# Where to stay on Sydney's beaches, measured

Sydney Beachside is an independent, locally run guide to where to stay on the beaches of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia — hostels, apartments, hotels and holiday homes — organised beach by beach. We are a guide, not a booking site or a hostel.

Pick the beach first; the bed comes second. Every beach has its own crowd, its own walk home and its own price.

## The beaches

| Beach | Region | In one line | Getting there | Kinds of stay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Bondi](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/bondi/) | Eastern Suburbs | The famous one. Busy, buzzing, and you pay for the postcode. | bus from the CBD | hostel → luxury |
| [Coogee](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/coogee/) | Eastern Suburbs | Ocean baths, a proper pub and the best-value beds in the east. | bus from the CBD | hostel → hotel |
| [Tamarama](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/tamarama/) | Eastern Suburbs | Tiny, steep and beautiful. Almost nowhere to stay — we'll tell you where. | on the coastal walk | few |
| [Maroubra](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/maroubra/) | Eastern Suburbs | Big surf, a locals' beach, quieter and cheaper than its neighbours. | bus from the CBD | one pub hotel |
| [Manly](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/manly/) | Northern Beaches | The ferry ride is half the point. Easiest northern beach to reach without a car. | ferry from Circular Quay | hostel → hotel |
| [Freshwater](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/freshwater/) | Northern Beaches | Manly's quieter neighbour, a short walk over the headland. | walk from Manly | apartments, homes |
| [Dee Why](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/dee-why/) | Northern Beaches | Rock pool, a strip of cafés and more apartments than holiday homes. | B-Line bus | one pub hotel |
| [Palm Beach](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/palm-beach/) | Northern Beaches | The far end of the peninsula. Holiday houses, and a long way from anywhere. | car, or a long bus ride | holiday homes |
| [Cronulla](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/cronulla/) | Sutherland Shire | The only Sydney surf beach at the end of a train line. Busy, local, unfussy. | train, end of the line | apartments → hotel |
| [Wanda](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/wanda/) | Sutherland Shire | Dunes and a long open stretch north of Cronulla. You sleep in Cronulla and walk. | walk from Cronulla | in Cronulla |
| [Bundeena](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/bundeena/) | Sutherland Shire | A village across the bay on the edge of the Royal National Park. | ferry from Cronulla | holiday homes, B&Bs |
| [Gunnamatta Bay](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/gunnamatta-bay/) | Sutherland Shire | Flat water on the bay side of Cronulla. The calm-swim option for kids. | bay side of Cronulla | in Cronulla |

Also covered: [Bronte](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/bronte/), [Clovelly](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/clovelly/), [Gordons Bay](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/gordons-bay/), [Watsons Bay](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/watsons-bay/), [Malabar](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/malabar/), [Little Bay](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/little-bay/), [Shelly Beach](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/shelly-beach/), [Curl Curl](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/curl-curl/), [Collaroy](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/collaroy/), [Long Reef](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/long-reef/), [Narrabeen](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/narrabeen/), [Avalon](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/avalon/), [Bilgola](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/bilgola/), [Elouera](https://sydneybeachside.com.au/beaches/elouera/).

## Kinds of stay

- **Hostels & backpackers** (price band $): Dorms and privates, kitchens, people to surf with.
- **Apartments & holiday homes** (price band $$–$$$): Your own kitchen and balcony. Families, groups, longer stays.
- **Hotels** (price band $$): Made beds, a lift, someone at the desk.
- **Beachfront splurge** (price band $$$$): Water views from bed. Worth it for the right trip — we'll say when it isn't.

## The trouble with "beachside"

"Beachside" in a listing usually isn't. You book from the other side of the world, land jet-lagged, and the beach turns out to be a 20-minute walk and a bus. What we check before a place goes on a page:

- “Steps to the beach”: Steps can mean a steep hill on the way home. We walk it, door to sand, and give you minutes and metres.
- “Beachside living”: A harbour beach is not an ocean beach. We name the beach, and which end of it.
- “Bondi Beach hostel”: Bondi Junction isn't Bondi Beach. We give you the actual suburb.
- “Ocean views”: A sliver from the rooftop is not a view from bed. We say which room has the view.

## The Sydney Beachside Standard

1. **Measured, not marketed.** Walking distance is measured door to sand; hills, stairs and highways on the way are mentioned.
2. **Local and reachable.** A real person who swims these beaches writes every page and answers email.
3. **Every budget, same honesty.** A dorm bed and a beachfront villa get the same straight write-up, downsides included.

## Ask a local

Not sure which beach suits you? Email enquiries@sydneybeachside.com.au with your dates, budget and who's coming. A real person replies, usually within a day.