Best Beaches in San Diego

Located 25 miles away from the city of San Diego, Leucadia State Beach is a 10-acre state-protected narrow beach area with light brown sand.  This state beach is located below blufftop residential areas within the coastal neighborhood of Leucadia in the northern part of the city of Encinitas – this state beach is managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation.  This oceanfront state park has two beaches - Grandview Beach and Beacon’s Beach.  Leucadia State Beach does not have lifeguards or other amenities, so please plan accordingly. 

Located in the central part of the San Diego County shoreline, Torrey Pines State Beach - South Beach is situated on the southern part of a state park known as Torrey Pines State Beach. The beach has light brown sand and is situated below a steep and unstable bluff. The beach is located south of the creek flowing into the ocean from the adjacent Los Peñasquitos Marsh Natural Reserve. The beach terrain is pebbly and portions of the beach near the bluff side have been fixed with rocky embankments to prevent erosion. The state park gets its name from a rare local variety of pine trees, the Torrey pine, which grows in the state park area near the beach. 

Located in the Mission Beach neighborhood of San Diego, Mission Beach is a long and popular beach with light brown sand that is slightly over a mile long.  Travel+Leisure magazine listed this beach as one of the best beaches in the United States, and it is also a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.

Located near the San Diego Bay, Coronado Beach - also known as Central Beach and Coronado Central Beach - is a large and flat beach with light brown sand and sparse vegetation. Coronado Beach starts near the historic Hotel del Coronado and spans north along Ocean Boulevard all the way north to a park named Sunset Park. This popular beach is one of the main beaches of the resort-city of Coronado (which is also nicknamed as "Crown City"). Coronado Beach has been named one of the Top 100 beaches in the United States by Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach. The approximately one-and-a-half miles long beach has a wonderful backdrop of oceanfront residential buildings. The sand in Coronado Beach has a substance named mica, which occasionally causes it to shine. Visitors can encounter this shining sand around the water near Coronado Beach during calm water conditions. The shoreline around this beach also has remnants of a sunken ship named SS Monte Carlo, which was shipwrecked here in the 1930s. 

Located along the La Jolla shoreline, La Jolla Cove Beach is a small yet immensely popular beach with light brown sand. This north-facing beach is situated within a rocky cove - named the La Jolla Cove - below the northeastern part of a blufftop park called the Ellen Browning Scripps Park. There is a rocky point near the western part of La Jolla Cove Beach which protects the water near this beach from strong waves, making it a favorite spot for snorkelers and scuba divers. The bluff sides around the beach are composed of sandstone, and the view of La Jolla Cove is simply breathtaking, especially from nearby Torrey Pines.

Located only an 8-minute drive north of downtown La Jolla, La Jolla Shores beach is popular with families and active beachgoers because of its endless activities and many amenities including lifeguards, restrooms, and showers. 

Located in the Ocean Beach neighborhood of the city of San Diego, Bermuda Beach - also known as Bermuda Avenue Beach - is a popular beach with light brown sand and large moss-covered rock formations. This beach is situated below oceanfront bluffs. Bermuda Beach does not have lifeguards or any other amenities, so plan accordingly. Dogs on leash are allowed on the beach before 9 am and after 6 pm between April and October. Between November and March, dogs are allowed before 9 am and after 4 pm. 

Located in the neighborhood of La Jolla, Shell Beach is a small beach with light brown sand and some rocky parts, much like the scenic and popular Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo. The beach is located below the southern part of a blufftop park called the Ellen Browning Scripps Park. The bluffsides along this beach are composed of sandstone. Please note that Shell Beach should not be confused with another separate beach with the same name called Shell Beach – this other Shell Beach is located in Sonoma County.

Located in the city of Oxnard, Silver Strand Beach is a mile-long and wide beach situated between the Channel Islands Harbor entrance and the Port Hueneme Harbor entrance. Silver Strand Beach is backed by many expensive private homes and the Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme. Silver Strand Beach is a well-known destination for surfing and bodyboarding because of its mid-sized waves. Silver Strand Beach welcomes dogs on-leash before 9 am and after 5 pm. 

