Best Beaches & ShoppingThroughout Los Angeles

Broad, golden, and endlessly walkable — this is the beach postcards are made of.

Santa Monica Beach is the quintessential Los Angeles beach experience. A wide stretch of golden sand runs for over three miles, anchored by the iconic Santa Monica Pier with its Ferris wheel, arcade, and seafood stands. The Marvin Braude Bike Trail connects you to Venice and beyond. Steps from the sand, Downtown Santa Monica offers world-class dining, shopping at Third Street Promenade, and a nightlife scene that keeps the energy going well past sunset.

Creative, eclectic, and unapologetically LA — the boardwalk is a scene unto itself.

Venice Beach is Los Angeles at its most expressive. The legendary Ocean Front Walk boardwalk buzzes with street performers, muralists, vendors, and skaters. Muscle Beach outdoor gym is an institution. The Venice Canals offer a quieter, picturesque escape just blocks inland. Abbot Kinney Boulevard, one of LA's coolest shopping streets, is a short walk away.

Intimate, romantic, and tucked away — the Malibu beach you dream about.

Paradise Cove is a small, sheltered beach in Malibu that feels like it belongs in a film. The sand is soft, the cove is framed by rocky bluffs, and the on-site Paradise Cove Beach Café serves drinks and seafood right on the sand. It's one of the few Malibu beaches where you can genuinely relax with table service on the beach.

Rugged, scenic, and breathtaking — where the mountains meet the Pacific.

Point Dume is a promontory bluff that offers some of the most dramatic coastal views in all of Southern California. A short trail leads to the top for sweeping panoramas of the Santa Monica Bay. Below, the beach is broad and sandy with excellent tide pools. In winter, it's one of the best places in LA to spot migrating gray whales.

Dramatic, otherworldly, and intimate — sea stacks, caves, and golden light.

El Matador is a small but stunningly beautiful beach tucked beneath towering bluffs along Pacific Coast Highway. Massive rock formations and sea stacks rise from the sand and surf, creating an almost cinematic landscape. Access requires a steep staircase down the cliffside, which keeps crowds manageable and adds to the sense of discovery.

Wide, clean, and classic California — the beach that locals build their Malibu days around.

Zuma is the workhorse beach of Malibu — a massive, wide stretch of clean sand with lifeguard stations, restrooms, and reliable parking. The surf is strong but swimmable, and the beach is wide enough that it never feels overcrowded even on busy summer days. It's the beach Malibu locals default to when they want a straightforward, excellent beach day.

Rugged, natural, and uncrowded — a beach for people who like their coast untamed.

Leo Carrillo sits at the far western edge of Malibu, where the coast feels wilder and less developed. Sea caves, tide pools, and natural rock arches make it one of the most geologically interesting beaches in LA County. There's a campground on-site for those who want the full experience, and parts of the beach are dog-friendly — a rarity on LA beaches.

Polished, athletic, and quintessentially Californian — beach culture at its finest.

Manhattan Beach is one of the most beautiful and well-maintained beach communities in Los Angeles County. The Strand, a paved oceanfront path, connects it to Hermosa and Redondo beaches. The downtown area on Manhattan Beach Boulevard offers boutique shopping, excellent restaurants, and a walkable village feel. The pier and its Roundhouse Marine Studies Lab add charm and education to a beach day.