulekha Takoliya (5 months ago)I enjoyed the walk across from Oddicombe Beach to find a lovely little cove with some great views. The fisherman there had caught some mackerel in the beautiful clear water! Stopped on the Cary Arms for a drink, great little place, dogs were allowed in…. coffee and cake for £7, but the cake was huge I shared it with my daughter! One of the best chocolate fudge cakes I’ve ever had!By Claire Cronin (All Things Dark & Dirty) (a year ago)We drove down the very steep hill to park on this beach. I would rather walk down than drive down next time. Lovely walk along the beach. Unusual pink sand. Stunning 😍By Ags (a year ago)Amazing location, lovely weather which was perfect for the first time visit,
i couldn’t believe how beautiful the beach was , perfect if you want your own space,Amazing for photos
CleanWill be back for sure
By M E (4 months ago)Oddicombe Beach
- Address: Oddicombe Beach, Babbacombe Downs Rd, Torquay TQ1 3LS, United Kingdom
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (919)
- Phone: +44 1803 327083
- Website: Link
- Reviews:
Lovely walk through the cliffs which added to the experience rather than taking the funicular railway. However, the lady at the ticket office seemed really friendly and we’re glad this transport option is here as my mum used it as the cliffs are steep to walk through. Beach is lovely, in particular the red sand and cliffs. Only downside for us was it was quite cold and windy so couldn’t enjoy the full experience of being at the beach. Also it is quite a small beach to sit at. Worth going to see for an hour or so in warm weather.
Staff trained my brother to kayak and soon enough he was out in the distance kayaking away 🙂 Recommendation would be to have lockers to keep clothes/bags in while taking part in water activities.By Zulekha Takoliya (5 months ago)A beautiful beach it must be said. Lovely deep red sand with elegant pebbles. There is a cafe too and even a cliff top railway museum. Over the last ten years, the beach has suffered rock falls which have blocked off part of the beach- especially when the tide was in. It is dog friendly. I spent a lovely afternoon with my son throwing stones into the sea.By Steven L (8 months ago)A great beach very enjoyable place to go with my children and partner. Waves were quite rough so I’d say to be careful but fun to jump about. Nice facilities. We also took the train down as it was steep to walk bk up. Lovely people. 🏖By Amy Catley (a year ago)We came down to the beach via the cliff railway, but having got down there found everything to be closed except for the toilets, hadn’t realised the shops were only open until the end of Oct! Still it’s a lovely sand and shingle beach, the dogs loved it! We decided to walk across to Babbacombe Beach, the next cove along. The path was rocky underfoot and very wet, not suitable for prams, etc, with some steep steps to climb also.By Claire Cronin (All Things Dark & Dirty) (a year ago)Beautiful beach good restaurant n other eateries. Very steep to get to so take the cliff elevator. I stacked the beach pebbles. LolBy Carl Hutchinson (3 months ago)Meadfoot Beach
- Address: Meadfoot Beach, Meadfoot Sea Rd, Torquay TQ1 2LL, United Kingdom
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (721)
- Phone: +44 1803 208024
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: Open 24 hoursTuesday: Open 24 hoursWednesday: Open 24 hoursThursday: Open 24 hoursFriday: Open 24 hoursSaturday: Open 24 hoursSunday: Open 24 hours
- Reviews:
Very picturesque beach with sand and shingles. I spent hours on the beach paddling, searching through the rock pools and watching people kayaking and swimming. Easy access and not too crowded.By christine shuaibu (4 months ago)Great little beach, great for the dogs to run about, for scimming stones along the water when it’s calm, or when it’s a bit rough it’s fun to walk along the path next to the road and avoid the sea being washed over the wall! There’s a lovely cafe at the end with outdoor seating serving hot n cold drinks, snacks, lunches, etc, even ice cream just for the dogs! There is access to the beach via steps or a ramp way, with public toilets just on the road near the cafe, which was 30p for access payable via contactless payment.By Claire Cronin (All Things Dark & Dirty) (a year ago)Nice enough little pebble beach but hard to access down the steps. Tide came in fast that day so we headed to Babbacombe just down the road for crabbing on the pierBy Lauren Coombs (4 months ago)Seems Popular, quite a few people there. I passed by on South West coast path walk. Food and drinks available.By graeme “Gray” hellier (5 months ago)Managed overnight parking in campervan up against the cliff face. Noisy cars and scooters until 11pm. Amazing sunset and sunrise.By Karl Zaple (3 months ago)
Preston Sands
- Address: Preston Sands, Marine Dr, Paignton TQ3 2NJ, United Kingdom
