Newport Beach California is one of the most renowned coastal cities in Orange County, and it is an ideal destination for those who are looking to enjoy a slice of the southern California lifestyle. This community of about 85,000 people not only boasts great beaches, but excellent shops, art galleries, and restaurants as well. It is more busy here than at some of the other beaches in Orange County. To the west of Newport Beach is Huntington Beach, which also offers plenty of things to do, so vacations here are anything but boring.

The beaches in Newport Beach provide visitors with no less than nine miles of sandy coastline to enjoy, so bring your bathing suit and your flip-flops when you come to town, and get ready to bask in the warm California sun. The Newport Municipal Beach is at the forefront of the beaches in Newport Beach, but that doesn’t mean that Balboa Beach and Corona Del Mar Beach aren’t just as deserving when it comes to deciding where to spend some of your time when visiting. The Newport Municipal Beach opens to the public at 6 a.m. and doesn’t close until 10 p.m., and there are metered parking spaces that are available for those who are driving in on Balboa Boulevard. Like many of the other great beaches in California, the Newport Municipal Beach has a pier that is a wonderful place to sightsee while also enjoying a relaxing stroll. Walks on the beach here are recommended, and since the beach extends for five miles, you can walk for quite some time. Facilities at the Newport Municipal Beach include picnic tables, lifeguard stations, public restrooms, and fishing and surfing-related rentals, and you’re just a short walk from downtown when you want to grab a bite to eat, check out a museum on the side, or peruse the goods at a number of unique stores. Fishing is free on the Newport Municipal Beach pier, which is also the case at the Balboa Beach Pier, which you can see in the near distance.

Balboa Island is just 0.2 square miles in size. Though it’s small, almost 18,000 people live here. Hanging out on Balboa Beach and enjoying time on the pier are the reasons why most people visit the island. After spending a full day on Balboa Beach, hitting one of the restaurants on Main Street is a popular pursuit. Balboa Beach is also open between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., and its facilities include fire pits, barbecue grills, picnic tables, public restrooms and showers, a lifeguard station, and rental stations where you can find surfing and fishing equipment. You can also rent rollerblades and tandem bikes for the island’s bicycle path. Visitors to Balboa Island can not only enjoy the island’s attractive beach, but can also spend some time at the small amusement park, which is known as the Fun Zone. While surfing is fun at both Balboa Beach and the Newport Municipal Beach, those who truly want to ride some good waves when visiting Newport Beach California will head to the Newport Wedge, which is found at the Balboa Peninsula’s far end.

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Bodysurfing and bodyboarding are two of the additional recreational sports that Newport Beach California visitors can enjoy, and since the surf is relatively gentle at the Corona Del Mar Beach, it might just be the best place in town to engage such pursuits. Corona Del Mar Beach, or Big Corona Beach as it is also known, is just a half-mile long, though the list of amenities here is long. Found to the immediate east of the Newport Harbor, Corona Del Mar Beach boasts lifeguards, fishing and surfing rentals, public showers and restrooms, fire pits, and picnic tables where you can enjoy a prepacked meal with friends and family. Parking is available at the beach, though it costs more than it does at most beaches in Orange County, and since the lot fills up fast, you’ll want to arrive early if you can. Corona Del Mar Beach opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 8 p.m., so it’s not exactly the top choice for beaches in Newport Beach for watching sunsets.

Just south of Newport Beach California is Laguna Beach, and resting on the border between the two is Crystal Cove State Park, which boasts 3.5 miles of beaches to take advantage of. In addition to the cliff-backed beaches in Crystal Cove State Park, there are 2,000 acres of woodlands that are prime for horseback riding and hiking, so outdoor enthusiasts will certainly want to pay the park a visit. While swimming and surfing are among the more popular beach-related activities at the Crystal Cove State Park beaches, scuba diving is also possible in the offshore waters, as is skin diving. The beaches here open to the public at 6 a.m. and close at 10 p.m., and while there are camping grounds in the park, they are not near the beaches. You’ll have to park and hike some 3 miles uphill to get to the camping sites, so bring a good pair of hiking boots if you plan to sleep in a tent here. The facilities at the beautiful Crystal Cove State Park beaches are limited to public restrooms.