Sanibel Beaches

Sanibel Beaches are absolutely gorgeous, come to paradise for long stretches of white sand, shells galore, and beautiful blue green water!

I love to go to Sanibel Island, not only for the beaches but because the town is very quaint with neat shops and restaurants, sandy lanes, and families on bikes ...... it reminds me of when we used to go to Cape Cod ....... except with palm trees.

Still, the best part of going to Sanibel are the beaches. It's easy to get to the island, just take the Causeway Bridge from south of Ft Myers, near Ft Myers Beach. It's only about 45 minutes from our home in Cape Coral.  There are 5 public beaches on Sanibel, and because there is so little development on the island, it's not so crowded and commercial.

sanibel beaches

The beaches are all directly on the Gulf of Mexico, where you can enjoy warm waters and gentle waves.

The closest beach to the causeway onto the island is Sanibel Lighthouse Beach, on the eastern tip of the island.

We often seeing wind sailers with their colorful kites, and boats scattered about parked offshore so their occupants can do some sunbathing on the beach.

lighthouse beach sanibel

And, I don't care where you live in the world, you need to get to the beach by 11AM to be sure to get a parking spot, and that goes for Sanibel too!

Parking is easy, close to the beach, and costs $3/hour, which you pay for with cash or credit at machines ....... these machines are at all the beaches.

The bathroom, lighthouse, and fishing pier are all a short walk through the woods and palms.

Sanibel beaches are famous for their shells, sometimes there are tons of them and sometimes you have do some digging in the sand to find some good ones.

sanibel island shells

Next after Lighthouse Beach, is Gulf Side City Park Beach and Tarpon Bay Road Beach ....... all three beaches face south and so we like to go to one of these beaches for the day and bring a picnic lunch, then hit one of the west-facing beaches further up or to Captiva to see the sunset and then have dinner either there or back in Sanibel.

Bowmans Beach is the first of these beaches and is thought to be the best beach in Sanibel.

You have to walk a ways to get to the beach from the parking lot, but because of that and the fact that it is further away from the causeway, you really have the feeling of getting away from it all.

sanibel island beaches

Last, but not least, is Turner Beach, just before you go over the bridge onto Captiva. There are no parking facilities, but you can park on the Captiva side and walk back over the bridge.

All of the Sanibel beaches are beautiful and I don't think I can pick my favorite, you will just have to come and explore these magnificent Southwest Florida beaches and find out for yourself!

sanibel island beach pictures

Here are 2 videos, the first one is of Lighthouse Beach, the second is of a wind sailer ..... you can see Marco Island, then Naples, and Bonita Springs behind him.






After the beach, go to Il Tesoro, a terrific Italian fine dining restaurant with delicious food and a romantic ambience.  For fine dining and a casual flair, go to The Jacaranda.

Or, go to another Italian restaurant, Matzaluna, for wood-fired pizza and classic Italian dishes.

Or, you may prefer the casual seafood restaurant, Gramma Dot's, at Sanibel Marina.

A fun place to take the kids is Island Cow, for great food at low prices, live music, and cow spots all over the place!  They'll also love Cheeburger Cheeburger.

Make sure you check out the amazing Sanibel Shell Museum  and the J Ding Darling Wildlife Preserve when you're on the island.



Related Pages to Sanibel Beaches

Cape Coral Beaches
Yacht Club Beach

Four Freedoms Beach
Ft Myers Beaches
Lovers Key Beach
Captiva Beaches

Sand Sculpture Contest
Swimsuit Coverups
Cool Beach Bags
Tommy Bahamas Shirts
Croc Clogs
Beach Wedding Ceremony



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