Best Beaches in Los Angeles for Families: Which One to Pick
Quick answer
Most LA beaches are free to walk on. You pay for parking, and that is the real cost.
Calmest water for small children: Redondo Beach — the pier and King Harbor break the swell
Easiest whole day: Seal Beach — small, walkable, low-key
Most to look at: Venice Beach — busy, and not restful
Best rock pools: Laguna Beach — but it is in Orange County and an hour away
Most iconic: Santa Monica and Venice
We spent two weeks in Los Angeles with our two boys and got to a lot of beaches, partly because the kids were at a Lakers camp and we had mornings to fill.
They are not interchangeable, which is what most round-ups imply. Some have calm sheltered water and some have surf. Some have parking you can rely on and some do not. And four of the best ones are not in Los Angeles at all — they are down in Orange County, and worth the drive if you know that going in.
Here are the six we would actually send a family to, what each one is good for, and which ones cost you a morning in the car.
In Los Angeles County
H3: Redondo Beach — the calmest, and the easiest with young children
Internal link: our day at Redondo Beach
Venice Beach — the one everyone means
Busy, loud, and genuinely worth seeing once. The boardwalk, the skate park and the outdoor gym are the attraction; the sand is secondary.
Not a restful beach day. Go in the morning, walk the boardwalk, and move on.
Internal link: downtown to Venice Beach in one day
Malibu and Point Dume
Point Dume is the one worth the drive — a headland, a short bluff trail, and one of the best free sunsets in Los Angeles County.
Internal link: Getty Villa and Point Dume at sunset
Worth the drive: Orange County
These four are 40 to 70 minutes south of Los Angeles. Not LA beaches, and better than most of them.
Seal Beach — the easiest whole day
Small, walkable, low-key, and the least stressful of the lot with children.
Internal link: Seal Beach day trip from Los Angeles
Laguna Beach — the rock pools
The best tidepools within reach of Los Angeles, and the beach below the Montage is public and free.
Internal link: our Laguna Beach day trip
Newport Beach and Balboa Island
Internal link: Newport Beach, whale watching and Balboa Island
A comparison table
Menorca does not have one and still ranks seventh — but Menorca is five beaches in one small place. Six beaches across two counties genuinely benefits from a table, and tables win featured snippets.
| Beach | County | From downtown LA | Water | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redondo | LA | ~30 min | Calm, sheltered | Under 8s |
| Venice | LA | ~25 min | Open surf | Older kids, one visit |
| Manhattan | LA | ~30 min | Open surf | Teens |
| Point Dume | LA | ~45 min | Open, rocky | Sunset, all ages |
| Seal Beach | Orange | ~45 min | Calm | Whole family, easy day |
| Laguna | Orange | ~60 min | Rocky coves | Rock pools, 5+ |
What LA beaches actually cost
Almost all of them are free to walk on. Parking is the cost, and it varies a lot — from free street parking at the quieter Orange County beaches to paid structures and lots at the busy LA ones.
Where to stay for a beach trip
We stayed at The Biltmore Los Angeles in downtown, which is not a beach location — about 25–45 minutes from most of these depending on traffic.
If beaches are the point of your trip, staying in Santa Monica or the South Bay makes far more sense than downtown.
Some links below are affiliate links. If you book through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
our stay at the Millennium Biltmore, Los Angeles
Best Beaches in Los Angeles for Families: FAQ
Are Los Angeles beaches free to visit?
Yes, almost all of them are free to walk onto. The real cost is parking, which ranges from free street parking at the quieter Orange County beaches to paid lots and structures at the busy Los Angeles ones. Budget for parking rather than admission.
Which Los Angeles beach has the calmest water for young children?
Redondo Beach. The horseshoe-shaped pier and King Harbor marina break the swell, so the water is noticeably calmer than the open beaches further north. Seal Beach in Orange County is the other good option for small children, and it is easier to walk around.
Which LA beach is best for kids?
It depends on their age. For under-eights, Redondo or Seal Beach for the calm water and easy parking. For older children, Venice for the skate park and the boardwalk, or Laguna for the rock pools. Point Dume is the best of them at sunset for any age.
Are Laguna Beach and Newport Beach in Los Angeles?
No. Seal Beach, Huntington, Newport and Laguna are all in Orange County, roughly 40 to 70 minutes south of downtown Los Angeles. They appear on Los Angeles beach lists because families based in LA regularly drive to them, and several are better than the LA beaches — but they are a morning in the car, not a quick trip.
What is the most iconic beach in Los Angeles?
Venice Beach, for the boardwalk, the outdoor gym and the skate park, with Santa Monica and its pier immediately north. Both are worth seeing once, but neither is a restful beach day with young children.
Where are the best tidepools near Los Angeles?
Laguna Beach, about an hour south in Orange County. It is a Marine Protected Area, so you can look and photograph but not take shells, rocks or marine life. Go at low tide, ideally below +2.0 ft, and put everyone in proper shoes.
When is the best time to visit LA beaches?
Late spring to early autumn for the warmest water and the most reliable weather, but expect crowds and difficult parking at weekends. Weekday mornings are far easier at every beach on this list, and May and June often bring low overcast mornings that burn off by lunchtime.
Do you need a car to reach the beaches in Los Angeles?
For most of them, yes. The Metro E Line reaches Santa Monica, and Venice is walkable from there along the boardwalk, but the South Bay beaches and everything in Orange County effectively require a car.
