Best Things to Do in Laguna Beach (From a Repeat Visitor)

Living in Southern California has made me pretty spoiled when it comes to beach towns. And which beach town is the best of the best in Southern California, you ask?

For me, there’s no question — it’s Laguna Beach.

I first fell in love with Laguna during one of my visits prior to moving to California. And in the few years since then that I’ve made LA County my home, I’ve returned time and time again. I bring every out-of-town visitor here, and will literally never get tired of coming here (and that says a lot, because the drive from Long Beach, where I live, is not quick).

And now, I’ve got all my top recommendations for you in this guide — from the beaches that literally look out of a postcard, to the restaurants that are actually worth your money, other fun things to do in Laguna Beach, and my top accommodation options.

Visit the beach

Ok, so this is obviously the top reason to visit Laguna, so let’s start with which beaches to prioritize during your trip.

Laguna Beach’s coastline stretches about seven miles, and nearly every one of its 60 coves and beaches offer dreamy, quintessential California views, so there’s no shortage of choices.

While part of the fun is just walking around and seeing which beaches you stumble upon, here are a few of my favorites I’ve visited over the years.

Treasure Island Beach

This was the first beach I ever visited in Laguna, and it will always have a special place in my heart.

Treasure Island Beach is right behind Montage Laguna Beach (an outrageously fancy hotel). And it’s probably the beach I visit most frequently in Laguna, and always take visitors to, for two reasons: Not only is there a gorgeous walkway down to the beach with picturesque views and beautiful landscapes nearly everywhere you look, but there is also public parking available at the Montage that’s probably the cheapest in all of Laguna.

🚗 PARKING TIP: There are two public lots at the Montage — one outdoor lot, and then an underground garage right past the hotel’s entrance. Parking is notoriously difficult in Laguna, and sometimes it gets crowded and is impossible to find an empty spot right at the Montage. But if you visit on a weekday, you shouldn’t have a problem parking here.

When you get down to Treasure Island Beach, there are natural rock formations, and it’s just all around stunning. There’s also plenty of space, so even on crowded days, you should be able to easily find a spot on the sand.

Every time I come here and I end up taking a million photos — it just never gets old.

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Victoria Beach

Although Victoria Beach seems hidden, it’s actually one of Laguna’s most famous beaches, thanks to its pirate tower. 

You can enter this beach near the intersection of Sunset Terrace and Victoria Drive, and it’s a bit of a walk to get to the beach itself. It’s pretty small, but super scenic. It’s worth a stop!

🚗 PARKING TIP: Park either along PCH (there’s free and metered parking) or in the nearby neighborhood — be warned that parking may be tricky during the summer months/on the weekend.

The few times I’ve come here I’ve ended up having to walk 20 minutes or so, which isn’t ideal, but is a sacrifice I’m willing to make for such a stunning beach.

Table Rock Beach

This is another small-ish (and gorgeous) beach named for the flat rock that divides the beach. There’s also an interesting little rock tunnel here.

🚗PARKING TIP: Park on PCH near West Street. Walk down a hill, where you’ll be led to wooden stairs taking you down. 

Thousand Steps Beach

Further south down Laguna is the beautiful Thousand Steps Beach.

For some reason, I only visited this one for the first time a few months ago, and I was honestly upset I hadn’t visited earlier.

Yes, there are many steps to get to and from the beach (there aren’t quite 1,000, but I’ll admit I did have to take a couple breaks going back up them), but I promise it’s worth it! If you walk through the cave, you’ll also get to a gorgeous hidden pool — just be careful of the tides, it can be dangerous when they get too high!

🚗 PARKING TIP: Park at a meter on PCH, and enter the beach right around Ninth Street.

Thalia Street Beach

If you’re interested in learning to surf, then this is the spot for you.

But even if you’re not (I for one, am not), this is a calm beach with beautiful views, and it’s close to Downtown (the closest out of all these options here).

🚗 PARKING TIP: Grab some metered parking along PCH, and access this beach by walking down the stairway on — you guessed it — Thalia Street.

Rock Pile Beach

One of the things I love most about Laguna is how many hidden beaches and coves there are that you can accidentally discover, and this is exactly how I first visited Rock Pile Beach.

I’ve found that most of the prettiest beaches are further south in Laguna, which is a bit far from Downtown, but one exception that’s close to Downtown is Rock Pile Beach.

It’s right by Heisler Park, a beautiful viewpoint, and has lots of gorgeous rock formations and turquoise water. Even though it’s close to the action, it still feels secluded and has all those postcard-worthy views that you come to Laguna for.

🚗 PARKING TIP: Since it’s close to Downtown, your best bet is trying one of the parking lots nearby, or just keeping your car at the hotel if you’re staying in this part of town.

Wander through Downtown

Laguna’s downtown is small, but full of interesting restaurants, wineries, ice cream shops, and artsy stores.

Like all of Laguna, Downtown is super picturesque and cute. You can also find public art sprawled throughout the city, from murals, to statues, and more. 

Check out the Downtown shops

Most of the stores are pricey, but they’re still fun to explore, whether or not you’re looking to buy something.

