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17 Best Beaches in Los Angeles

Ever want to say “nope” to the world, grab your sunscreen, and while away the hours listening to the surf roll onto a soft sandy beach? 
Sacred Cove and Abalone Cove Shoreline Park Los Angeles Beach
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One of the biggest draws of the Los Angeles area is the beach scene (especially when you've had enough of the traffic). We put together our list of some of the best spots in the L.A. area to relax by the Pacific, whether you have a dog, want to hang glide, fancy a snorkel or a kayak, can’t do without catching some waves on your surfboard, enjoy birding, or just have a hankering to swim and nap. Behold, our picks for the best beaches in and around Los Angeles, with tips for how to make the most of each one.

Click the link to read our complete Los Angeles city guide.

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    Paradise Cove Beach

    Paradise Cove Beach is a tiny, public/private beach tucked beneath the cliffs of Malibu. It's mostly under the auspices of the Paradise Cove Beach Café, who provide all the amenities, but you can access the beach for free if you want to swim or surf. Many who visit come to rent out the private terraces, beach beds, and lounges, and if you can pony up the cash (the private terraces can run almost $800 on the most expensive weekend days), it's one of the most relaxing spots in Malibu. If you want to get a great beach walk in, stroll from Escondido to Paradise Cove, and you’ll have earned that glass of rosé at sunset.

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    Venice Beach

    Come to Venice Beach for the mile-and-a-half of silky sands, where you can lay down a blanket on and gaze out into the Pacific, and stay for the beloved Venice Beach Boardwalk, where street performers and vendors busk and sell their wares, muscle men lift huge amounts of weight, and subcultures congregate. It’s a lively spot for those who like a bit of excitement with their beach day.

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    Carbon Beach (Billionaire's Beach)

    Carbon Beach isn't a private beach, but it feels like one. You'll encounter a few other folks as you walk behind the homes of the ultra-wealthy, but otherwise, this long stretch of beach is about as secluded as Malibu gets. The water is excellent for swimming, calm with no rocks, and the sand is soft and cozy—perfect to laze out on all afternoon. Carbon Beach is best for a quiet walk or a jog. There are few places in Malibu that aren't overrun with people, and this is one of them, so enjoy that to the fullest.

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    Sacred Cove and Abalone Cove Shoreline Park

    Sacred Cove and Abalone Cove Shoreline Park, a coastal hike, leads to a secluded cove that's marked by stunning tide pools and rock formations. If you're looking for a sunbathing beach, this isn't it, but if you're after natural beauty, you've come to the right spot: The tide pools filled with starfish, sea anemones, and abalone shells, and the views out to sea are spectacular—on a clear day you can see Catalina Island.

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    Santa Monica State Beach

    Santa Monica is one of the most iconic beaches in the Greater Los Angeles area. Its long white sandy beaches, pier, and Annenberg Community Beach House define it, and it's always teeming with activity and people. Roller coaster rides, Segways, pancakes, luxury hotels—you can get almost anything you need on Santa Monica Beach and its famous white sand's not too bad either. If you don't find something to do there, you're not looking.

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    Leo Carrillo State Park

    Leo Carrillo State Park is an ecologically diverse spot with rocky crags jutting into the ocean, Malibu mountains to hike, and pristine water with rich tide pools. Set on 1.5 miles of perfect beach, it’s a paradise for surfers, swimmers, beach loungers, windsurfers, fishing enthusiasts, and curious explorers of coastal caves. Though the water at Leo Carrillo is accommodating for any type of visitor, the best part is the beach’s campground shaded by giant sycamore trees.

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    Huntington City Beach

    Set amid a 121-acre park that was established in 1942 and spans the tippity-top of Orange County, the Huntington City Beach is the most iconic beach on this stretch. It's known for its surf breaks, International Surfing Museum, and vibrant day and nightlife. There are tons of surf shops if you want to rent a board or buy a towel, plus heaps of restaurants, bars, local breweries, and a really cute pier. And though it's not on the beach you'd remiss if you didn't get a fish taco at Normita's Surf City Taco, a local favorite.

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    Point Dume State Beach

    Point Dume is situated at the end of Malibu at a point that juts into the Pacific with a dramatic cliff’s edge and drops down to a beautiful crescent-shaped beach. The water is crystal clear, making it a perfect place to swim on a sweltering summer day, and a great scuba spot where sea lions are known to swim around with you. The beach is also famous for being a great spot to learn how to rock climb. It has a little bit of something for everybody.

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    El Matador State Beach

    El Matador is the kind of beach an Angeleno immediately takes you to from the airport. It's a natural beauty—hidden away down a steep staircase with dramatic craggy rock formations that seem to have risen from the Pacific, plus tide pools that offer a glimpse at our undersea friends. If you decide to check them out for photos or simple exploration, make sure to wear water shoes as the rocks can be difficult to navigate. There are zero services or amenities at El Matador—it's a natural wonder. Bring your own beach towels, sunscreen, and picnic gear, and you'll be all set for the day. 

