Starting off our list of the best Perth beaches to visit this summer is Cottesloe Beach. Only a 20-minute drive from the city’s centre, you can pick up a coffee from one of the many cafes on the way into the beach and start your morning with a shoreline walk, or quick dip in the ocean. Lifeguards are patrolling regularly, so you can have some peace of mind while the kids play in between the flags. With crystal clear waters and bright white sands, this should be your first stop in Perth.

Challenging Cottesloe Beach for the title of best beaches in Perth is Scarborough Beach. Cafes and shops littering the shoreline, pearly white sand, patrolling lifeguards. But Scarborough Beach has the better swell, by a long shot. This means you can take your board out the back and shred like there no tomorrow, followed up with a café lunch or pub drink. You can’t go wrong as a surfer at Scarborough Beach.

While the name suggests Mettams Pool is more of a pool than a beach, you’d be mistaken. The name comes from the oceans calm, pool-like conditions, making this great for children and the elderly. On the seafloor you’ll find reefs and rocks, where a huge variety of fish and sea life like to call home. This makes Mettams Pool a great spot for snorkelling. We should note though that the beach is unpatrolled.

Bathers Beach has one perk that makes it very unique on our list of the best Perth beaches to visit this summer. It’s the only beach in Western Australia that you can enjoy a cocktail on the sand, being the only beach with a liquor license. Aside from the drinks, you’ll find the same calm waters and pearly white sand you’ve come to know and love from Perth. Do yourself a favour, and schedule in a fish and chips dinner on the sand as the sun goes down.

If you’re looking for a beach to host your next picnic with family and friends, look no further than Coogee Beach. The beachfront has shelter and BBQ facilities, making it the perfect spot to sit and eat. Along the beach itself, you’ll find a wide stretch of picturesque waters, as well as a jetty for fishing or jumping off. This will keep the kids entertained for hours of fun, while you sit back and enjoy the atmosphere of Coogee Beach.

If you were holding out for some of the best surf beaches in Perth, City Beach is the spot for you. The waves can get a little wild and powerful, so we don’t recommend this beach for causal swimmers or beginner surfers. For those who are one with their boards, you’re sure to find a clean break or corner here. If you want to sit back and watch the swell crash and sway, you can do so from the comfort of a beachside restaurant, with many to choose from along the shoreline.

Next on our list, we have Trigg Beach, another one of Perth’s best surf beaches. Again, the waves here are a little powerful for your casual dip. And with the rips and currents that form regularly here, you’ll feel more comfortable with a board underneath you.  Because it’s such a well-known surf spot, with consistent swell and good times to be had, it can get a little crowded. So, if you can, avoid travelling to Trigg beach over school holidays.

If you’re over the powerful swell, make your way to Port Beach for a return to calm, relaxing waters. Port Beach is protected from the powerful southwesterly winds that plague many Perth beaches. This means you can play in the sun for longer without all your belongings being blown halfway down the beach. This is a great spot for stand up paddle boarders, as well as ocean swimmers. And if you work up an appetite, there are kiosks and restaurants not far away.

Another picturesque postcard beach in Perth is Leighton Beach. Shallow sandbanks turn the ocean waters into a crystal clear shade of blue, with little to no waves to break the illusion. On windier days, kite surfers and windsurfers will be ripping it up along the coast, but otherwise, it’s the perfect spot to set up camp for beach cricket and swims. Leighton Beach is also pet friendly, so you can bring man’s best friend along for the fun.

Swanbourne Beach isn’t a beach that we can completely recommend for the family. The southern end, absolutely, this end of the beach has some guaranteed great views and swimming conditions. The northern end, however, is where the views can get a little, shocking. The northern end of Swanbourne Beach is a nude beach. It’s out of public view, so you don’t have to worry about seeing anything you don’t want to. But just remember, south end with friends, north end with close friends.

You may be familiar with Rottnest Island for their population of quokkas (little furry things that smile in photos – adorable). What that also have here is an exquisite crescent beach with crystal clear water, perfect for a swim or Instagram photoshoot in Pinky Beach. You can snorkel, dive, swim, and surf here, there is no shortage of things to do in the ocean.

South Beach may just be the most family-friendly beach on our list of the best Perth beaches to visit this summer. Alongside a beautifully calm ocean and shoreline, you’ll find hundreds of metres of shaded grassy areas, for picnics beside the built-in BBQs and gazebos. If you’d rather leave the cooking for someone else, the local strip of shops known as the ‘Cappuccino Strip’ have you covered for snacks, meals, and everything in between.

Last, but not least on our list, is Bailey Beach. A hidden gem of Perth (maybe not too much after this list, sorry locals) Bailey Beach is a tiny cove not far from Mettams Pool. Here you can find a reef that’s ideal for snorkelling. If that isn’t your thing, there’s still a nice calm part of the ocean here for you to swim in, and a stretch of bright white sand to lay upon. It doesn’t get much better than that.