Italian Gardens Beach

Located in the city of Avalon, Italian Gardens Beach is on the northeast part of Catalina Island in a cove that has three separate beaches on Catalina Island. Each of the three beaches at Italian Gardens Beach has paid beach-in campgrounds which require reservations. 

Picnic tables are the only amenity offered by Italian Gardens Beach. 

There are many fun activities here including swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, boating, and scuba diving.

Italian Gardens Beach can only be accessed by a boat or kayak – you can rent one from Avalon or Two Harbors. Visitors are allowed to anchor the boat 100 yards outside the mooring area. The Catalina Express ferries visitors to Avalon Harbor dock in Catalina Island from Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Dana Point daily.

If you are looking for attractions near Italian Gardens Beach, you can take a two-minute drive using a golf cart to Catalina Island Museum, a 67-year-old museum that is home to more than 8,000 years old artifacts of human settlement on Catalina Island that include pottery and tile collections, photographs and negatives from the early 1880s, boat models, sport fishing items, and the largest collections of Tongva and Gabrielino artifacts. The mini-golf course Golf Gardens features a 50-year-old 18-hole course. If you are looking for a fun attraction, The Original Ghost Tours of Catalina provides tours through the historical and educational burial ground on which Avalon was built and narrates ghostly tales and sightings. Another great attraction near Italian Gardens Beach is Machine Gun Park, a small historical park that has a German machine gun from World War I.

If you get hungry, there are many restaurants within a five-minute drive of Italian Gardens Beach. The seafood restaurant Lobster Trap has a great menu that includes oysters, shrimps, groupers, and fish. If you are looking for a family-friendly restaurant, the waterfront Pancake Cottage features classic American breakfast and lunch items and a bar. Another good restaurant near Italian Gardens Beach is Original Jack's Country Kitchen, a local vegetarian-friendly old-fashioned eatery that was awarded the Travellers’ Choice 2020 Award by Tripadvisor.

If you are looking for a hotel near Italian Gardens Beach, you can drive three minutes to nearby options. The upscale Catalina Island Inn features a golf course and boating, hiking, snorkeling, fishing, diving, horseback riding, and windsurfing tours. The 3-Star Hotel Metropole offers many amenities including spacious VIP oceanfront suites, a jacuzzi, a spa, a theatre, and a miniature bowling alley. If you are looking for a budget-friendly hotel near Italian Gardens Beach, Hermosa Hotel is an affordable 2-Star pet-friendly hotel with a mini-golf course.