Minnis Bay
Minnis Bay
4.5
10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 10:30 PM
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The area
Best nearby
Restaurants
73 within 3 miles
Attractions
107 within 6 miles
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
282 reviews
Excellent
151
Very good
90
Average
27
Poor
6
Terrible
8
yellowperil2018
London, UK62 contributions
May 2021 • Family
Just love this place. Still unspoilt but lots going on. Birchington is a nice little town and for families it’s a lovely beach. Not kiss-me-quick and the other people that visit always seem nice. Easy parking, free and paid, long walks, Sandy and shingle beach and now a good bike hire shop. Only a few places to eat so take a picnic of buy food in the town first, but there is a cafe, restaurant and ice cream stall. Pretty beach huts, and RNLI to keep an eye out. Main beach does not allow dogs but a few hundred yards further down the beach becomes dog friendly. Enjoy but please don’t spoil this lovely little bit of seaside.
Written May 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
sofiaandmichael
Ware, UK10 contributions
Mar 2023
We ate here twice!! Yup we enjoyed the food, the service and the cheerful staff so much that we ate here Sunday 12/3/2023 and went back Monday 13/3/2023. Six of us ate various different offerings from the menu and the specials. That's a dozen meals and not a single word of complaint. Everything tasted excellent. The staff are very friendly and chatty. We are 100% recommending the team at Minnis Bay.
Written March 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Stewart C
Chatham, UK1,007 contributions
Apr 2021
We visited Minnis Bay in order to take the walk to Reculver and back on a mid-week morning in April. We had originally tried to park at Reculver and start the walk from there however the car parks were full and so we ended up here. We found ample free car parking along the front and additionally, there is a large ‘pay & display’ park should these be unavailable.
The bay area is quite open and gives direct access to the promenade and beach, on the day of our visit it was not busy and had a lovely traditional ‘seaside’ feel about it. At the Eastern end of the promenade there is a tidal pool and just along from this a fairly comprehensive grassed playground area with equipment for younger children and a ‘sunken’ football pitch. At the western end there is an extensive lawn area just above the promenade and here you will find cafes, a public house and public toilets. We also noticed a cycle hire shop who appeared to do four person bikes which is an alternate way to enjoy a ride along the coast. In this area on the promenade we found rows of colourful beach huts, some being decorated by their owners in anticipation of the coming summer.
The beach itself is sandy with a lot of shells particularly at the high tide line and when we arrived with the tide just coming in, quite expansive. Later when we returned in the afternoon the sea had covered a high percentage of the beach.
The bay area is quite open and gives direct access to the promenade and beach, on the day of our visit it was not busy and had a lovely traditional ‘seaside’ feel about it. At the Eastern end of the promenade there is a tidal pool and just along from this a fairly comprehensive grassed playground area with equipment for younger children and a ‘sunken’ football pitch. At the western end there is an extensive lawn area just above the promenade and here you will find cafes, a public house and public toilets. We also noticed a cycle hire shop who appeared to do four person bikes which is an alternate way to enjoy a ride along the coast. In this area on the promenade we found rows of colourful beach huts, some being decorated by their owners in anticipation of the coming summer.
The beach itself is sandy with a lot of shells particularly at the high tide line and when we arrived with the tide just coming in, quite expansive. Later when we returned in the afternoon the sea had covered a high percentage of the beach.
Written April 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
AuntTopsy
London, UK101 contributions
Aug 2020
It was easy to find, parking was ok, not many disabled friendly spaces.
There's a ramp or steps down to the beach
The beach was very busy and the water was cold and full of seaweed, you literally waded through seaweed which the kids did not like. It was sandy and great for kids to build with. but the sand was wet and hard,the seaweed just pervaded everything.
I don't think there was anything the kids with me liked really about the beach so we left after an hour.
There was a local bar with pricey drinks, and a long queue, a kiosk with a long queue and bit pricey, and then a cafe type thing with a very long queue again.
There are many other beaches to explore and so that's what we'll do, this just isn't our go to beach.
There's a ramp or steps down to the beach
The beach was very busy and the water was cold and full of seaweed, you literally waded through seaweed which the kids did not like. It was sandy and great for kids to build with. but the sand was wet and hard,the seaweed just pervaded everything.
I don't think there was anything the kids with me liked really about the beach so we left after an hour.
There was a local bar with pricey drinks, and a long queue, a kiosk with a long queue and bit pricey, and then a cafe type thing with a very long queue again.
There are many other beaches to explore and so that's what we'll do, this just isn't our go to beach.
Written August 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Stuart R
Gillingham, UK259 contributions
Sep 2020 • Family
Visited 15th September in the late afternoon, Minis Bay is a beautiful stretch of sandy beach, free parking, nice little pub, ice cream stall, cafe and have life guards there at busy times.
At high tide the water will come very high up the beach so check tide times before visiting.
The only issue is there is an enormous seaweed problem, there is barely a square foot of beach that is not covered in a slimy green veneer of rotting green seaweed, this could easily be combatted by a tractor and rake with the weed being taken away for composting, instead it sits there giving off an utterly could odour, I visit a few times a year my last visit saw it in the worse condition that I have experienced.