• I always like popping into Ryan’s Art for the Soul. It has lots of art and home items, and is a great place to shop for gifts.
• Laguna Iguana is also a fun store to check out — it has lots of items from Latin America like jewelry, home decor, and more.
• For clothing, Attu Clothing has cute options that are surprisingly reasonably priced.
• I also like AMENAH — there’s kind of a big price range, but you can sometimes find affordable things!

Explore art galleries

Speaking of art, Laguna was actually first founded as an art colony. I’m assuming it’s because of its insane natural beauty, but it’s attracted artists from all around practically since its inception.

Today, that influence is clear, since it’s home to a number of interesting art galleries throughout the city.

I love visiting art galleries because first of all, they’re free, and they’re also just a fun way to discover different artists and art styles.

I recently visited Kush Gallery for the first time after it was recommended to me, and I would highly recommend! His work is super surreal, whimsical, and just really special. I also like Galerie Rue Toulouse, which has been family-run for 100 years!

Visit Laguna Art Museum

This oceanside art museum is actually considered the oldest museum in California, since its history goes all the way back to 1918.

It took me forever to actually make it here, but I was finally able to visit recently. The Laguna Art Museum is relatively small, and there are just around three galleries — two were made up of temporary exhibitions, one of which was all Southwest-themed art. It only takes an hour or so to explore the entire museum.

The whole museum focuses primarily on California art, and the whole space was really beautiful.

Admission is $15, or $10 for students, seniors, and military. It’s also free on the first Thursday of the month from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Hike to the Top of the World

Okay, not exactly, but the “Top of the World” hike is definitely an amazing view.

The whole thing is about two-and-a-half miles, but you can also just drive up to Alta Laguna Park if you’re not feeling a hike.

Ride the trolley

This free trolley runs every 20 to 30 minutes, and can take you from north to south Laguna, to downtown, or even even further south to neighboring Dana Point. It’s super cute, and honestly pretty convenient, since Laguna Beach is pretty spread out, and parking is a nightmare. So if you want to get from Downtown to one of the beaches further south, like Treasure Island or Thousand Steps, go with the trolley!

You can use the The Laguna Beach Parking App to find nearby parking — depending on where you’re coming from, you may even be able to snag a free spot. 

The Laguna Beach trolley runs year-round, but its hours are a little more limited between September and June.

Go to Heisler Park

On one of my recent visitors here, a business owner literally shooed my husband and I away, because we “can’t miss the sunset at Heisler Park.” This is just a really beautiful viewpoint near Downtown that’s overlooking the ocean.

There’s a cute little gazebo that can get a bit crowded, but if you’re willing to wait a bit, you should be able to get a spot inside.

Right next to it, there’s a path leading down to Rock Pile Beach, which has also become one of my new favorites!

Attend a festival

This one of course depends on the time of year, but Laguna has all kinds of fun events — many of which are art-related (I told you Laguna was artsy!).

One of its best known is the Festival of the Arts, which happens usually around July or August. It typically features at least 100 different artists from around Orange County displaying their artwork, and tickets range from $5 to $15.

For some weird reason, I haven’t made it out to one of their festivals, but every year, I tell myself I’m going to. Maybe this year will be the year!

Explore Laguna Beach’s food scene

Laguna is full of restaurants to try, and I’m still making my way through them.

I’ll be honest, a lot of options in this town are on the pricier side, and I’ve definitely had my fair share of meals in Laguna where I felt like the food quality did not match the cost.

I have a full, budget-friendly Laguna restaurant guide with more options, but here are a few highlights of places I’ve loved:

Nick’s

Nick’s is an upscale American restaurant with a few locations in Southern California. I’ve visited the Laguna Beach location as well as a couple others such as the one in Long Beach, where I live, and I’ve always enjoyed the food and drinks. Their fried chicken sandwich as well as their fish sandwich are my go-tos!

Coyote Grill

Finding more affordable places to eat is tricky in Laguna, it’s true.

But I was impressed with Coyote Grill, which is not only a reasonably-priced Mexican spot, but is just a block or so away from the ocean, meaning you can still get a little bit of an ocean view if you sit outside.

It’s further south, close to Thousand Steps and Table Rock beaches.

The Cliff

The Cliff is such a Laguna Beach staple, because its location is honestly unbeatable. It’s overlooking the beach, so it’s seriously the perfect sunset spot. With that said, I think it’s a little overpriced — I haven’t been wowed by the food, at least not in a way that’s proportionate for the price.

But definitely come here for an appetizer and drink or dessert at least — because the views really are just that gorgeous.

Where to stay in Laguna Beach

I think I’ve already mentioned half-a-dozen times that Laguna is pricey, but I’ll say it one last time, as it can be difficult to find a place to stay on a budget here.

If you’re planning to explore Los Angeles as well, you could consider heading even further north of Orange County and stay in Long Beach, which is the southernmost-point of LA County. Since it’s right on the edge of both counties, it’s an accessible place for exploring both areas. It’s where I live and it’s definitely a prime spot for exploring different parts of Southern California.

But if you are traveling specifically to Laguna or just want to soak up as much time in this gorgeous town as possible, here are a couple local options: