St. Pete Beach
St. Pete Beach
4.5
About
Revel in the balmy emerald waters of the Gulf of Mexico at St. Pete Beach, a coastal town in Florida. Depending on your mood, different sections will appeal. For family fun, visit Upham Beach Park. If you’re looking for a laid-back vibe, claim your patch at Pass-a-Grille Beach—a great spot to catch the fiery Florida sunset. For a one-of-a-kind experience, book an evening LED-illuminated tour on glass-bottom kayaks and marvel at the underwater views. This award-winning beach also offers a mix of mom-and-pop businesses as well as luxe hotels, fine eateries, and funky boutiques. To get here, hop on the Central Avenue Trolley from downtown St. Petersburg. – Tripadvisor
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
5,297 reviews
Excellent
4,112
Very good
935
Average
161
Poor
47
Terrible
42
ERat
Bunker Hill, WV755 contributions
Aug 2021
We usually stay at a condo in St Pete Beach, but due to the red tide situation, we changed our plans and stayed in Orlando. We did drive to the beach since we were told by multiple people "Red Tide is gone! Everything is back to normal." DON'T FALL FOR IT. The effects of red tide is still very noticeable. The smell was horrible! Very glad that we didn't stay a week. Parking in the lot across from Publix is VERY expensive! It was $3.75 an hour. We arrived around 10am and planned to stay all day so I paid $31+ to park from 10am until 8pm. We left early due to the smell and the threat of thunderstorms. As a comparison, we also visited Cocoa Beach on the East Coast during our visit to Florida. We parked at Lori Wilson Park for FREE for the entire day! Not only was the parking free, but the beach umbrella and chair rentals were less expensive at Cocoa Beach too. We usually love St Pete Beach, but this year we were greatly disappointed.
Written August 12, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bob
9 contributions
Jul 2021
St. Petes beach is a very nice white sand beach with easy access to a variety of hotels. A rocky Jedi and cove at one end of the beach lends itself to some interesting photo's and a place to sit off the sand late into the evening. Umbrella shelters are available for a reasonable rate through a few vendors as are a few boat excursions. The dolphin watch (short distance from the beach itself at a marina) allows almost a guaranteed look at these amazing creatures. Red tide was present during my visit, so unfortunately there was a fair amount of sealife that had perished at the shore line.
Written February 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Seaside553879
2 contributions
Oct 2020 • Family
We stayed at the beach last week for the first time and decided to come right back this weekend because it was so nice. Not crowded which was important due to COVID and the beach is just lovely. Great for family or couples. The strip in St Pete also wonderful with a variety of different restaurants and even Ice Cream shop (Larry’s) - definitely recommend busting Larry’s if you love ice cream they have over 80 flavors. We love this beach .
Written October 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jrj
19 contributions
Jul 2022 • Friends
So St Pete is a fun place with lots to do on the water and in town. Good restaurant scene downtown. I am writing to warn you about the parking meter situation. They don’t work well- won’t read a lot of credit cards and they try to get you to use an app called Parkmobile which is awful and does not work . This all seems like a scam to me to raise money for the city. Look at other reviews about this and the App. Beware !
Written September 25, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David L
Wilmington, DE891 contributions
Apr 2021
The sands are white and cool and the beach is expansive. The water is an emerald green and you can see aquatic life by ducking your head in the water. There are a handful of underused volleyball courts available for use. The parking is a little bit pricey. We arrived a little before noon and there was ample spots available. By the time we left around 4, most of the spots were gone.
My wife is a Destin fan, but Destin's a little harder to get to. She was sold on St. Pete's Beach, especially because the traffic around the area was much calmer than Destin.
My wife is a Destin fan, but Destin's a little harder to get to. She was sold on St. Pete's Beach, especially because the traffic around the area was much calmer than Destin.
Written May 11, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jujuchiha
Ocala, FL74 contributions
Jul 2020 • Family
Went there for family vacation for a few days. Had a fantastic time there. Stores and restaurants are all nearby, some in walking distance. Many activities offered such as Parasailing, sunset cruises, dolphin watch cruise or just relax on the beach with a big umbrella, after taking a dip in the ocean. The water is fantastic. A great spot to see the sunset. Had such a wonderful time there. Wonderful vacation spot.
Written August 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Laketa B
Florida59 contributions
Nov 2020 • Couples
Very clean beach with white sand, The sand is not hard to walk through. It was very peaceful a lot of social distancing and the umbrella with two chairs was reasonable. The highlight for me was the bar on the beach and how the beach is set up!
