9 Best Beaches in Daytona Beach

Daytona Beach itself is known as the "World's Most Famous Beach" and offers the iconic beach experience just 5 minutes west of city centre. This stretch of coast offers a tonne of activities and attractions as well as being lined with shops and restaurants for entertainment off the beach. Whether you want to play a pickup game of beach volleyball, go body-boarding in the surf, or just lay out in the sun, Daytona Beach can offer the activity you crave.

This beach is extremely popular among visitors and it can get very crowded during peak season. It's best to get in your beach time early, then hit the restaurants and shops.

Sun Splash Park is a family-friendly beach 5 minutes east of city centre that's a favourite among locals, offering many fun-filled options and an immaculately maintained shoreline. It's one of the safest beaches in the region due to a flat shoreline, clean conditions, and many lifeguards on patrol all the time. The beach offers a seasonal splash park where kids can run and play, and the powder white sand is great for making sandcastles.

If you're on a romantic sojourn, it's a great place to take a long walk and watch the sun come up. Sun Splash Park is known as a family-friendly spot to bond with loved ones. It's a good place to just get away and relax.

Bicentennial Park Beach is located 20 minutes north of city centre and offers a long stretch of sandy shore with breathtaking North Atlantic views. It's in the heart of the Michael Crotty Bicentennial Park and not to be confused with the Bicentennial Beach Park an hour south. It's a great spot to make sand sculptures, bask in the sun, lay out a picnic on the beach, or go swimming in the ocean.

While you're here, take some time to explore the rest of the park. The wealth of amenities here include kayaking, fishing, canoeing, tennis, racquetball, shuffleboard, football, football, and so much more.

Al Weeks Sr. North Shore Park at Ormond-by-the-Sea is a popular coastline offering tonnes of amenities and easy accessibility for people with disabilities. The ADA-accessible facilities here make it a popular beach, especially when combined with its top-notch picnic areas, clean showers, and plenty of lifeguard stations to make it a safe place to swim. It's also just an 18-minute drive north from the centre of city centre Daytona Beach.

Pro-tip: this one gets crowded and parking can be tricky to find. If you don't get here early and you find it all parked up, be sure to check the overflow car park right across the street from Ocean Shore Boulevard.

Daytona Beach Shores, not to be confused with the main Daytona Beach, is a 5.5-mile stretch of secluded beach that's popular among fans of NASCAR racing. It's just a few minutes south of city centre proper and home to only 5,500 people but gets crowded with visitors and holidaymakers looking to see the many attractions commemorating the history of the racing industry here.

Just adjacent to the shoreline, Frank Rendon Park offers sheltered picnic areas, a playground for the kids, showers, a beach walkway, bathrooms, and even an observation deck. Whether you're in it for the views, the sun, surf, and sand, the racing museums, or just outstanding views of the Atlantic, this is a good spot.

Mary MacLeod Bethune Beach Park offers a sandy shoreline, easy public access with parking, and even a grassy lawn area where you can have a picnic and relax. This beach is about a 34-minute drive from city centre Daytona, but it offers an amazing stretch of coast that's ultimately very budget-friendly. While many beaches in Daytona charge a fee, this one is free of charge, and it offers plenty of facilities like changing areas, showers, bathrooms, and other amenities.

For the family on a budget-friendly holiday, this is an outstanding choice. You can relax in the sun and sand, build sandcastles, and escape from the hustle and bustle, all without breaking the bank.

New Smyrna Beach offers roughly 17 miles of unspoiled coastline with sparkling water, powdery white sand, and absolutely stunning sunset views. It's generally considered among the best beaches near Daytona, about 25 minutes south of city centre, and is highly popular with the surfer culture due to its strong waves and pipes. Other sports you'll see here include boogie boarding, paddle boarding, and skimboarding. After a day of watersports, you can head for any number of nearby restaurants to grab a bite to eat.

Even better, the beach offers ADA-accessible facilities and tonnes of lifeguards. It's also adjacent to several other popular beaches so you can go beach-hopping while you're here.

Smyrna Dunes Park Beach lies at the junction of the North Atlantic and an inlet, offering calm waters and gorgeous, captivating views of the sunset on the horizon. This beach is about 35 minutes south of city centre and is a great option for those on a romantic getaway. It's ideal for walking hand-in-hand along the shore with the brilliant red-orange setting sun lighting your way. It's also a family-friendly beach, and while the surf is relatively calm, you'll see beachgoers boogie boarding and body surfing, kite surfing, and surf fishing.

One of the best things about this beach is that the inlet beach shore area is pet-friendly. You can bring your four-legged family members here with no problems.

Lighthouse Point Park Beach offers a stunning stretch of coastline with diamond-white sand, glimmering water, and a grassy area for picnics and play. This family-friendly beach is among the best in the area for swimming thanks to a jetty that protects the waters and keeps a very calm surf. You'll also notice tonnes of professional lifeguards on alert keeping you safe the whole time. Dolphins and manatees are known to pass by here and watching for them is a popular activity.

This is also a popular beach for bicycle riding, thanks to the open area. Finally, the park offers a high observation tower you can climb to get astounding panoramic views of the ocean and shoreline.