Best West Coast Beaches in and Around Cape Town: 7 Beaches to Visit

The Best West Coast Beaches: We Think You Will Love These

1. Sunset Beach Milnerton

This is our beach if we are craving being by nature – I truly feel it is a nervous system reset to have your toes dug into the sand and breath in the fresh ocean air. 

It’s not too far to drive, so if we are loving the Cape Town weather, we will quickly drive down here for a picnic and watch the sunset. The sunsets here are out of this world! Lauren actually has a Sunset Beach sunset photo in her room and just looking at it, reminds one of the actual day spent there (even though it was probably taken around 2012-ish).

Just as you enter Sunset Beach, there is an Engen, coffee shop and Woolworths to buy some goodies at. We often take our reusable coffee cups down to the beach and sip on our coffee – sitting here in winter, watching the storms roll in, is something you NEED to witness! Lucky for us, our brother is our weather guru and we always ask for reports all the way from Norway 😂

Winter or summer, car coffee catch ups or picnics on the sand, beach walks, ocean dips, this is a lovely beach option to visit in Cape Town.

Our tip: Our car boot always has swimmers, towels, camping chairs, a picnic blanket, coffee cups, warm coats, beanies and a change of clothes. Always be prepared for the change in weather or last minute swim decisions!

2. Bloubergstrand Beach 

When we think of Bloubergstrand, we think of walkways, the long stretch of beaches and Table Mountain, large as life staring back at you.  

The City of Cape Town has recently upgraded the car park area, walkways and the sand dunes are under rehabilitation – be mindful to not walk in the cordoned off areas! It really looks world class and screams that Blouberg is ready for all the visitors to enjoy this summer (and winter). 

Blouberg is popular for kitesurfing and it’s really pretty to watch all the kites flying high into the air. There are many restaurants, cafe’s, coffee shops and ice cream shops along the way. Our favourite burger place is Jerry’s Burger Bar – perfect for a burger and drink with friends and family. 

We love this stretch of beach for a long beach walk, coffee stop halfway and then continue back to the car. 

PS: If the clouds are covering Table Mountain, you won’t really get the picture you had imagined. So make sure to check the wind direction in Blouberg before taking a trip down to this beach. 

3. Small Bay 

Okay, so this one is another childhood favourite! We would meet up with friends, play on the beach all day & I clearly remember eating Cheese and Onion Cheddars 😂 Very random, but a must have on a beach day outing. 

Small Bay is a secluded bay just before the very well known Big Bay. It can be at times (wind direction dependent) sheltered by the wind, has small waves and a jungle gym with a grass patch to have fun on. 

We actually went here recently one warm Saturday, put our camping chairs out and read our books in the sun. It was so stunning sitting in the warm winter sun and NO WIND. 

The Blue Peter Restaurant is within walking distance and has yummy pizzas. This is a perfect location if you’re over being at the beach and want to have sundowners with some friends / family. The grass patch is perfect for kids to play on and the vibe is chilled. 

4. Big Bay Beach 

Do you remember this before it was Eden on The Bay? Ah, it was absolutely blissful before they built the shopping centre and housing on the land. It was a car park, an ice cream shop, grass patches and a lot more fluffy sand to play in! 

This is one of the beaches we’d visit at least once a week as kids and often end up here on our beach walks. 

There is plenty to do – restaurants, bodyboarding, surfing, kitesurfing, swimming, meditating, and watching the ocean, all while Table Mountain is staring directly across at you. There is actually a frame where you can stand behind to pose for photos and it has Table Mountain perfectly positioned as the backdrop. 

If you are not one for packing picnics, there are many options to get food from – Pick n Pay (currently closed – not sure if they are renovating), Kauai, The Daily, KFC etc The grass patch is perfect to lay a blanket down and chill for the day.

5. Derdesteen Beach

Derdesteen is a little drive past Big Bay Beach and not as popular as the other beaches in Cape Town – we’re not complaining about this! We aren’t ones for crowds, so if the others are busy, we’ll pop into this beach. 

The fluffy white sand stretches from Eerstesteen, with Derdesteen in between and then Holbaai (a good photo spot). The waves and currents can be quite hectic here, and we have only ever swam here once.

This is a perfect spot to get out of the city, enjoy the sounds of the ocean, take photos and beach walks. It is a lot more isolated, so be mindful of walking or tanning alone in Cape Town. 

You can’t compare Derdesteen with Big Bay – it has a rural, rustic beach vibe, whereas Big Bay is built up and has amenities for the public. If you decide to visit Derdesteen, make sure you pack your picnic basket and take all your rubbish home with you. Always nice to find the beach how you would like to see it.

6. Melkbosstrand Beach

We have a lot of childhood memories here too! As mentioned previously, our brothers were big bodyboarders, so we spent all weekends at a beach in Cape Town. We didn’t need much, just the beach and honestly, we have the best memories.

Our family friends had a family home here, so we would spend ALL weekend with them. Beach all day and braai in the evenings.  

Melkbos is a small beach town, which used to be holiday homes for weekends and school holidays, but has more recently become permanent homes for many families. It has a very laid back feeling, friendly people and some family owned business, which are of course, important to support whenever we visit. 

Beach walks and dips here are great. A perfect location to forget you have a phone and just have fun. 

Our tip: Bring what you need for the day, because you’ll be disappointed when you have to leave 🙂 

7. Kraalbaai Beach – West Coast National Park

You HAVE to include this into your holiday plans. Kraalbaai is located in the West Coast National park and is +- 1.5 hours drive from Cape Town.

One of the things I forgot to mention that’s in our boot – our lilo and a pump! You might think we’re ridiculous, but a lilo on the lagoon in the sun is a perfect plan!

The lagoon is sheltered from the wind, so the water is a turquoise colour, white sandy spots and boat-houses in the bay! I mean, when you see it, you will think you’re in some European beach destination. Being in the lagoon, the water is slightly warmer and much calmer. That being said, it’s a fun location for the whole family to enjoy. 

There are no shops nearby to the beach, so make sure you pack everything you need for the whole day. It gets very hot and not much shade, so lots of water is NB.

Our tip: Check the Sanparks website to see updates, entrance information, opening and closing times etc. 

Another NB tip: Go early to get into the park and secure your beach spot (remember the tide will change). The picnic and braai spots operate on a first-come, first-served basis.

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