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.5 (629)
Paignton Beach
- Address: Paignton Beach, Paignton, United Kingdom
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.5 (376)
Maidencombe Beach
- Address: Maidencombe Beach, S W Coast Path, Torquay TQ1 4TS, United Kingdom
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.4 (312)
Watcombe Beach
- Address: Watcombe Beach, Watcombe Beach Rd, Torquay TQ1 4SH, United Kingdom
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.1 (207)
Hollicombe Beach
- Address: Hollicombe Beach, United Kingdom
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.5 (164)
Torre Abbey Sands
- Address: Torre Abbey Sands, Torbay Rd, Torquay TQ2 5HA, United Kingdom
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.5 (161)
Beacon Cove
- Address: Beacon Hill, Torquay TQ1 2EP, United Kingdom
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.4 (149)
Anstey’s Cove
- Address: Anstey’s Cove, Anstey’s Cove Rd, Torquay TQ1 2JE, United Kingdom
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (130)
Most beautiful beach in Torquay That’s it for our list of the best beaches in Torquay! If you have any arguments or additional information, please leave a comment. We love to hear from our readers. And don’t forget to check out some of the other posts on our blog for more travel inspiration. Happy beachcombing!
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We are most probably the very few ones who didn’t like the Main beach. Below are the details
Day Visited: Monday
Date: 27 June, 2022
Time: 1300 (1 PM)
Weather: Partially Sunny but Chilly
* Two hours Drive from Bath and 1.45 hours drive from Bristol
* You will be driving on the motorway which means your drive will be easy and pleasant. You will find a lot of service areas on your way (Just in case you feel a need to stop frequently)
*** There are lots of speed checking, Average speed checking and red light cameras when you are approx 9 miles away from entering Torquay till you reach the main beach. Use Waze to make your life easy and stay attentive***
* We didn’t like the main beach (in the center) very much. You can still enjoy the view
* Parking is available on main road and in separate parking spaces as well. We parked on main road and charges were £1.20 for 30 Minutes, £1.70 for an hour and £3.20 for 2 hours. Cards are not accepted so you must carry coins as paying over the phone is a long process.
* Toilets are available but you have to pay 30p per person to get in. Coins and cards are accepted. Yes you can’t pee for free 😉
* Plenty of food options (restaurants) available on main road and in markets if you walk. I will highly recommend to see restaurant’s review on google if you are visiting for the first time. Reviews can tell how good the restaurant is.
* We ate at Las Iguanas where average price for the main course is 13.95 and drinks (Mocktails) are starting from £4.95 for two (which is nothing different than any other Las Iguanas branches)
* We didn’t go to the Harbour as we went for beaches. Not sure about hotels and rooms as we drove back the same day
Tip:
*We went to Anstey’s Cove which is a lovely place. I’d recommend everyone to go there first and then you can go to rest of the nearby beaches if you have time.
* Anstey’s Cove is 2.5miles or hardly at 10 minutes drive from the center.
* Parking at Anstey’s Cove is £1.80 for one hour, £3.60 for two hours and £5.40 for three hours. You can also pay 60p per 20 minutes (which makes no sense)
* Paignton Beach is another good option where you can go if you really want to move somewhere else. Its a 10 minutes or approx 4 miles drive from the center
Beautiful beach lovely blue sea had a lovely family day out. One of our favourite beaches.
Amazing and fascinating! The water was transparent and clear, it was warm at 23 degrees.
I must say, it was an unforgettable experience with the family. The beach provided rental kayaks which was a unique experience for my young son.
The beach is so clean and sandy. People were lovely and kind.
You would have the most amazing view from the sea front and the pier. We enjoyed the walk along the shore.
It is highly recommended for families, couples and kayakers. See the photos attached to my comment.
Don’t forget the majestic walk at night time on the sea front.
Very clean beach but very busy and noisy with lots of visitors over the summertime. The beach sand area isn’t that big when high tide and get packed very quickly. Based in the middle of the busy Rivera of Devon town of Torquay and nice place to cool down.
First time here with my family I loved it great beach,we went on the wheel even thou I was scared ,we went in the town and in the arcade,liked the park and love the water fountain,many shops in town,I wish we went in the vintage shop but hope to do that another time ,I recommend the gift shop I bought a unique map ,mirror clock for my son.