On my first trip to California, I spent a week exploring the southern coast. It was a perfect introduction to the beautiful state. Here are five amazing places that you must visit on the southern California coast. Enjoy!
Del Mar
Del Mar was home base on our trip to southern California and it was my favourite place that we visited on the coast. My boyfriend’s mom rented a condo steps away from Del Mar beach – heaven! I highly recommend staying in or at least visiting Del Mar if you are exploring southern California.
Del Mar beach is so nice and makes for a great walk, especially when the tide is low. You can get down to the beach from beautiful Powerhouse Park. If you walk to the north you will reach a dog-friendly area of the beach – my favourite part! If you walk to the south you can reach Torrey Pines State Beach.
One of the reasons why I love Del Mar is because it is the only spot that we visited with restaurants right on the beach. The Poseidon Restaurant and Jake’s are awesome.
The main street in Del Mar (Camino Del Mar) is lined with adorable shops and restaurants. I loved exploring this street! Some great restaurants are Americana, Sbicca, Zel’s, Prepkitchen, and Board & Brew.
One spot in Del Mar that you cannot miss is the Sunset Seat. A Torrey pine tree was carved into a beautiful sculpture and it is the coolest place to capture the sunset!
La Jolla
La Jolla is a beautiful area along the coast of northern San Diego. Start your time in La Jolla hiking the trails at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. You’ll be rewarded with amazing views of La Jolla’s rugged seaside coast! The reserve is adjacent to the world-famous Torrey Pines Golf Course.
Make your way to the Village of La Jolla where you can walk along the water and admire the rugged coast.
As you walk along the coast you will see HUNDREDS of seals and sea lions chilling among rocks or on the beaches. These animals are amazing, very relaxed (unless threatened), and SMELLY! Seeing these animals in their natural habitat was one of my favourite moments on our trip to California.
NOTE: Please make sure you do not touch or get too close to the seals and sea lions. This could cause the animals to abandon their pups.
If you are looking for somewhere to eat in La Jolla, check out the Brockton Villa Restaurant. This restaurant is housed in one of La Jolla’s original beach cottages from the late 1800’s! It has great views of the cove and is known for their “Coast Toast” (souffle french toast), which is DELICIOUS.
Downtown San Diego
I loved exploring downtown San Diego. Walking along the waterfront and through Seaport Village are a must.
You can also take the ferry to Coronado island. From here you’ll have a great view of downtown San Diego and the massive USS Midway.
If you visit Coronado island, I highly recommend checking out the world-famous Hotel del Coronado. It is amazing!
To read my blog post, “A Guide to San Diego,” click here.
Laguna Beach
I was so excited to visit Laguna Beach because I grew up watching the reality TV show of the same name. Laguna Beach’s coast is comprised of several different beaches. Most of the beaches are quite hidden because they are below street-level and buildings lining the main street make it hard to see where the beaches are.
I wanted to find Victoria Beach because I knew the “Pirate Tower” was there. I’m so glad we found it because the beach is gorgeous and the tower is so cool! Pirate Tower was built in 1926 and belongs to the estate at the top of the cliff as a private staircase for the owners to get down to the beach. However, when the tide is high, the stairs are completely unusable! The tower got its name because the second owner of the estate used to hide coins and candy in the tower so that local kids could go hunting for treasure. So cute.
If you keep driving north, you will reach Laguna’s Main Beach, which is on street-level. There’s also a lot of restaurants in this area. We loved watching the sunset at Main Beach!
Oceanside
We stopped in Oceanside to visit the famous pier, which is the longest wooden pier in California! The Oceanside beach is beautiful and we loved walking the pier.
I hope you have a chance to visit these five amazing places on the southern California coast!
