11 Best Beach in California (2022) Top Beach Spots
If you are going to travel to the United States, and specifically to the West Coast of the United States, the best beaches in California should be on your list of places to visit.
We have all dreamed of living in one of those houses from Hollywood movies with sea views.
And it’s normal.
The beaches of California are undoubtedly one of the best tourist places in the United States.
- That is why I have prepared the following ranking with the best beaches in California, which includes: Santa Monica State Beach.
- manhattan state beach
- La Jolla Shores Park
- Coronado Beach
- Zuma Beach
- East Beach
- Venice beach
- Seabright Beach
- El Matador Beach
- Huntington State Beach
- Newport Beach
Top 11 Beaches in California
1 . Santa Monica State Beach
With its famous pier in the background, this California beach offers attractions, great shopping, and a vast beach that can hold thousands of visitors daily. The parks south of the pier are clean and diverse, and parking is plentiful. Plus, there are plenty of restaurants and hotels nearby that make it easy to stay here for a weekend or even a week.
2. Manhattan State Beach
Long known as a sportsperson’s paradise, Manhattan State Beach sits between Hermosa Beach and Los Angeles International Airport in the South Bay area. The two-mile-long sandy beach is famous for surfing and volleyball as every year, the city of Manhattan Beach hosts a volleyball tournament and an international surf festival. The beach is very well maintained and very popular, attracting more than four million visitors each year, making it one of the best beaches in California.
3. LaJolla Shores Park
The San Diego area has many beautiful beaches, and La Jolla Shores is, without a doubt, one of the best beaches in California. The great thing about this beach is that you can get out and explore the La Jolla coastline in a kayak or paddleboard. Surfers love to ride the waves here, and the little ones can also enjoy the locks on the boogie boards.
4. Coronado Beach
Coronado Beach is home to four distinct beach areas: Coronado City Beach, Tidelands Park, Glorietta Bay Park, and Centennial Park. Its beaches are famous and among the best in California for mica, making the sand shine like gold in the sun. In addition, its gentle waves make the beaches ideal for swimming and bodyboarding, and the vast, flat areas of sand are ideally suited for relaxing walks.
5. Zuma Beach
One of the best beaches in California. It is located in Malibu, next to Westward Beach and Point Dume. Its vast expanse of fine sand is very popular with families, and the beach gets crowded quickly. There is a strong rip current, but lifeguards are on duty throughout the year. The excellent conditions make Zuma Beach very popular with surfers. This is why the beach hosts several significant annual surfing events. It is also noteworthy that Zuma Beach has been a popular location for many movies and TV shows, making it recognizable even to those who have never visited it.

6. East Beach
As its name implies, East Beach is at the eastern end of a four-mile stretch of beaches in Santa Barbara. Visitors to the beach can enjoy picnic facilities, a playground, and one of more than a dozen volleyball courts.
7. Venice Beach
No beach in the world is quite like Venice Beach as most don’t have a three-ring urban street circus, complete with performers, singers, weight lifters, barefoot sand sculptors, and much more. All this frenetic activity happens on the Ocean Front Walk, a 3-mile boardwalk that makes it one of the best beaches in California.
8. Seabright Beach
Located between Santa Cruz Harbor and the boardwalk, Seabright Beach is one of the best beaches in California. It has soft white sand and borders Santa Cruz Main Beach. The great expanse of sand stretches between the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor and the natural wall jutting out into the ocean where the St. Lawrence River meets the sea. The river water passes through a slight natural rock arch.
9. Matador Beach
If you drive along the Pacific Coast Highway in western Malibu, you will see the sign for El Matador Beach, one of the most beautiful and one of the best beaches in California. The views from the upper cliffs are impressive, with huge boulders and deep, dark blue waters with underwater kelp forests visible. The beach is very popular with sunbathers, surfers, and swimmers and has a lifeguard throughout the year. At low tide, you can walk to the north end of the beach to see its large caves and rock arches at the base of the cliff.
10. Huntington State Beach
Huntington State Beach is located in the city of Huntington Beach, between the Santa Ana River in Newport Beach and Beach Boulevard, where the city begins. Two miles of long sandy beach offering excellent fishing, volleyball courts, swimming, romantic walks, and year-round sunbathing. It also has several basketball courts.

11. Newport Beach
Newport Beach is a bustling Southern California seaside town famous for its beautiful beaches, large harbor, and a marina filled with boats of all sizes and types. The municipal beach is a five-mile-long stretch of fine sand ideal for swimmers and sunbathers who want to take advantage of mild temperatures and warm waters year-round. This beach completes the list of the best beaches in California.
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Have you wanted more beaches?
In case the best beaches in California have known you little, don’t worry, here I bring you three more rankings of beaches in the United States:
What’s the nicest beach in California?
- Malibu.
- Laguna Beach.
- Pfeiffer Beach.
- Half Moon Bay.
- Pismo Beach.
- La Jolla.
- Hermosa Beach.
- Point Reyes National Seashore.
What are the beaches called in California? State beaches
Name | GNIS record | County |
---|---|---|
Leucadia State Beach | 247685 | San Diego |
Lighthouse Field State Beach | 1872836 | Santa Cruz |
Little River State Beach | 227347 | Humboldt |
Malibu Lagoon State Beach | 1702794 | Los Angeles |

What is the name of the famous beach in California? Santa Monica Beach and Pier
Arguably California’s most famous beach, Santa Monica features 3.5 miles of sand, stunning sunsets, and mountain views. The 1,600-foot Santa Monica Pier is an icon all its own
How many beaches is in California?
In addition to parks in the mountains, deserts, and redwood forests, California State Parks manages a large swath of California’s shoreline—about 340 miles of beaches. The state’s remaining 800 miles of ocean frontage fall under the jurisdiction of county, regional, and federal agencies.
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11 Best Beach in California (2022) Top Beach Spots