Ele560
Picturesque and perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon. We wandered along the beach to the square shaped pier. The swimming area enclosed by a shark net was deep enough to jump in and loads of children lined up for a turn. Yummy fish and chips from a very busy shop across the road for dinner - wouldn't recommend the garden salad...a few sorry salad leaves does not a garden salad make. Overall, a nice place to time out and relax.
DeePratt
Balmoral Beach is very child friendly with a gorgeous safe little rock pool at the northern end. There is plenty of shade toward the southern end of the beach and the netted swimming area is perfect for children. There is no surf so parents can relax & enjoy the water with their children & babies. There are lots of cafes & restaurants along the whole beachfront & the amenities are excellent. Be prepared to pay quite a lot for parking but it is worth every cent. Enjoy this little slice of heaven SOON
BritChamberman
Two really lovely beaches with shower facilities. Great for swimming. There are a few cafes but, apart from the one adjacent to the beach, you do have to look for them.
RosiePoseyLips
One of the best beaches in Sydney, and a great little suburb all round. Something for everyone in regards to food. From cheap eat takeaways to fine dining. It is a really beautiful location and great for photos. There are quite a few moored boats, so you will need to be careful when swimming, but generally there are no waves and so safe for the most nervous swimmer. There is an enclosed swimming area and therefore safe for small children. There are sharks in the harbour but the last one was in 2009 and people swam near it. The beach is unpatrolled. There are also signs up to avoid swimming directly after rain due to a stormwater drain. If you cannot swim, then just walking up and down the beach and onto headland island is good. As other reviews have mentioned, the parking costs are astronomical. But given how busy it gets, you will actually be lucky to get a parking spot in the first place. It is better to park for free way back on the side streets, and then walk down to the beach. Or even better; get the bus there. The suburb is a refined, elegant, upper class and classed as a very expensive exclusive area, so you should probably avoid clothes shopping there as all the prices are hiked up considerably. It is a great beach for locals and older tourists alike. It is a popular spot to spend Christmas Day. It suits families and older couples. It will be boring for young surfing dudes – since far too calm. I have been visiting this beach regularly for more than thirty years now.
chelsea69
Safe beach for kids as no waves. Jetty great for big kids to jump off and swim to shore. Lots of great cafes and eat in or takeaway. Kiosk near jetty has the best chips! Good coffee and lots of food options for kids. Our favourite place to go. Parking is expensive at $9/hr.
725melanieh
Plenty of space, calm waters and something for all tastes, fine dining to fish and chips and ice cream.
287Brook6
For visitors to Sydney Balmoral is a must to visit. It has a lovely stretch of white sandy beach will little wave activity so ideal for taking the children. Along the beach front are a number of restaurants, cafes and a well known and very popular fish and chip shop. As it is so popular parking is at a premium so get there early to avoid the crowds. The parking is patrolled so don't overstay your time limit. Balmoral is a part of Mosman and faces north so enjoys the summer North Easterly cooling breezes.
NicC303
The beach is beautiful, one of the best in sydney. Unfortunately the parking would deter us spending the whole day there with the parking fee at $9 p/hr!
bagwan
This beach is smaller than most other Sydney beaches but a really special place to spend some time relaxing and swimming. It's quite sheltered with beautiful views. Lots of small boating and ferry activity to watch from a distance. Refreshments of all kinds available. It's a really nice experience down there.
walshsa
The promenade is great for walking & there are a few places to eat too as well as a play area . Great for a family day out or a nice girlie lunch in a pretty setting !
Nikki669
Its a beautiful calm beach with a lovely view of the harbour. However the council charges $9 per hour for parking. So if you do drive try and get parking further up the hill before Queenwood or get the 257 Bus from Chatswood or a bus from Wynyard.
happy954
If council is earning about $2,000,000 a year frim parking then they may consider keeping the toilets sanitised.The warm shower is great but the parking fees at $9 Per hour now is nothing short of EXTORTIONATE!!!!!!
KVE1005
Balmoral Beach is one of the inner harbour beaches, that rarely get mentioned in tourist guides. Even amongst the locals, it doesn't get the attention of the ocean beaches. And that's exactly why everyone enjoys it so much.Located barely 15 minutes from the CBD, Balmoral is an ideal location for anyone wishing for a beach with a more relaxed feel. It's sheltered, has wonderful accessibility (even more for folks coming from the city - with now the 245 bus service from Wynyard), and some outstanding local cafés and restaurants.Balmoral is technically two beaches, separated by Rocky Point (known as the 'Island' to the locals). To the south of the 'Island', by the Boatshed, the Baths and the shops, is Balmoral Beach. The northern end by Bathers Pavilion, is actually Edwards Beach. And that end on busy days, tends to have a little more space, due to many visitors not going that far.For those with time for a leisurely visit from the city, high recommend catching the ferry to Taronga Zoo, and catch the bus down to the beach. You'll be glad you made the effort.
cpccat
Whether you're a local or a tourist (and anyone who lives outside of Mosman/Balmoral is a tourist), you have just got to add Balmoral beach to your holiday bucket list.It's a completely different experience to Bondi or Manly - the "iconic" Sydney beaches. For a start it has no surf so no fear of being hit by surf boarders or getting caught in rips. It has no commercial strip like those other beaches - no fast food chains, no tacky souvenir shops, no beach clothes or board shops, in fact not much more than a fantastic fish and chipppery, a bottle shop and a couple of excellent restaurants and cafes. It's the sort of place where you can bring your own picnic (I still remember my own family picnics there from way way back), grab some fish and chips and a bottle of wine from the local shops and and sit on the boardwalk of the pier, or eat at one of several cafes and restaurants (the Boathouse is terrific for casual breakfast and lunch and the Bathers Pavilion has both a casual area and a fine dining restaurant), or just go for a stroll and watch the world go by. It's pretty relaxed and quiet. The only downside is that tourists (again anyone outside the Balmoral/Mosman area) has to pay parking fees at the metered spots - $9 per hour. But I'm guessing it would cost pretty much the same at Bondi or Manly particular if you have to use a parking station. There used to be a weekend ferry from Circular Quay bit not sure if it still runs. Yep, definitely a great way to spend a few hours….
brunnybrowser
We visited Balmoral Beach on New Year's Day so perhaps it's not always so crowded. But there's no excusing the nine dollar an hour meter parking, the road rage among the beach goers and the rubbish in the water. The lowlight of the day was copping a discarded zip lock bag in the face while swimming near the pier.So much for the relaxed holiday atmosphere. Go to one of Sydney's famed ocean beaches instead.