Located in the city of Encinitas, Cardiff State Beach - North Beach is very popular among visitors and tourists. It is a wide beach and is situated in the beach community of Cardiff-by-the-Sea. This beach was awarded the nation’s Best Restored Beaches Award by the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA). Cardiff State Beach - North Beach is a pet-friendly beach with several amenities including lifeguards, restrooms, showers, ATMs, picnic tables, and barbecues. This beach is also known as Cardiff Reef because many professional surfers, including Rob Machado, gather here to surf. If you are a fan of beach activities, this beach has you covered with camping, kitesurfing, paddle-boarding, scuba diving, and snorkeling. You can also swim here, but be careful of the rip currents, especially at the lagoon channel. There is also a tide pool here where visitors can see the sea life, especially starfishes and sea cucumbers, during low tides.

Located in the city of Encinitas, D Street Beach is a wide beach situated at the west end of D Street.

Located at the south end of the city of Encinitas, Swami’s Beach is considered among the best beaches for surfing in the nation. The beach is also known as ‘Swami’s Reef,’ ‘Swamis,’ ‘Swamis Seaside Park,’ and ‘Sea Cliff Park,’ – and was named after Swami Paramahansa’s Self-Realization Fellowship ashram located on top of a cliff that overlooks the beach.

Located near the historic Belmont Park amusement park, Bonita Cove Park is a grassy recreational park that has an unnamed beach with light brown sand. This large beach is also known as Bonita Cove Park Beach. Bonita Cove Park is situated within Bonita Cove and is a part of a larger municipal aquatic park named Mission Bay Park. Mexican fan palm trees are also present near the beach. Bonita Cove Park has lifeguards from the beginning of the local academic spring break to the month of October. It is important to note that lifeguard deployment around the beach is generally on weekends except during summers, when lifeguards are deployed around the beach daily. Bonita Cove Park also has many other amenities including restrooms, picnic tables, barbecues, showers, a children’s playground, volleyball courts, fire pits, and a biking path. Dogs on leash are allowed in the park before 9 am and after 6 pm between April and October. Between November and March dogs are allowed before 9 am and after 4 pm.

Flat Rock Beach is located in the central part of the Torrey Pines State Beach coastline, Flat Rock Beach at Torrey Pines is a beach with brown sand and many small pebbles. This beach is located below steep and unstable oceanfront bluffs and there is an interesting sandstone rock formation on the beach called Flat Rock (or Indian Bath Tub Rock) which has a hole carved into it. This hole was created in the late 19th century by a man named William Bloodworth, who sought to create a coal mining shaft through this rock. Bloodworth attempted to create this shaft by blasting a tunnel into this rock with explosives. However, his plans failed as the tunnel-hole kept filling up with water. 

Located on the southern part of the town of Pacifica, Pacifica State Beach is a state park area situated in a large cove along the San Mateo County shoreline. There is a large beach in this state park which is three-quarters of a mile long and has light brown sand. Pacifica State Beach is also known as Linda Mar Beach and Taco Bell Beach (due to a Taco Bell Restaurant present nearby). The northern part of Pacifica State Beach has large sand dunes while the southern part is narrower and rockier. The San Pedro Creek meets the ocean on the southern part of the beach. Pacifica State Beach is open from 5:00 am to 10:30 pm during Daylight Savings Time (usually between second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November) and from 5:00 am to 7:00 pm during fall and winter. 

Located on the southern part of the neighborhood of La Jolla, Windansea Beach is located below a bluff-top residential area in the city of San Diego. The beach has light brown sand, strong water currents, and large waves. There are numerous large sandstone rock formations along the beach shoreline, and a rocky reef is also present in the water near the beach. The name Windansea Beach is a shortened description of "Wind-and-Sea" which was the name of a hotel near the beach shoreline that burned down in the 1940s. 

