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WELCOME TO
The SoCal Beaches Page
FUN IN THE SUN!
This is what we're famous for and for good reason. There are lots of great beaches here.
Don't look here for our most famous beaches (like Venice, Malibu, & Santa Monica), just our best! Beaches are listed here going from south to north.
LAGUNA BEACH 
Take Interstate 5 to highway 133. Take 133 through the hills to Laguna Beach. This artist's colony also has some great stretches of sand starting with the downtown section of beach where watching volleyball is the biggest pastime.
Just north from there is Heisler Park (one block due west of the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Cliff Dr.), a cliff-top grassy area with a paved walkway down to the beach. This is a popular snorkeling & scuba beach and when the visibility is good, so is the diving (see picture above). The park on top of the cliff is also a great spot for a barbeque but parking is tight. It's easier to park on Pacific Coast Highway, 1 block away.
Be sure to eat at the White House restaurant, a local landmark, that serves a great Chicken Kiev.
Going further north, just past the end of town is Crystal Cove State Park, a lonely & lovely beach in the empty area between Laguna and Newport Beach. The hills here doubled for Cuba's Guantanamo Bay in the movie "A Few Good Men" starring Tom Cruise.
NEWPORT BEACH
Continuing north from Laguna, we hit the Beverly Hills of orange county, Newport Beach. Take the 405 freeway south to Jamboree Rd. and head west until you hit Pacific Coast Highway. Turn left to Marguerite Ave. and then west will take you to Corona Del Mar State Beach, a nice little cove with rocks and caves to play in.
If you go straight on Jamboree you will end up on Balboa Island, a small island in the bay. Follow the signs to the Balboa Island Ferry and ride it to the Balboa Peninsula. Here you will find a great beach centered around Balboa Pier with a small amusement area surrounding the historic Balboa Pavilion.
If you go south to the end of the peninsula, you will see one of the world's most famous body surfing spots, the Wedge, where waves compress against the jetty into huge swells.
SEAL BEACH
Continuing north, skipping Huntington Beach & Bolsa Chica (both very crowded and a little rowdy) you come upon the small stretch of sand that makes up Seal Beach. Take the 405 south to Seal Beach Bl. and head west.
Known to surfers as a beginner's beach, the area is centered around it's pier, which is located at the end of Main Street. This street recently became the filming location for the new soap opera "Sunset Beach" and has also served as locations for many other movies and shows.
Parking can be scarce on summer weekends, but this is really a nice beach with lot's of places to eat and shop nearby.
LONG BEACH 
If you don't mind not having big waves, Long Beach is a very good spot to soak up the rays. There are many, many beaches in town that all lack one thing - waves. That is because Long Beach is sheltered by a breakwater that makes this one of the world's largest ports.
Starting in the south part of the city you come upon Alamitos Bay and Belmont Shore. Take the 405 south to Seal Beach Bl. and go west to Westminster Ave. Turn right until you get to Belmont Shore. Turn left on Santa Ana Ave. until you get to Ocean Bl. Park in one of the pay lots along Ocean Bl.
The beaches here are popular with singles and families...what a combo! Along with great calm-water swimming, you can rent a kayak a paddle throughout the bay and through the canals of Naples Island. You can also hire a gondola (just like in Venice, Italy) for a romantic candle-lit trip through the canals at night.
There are many restaurants on 2nd Street (the main street of Belmont Shore) that serve food to take onto the beach. Some of our favorites include Crabshell Corner (on the corner of 2nd & Claremont) for burger & gyros, BJ's for (5258 E 2nd St) sandwiches and pizza, and Legends Sports Bar for ribs & drinks.
At the end of Bayshore Ave. starts a bike trail that leads along the main beach of the city for about 5 miles (that's how it got it's name). There are many things to see & do here like kite flying, volleyball, sailing, and jet-skiing not to mention sunning & swimming (see picture above).
The beach ends up downtown at Shoreline Village and the Rainbow Lagoon. Here you can shop, eat, or ride an antique carousel. In April, Indycar's best come here to race in the Long Beach Grand Prix. Across the bay is the city's most famous landmark, the Queen Mary.
From Shoreline Village, you can head up Pine Ave. via the pedestrian overpass 2 block to reach Pine Square, a new entertainment center featuring a 16 screen theatre, restaurants, and nightclubs. For a real nice dinner, try our favorite, Le Opera on the corner of Pine & 1st Street.
PALOS VERDES PENINSULA
Jutting into the Pacific separating San Pedro and Redondo Beach, Palos Verdes offers some of the areas most undeveloped stretches of coastline. Take the 405 south to Western Ave. and head west. Turn right on 25th St. to go to Palos Verdes.
Known for it's great rigged scenery, there are many great beaches here but most have a hard hike down the cliffs to get to. Be warned that the most popular surfing beaches here (like Lunada Bay) are scenes of numerous turf wars as local surfers try to keep other out.
About halfway through the peninsula is Point Vicente where you can watch the whales on their annual migration (in the winter months). This is located just south of the intersection of Palos Verdes Drive and Hawthorne Bl.