PEI beaches are great spots to unwind and reconnect yourself with the numerous kilometers of sandy shoreline surrounding our island. And, because of its central location, Charlottetown is an ideal starting point for any beach adventure. Here are the best Prince Edward Island beaches that can help you get away from all stresses and worries.
10 Best Prince Edward Island Beaches
Cavendish Beach: The most famous of all the PEI beaches
Cavendish Beach is maybe the most famous of all the PEI beaches. It is an incredible stunner with miles of white sand and red sandstone cliffs. The Cavendish Beach region is well-known for its link to Anne of Green Gables. Yet even without the legend, this beach stands on its own.
Cavendish Beach is ideal for families because it is not just monitored during the summer, but it also has washrooms, changing places, mobility mats, and a variety of other amenities. Just bear in mind that, due to the beach’s popularity, you’ll rarely have it completely to yourself.
The beach is in Prince Edward Island National Park, approximately 25 minutes north of Charlottetown.
Brackley Beach
Brackley Beach, located in Prince Edward Island National Park, is only 25 minutes from Cavendish. Brackley Beach has located just a short distance from the town of the same name. It is also famed for its towering sand dunes and pristine smooth white sand.
Though ideal for families (there are toilets and change facilities), Brackley Beach is also popular with more daring visitors. Kayaking, SUPing, hiking, and a variety of tours are available.
Oh, and the Dunes Gallery in Brackley is a must-see for amazing art collections and a renowned cafe, and it made my list of top places to see on Prince Edward Island.
Greenwich Beach
Greenwich Beach, another PEI National Park treasure, is home to the island’s largest parabolic sand dune structure. Greenwich Beach is ideal for hiking since the environment is breathtaking, and the trails include a floating boardwalk, interpretive markers, and even a wheelchair-accessible loop.
The beach is built of beautiful white sand and features a supervised swimming area, picnic spaces, bathrooms, change rooms, and an interpretative center.
O’Leary, Prince Edward Island’s Cedar Dunes Beach
Cedar Dunes Beach, located on the North Cape Coastal Drive, is notable for its distinctive black and white lighthouse and the Eastern White Cedars that dot the sand dunes. It’s ideal for watching the sunset because it’s on PEI’s west shore. In the summer, there is a campground, a boardwalk, and supervised swimming places.
Because Cedar Dunes is a long trip from Charlottetown (almost 2 hours), it is less popular than other beaches on the island. It has a more relaxed ambiance and is much more soothing than its central rivals.
Basin Head Beach, Souris, Prince Edward Island
Basin Head Beach, also known as Singing Sands Beach due to the high silica concentration of the sand, is a delightful beach for the whole family (and those who are geologically minded). If you ask me, the “sing” is more of a “squeak,” but that minor element adds to the uniqueness of this phenomenon.
The beach features stunning white sand and red cliffs at one end, and other activities are nearby. In Basin Head Provincial Park, you’ll discover a restroom, showers, concessions, a fishing museum, hiking routes, and more. During the summer, the main beach zone is supervised, but not during the other three seasons.
Read more 8 Best Beaches In Canada That Will Release All Your Stresses
King’s Castle Beach, Murray Harbour, Prince Edward Island
King’s Castle Beach, an underappreciated jewel of PEI beaches, is where photographers’ fantasies come true, and kids get to hang out with their favorite fairytale characters. King’s Castle, a provincial day-use park with campers nearby, is famed for its fairytale statues and brightly red sand on the shore.
Though it isn’t as large as the others described on this page and lacks a lifeguard, King’s Castle Beach does include bathrooms, changing facilities, picnic tables, and concessions.
Thunder Cove Beach, Lower Darnley, Prince Edward Island
Thunder Cove Beach, which is off the beaten path unless you expressly seek it out, is possibly the most stunning on this list. Thunder Cove Beach, on Prince Edward Island’s north shore, is home to sandstone cliffs, weathered sea stacks, and a clean, soft sand beach.
While you’re here, I highly recommend kayaking to Teacup Rock (when the tide is in), the beach’s most visible sea stack. Just keep in mind that the sandstone is extremely unstable and should not be climbed on.
Because the beach isn’t a registered park, there are no facilities or eateries, so keep that in mind if you need to use the restroom or have children with you.
Argyle Shore Provincial Park beach
Argyle Shore Provincial Park beach, with its broad red sand beach and spectacular views of the Northumberland Strait, is the place to be whether you’re a solitary traveler, an ardent photographer, or on a family vacation. This Prince Edward Island beach is known for clam digging and finding hermit crabs, but it also has a playground, facilities, showers, and a picnic area.
Montague, PEI’s Panmure Island Beach
Panmure Island Beach is a white sandy beach on Prince Edward Island’s Points East Coastal Drive, near to the island’s oldest wooden lighthouse. Though the beach provides beautiful views of the open ocean, it is most renowned for its sheltered bathing area – a bay that makes swimming enjoyable and pleasant.
This beach has a summer lifeguard on duty and offers both serviced and unserviced campsites, as well as change rooms and facilities.
Stanhope Beach, York, Prince Edward Island
Stanhope Beach, located inside the Prince Edward Island National Park ecosystem, is a 3km strip of white sand that connects Ross Lane Beach to Dalvay-By-The-Sea. The Covehead Harbour Lighthouse, a photogenic favorite built in 1975, is the primary attraction here, aside from the beautiful beach.
This beach has warm shallow waves, restrooms, and wheelchair mobility mats.
Notes You Need To Know Before Going To Prince Edward Island Beaches
- In PEI, you can swim in the ocean. Panmure Beach, Cavendish Beach, and Argyle Shore Provincial Park are among the best beaches for swimming in the ocean.
- There are several free beaches on PEI. However, others are part of the National Parks system and require a fee to enter.
- Cavendish Beach is the most popular on Prince Edward Island, but Brackley Beach, Thunder Cove Beach, and Basin Head Beach are also contenders.
- The best time to visit this stunning location is between June and September.
Thank you for reading about the top Prince Edward Island beaches! The beaches of Prince Edward Island are among the greatest in Canada. Check out my article on the Top 7 Things To Do On Prince Edward Island For First-Time Visitors for more ideas on your trip to PEI!
