Travel Guide

California Coast Destinations

Explore beautiful coastal destinations with tide information and local insights

Golden-hour sun on steep sandstone headlands above a curved sand cove, with white surf rolling in along the Point Reyes coast

Point Reyes

Long open beaches, a lighthouse on the headland and rocky shore in Marin County.

Explore Point Reyes →
Sunset over Lands End in San Francisco, with cypress trees along the bluff, the Sutro Baths ruins below and the Marin Headlands across the water

San Francisco

Lookouts, neighborhoods and cold, windy beaches from the Golden Gate to Ocean Beach.

Explore San Francisco →
Surf breaking into a small cove below the green cliffs of West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz, with the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse on the point

Santa Cruz

The Boardwalk, surf breaks and town beaches on the north end of Monterey Bay.

Explore Santa Cruz →
Rocky shoreline of Monterey Bay beside the Monterey Bay Aquarium decks on Cannery Row, with the curve of the bay and hills in the distance

Monterey

Sea otters, Cannery Row and tide pools on the Central Coast.

Explore Monterey →
Aerial view of Newport Pier stretching into the Pacific at sunset, with the sun reflecting on the water and the pier's shadow on the beach

Newport Beach

A wealthy harbor town with a long pier and wide beaches in Orange County.

Explore Newport Beach →
Rocky cove below Heisler Park in Laguna Beach, with palm-topped bluffs, sandstone reefs and a wave breaking

Laguna Beach

An old art colony with tide pools in the coves below the cliffs on the Orange County coast.

Explore Laguna Beach →
Aerial view of Dana Point: the headland cliffs, the harbor marina behind its breakwater, and Doheny beach curving away toward the hills

Dana Point

Whale-watching boats, a harbor and well-known surf breaks in South Orange County.

Explore Dana Point →
Aerial view of Santa Barbara Harbor full of sailboats, the breakwater and sandspit, with the city and the Santa Ynez Mountains behind

Santa Barbara

The American Riviera: red-tile Spanish-style buildings and beaches below the mountains.

Explore Santa Barbara →
Sandstone bluffs and a long sandy beach in Carlsbad with surf lines rolling in and bluff-top homes and palms in the distance

Carlsbad

Beaches for families, LEGOLAND and an easygoing North County pace.

Explore Carlsbad →
Aerial view of the Encinitas coastline with surfers waiting in the lineup off a green bluff-top point and the town stretching north

Encinitas

A surf town with yoga studios and bluff-top sunset views in North San Diego County.

Explore Encinitas →
Long-exposure surf washing up the beach at Cardiff-by-the-Sea in warm evening light, with palm-topped bluffs curving along the shore

Cardiff

A small beach town with good surf and the Cardiff Kook statue.

Explore Cardiff →
Panorama over dry coastal grass to Bodega Harbor, with a boat wake crossing the channel toward the Doran Beach sand spit and the hills beyond

Bodega Bay

Wild Sonoma Coast fishing village, with heavy surf, seabirds and windy beaches.

Explore Bodega Bay →
Sunset over Poplar Beach in Half Moon Bay, with waves along a long sand beach below the grassy bluff of the Coastal Trail

Half Moon Bay

Foggy beaches, pumpkin farms and the big-wave surf at Mavericks.

Explore Half Moon Bay →
Curving sandy shore of Carmel River State Beach with blue water, granite rocks in the foreground and green hills behind

Carmel-by-the-Sea

A small village of cottages, a white sand beach and wind-bent cypresses on the Monterey Peninsula.

Explore Carmel-by-the-Sea →
Steep cliffs of the Big Sur coast dropping to a small sandy cove and turquoise water, with Highway 1 cut into the hillside and sea stacks offshore

Big Sur

Cliffs, redwood canyons and Highway 1 cut into the mountains above the sea.

Explore Big Sur →
The Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle, its blue-and-white tiled water in front of a white Greco-Roman temple facade and statues, with oaks and hills behind

San Simeon & Hearst Castle

Hearst Castle on the hill, elephant seals at Piedras Blancas and a quiet pier on San Simeon Bay.

Explore San Simeon & Hearst Castle →
Driftwood scattered across the dark sand of Moonstone Beach in Cambria, with white surf and a clear blue sky

Cambria

Moonstone Beach, Leffingwell Landing tide pools and the Fiscalini Ranch bluffs on the North Coast.

Explore Cambria →
The Cayucos Pier on wooden pilings over calm water at dusk, with dark rocks in the foreground and Morro Rock across Estero Bay

Cayucos

A small beach town with an 1870s pier, a lifeguarded state beach and the wild Estero Bluffs next door.

Explore Cayucos →
Morro Rock glowing in late light above the still water of Morro Bay, with a red sailboat moored in front

Morro Bay

Morro Rock, sea otters in the harbor, kayaking the estuary and the bluffs of Montaña de Oro.

Explore Morro Bay →
The craggy summit of Bishop Peak above green spring hills in San Luis Obispo, lit by low evening sun

San Luis Obispo

A mission town under the volcanic peaks, a short drive inland from Avila and Pismo.

Explore San Luis Obispo →
Morning view along Avila Beach from the end of Front Street, with the long pier reaching into the bay and the Port San Luis headland behind

Avila Beach & Port San Luis

A sheltered, south-facing beach, a working harbor and the 1890 Point San Luis Lighthouse.

Explore Avila Beach & Port San Luis →
The Pismo Beach Pier stretching out over the surf at sunset, seen from the wide sand north of the pier

Pismo Beach

A classic pier town with miles of sand, an overwintering monarch grove and the Oceano Dunes to the south.

Explore Pismo Beach →
Aerial view of the long wooden Ventura Pier reaching into calm water, with the beach, downtown Ventura and the hills behind

Ventura

A surf town with a long wooden pier and the ferry to Channel Islands National Park.

Explore Ventura →
Sea stacks and rocks silhouetted against a pink and orange sunset at El Matador State Beach in Malibu, with a person standing on a rock

Malibu

27 miles of Pacific coastline, with famous surf, sea caves and mountains that come down to the beach.

Explore Malibu →
Manhattan Beach Pier and its roundhouse silhouetted against a vivid pink and orange sunset over a smooth long-exposure sea

Manhattan Beach

Beach volleyball, a pier and the center of South Bay Los Angeles surfing.

Explore Manhattan Beach →
Fiery orange and purple sunset clouds over Huntington Beach, with the pier and beachgoers in silhouette

Huntington Beach

Surf City USA: 10 miles of open beach, a long pier and surfers all year.

Explore Huntington Beach →
Waves washing into a small sandy cove below sandstone bluffs at La Jolla, with swimmers in the surf and palm trees along the clifftop

La Jolla

Sea caves, sea lions, snorkeling and some of the best tide pools on the San Diego coast.

Explore La Jolla →
Sunset over the Pacific from Coronado Beach, the sky reflected in wet sand, with the Point Loma headland on the horizon

Coronado

A peninsula with a beach often rated one of America's best, and the Hotel del Coronado.

Explore Coronado →

Send feedback