Laguna Beach California is definitely worth a visit. We just spent a day there and had so much fun. And here is why we liked it so much:
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We visit Southern California often to see our family. Each time we are there we like to see something new and do a little bit of vacationing as well. We especially love to spend time at the beach towns and see what each of them have to offer.
In Labor Day weekend we had some extra time off from work and school, and we were able to do a little road trip. We stopped in Rancho Cugamonga for a couple days to visit some family, and then drove over to Laguna Beach to stay the night there and have a day at the beach.
Our trip happened to be during the worst heat wave we have had during the whole year. At the hottest point of the day the temperature raised to 106 F (+41C) so the beach was truly tempting. At least there was a nice breeze coming from the ocean. So Laguna Beach was a perfect choice for our short vacation.
LAGUNA BEACH IN CALIFORNIA
Laguna Beach is a small beach town in Orange County, about an hour drive from Los Angeles. It is mainly a resort town, but about 20,000 people live there full time. Their main income is from tourism and about 6 million people visit Laguna Beach yearly.
It is also a popular place for surfing. Yearly they have surfing contests as well as art events. You can find many art galleries all over town.
For some, Laguna Beach become familiar from a hit TV show called The Hills.
All the little beach towns in Southern California have their own vibe. I would describe Laguna Beach as more upscale than others, and quite touristy. It is well maintained and clean, but that wont come for free. Hotels for example, are on the pricier side; the same with restaurants.
But we loved how they made it easy to get around town and there is definitely something for everyone. Colorful art installations and murals are everywhere, and make it fun to explore the area.
BEACHES of the LAGUNA BEACH AREA
The Laguna Beach area has a total of 37 beaches, so everyone can choose which one they like the best! The beach near downtown is simply called Main Beach. It was the most crowded and commercialised of all of them.
There were many restaurants, cafes and businesses right by the beach. They had a small boardwalk and a nice playground for kids. There was also an area for playing beach volley ball front and center.
Since the beach was so crowded we only went there for a small walk. I don’t think I have ever seen so many people at a beach at the same time! Even the lifeguards seemed to be very busy.
While at the beach, make sure to check out what flag is up at the lifeguard tower. They reflect on the how safe it is to go into the water. When they use the green flag the waters are safe for swimming. On a yellow flag the ocean is not calm and there are potential dangers. Use caution. During a red flag the beach is closed for swimming.
We ended up at a little bit more calm beach close to our hotel: Crescent Bay Beach. It was smaller, but much prettier than Main Beach. This beach also had some lifeguards on duty, but the ocean didn’t seem so rough here as it was on a bigger beach.
I have read that during calmer waters, Crescent Bay is actually a nice place for snorkling.
RESTAURANTS AND OTHER THINGS TO DO
People come to Laguna Beach to relax at the beach, shop and eat well. There are plenty of restaurants on Forest street (which is a pedestrian street) and on the main street along the ocean (Highway 1).
We had plans to have dinner at Selanne Steak Tavern owned by a Finnish hockey player Teemu Selänne. But it turned out that the tables for this weekend had been sold out weeks ahead.
Other popular restaurants at Laguna Beach are Nick’s Laguna Beach and The Deck. But if you are visiting on a weekend or holiday, you definitely need a reservation to get in pretty much any restaurant at Laguna Beach.
Getting around Laguna Beach is very easy. You can forget the slow downtown roads and full parking lots when you hop on to a free Laguna Beach Trolley. They go almost until midnight and stop close to nearly all of the hotels. It definitely made it easier to go out in the evening. You can also use them if you want to go to the beach or shop downtown.
The hills around Laguna Beach are popular among mountain bikers. They also have great places for hiking such as Laguna Beach Wilderness Parks, Aliso and Wood’s Canyon Parks and Crystal Cove State Park. Some of the trails have beautiful views of the ocean.
You can read our tips for hiking with kids from here!
The biggest entertainment of the evening was provided by nature: the sunset. Many people seemed to head out to the beach to watch it and some had gathered in the park with lawn chairs and picnic blankets. And they were not disappointed. The sunset at Laguna Beach was amazing!
Laguna Beach is also great if you are interested going on a whale watching tour. Most of them leave from Newport Beach but it is only about 20 minutes away.
We drove all the way to Ventura one day and visited the Channel Islands National Park. We also saw a whale on that trip and many, many dolphins swam along with our boat.
Where to stay at Laguna Beach
The best place to stay at Laguna Beach is definitely along the Highway 1 close to ocean. I would recommend a hotel along the trolley route or in a walkable distance to downtown and beach because the parking there at busy times can be a nightmare.
