Best La Jolla Beaches
For Your San Diego Beach Vacation

Seals at Children's Beach, La Jolla

La Jolla beaches are the very best beaches in San Diego. They offer great variety for family beach vacations as well as for romantic beach vacation getaways.

Related Pages: California Beaches, Best San Diego Beaches, Best San Diego Waterfront Hotels.

La Jolla beaches feature a wide variety of landscapes making this area ideal for a variety of water activities. It is no wonder they called it “The Jewel”. La Jolla Shores and Cove are the best beaches in San Diego for the calmest waves. This makes them the best for diving and snorkeling. Lessons and kayak rentals are readily available in this area.

Windansea is famous for the more advanced surfers while Children's Beach is great for the kids who will want to see the seals basking in the sun.

These are the best La Jolla beaches starting from the North heading South.
For your safety... Always exercise extreme caution if you are planning to swim at any ocean beach.

• Black's Beach •

La Jolla, Black's Beach cliffsBlack's Beach
The Northern portion of Black’s beach is famous as a nudist or clothing optional beach in San Diego. We mention this to save parents a potentially embarrassing moment with their children. The southern part is great for surfing.

• No Amenities/Facilities at this beach.
• Do not attempt climbing the cliffs.

• La Jolla Shores •

The main beach in this beautiful beach town. La Jolla Shores is one of the calmest beaches in San Diego. This along with its clear water makes it the ideal beach to learn how to scuba dive. It is also a safe area to learn how to surf. La Jolla Underwater Park Ecological Reserve and the Marine Life Refuge are main attractions for scuba divers and snorkelers alike. The total area of the San Diego Underwater Park is 6,000 acres (24 km2). This mile long beach provides a public kayak and small boat launch area. It also offers all facilities including wheelchair access.

Kayaking at La Jolla ShoresLa Jolla Shores
• Restroom
• Shower
• Lifeguard
• Wheelchair Access
• Picnic Area
• Fire Pits
• Playground
• Volleyball
• Parking
• Small Boat Launch
• No smoking, alcohol, beach camping.

• La Jolla Cove •

La Jolla Cove
Nestled just below Scripps Park, you will find what is possibly the safest beach in San Diego for swimming. La Jolla Cove is pretty good for great spot for scuba diving as well as snorkelling. On a great day you may be able to see up to 30 feet under water! It may be tempting to bring air mattresses , boogie boards etc. but these are not permitted in this small beach area.

• Restroom
• Shower
• Picnic Area
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• Shell Beach •

Tide pools are the attraction here. Located between Cove Beach and Children’s pool, children will love to hunt for shells and watch the seals.

• No Amenities/Facilities at this beach.

• Children's Pool •

Children's Beach Children's Beach
A great beach for the kids is Children’s Pool Beach. This protected beach area was originally built for children by a philanthropist and donated to the town of La Jolla. Seals have made it their home and activists like it this way. All visitors are encouraged to stay off the beach at all times. Rope Barrier At La Jolla Children’s Pool To Stay Up Year-Round. Bring binoculars and enjoy watching the baby seals from behind the roped area.

• Restrooms
• Shower

Family Cruises from $599pp

• Marine Street Beach •

Hard to find but very worthwhile is Marine Street Beach. Beautiful views and white sand make this beach another great choice for a relaxing day. The larger waves do not make it ideal for swimming. Experienced surfers bodysurfers and bodyboarders enjoy this beach. If you love to watch the waves, sunbathe and read a good book, this may be the beach for you!

• Lifeguard
• No Amenities/Facilities at this beach.

• Windansea Beach •

Surfing at Windansea
Windansea Beach is a great beach for more advanced surfers. Although there is no sand here, it is the underwater reefs and rocky areas that make up its beauty. Sandstone rocks add to the beautiful landscape and offer a little more privacy while sunbathing. During winter months Windansea Beach can experience 6-8 foot waves. To the south you will find a lovely sandy area where swimming, sunbathing and diving are popular but can most definitely be dangerous. Designated a historical landmark in 1998 is the Surf Shack at Windansea Beach. This simply adds to how popular this area is for surfers. It is however definitely for the more advanced surfers. Here is the Windansea surf report with live web cam.

• Lifeguard
• Surfing
• Swimming possible but with caution.
• No Amenities/Facilities at this beach.

• Best La Jolla Beach Hotels and Beach Rentals •

Torrey Pines Lodge

Looking for the best waterfront hotels in San Diego including La Jolla? Visit our San Diego Waterfront Hotels page!

Here are some of the best rated La Jolla Hotels which are located on or close to the beach. Only one of these is actually on the beach.

Lodge at Torrey Pines: Although not on the beach we definitely feel this deserves a posting. The Lodge at Torrey Pines is located by the famous Torrey Pines Golf Course which is above Torrey Pines beach. This could be the start to a great day!
The Grande Colonial La Jolla: Two blocks from beach.
La Jolla Shores Hotel: Located on La Jolla Shores Beach.
La Valencia Hotel : Very close to Children's Beach.

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• Tips & What To Watch For At La Jolla Beaches •

• A lot of the parking for smaller beaches is on the street. Follow all regulations.
We recommend trying to be at the beach prior to noon or after 4:00 for parking.
• Check with on duty lifeguard regarding safety of beach.
• Extreme caution is required at Black's Beach. The 300 foot cliffs have been an area of numerous deadly accidents.

• Links To Help You On Your La Jolla Beach Vacation •

• Surfing and tide report: Via Surfline.com.
• Water Quality: Courtesy of healthebay.org.
• La Jolla Restaurants: TripAdvisor Reviews.

For the best San Diego beaches, visit our Best San Diego Beaches page!

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• Photo Credits •

Seals: Flickr: Ken Zirkel
Kayaker: Flickr: Ernie Tyler
Torrey Pines Lodge: Lodge at Torrey Pines
Children's Pool: Flickr: RafaelStudio22
Surfer: Flickr: scott burnham
Thank you for your La Jolla beaches photos!