Best Beaches in Malibu

Located in the city of Malibu, El Sol Beach is a small public-private beach situated between Nicholas Canyon County Beach and El Pescador State Beach. Also known as El Sol County Beach, this beach is owned by Los Angeles County since 1976.

Zuma Beach—also known as Zuma County Beach—is a popular, scenic destination located in Malibu. With nearly two miles of white sand stretching across 105 acres, this southwest-facing beach is loved by locals and visitors alike.

This beach was listed as one of the best on the West Coast of the United States by Ventura County Star and as one of the cleanest beaches in Los Angeles by Los Angeles Times. It was also named one of the best beaches in Malibu by Lonely Planet, and is a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert. This beach is open daily from sunrise to sunset.

Located in the city of Malibu, Surfrider Beach - also known as Malibu Surfrider Beach - is a mile long and is considered the place to go for the ideal Southern California surfing experience. The beach is part of the Malibu Lagoon State Beach, which is spread over 110 acres and also includes the Malibu Lagoon and the Malibu Pier. Surfrider Beach is positioned on the western side of the Malibu Lagoon, where Malibu Creek drains into the Pacific Ocean. The beach has a spectacular background of many oceanfront buildings, including hotels, restaurants, and a museum, which together provide Instagram-worthy views of the Santa Monica Mountains and the vast Pacific Ocean, especially at sunset.

El Matador Beach, located in Los Angeles County, is one of three beaches that make up the Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach (the other two are El Pescador Beach and La Piedra Beach). Nestled along the scenic Pacific Coast Highway, El Matador Beach, or “El Mat,” is known for its picturesque rock formations, golden sands, and is located below dramatic oceanfront bluffs that are lined with very expensive multimillion-dollar homes that, in some cases, exceed $30 million.

The beach has been named as the 11th best beach in “Top 50 Beaches of the United States” list in 2022 by Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as “Mr. Beach.” Managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, El Matador Beach is also celebrated by Lonely Planet as one of the top beaches in the U.S., and it’s often recognized as one of Los Angeles’s best beaches. Visitors can enjoy the beach daily from 8 am until sunset.

Located in the city of Malibu, Leo Carrillo State Beach is a wide and one-and-a-half-mile long beach that is part of the Leo Carrillo State Park. Leo Carrillo State Park is named after Leo Carrillo, an actor and preservationist, who served on the California Beach and Parks Commission for 18 years - and is 2,513 acres in size. Many prominent actors including Elvis Presley, Jerry Lewis, Nancy Sinatra, and Dick Clark have been featured in films shot at this park. Leo Carrillo State Beach is sometimes referred to as one beach – but it is commonly viewed as three separate beaches each with its access point: Leo Carrillo - North Beach, Leo Carrillo - South Beach, and Leo Carrillo - Staircase Beach.  Sequit Point is a rocky area between Leo Carrillo - North Beach and Leo Carrillo - South Beach where you can see tide pools and sea caves during low tides.

Located on the western part of Malibu, Little Dume Beach is a small beige sand beach that is tucked between Point Dume State Beach and Paradise Cove Beach, and positioned below a bluff on the eastern side ofa large and iconic promontory called Point Dume.  Little Dume Beach is part of the Point Dume Nature Preserve and has a beautiful background of headlands, cliffs, rocky coves, and many opulent villas, which together provide Instagram-worthy views of the Santa Monica Mountains, Catalina Island, and the vast Pacific Ocean, especially at sunset.   As describe in more detail below, getting to Little Dume is extremely difficult unless you’re a local resident because you can only access the beach through a locked gate.

Located on the western side of Point Dume in Malibu, Westward Beach is part of the southern half of Zuma Beach. Westward Beach is three miles long, quiet, clean, and wide. The beach is known for its waves, making is a popular surf destination especially during the winter when the swells are higher.

Located on the east side of Latigo Shore Drive (which is also known as Seagull Drive) in the city of Malibu, Latigo Beach is an excellent beach for surfers and families. This beach is very calm and has lots of sand as most of the wind coming from the coast is blocked by Latigo Shore Drive. It is relatively quiet and less crowded in comparison to other nearby beaches – the locals have hired a security guard to make sure unauthorized people do not park on Latigo Shore Drive.

Located less than two miles east of Point Dume, Paradise Cove Beach is one of the most beloved seaside spots in Malibu. With its beautiful views, peaceful cove, and charming pier, the beach has been the setting for many famed Hollywood movies, most notably "Baywatch," "American Pie 2," "Gidget," "X-Men," and "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie." The beach also boasts its very own restaurant, lifeguards, beach chairs, restrooms, showers, and tide pools. 