We booked our hotel very late and there was not much to choose from at the time. We stayed in Art Hotel Laguna Beach which turned out to be ok. Even though their rooms were fairly simple, we enjoyed their pool and the staff there was very nice. It was also very close to the beach so we were able to walk there.
Other nice hotels are The Tides Laguna Beach and Laguna Beach House.
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In spite of the heat wave our little trip was quite fun. And I could definitely see myself going back to Laguna Beach sometime. If you can, go during the week and try to avoid holidays. Other than that, it is a beautiful place and worth visiting. We were quite happy we decided to go there.
Our other favorites from beach towns are Venice Beach, Long Beach and Santa Monica. Santa Monica is the end point of the famous Route66. Santa Monica Mountains also offers some great hiking trails and a great little hidden gem; Paramount Ranch.
A visit to Laguna Beach is also easy to combine to a trip to Disneyland. It is only 30 minutes away.
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Have you ever been to Laguna Beach or other beach towns in California? Which one is your favorite?
Wow! I had no idea that are so many beaches in Laguna Beach Area. Thank you for the heads up about the flags. Also, we’re thinking of skipping the main beach and just try to look for less crowded ones. Happy to know that getting area is very easy.
Yes, Main Beach is fun but there are better ones. Especially if you like to have more space to yourself.
I love Laguna beach because of the cool art vibe, street and public art, the art fairs and visiting the galleries are fun ( I think i even past that phone booth with the octopus lol). I also love exploring the ocean front trails through the various beaches and more natural cliff areas with spectacular views. Laguna to me is that perfect combination of cool, artsy, low key and beach lifestyle combined that really makes it a unique beach area in Orange County to explore.
So true. Laguna Beach is different from other beach cities.
Southern California has an array of beautiful beaches and Laguna beach is one of them . I have been to Laguna beach and spent some time with friends but haven’t seen the beautiful art installations over there. I have also been to Coronado beach in San Diego with friends and it’s yet another popular beach to visit. And I remember our scenic drive to Santa Monica pier and Malibu beach and really had some amazing time there.And nice to know you stopped by Rancho Cucamonga where we lived once.
Yes, Coronado Beach is beautiful but quite aways from LA area. There are so may beautiful beaches in California that it’s impossible to visit them all.
Ooh! I love how close to LA it is! It looks like it has all the quintessential beachy things and so much more. I’ll have to visit next time I’m in Southern Cali!
Yes, it was beautiful. I hope you get to go.
California has beautiful beaches that delight with their diversity. I agree that it is also worth visiting Laguna Beach. Unfortunately, I only spent a moment there during my road trip, but I will return because I did not see some of the attractions you wrote about. These murals are amazing, I would love to see them and artistic installations. I like the telephone box and the bench. I hope to visit also Crystal Cove State Park. You had a beautiful trip!
Thank you Agnes! I hope you get to visit Laguna Beach soon.
I would like to visit Laguna Beach sometimes out of season, as I am not really a fan of crowded places. It’s great that the town has everything a tourist looking for a relaxing holiday wants, even if it comes at a higher price than everywhere else. I like that there is a free trolley that can take you from beach to beach, and that runs until close to midnight. That reduces the need of a car. It’s also great to know that there are so many good restaurants in the area, but also that you need to make a reservation ahead of time if you want to dine there.
I would recommend going during the week to avoid the most crowds.
37 beaches, that is a long coast line! Beach is synonym to relaxing… love the vibes captured in your pics. I too prefer calm beaches. Those places for biking are interesting but I would prefer to watch the calm ocean views, if I get there ever.
Thank you Indrani! I hope you do get here someday.
I love Southern California! My daughter lives in LA and went to school in Orange Country. So, I have had the pleasure of driving through Laguna on the Pacific Coast Highway and making a quick stop for some photos and to take in the beautiful vistas of Main Beach. However, I’ve never fully explored the area in earnest. The Laguna Trolley sounds like a great way to get around. I would also love to stay over and spend some time lounging on one of the many beaches – perhaps the one you stayed at would be a good fit, with the calmer beach. I’m not much of a swimmer, but I would definitely be cautious, even without the red flags. The waves in Laguna are amazing!
Lovely! My husband grew up in LA area so we go visit some family yearly. However, it’s rarely when there is a beach weather. Yous should definitely spend a day or two by exploring Laguna Beach.
Wow! 37 beaches! I am not much of a beach person – but I guess even I would find a beach that suits me in the area. Going out for a nice fish dinner and enjoying the sunset is more my cup of tea. Nice pictures!
Thank you Natascha! We love to visit beach and stay long enough for kids to play or go swimming, but we wont stay the whole day like some people do. So in that since maybe we are not beach people either. But we like to go and walk around, and kids of course play in the sand.