At high tide the water will come very high up the beach so check tide times before visiting.
The only issue is there is an enormous seaweed problem, there is barely a square foot of beach that is not covered in a slimy green veneer of rotting green seaweed, this could easily be combatted by a tractor and rake with the weed being taken away for composting, instead it sits there giving off an utterly could odour, I visit a few times a year my last visit saw it in the worse condition that I have experienced.
Written September 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Lauren_9028
London, UK84 contributions
Sep 2020
Lovely bay.
It was quite busy but we were able to find a big enough space to be able to relax comfortably in.
Car parking was especially good. Normally seaside places are a nightmare to park but this bay had ample parking. i would definitely. come back.
It was quite busy but we were able to find a big enough space to be able to relax comfortably in.
Car parking was especially good. Normally seaside places are a nightmare to park but this bay had ample parking. i would definitely. come back.
Written September 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
CreamEggBear
Maidstone, UK20 contributions
Aug 2020 • Solo
Love visiting Minnis Bay, beit with my family, dog or bicycle. Very picturesque and ample parking.
Recommend riding or running the Viking Trail to kill a few hours on a Sunday morning!
Recommend riding or running the Viking Trail to kill a few hours on a Sunday morning!
Written August 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
susan0588
London, UK25 contributions
May 2021 • Solo
I took myself off to the Kent coast today, and came across Minnis Bay. It was a lovely day with families enjoying spending time together, paddle boarders, swimmers and dinghy sailing quietly passed. It was approximately 60 miles away, (just get to Gatwick is 70 miles), no COVID passports required, no country traffic lights systems and the general madness of going abroad. A staycation is for me in the beautiful garden of England.
Written June 12, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
The Unlikely Mummy
Bexleyheath, UK23 contributions
Jun 2021 • Family
This is our second visit to Minnis Bay and it didn't disappoint. If you just want a free parking, clean beach and hassle free day then definitely put this on your list.
Dog free beach, close to free parking, incredibly clean. There is a restaurant and a cafe as well as an ice hut and a small shop.
Check tide times, take a wind breaker as it can be windy, there is no shade so prepare.
Fantastic cheap family day out.
We took our two year old the first time and returned with him grin 3 and a 2 month old.
Dog free beach, close to free parking, incredibly clean. There is a restaurant and a cafe as well as an ice hut and a small shop.
Check tide times, take a wind breaker as it can be windy, there is no shade so prepare.
Fantastic cheap family day out.
We took our two year old the first time and returned with him grin 3 and a 2 month old.
Written June 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Dee S
Aylesford, UK428 contributions
Aug 2020
Lovely easy coastal walk. Ideal for families. Cycling permitted . Unfortunately there is an issue with the rotten seaweed smell. We walked from Minnis bay to Reculver and back . Safe Sandy beach with life guards for children.also shingle beach . popular with Wind surfers . Well worth a visit. Minnis Bay restaurant well worth a stop . Delicious breakfast
Written August 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
traceyb202017
London, UK6 contributions
Hi are there Toliets at this beach
M A
Reading, United Kingdom1 contribution
We only used the restaurant, which did have toilets. I believe I saw a sign to toilets from the beach. Sorry I can't be more helpful!
Are the toilets clean and does the beach get busy
Diego
London, UK671 contributions
The beach gets very busy near the car parks but less busy if you walk further along pas the Minnis Bay Restaurant, but it gets less sandy ad u walk further along. We used the toilets in the restaurant and they were really clean.
Helen S
Gillingham, UK150 contributions
Are there public toilets at minis bay
CreamEggBear
Maidstone, UK20 contributions
Yes there are public toilets near the public car park and restaurant.
wind farm compeney
places2seeplaces2go
England, UK4,714 contributions
What is your question?
Can I park motor home over nite
rayleighone
Rayleigh, UK52 contributions
You can split the answer into 2 - a) can you and b) what happens if you do.
a) like most coastal areas byelaws usually say NO
b) however, i have seen motorhomes parked their for a number of days - if and that is a big if a council office could ask you to move and if you say no - what can he do ??
The police would not be interested and the time taken to go in front of a magistrate to issue a warrant for you to move - you would be long gone
Minnis Bay (Birchington) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Minnis Bay
- Minnis Bay is open:
- Sun - Sun 10:00 AM - 10:30 PM
- Mon - Sat 10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
- Hotels near Minnis Bay:
- (0.30 mi) Twentieth Century B&B
- (0.19 mi) Bay Lodge
- (0.23 mi) Green View
- (0.30 mi) The Waves B&B
- (0.48 mi) Mae's Lodge - Your Home Away From Home
- Restaurants near Minnis Bay:
- (0.25 mi) Joe's
- (0.21 mi) The Bouncing Bomb Cafe
- (0.21 mi) The Bay Fish Bar
- (0.71 mi) The Parlour
- (0.30 mi) The Beach Cafe at The Waves
- Attractions near Minnis Bay:
- (0.02 mi) The Old Bank Book Shop
- (0.03 mi) Viking Coastal Trail Bike Hire
- (0.23 mi) Old Bay Alehouse
- (0.32 mi) The Minnis Bay Bar & Brasserie
- (1.33 mi) Woodland View Alpacas