With over 70 miles of beaches, in and around the metropolitan area, San Diego has more than its fair share of fantastic coastlines. From family-friendly beaches to exciting surfing and kayaking, quiet alcoves to perfect picnic oceanfront spots, there really is a beach for every occasion in San Diego.
While it’s true to say that all of San Diego’s beaches have a lot to offer, some of the city’s beaches really stand out from the crowd and deserve a special mention. In this article, we’ll list some of the finest beaches in San Diego, staring right out the gates with our favorite!
Table of Contents
Windansea Beach, La Jolla
Located in the La Jolla community, Windansea Beach is popular with early-morning runners, surfers, kayakers, and families with kids. The waves in Windansea attract very skilled surfers
Windasea has a small free car parking lot although on busy days it fills up pretty quickly, so it’s best to arrive early. If you can’t find a space in the free car parking lot then there are also lots of places in the neighborhood where you can park for the day.
Windansea Beach is also famous for its surf shack which has been rebuilt over the years after storms knocked it down.
Windansea Beach is certainly one of the city’s premier beaches with great facilities to suit adventurous surfers, families with children, and couples looking for a quiet place to spend quality time together.
Coronado Beach – Luxury Vibes with Spectacular Sea Views
Coronado Beach is a magnificently picturesque stretch of the coastline that is home to upmarket hotels, such as the Hotel Del Coronado, and opulent beachfront properties. Best known for the Orange Avenue walk, the lesser-known Coronado Dog Beach allows you to let your pooch off the lead and meet lots of other pet owners.
With some of the cleanest sands in the state, Coronado Beach is often thronging with local families and tourists. The waters are suitable for children to paddle in the surf but are not so great for watersports. This makes Coronado Beach a wonderful choice for a relaxed day at the beach, especially if you have children or pet dogs. For more daring visitors, the Coronado Skatepark, about 1.5 miles behind the main beach, in Tidelands Park is always packed with skaters and has more than 15,000 square feet of ramps, grinds, jumps and bowls.
There’s not a huge amount of parking at the beach but you can usually find space on Ocean Boulevard or in the back streets of the neighborhood. The beach itself has excellent amenities including showers and restrooms as well as wheelchair accessibility mats that lead right down to the shore.
When it comes to food, Orange Avenue has a lovely selection of cafes, eateries and bars. You can grab an organic craft beer at the Coronado Brewing Co, stop off for some handmade ice cream at the MooTime Creamery or get your caffeine fix or a meal at Clayton’s Coffee Shop.
Carlsbad State Beach – Laid-Back Fun and Good for Dog Walking
Carlsbad State Beach, sometimes called Tamarack Beach, is great for sunbathing, watching the surfers out at sea, dog walking, and forgetting about your daily worries in the peaceful atmosphere. Along the shoreline, the 4-mile trail that runs along the Carlsbad Sea Wall is perfect for dog walking, cycling, roller skating and strolling, arm in arm with a loved one.
While the beach only has a small official car park, there’s plenty of free parking available in the surrounding residential streets – just make sure to avoid parking in people’s driveways because you might get towed!
If you’re feeling peckish while you’re at the beach, you can swing by the beloved Harbor Fish Cafe to try the famous Carlsbad Clam Chowder or the delicious fish and chips. Alternatively, you can visit the ultra-trendy Park 101 for cocktails and sandwiches or the oceanfront Dini’s Bistro, for a full sit-down, a la carte meal. The nearby Carlsbad Village is a bustling, hip part of town with lots of unique boutique stores, restaurants, and bars.
All this makes Carlsbad State Beach a fantastic choice if you want to combine your day at the beach with a meal in a restaurant and a few drinks in a local bar before you head home in the evening.
Del Mar Beach – A Local Favorite with Lots of Nearby Hiking Trails
Literally meaning ‘from the sea’, Del Mar beach runs south from Via De La Valle for 2 miles and is widely considered by savvy locals to be one of the city’s best-kept shoreline secrets! The crowds on the beach are super relaxed and are mainly made up of local families, surfers, and dog walkers. Part of the beach, called the North Beach, is an official dog beach so you’ll see dozens of dogs of all shapes and sizes playing in the ocean.
Finding free parking at Del Mar beach can be a bit of a problem although there is metered parking quite close to the shore. However, you can find larger parking lots at North Beach or on 17th Avenue. For this reason, many locals just jump on public transport to visit the beach.
You’ll also find restrooms and changing facilities next to the 25th Street tower and showers and toilets beside the lifeguard towers at 17th Street. If you’d like to do some hiking you can visit the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve Park which has some lovely trails to explore. And when you’re hungry after a day at the beach you can pick up burgers, sandwiches and nachos at the Del Mar Snack Shack.
Moonlight State Beach, Encinitas – Amazing Facilities and Plenty of Parking
Moonlight State Beach in the chilled-out community of Encinitas, has superb facilities, including restrooms, showers, volleyball courts, a children’s playground and a delightful picnic area. A good beach for families with young children, Moonlight State Beach has a wonderful atmosphere and unforgettable ocean views. There’s also an official car park and lots of free parking in the surrounding residential neighborhoods.
If you’re looking for a bite to eat, you can enjoy nachos, hot dogs, bagels, burritos and even ice cream at the on-site snack shop. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a more up-market place to eat, there are numerous restaurants and cafes to choose from along Coast Highway 101, including the beer and vegan restaurant, Modern Times Far West Lounge, and Lofty Coffee.
Mission Beach – San Diego’s Answer to Coney Island
Spanning more than 2 miles along the coast, Mission Beach is a fun-packed oceanfront hub that contains a busy boardwalk, a huge sandy beach and a unique amusement park. Surrounded by a paved walkway around Mission Bay, the entire area has great attractions for tourists and locals alike.
Belmont Park, Mission Beaches’ old-school amusement park, has a giant dipper roller coaster, and lots of arcades and restaurants, making it ideal for families and tourists who want to enjoy the traditional amusements on offer. You can also visit the nearby SeaWorld San Diego Theme Park to see a whole variety of marine shows as well as close-up views of dolphins and orcas.
Finding free parking at Mission Beach can be a little tricky at times although there are several nearby parking lots that you can pay to leave your car in while you’re at the seaside.
If you’re looking for refreshments on Mission Beach then you’re absolutely spoilt for choice. There are numerous restaurants, cafes and street food vendors to try as well as lots of local bars to have a quiet drink at the end of an exciting day by the sea. For angling enthusiasts, there are a few good fishing sites at the end of South Mission Beach Park where you can cast off directly from the jetty and try your luck at hooking a catch for dinner. There’s also an artificial reef off the coast where you can dive among shipwrecks to see marine life and the remains of the ships up close and personal.
Pacific Beach – A Hangout for Hip and Trendy San Diegans
With something of a reputation for being a party destination for the hip and trendy of San Diego’s surfing and skateboarding communities, Pacific Beach, or ‘PB’ for short, is the go-to location for seaside party fun. The 3.5 mile promenade is always full of skaters, cyclists and boisterous teens which means it might not be the best choice for families with children and people who want a quiet day at the seaside!
Even so, Pacific Beach is the ultimate meetup point for the younger generations who want an upbeat, lively experience on the shore. There are countless restaurants and raucous bars in the vicinity of the beach and on a warm summer’s evening, you can expect the revelries to go on late into the night!
