Portstewart in Northern Ireland is a classy tourist destination on the north coast with a gorgeous harbour, a spectacular beach, the championship Portstewart Golf Club, a promenade, great cafés, parks, restaurants, outdoor swimming pools, and ice cream parlours, as well as a children’s pleasure beach and dunes to explore.
Portstewart was well-loved in the Victorian era and has retained its public appeal and heritage. Not many golf clubs in the British Isles have 3 courses - Portstewart Golf Club is one of them.
Portstewart Crescent
Portstewart Crescent, just off the Promenade, has an outdoor play area with a boating lake, paddling pools, paddle board hire, a fountain, park, shops, karting, a bandstand, and cafés. The fountain - the first of its kind in Europe, with 33 small water jets arranged in three rows of 11 - pulses to music for a light, water, and sound show.
Dining and Entertainment
Morelli’s, on the Promenade, serves well-known ice cream in a wide range of flavours (the Knickerbocker Glory is a local institution), and was founded in the early 1900s. Exact current opening hours vary between sources and weren’t confirmed to a single reliable figure this pass - check directly (028 7083 2150 or morellisofportstewart.co.uk) rather than relying on a fixed time here.
The Anchor Complex is the centre of Portstewart’s nightlife scene, with the Aura Nightclub, Anchor Bistro, and Anchor Bar - confirmed still operating. Havana Night Club, mentioned in older versions of this page as offering dancing upstairs, was not independently confirmed as currently open - worth checking before planning a visit around it.
The Flowerfield Arts Centre, the first arts centre established in Northern Ireland, hosts concerts, annual art exhibitions, and a range of arts and crafts courses. It’s set in a Victorian mansion built in 1855.
Old O’Hara Castle
Built in 1834, O’Hara Castle now functions as Dominican College, providing a striking backdrop over the dunes toward the Atlantic. The cliff path from Dominican College to Portstewart Strand forms part of the Causeway Coast Way, with views over the River Bann estuary, the beach, Donegal, Lough Foyle, and Scotland in the distance.
Portstewart Strand
Portstewart Strand is a 2-mile Blue Flag-certified beach on the Atlantic, bounded by the River Bann estuary to the west and Portstewart Golf Club to the east. The National Trust manages the beach - one of Northern Ireland’s most visited. Car access is available right onto the beach; a fee applies in high season, though National Trust members park free.
The dunes between Portstewart Strand and the Golf Club’s Strand Course are a protected habitat, with way-marked trails from Harry’s Shack heading northwest along the two-mile stretch toward the Barmouth.
