Pacific Town Car is amongst the well-established car rental companies for travel to Los Angeles beaches.
Los Angeles may possibly be the American city with the best overall variety of local beaches. There are a wide range of beaches within the large confines of Los Angeles County, and the county also neighbors miles and miles of other beach cities, spreading both north and south of LA.
The city’s massive airport, LAX, is even right next to a beach (Playa del Rey). You could go from the airport to the sand in about 10 minutes.
By law, California beaches are free to access, although many require payment for parking. All California beaches are public property. In reality, beach access can be physically restricted, and some are virtually inaccessible, except to local residents.
Families may enjoy large beaches like Santa Monica or Redondo Beach, with a wide range of facilities, retail areas, and amenities, while adventurers may like more secluded beaches like those found in Malibu or Palos Verdes.
Check out the best options with our list of the best beaches in Los Angeles.
With super-wide, soft, sandy beaches; an amusement pier; a beachfront boardwalk; and some seriously good restaurants, Santa Monica offers the best overall beach experience in Los Angeles.
The city of Malibu stretches for about 20 miles along the California coastline, just north of Santa Monica. Within it, there are miles of beautiful beaches, both wide-open beaches and intimate cove beaches.
One of the surf capitals of the region and the world, Huntington Beach boasts some of Southern California’s best waves and some of its most beautiful beaches. The beach is wide and flat and goes on for almost 10 uninterrupted miles on either side of the city’s large pier.
With a touristy, yet cool little fisherman’s village and a large marina called King Harbor, Redondo Beach is a fun family beach destination. There’s also a big, newly-rebuilt municipal pier, which has restaurants, shopping, and entertainment along with water sports rentals, like SUPs and sea kayaks.
This beach city, next to Marina del Rey, is the home of Dockweiler State Beach, one of Southern California’s best. It has almost four miles of ocean frontage.
Even though the hippies and beatniks have been replaced by latte-sipping Snapchat employees, Venice Beach is still a trip. In addition to LA’s best people-watching, there’s a large, wide beach, with volleyball courts, basketball courts, a skatepark, tennis courts, handball courts, and other recreational activities. The real attraction here is the human carnival you’ll witness on Ocean Front Walk, Venice’s wide beachfront promenade/boardwalk.
Manhattan Beach is filled with expensive mansions because it’s a beautiful place to live. The wide, sandy beach is well-maintained, and there are lifeguard stands every few hundred yards.
Mainly known for its annual IndyCar grand prix race and as the home of the Queen Mary, Long Beach is about an hour from downtown Los Angeles. There are miles and miles of wide, soft sandy beaches, and it’s one of the beach cities where it’s always possible to find some personal space, even on a busy holiday weekend.
A beautiful residential area, the city of Rancho Palos Verdes boasts multi-million-dollar cliff-top mansions, some beautiful bluff-top parks, and its own luxury resort. The coastal area is only 30 minutes from LAX.
As the world’s largest man-made, small craft harbor, you might not think of Marina del Rey as a beach destination, but there are a few small beaches in the area to enjoy. There are also several nice harbor-front hotels along with some good restaurants and shopping.
The aptly named Hermosa Beach (“hermosa” means beautiful in Spanish) is the neighbor to Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach, but has a more laid-back, casual vibe. The city also has a bit more of a nightlife scene than some of its neighbors. Hermosa Beach is also quite close to LAX – it’s only about 10 minutes away.
This rugged stretch of cliff-backed beach in Malibu is so beautiful that it’s a popular spot for photoshoots. The combination of huge cliffs, beach caves, rocks, and rough waves provides an incredible setting for photos or for your day at the beach