How to spend a FULL DAY at L.A.’s Beaches for National Beach Day

Today is National Beach Day, so what better way to celebrate than spending an entire day exploring the best that the LA Beach scene has to offer.

With a FULL DAY enjoying the coast, you gotta get up early and start your morning with sunrise in lovely Hermosa Beach. Grab a coffee at Cafe Bonaparte on the pier and enjoy a breath of fresh, salty ocean air during leisurely dawn walk up The Strand, northward towards Manhattan Beach pier.

By now, you’re warmed up and stoked for your surf lessons at El Porto Beach, the South Bay’s premier surfing destination.

After a morning of surfing, I’m sure you’ve worked up a hellish appetite. Good thing the North End Caffe on Highland Avenue in Manhattan Beach is perfect for some hearty comfort breakfast food (and a great beach view).

Then, head up to Playa Del Rey and soak up some rays in one of LA’s more quiet, lowkey beachfront towns.

This place is so local, almost like it’s stuck in a time capsule. Enjoy miles of clean, untouched sand and great waves. Grab some lunch at SEÑOR G’s, a fresh, healthy Mexican spot in the neighborhood (I recommend the Taco Salad and Junior smoothie).

From there, head up the coast to downtown Santa Monica and park near the E line station. Look for the Metro Bike Share in downtown Santa Monica where, for about a buck fifty, you can rent a metro bike and take a relaxing bike ride up the beach path to Will Rogers State Beach, and back.

Then, get back in your car and enjoy an afternoon drive up PCH to Zuma Beach in Malibu. With unparalleled vibes, Zuma is the for sure place to plop yourself down and and just go horizontal for the rest of the day.

Finally, finish off your evening with a sunset dinner in the sand at the Paradise Cove Beach Cafe in Malibu. Now, I’m not gonna front, the food isn’t the greatest in the world… But the view, and ambiance, and experience of eating a meal, with your toes in the sand, staring at the sun dipping under the horizon, absolutely can’t be beat.

So enjoy your full day exploring the best this coast has to offer, and remember… don’t forget your sunscreen!