Located in the city of Del Mar, Del Mar Dog Beach - North Beach is situated next to Camino del Mar road on the north side of the San Dieguito River Lagoon. As the name suggests, Del Mar Dog Beach - North Beach is the only beach in the city where dogs are allowed off-leash in the area between 29th Street and Solana Beach on the north; except from June 16th to Labor Day when they must be on-leash. The beach offers many amenities including lifeguards, restrooms, and volleyball courts.

Located to the west of Goleta, San Onofre Beach is a long, narrow, and less popular rock-and-sand beach with some interesting rock formations. This beach is situated below steep oceanfront bluffs and is a part of a state park known as Gaviota State Park. The beach has a sparse amount of vegetation along the bluff sides and the eastern part of the beach is sandier than its western part. The Canada San Onofre Creek (also spelled as Cañada San Onofre Creek) flows through the beach into the Pacific Ocean. San Onofre Beach should not be confused with another, a separate state park with a similar name called San Onofre State Beach, which is in San Diego County. 

Located in the central part of the city of Solana Beach, Fletcher Cove Beach – also known as Pillbox and Pill Box Beach - is one of the most popular beaches of the city. The beach is located below a bluff-top grassy park called Fletcher Cove Park. The beach is named after "Colonel" Ed Fletcher, a renowned local businessman and politician who is credited for commissioning the construction of an access path to the beach along the steep bluff-sides. While the beach is not big, it’s still larger than the other beaches in Solana Beach. Fletcher Cove Beach has lifeguards throughout the year (from 8 am to 6 pm during winters and from 8 am to 8 pm during summers). Fletcher Cove Beach also has showers and restrooms. The grassy park near the beach also has picnic areas, a basketball court, and a kids’ play area. Getting to Fletcher Cove Beach is easy - the access path to the beach is located near 111 South Sierra Avenue, where there is also a free nearby parking lot.

Located on the southern part of the city of Solana Beach, Del Mar Shores Beach Access - also known as Cherry Hill - is situated north of the city of San Diego. Del Mar Shores Beach Access has light brown sand and is narrow. The beach is located below the blufftop residential area of Del Mar Shores and parts of the bluff side near the beach are fixed with concrete and rocky embankments for the prevention of erosion. While Del Mar Shores Beach Access has lifeguards during summers between 10 am to 6 pm, it does not have any other amenities, so plan accordingly. Dogs on leash are allowed in the southern part of Del Mar Shores Beach Access. This dog-friendly area is next to the access stairs for Del Mar Shores Beach Access. 

Located in the city of San Diego, Tourmaline Surfing Park Beach is a small and narrow beach that is a part of Tourmaline Surfing Park. Tourmaline Surfing Park is situated at the end of Tourmaline Street and is a perfect destination for picnicking. Also known as Tourmo, Tourmaline Surfing Park Beach is one of the best surfing beaches in San Diego and is a great place to surf, kiteboard, and windsurf any time of year. Tourmaline Surfing Park Beach welcomes dogs on a leash between 9 am and 6 pm from April to October and between 9 am to 4 pm from November to March. Tourmaline Surfing Park Beach offers many amenities including lifeguards, restrooms, showers, picnic tables, fire pits, and barbecues.

Located in the city of Encinitas, Grandview Beach is situated on the northern side of Leucadia State Beach – a California state park. It is also known as Grandview Surf Beach because of its strong waves, making it is a popular destination for surfing. This beach gets its name from the wooden stairways with palm trees on both sides that have a ‘grand view’ of the ocean.

Located in the city of Oceanside, Buccaneer Beach is a very small and narrow beach that is a part of Buccaneer Park.  Buccaneer Beach is backed by private homes, condos, and Loma Alta Creek – and is a family-friendly beach because of its warm waters, mid-sized waves, and marked-off swimming areas.

