Best Beaches in San Diego - California Beaches

Here is a list of our favorite beaches in and around the city of San Diego. This list includes Coronado and La Jolla, but not the North County area (Del Mar to Oceanside). There are so many great beaches in this majestic city that it’s hard to create a best beaches list.

The editors of California Beaches have personally visited every San Diego beach and put a lot of hard thought into this. Luckily the beaches near San Diego have just about every beach-related activity covered. Here are the beaches listed by their best category. See our “Best Overall Beach” at the bottom of this list!

Coronado Beach is our current best beach in San Diego. Why you ask? Well it’s just a short drive over the San Diego-Coronado Bridge from downtown and has all the qualities of a top Southern California beach. The location is usually protected by Point Loma so the waves here are mellow. Add to that the constant presence of lifeguards and you have a safe family-friendly spot. The beach and the surrounding hotels, shops, and restaurants are clean and inviting. There are places to walk behind the beach and and the facilities are well-maintained. And even though Coronado Beach is popular, the beach is huge so there is always room for visitors to spread out and enjoy it!