Key information
Sandy Beach
Toilets
Showers
Seasonal Lifeguards
Parking nearby
Cafes/ Restaurants
Designated for Bathing
Water quality: Excellent (2024)
Deckchair hire
Seaside Award 2025
Blue Flag Award 2025
Harbour
Tidal pool
Children’s rides
Dog ban (1st May to 30th September)
Margate Main Sands Guide: Family-Friendly Beach, Blue Flag & Attractions
Explore Margate Main Sands – Margate’s award-winning beach in Kent with Blue Flag 2025, lifeguards, a tidal pool, family rides, and watersports. Discover local cafes & events!
Experience the quintessential British seaside at Margate Main Sands Beach. With its golden sands, traditional arcades, and vibrant atmosphere, it’s the perfect place to relax and enjoy the coastal lifestyle. Stretching over 200 meters, Margate Main Sands is a broad, sandy beach that is ideal for conventional beach sports. Its gently sloping shoreline and smooth, golden sands make it the perfect place to sunbathe, make sandcastles or simply unwind by the water. Margate Main Sands is the most popular beach in Margate.
Margate offers a perfect blend of classic seaside charm and modern-day excitement. Families can enjoy classic seaside fun and entertainment at this timeless beach with a tidal pool, kid-friendly attractions, and arcades. Margate seafront, old town and harbour arm are bustling with places to eat and drink. Choose from the many cafes, restaurants and bars with a wide variety of cuisines. There is no shortage of ice creams and seafood.
The spacious beach encompasses children’s rides including a bouncy castle, inflatable slide, and trampolines. You can set up your own beach games and recreational activities such as volleyball. Further along the beach, you can relax at the Sea Scrub Sauna.
Watersports
Paddleboarders and windsurfers are drawn to the waves despite the generally quiet seas. In case you’re eager to explore something new, nearby companies provide instruction and equipment rental services. Margate Sup and Surf offers paddleboarding lessons and rentals.
Tidal Pool
A historic tidal pool at Margate Beach creates a secure, protected swimming area when it fills with saltwater during high tide. For those who would rather swim in a more supervised setting, the pool provides a substitute for the open ocean.
Awards
Margate Main Sands Beach’s amenities, water quality, and cleanliness have earned it the esteemed Seaside Award 2025 and Blue Flag Award 2025. The beach is kept up nicely, and guests may take advantage of the litter-free atmosphere and swimming-friendly waters.
Attractions
Margate Beach’s promenade connects the beach to Margate Old Town, a quaint neighbourhood full of local stores, galleries, cafes, and bars. A short walk will take you to shops and arcades, behind which is Lost Island Adventure Golf, casinos, and an amusement park called Dreamland. Here you can ride the iconic rollercoaster as well as enjoy other rides and activities including roller skating. Dreamland is a venue for regular concerts so be sure to check out what’s on offer when you visit. The old town features art galleries and museums. The Turner Contemporary Art Gallery is an architectural icon in the area. It is named after an iconic landscape painter.
The Shell Grotto in Margate consists of a network of underground passageways adorned with millions of shells forming images of known and unknown objects. The Margate Caves were first excavated as a chalk quarry hundreds of years ago. Once you’ve seen the Caves, peruse the gift shop and visit the neighbourhood cafe. Learn the mysteries of crabs by visiting the Crab Museum in Margate. We can learn a great deal from crabs about evolution, nature, changes in the climate, and more.
Events
Over the course of the year, Margate holds several festivals and events, many of which are held near the waterfront. The beach frequently provides a colourful background for events, bringing an added layer of excitement for guests. These events range from music festivals and outdoor film screenings at Dreamland to art exhibitions at Turner Contemporary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Margate Main Sands a sandy beach?
Yes
What are the tide times for Margate Main Sands Beach?
Is Margate Beach busy?
Yes, it is one of the most popular and busiest beaches in the area at peak times.
Is Margate Beach water clean?
It was given an Excellent rating with 3/3 stars for water quality in 2024
Are dogs allowed at Margate Mains Sands beach?
Dogs are not allowed on the beach from the 1st of May to the 30th of September
What is the Postcode for Margate Beach?
The postcode for Margate’s most popular beach (Margate Main Sands) is CT9 1XJ
Can you swim at Margate Beach?
Yes, you can swim in the water at Margate Mains Sands Beach. The water is designated for bathing. Lifeguards are present in the summer.
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