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    Laguna Beach

    Main Beach, situated right in the middle of downtown Laguna Beach, is usually bustling during the summer months. But those who aren’t afraid of a crowd will enjoy lots of amenities including volleyball and basketball courts, a boardwalk that runs the entire length of the beach, and the all-important playground for the kids. Plus the sand in the water is soft, which makes Main Beach a perfect spot to beat the heat with a nice swim.

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    Dockweiler State Beach

    Dockweiler State Beach is a long, sandy beach just to the south of LAX. It’s one of the most easily accessible beaches in LA, and parking is plentiful (at $6 to $13 per car, depending on the season). It’s a great hang gliding spot and a nice swimming zone, too, with gentle breezes and still water to paddle out in. The water itself is crystal clear, and soft sands make for nice barefoot walks. Whether you're looking to swim, enjoy an evening beachside barbecue, or take a hang gliding lesson, Dockweiler is a solid bet.

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    Manhattan Beach

    Though it’s far from hidden, Manhattan Beach is the embodiment of the California lifestyle you grew up watching on TV: a stretch of sand dotted with year-round tans, good-looking people playing volleyball, beach cruisers gliding by with toy dogs in their baskets, and cute, family-owned restaurants and bars. You can drive and park, of course, but it's just as easy to access this beach on two wheels: Take a bike ride along the Marvin Braude Bike Trail from Redondo or even as far away Santa Monica—it's a workout and a sightseeing tour in one.

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    Surfrider Beach

    Surfrider Beach is small, about a mile long, but it’s a gem. The wooden pier is perfect for selfies and saltwater fishing, and the water is clean and perfect for swimming. A little further out, Surfrider becomes an ideal surf spot—it’s not called Surfrider for nothing. Just to the west of the beach is Malibu Lagoon, a state park with ample birding, and a path around the estuary lined with native plants. Every surfer has to ride the waves at Surfrider once in their life, but it's a perfect spot for lounging, birding, and kayaking, too.

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    Will Rogers State Beach

    Will Rogers benefits from being between the Pacific Palisades and Topanga—it's a sort of no man's land that makes it less crowded than most of the nearby beaches, despite its proximity to Santa Monica. (You won't feel like someone's always treading on your towel or standing in your sunlight.) It's one of those big wide beaches with plenty of room for everyone to relax in the sun. Plus, there are clean bathrooms to change in and a number of beach volleyball courts.

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    Bolsa Chica State Beach

    Bolsa Chica is known for a three-mile long sandy beach that never gets too crowded, a paved biking and jogging path, and the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. The beach itself is miles of fluffy sand—it's almost a requirement to go barefoot—with sandbars that allow you to walk far out into the ocean without getting into deep water. The surf at Bolsa Chica is cold but clean, so swimming, surfing, and bodysurfing are popular activities—if you can bear the chilly water along the Pacific Coast Highway. It's a great spot for outdoorsy types who enjoy birding, biking, surfing, and fishing.

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    Bruce's Beach 

    In the 1920s, Willa and Charles Bruce built a resort known as Bruce's Beach—complete with a bath house, dance hall and cafe—to serve fellow Black residents of Manhattan Beach, making it one of the few beaches they could use due to segregation. Not surprisingly, the couple was harassed for their efforts, and eventually, in 1924, the city of Manhattan Beach used eminent domain to force them off their land to turn it into a park. In a landmark decision by LA County, the land will be returned to the Bruce family. But you can still visit the public park and the beach below to visit this important piece of Black history in LA.

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    Lechuza Beach

    This lesser-known Malibu beach has similarly gorgeous rock formations to the ones you’d find at El Matador, but is far less crowded—so much less crowded it could practically be considered private. The tide pooling is fantastic here, but the beach is still sandy if you want to spread out. You can find access via the cul-de-sac at Bunnie Lane, where you’ll enter through a tree-covered corridor and a few flights of stairs.

Krista Simmons is a culinary travel writer and video producer has created content for outlets including Travel + Leisure, Tastemade, and Modern Luxury through her digital production company, Fork in the Road Media. You may also recognize her from her stints as a food judge on Top Chef Masters, *Knife... Read more
Contributing Writer
Maxwell Williams has written on a variety of subjects for publications including Condé Nast Traveler, The New York Times, Vogue, Dazed, W, Bloomberg, L'Officiel, the Financial Times, and the Wall Street Journal, and has contributed to a number of books. He is on the board of directors at the Institute... Read more
Contributing Writer
TopicsBeaches

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