Written November 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vivian M
1 contribution
Feb 2023 • Couples
Not sure why St. Pete Beach has such high reviews. We went for the day and public parking was a bad experience as paying for parking was difficult because machine was not working and zone number was worn off the machine. There was a homeless person sleeping on bench with his backpack at restrooms and the restrooms were dark inside. There are no showers for spraying the sand off of you and no lifeguards. The beach sand area was wide a definite plus. Never will go for the day again but would like to try staying in one of their accommodations.
Written February 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Garfieldluvr
Denver, CO983 contributions
Oct 2022
I went to St. Pete Beach for a few hours one morning for a walk. I parked at the parking lot called “St. Pete Beach Access” which has lot of spaces, restrooms, showers, and was not very expensive (you paid based on how long you were staying). The beach itself was lovely, full of seashells and even some (broken) sand dollars. I bet you could find some cool stuff early in the morning or at low tide. I walked about 5 miles down and back and found the beach to be very clean and peaceful. Lots of trashcans, benches, and even some rental companies for cabanas and chairs if that is your interest.
Written October 29, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shannon C
St. Petersburg, United States27 contributions
Jun 2022
Soft sand, gentle waves, beautiful rock jetties, convenient restaurant grill, volleyball nets, fishing, cabanas and lounges to rent...this beach has it all. Sunsets are the best part!
Written July 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Who has the best espresso martini??
Written February 6, 2024
Is 15% an acceptable tip in St Pete Beach restaurants etc ?
Written October 8, 2023
Laurie A
Culbertson, Montana
What is everyone's preferred airport? Tampa or PIE? Is is best to have a rental car to get around. We are staying at Mariner Beach Club.
Written September 9, 2023
We always fly Southwest into Tampa. It is a great airport to get in and out of. It's about a 35 minute drive and we always get a rental car because there are so many places to visit/ things to do, restaurants etc. If you are just staying at your hotel for the most part I guess Lyft/Uber is fine. PIE is closer to St Pete Beach and might be a 20-25 minute drive. Never flown into PIE since Southwest doesn't.
Written September 13, 2023
That is BS, the entire Suncoast Beaches are safe Dunedin to St Pete Beach you can not go wrong and all have different feels for your needs Someone giving you erroneous info to drive you somewhere else
Written June 25, 2024
There are Dog friendly beaches Most are not
Written June 25, 2024
I’m not familiar with St Petersburg but I’d like to stay somewhere that’s not too crowded but close to restaurants. Redington? Treasure Island? Madeira? Broken Island? Any thoughts? Baha Shores?
Written August 7, 2021
We recently stayed in Treasure Island at Tropic Terrace and then the Bay Palms Waterside Resort. Both were excellent, not crowded because they are small. There are many high rises in the area. Tropic Terrace is in Treasure Island and the Bay Palms is 4 miles down the road in St. Petersburg.
Written August 8, 2021
I see that dogs used to not be allowed on the beach, but when looking up dog-friendly beaches St. Pete was listed. Has that changed? Anyone have any recent experience taking their dog to the public beach? Thanks!
Written February 12, 2021
I have not taken my dogs because they were no5 traveling with me but I have seen many other dogs on the beach.
Written March 2, 2021
im at st pete beach now and the water is really dark and has tons of seaweed. is this the norm ? or am i just in a bad spot ?
Written July 14, 2020
Probably a temporary issue. Never seen that un Sr. Pete's. Allways niceband clear. Maybe try a different spot? Enjoy!
Written July 16, 2020
If you’re not staying at a hotel, etc. in the immediate vicinity, is there any convenient place in the St. Pete Beach area to change clothing?
Written July 3, 2020
From what I know, there are no public restrooms right on St. Pete Beach.
But in St. Pete Beach area there are bars and restaurants, that are located on the beach, they have direct, public access from the beach, and they also have restrooms. For instance, Paradise Grille at 6850 Beach Plaza or Jimmy's Beach Bar and Bistro at 6200 Gulf Blvd - these two are at the northern part of St. Pete Beach.
Further south , there are some hotels and resorts with bars and restaurants, that also have public access, but I am not sure about hotel regulations, as far as the public use of their restrooms. But I imagine, if you are at a hotel bar - you'd be able to use a restroom.
St. Pete Beach stretches from north to south for over 4 miles, down to Pass a Grille, that yes, does have another Paradise Grille Bar at 900 Gulf Way, with public restrooms.
Enjoy your visit!
Written July 3, 2020
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