Located in the east of the city of Malibu, Carbon Beach - East Access is one of the three access points at Carbon Beach. Carbon Beach is a one-and-a-half-mile-long south-facing beach that is situated between the Malibu Pier on Surfrider Beach and Carbon Canyon Road. Carbon Beach has been nicknamed Billionaires’ Beach due to the many ultra-wealthy homeowners and 70+ incredibly expensive homes owned by celebrities and CEOs there – in 2019, one home sold for $110 million. Carbon Beach - East Access has smooth light brown sand that is great for beach walking, and swimming and paddle boarding are also popular here. Carbon Beach - East Access used to be known as the David Geffen Access – the entertainment mogul David Geffen fought for years to avoid putting a public access point here, and after a 25-year battle, he sold his property in 2007 when the State of California forced him to open one.

Please note that as a result of the Palisades Fire in January 2025, many of the businesses and homes near Carbon Beach have been destroyed, and we recommend not visiting this beach due to unsafe water conditions and poor air quality.

Located on the west side of the city of Malibu, Nicholas Canyon County Beach is slightly less than a mile long and is one of the few point breaks left in the city. Nicholas Canyon County Beach is also known as "Point Zero" or "Zeros" due to the shape of the waves that break on the boulder-strewn point at the south of the beach where San Nicolas Canyon meets the shore. Nicholas Canyon County Beach is owned by Los Angeles County – and is situated next to Wishtoyo Chumash Village, north of El Sol County Beach, and about a mile south of Leo Carrillo State Park.

Located in the city of Malibu, Lechuza is a rocky beach situated below houses and condos at the north end of Broad Beach Road. This beach is half-a-mile in length and there are several large rocks here, making it a hotspot for photographers. If you need to use restrooms, there is a Natural Grocery Store and Starbucks a three-minute drive away. You can swim and surf here, but be careful of the riptides and submerged rocks. There is a cluster of rocks a few yards from the beach that is a great place to look into tide pools, kelp forests, local seabirds, and crabs.

Located in the city of Malibu, Dan Blocker Beach is located across Malibu Beach RV Park on the Pacific Coast Highway. Also known as Corral Beach or Corral State Beach, especially by locals, it is one mile in length, narrow, rocky, rarely crowded, and has lots of beach grass. This beach was named after the late actor Dan Blocker who is well-renowned for playing the loved character of ‘Hoss’ on the popular TV series Bonanza by its owners and Dan’s fellow actors Lorne Greene and Michael Landon. They donated the beach to the State of California which transferred it over to Los Angeles County in September 1995; it is also known as Dan Blocker County Beach.

Located below oceanfront bluffs in Malibu, Point Dume State Beach – also called Point Dume Beach, Big Dume Beach, and Dume Cove Beach – is a crescent-shaped, extremely popular state-managed beach with light brown sand.  Lonely Planet magazine listed it as one of the best beaches in Malibu, and Conde Nast Traveller magazine also listed it as one of the best beaches in Los Angeles.  It is also a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.  The beach is open between sunrise and sunset.

Located in the scenic city of Malibu, Topanga Beach spans over a mile in length and covers 21.5 acres. Known for its popularity among surfers, it’s one of Malibu's most favored surfing destinations. Topanga Beach, or Topanga State Beach, is positioned on the eastern edge of the Pacific Palisades, near the renowned Mastro’s Ocean Club restaurant. The beach offers a consistent right break and a lagoon near Topanga Creek, ideal for surfing enthusiasts. 

Please note that as a result of the Palisades Fire in January 2025, many of the businesses and homes near Topanga Beach have been destroyed, and we recommend not visiting this beach due to unsafe water conditions and poor air quality.

Located near eastern Malibu, Big Rock Beach is a narrow, very small, and rocky beach situated along the Pacific Coast Highway. The beach is named because of a large dark black rock formation in the water that’s about 50 yards from the shoreline. The beach has a backdrop of waterfront residential areas which are present along the length of the beach. Big Rock Beach has no lifeguards or other amenities, so plan your visit accordingly. 

Please note that as a result of the Palisades Fire in January 2025, many of the businesses and homes near Big Rock Beach have been destroyed, and we recommend not visiting this beach due to unsafe water conditions and poor air quality.

Located in the city of Malibu, Amarillo Beach is a rarely crowded beach situated on the east side of Malibu Road below Malibu Bluffs Park. Also known as Amarilla Beach and Malibu Bluffs Recreation Area, it is very rocky at the eastern end and narrow at the western end.