Located in the city of Encinitas, San Elijo State Beach is situated near San Elijo Lagoon. It is narrow, long, bluff-backed, and a popular camping destination.

Located on the southern shoreline of the town of Carlsbad in the northern part of San Diego County, South Carlsbad State Beach is a part of a state park with a three-mile-long beach that is situated below a blufftop campground. South Carlsbad State Beach has light brown sand and sparse amounts of vegetation and portions of the beach are also pebbly and filled with cobblestones that are often buried under the sand. 

Located on the southern part of the Mission Beach neighborhood in the city of San Diego, South Mission Beach is situated on the ocean side of a peninsula adjacent to the inland Mission Bay. South Mission Beach is not to be confused with another separate and more popular beach with a similar name called Mission Beach, which is situated further up north. South Mission Beach is wide and has light brown sand, and the water here is calm due to the presence of Mission BayJetty nearby. 

Located in the western part of Point Loma, Sunset Cliffs Natural Park Beach—also known as Garbage Beach and Sunset Cliffs Beach—is a small and narrow beach with light brown sand, some rocky parts, and nearby rocky reefs.  This beach is part of a 68-acre recreational park named Sunset Cliffs Natural Park.  Travel + Leisure magazine also listed it as one of the Best Beaches in San Diego.

Located on the southernmost point of California, Imperial Beach is a bustling beach town with a four-mile stretch of beach area situated near the United States - Mexican border. The Imperial Beach shoreline has four beaches from north to south - Imperial Beach City Beach, South Imperial Beach, the beach in Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge, and Border Field State Park Beach which ends at the United States’ border with Mexico. All of the beaches in Imperial Beach have light brown sand. The Tijuana River meets the Pacific Ocean on the southern part of the Imperial Beach shoreline, where a wetland is also present. The beach in Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge and South Imperial Beach allows dog on leash and Imperial Beach City Beach has a small designated dog - friendly area along the intersection of Carnation Avenue and Seacoast Drive. 

Located south of the Mission Bay channel entrance you’ll find Ocean Beach, a small town with a laid-back atmosphere that is home to the lively main Ocean Beach. Visitors have access to many amenities including lifeguards, public restrooms, outdoor showers, and free public parking lots located throughout the city of Ocean Beach. You can also find free street parking along Newport Avenue as well as in surrounding residential neighborhoods.

This one-mile stretch of golden sand provides plenty of space for all beach activities including walking, running, and playing spike ball. On the north end of Ocean Beach, you’ll find sand volleyball courts that are always popular with athletes. The ocean at this beach is divided into two zones - surfing and swimming so be sure to stay in the designated areas. If you’re looking for a break from the sand, check out Ocean Beach Municipal Pier located at the south end of the beach. This pier is one of the longest in Southern California and is one of the few places you can fish without a valid California fishing license. If you want to hang with the locals, the Ocean Beach Farmer’s Market takes place every Wednesday from 4 PM-8 PM in downtown Ocean Beach and offers handcrafted goods, fresh food, and live music.

If you get hungry, you’ll find many options just a short walk from the beach in downtown Ocean Beach. We like Ocean Beach Pier Café, a small restaurant that’s located at the end of the pier and provides fresh seafood and gorgeous ocean views. Another local favorite is Hodad’s, one of San Diego’s most celebrated burger joints – this small restaurant was visited by Guy Fieri on his show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives in 2007 and 2013. We also recommend Mike’s Taco Club, a small taco shop that is always crowded with beachgoers because of its phenomenal Mexican food.

If you’re looking for a place to stay, check out Ocean Beach Hotel located directly on the beach that's within walking distance of many restaurants, surf shops, and other commercial establishments. You can also take a 6-minute drive to The Inn and Sunset Cliffs, a waterfront hotel with a relaxing atmosphere, a swimming pool, and the largest deck on the entire United States western coastline. Further north you’ll find The Dana on Mission Bay, a large waterfront resort with two outdoor pools, two luxury spas, and on-site water sport and bicycle rentals.