Newport Beach

Parking is nonexistent after 8:00am. Also, if you do see parking it’s usually because people moved their cars for street sweeping so you’ll get a ticket, anyway. Secret: when you call my cell phone and get no answer this is why!
I’ve been walking from my house to the beach (parking problem solved), which is about 2 miles round trip. It’s perfect. Once I hit the Peninsula there’s tons of restaurants and coffee (e.g Alta coffeehouse is right around 32^nd street), so if I get lazy or tired I just make a pit stop and kick it. Then at the beach I hang out too. When I’m ready, I turn back around and walk home, and I’m full of God and spirituality from staring at the ocean waves (lol) so it makes the walk back beautiful and easy breezy. Life is good!
The beach isn’t very crowded, except during holidays and the summer. There’s usually a few surfers so that’s fun to watch. There’s also a cool rock jetty that you can walk (carefully climb) and if you look down in between the rock crevasses, there are sea anemones and muscles and pretty shells. I have gently touched the sea anemones, and they move when you touch them, and it’s the coolest thing ever. Only did that once, don’t want to disturb the little guys but it’s tempting. There couldn’t be a better place to be in the whole world! That’s why there’s no parking.

«Los Angeles was safe from invasion; the invaders wouldn’t find a place to park»
― Robert A. Heinlein, The Door into Summer
Judging by the above quote, apparently the Dean of Science Fiction never visited Newport Beach, or the above quote would have read differently; it can take hours to find metered parking here, but it’s so worth it if you do :-)
Beauty and Adventure abound in Newport Beach. Start off on PCH and travel South towards Dana Point, or West toward Huntington Beach. Alternately, stay local and kayak, bike, hike, or just stroll Newport Beach’s Back Bay.
For shoppers, visit Fashion Island to catch a movie, shop, or enjoy a leisurely lunch and/​or dinner. if your visit is around Christmas enjoy the beautiful Holiday decorations. Take a drive up San Joaquin and find areas to sit and watch the sunset over the Pacific Ocean.
Me, I’ve always been a sucker for sunsets; it’s really hard to beat the spectacular sunset views you can catch in Newport Beach.

This is my go to beach — when I want to read a book, sunbathe/​work on my tan, hang out with my friends, ride bikes, try paddle boarding. Newport is not too popular for surfing, but it is still nice, clean, and somewhat quiet in certain areas.
There are rental shops everywhere and they all have similar pricing. The main difference is their hours. If you want to bike/​rent for longer to catch the sunset, try Seaside because they don’t close until 7 pm. Balboa Park is also fun to check out. Before you cross the ferry, there is an arcade. There’s also an opportunity for whale watching! You can get deals on Unilocal or Groupon.
Pet owners: not too many pets around here because you can go up 7 miles to Huntington Beach Dog Park. It’s more pet-​friendly there.
The catch here is the horrible parking. On the right side of Newport Blvd, you can park for free for a couple hours. On the left side, you’ll have metered spots. I suggest getting to the beach early ~12−2 pm because it gets really packed toward the afternoon. Particular parking lots cater to customers only and other lots are still metered. I recommend carpooling before you get to the beach. There are no fire pits here — go up to Huntington for that. There are a couple volleyball nets here and there, but far from parking lots.

Best beach on PCH in my opinion. The sand is very soft and it is not too far from parking. While on the topic of parking, it’s the only thing that would turn visitors away. The parking is very limited and you would have to be somewhat lucky to catch a spot if you come fairly late like at 10 am– 12 pm.
Once you get a spot, you won’t be disappointed with the environment. The water is very shallow for about 30 yards from the shore and the sand is soft through the water. The water is pretty clear and mellow. The water is also very clean. I’ve never found a piece of trash in the water. No fire pits but I’m pretty sure bbq’s are allowed as long as they are pretty high off the sand.
Biggest tip: come before or around 9 am. no later. Parking will suck if you come later so 9 would be the latest because surfers start to leave

Beautiful, clean beach. Nice parking lot with meters that accept debt/​credit cards, but get here early or at the change of tides to get a surfers parking space. There are bathroom facilities at the east end of the parking lot and an area located at the edge of the sand with multiple shower heads to rinse off the sand if you need it. Dog friendly beach, my pug enjoys the water and trying to get the birds. People are friendly and the waves today are breathtakingly beautiful.

Woohoo perfect time before the crowds! Miss my Fran though just enjoy it more when she’s with me. Love u Franny, Mom

Newport Beach is the best beach in Orange County, hands down.
Pros:
Beautiful clean beaches, you won’t find much trash on the shore or in the water
Lack of seaweed in the water makes swimming in the ocean a much better experience (unlike Laguna Beach)
Water temperature during the summer is always perfect
Beautiful people
Bars and eateries walking distance from most parts of the beach
Parking is better here than at other beaches (Laguna Beach)
Newport Beach is the most beautiful and cleanliest beach in OC, enough said.

If you stumbled upon here thinking you were going to find the address for the actual Beach, this is not it. Look up the Wedge and it’ll lead you right to the pier and the beach.

I love this city, Newport Beach holds a special place in my heart. The first time that my wife and I ended up in this beautiful city was by pure luck. After that first time, I would always take my wife here when we were dating. I even proposed to her here.
It is the only city in the Los Angeles area that I would ever consider moving to in the future. Just wish we could afford to.

I love it here! Not too crowded and a beautiful, relaxing beach! I love living here! I just moved and it’s only a 20 min walk to the beach close to 47^th street and it’s just beautiful to sit there after a long day!

Loved Newport Beach! We wanted to get away from Disney and see the Pacific Ocean. We loved the boardwalk along the beach and seeing the homes. The beach is big and clean and has lots of room to play. Would definitely go back!!!

Do any of you know who is LC? Lo? Maybe, Kristin? No? Well you’re in luck. You might see sightings of people who look a lot like them.
Don’t get me wrong. I love Newport Beach. Away from the LA lifestyle. A bit of a drive away from touristy Anaheim. There’s something different living nearby the beach and less traffic in this part of town. I wouldn’t mind living it up at Newport Beach.
Also, the air seems a lot more fresh, beach as clean and pristine, and the beach houses are quite lavish. Parking is a breeze if you decide to come on a Sunday. After noonish is better to come because parking is free. Soft sands, tanning bodies, cool jams and surfers are a perfect example of skipping work to come here.
Overall, the beautiful sunny weather on a good day is pretty fetch and wayy better looking eye candy than I’ve seen in awhile. I’d definitely come back here time and time again!

Lucky to call this place home! The beach is nice and there are several shops, eateries, and bathrooms nearby. I love walking or running the boardwalk!

I have a love hate relationship with Newport. Yes, it’s clean and beautiful, but I prefer Corona DeL Mar. Newport is very much a party town. I do love the little whole in wall places to eat, and Balboa is so much fun. However the fact that everyone in OC looks the same, the superficial and alcoholism that really takes place. Other beach cities may have the same, but older crowds make it a bit more classy. Obviously I will be coming to Newport when I can, as i love the wedge, but now everyone comes to my little place of peace and neighborhood walks during a daydream! I don’t come during the summer season. Too busy!
I love the off seasons, I can grab coffee and good and enjoy walks without much crowding.

I like Newport Beach a lot more than most surrounding beaches. I don’t think it is as big as some of the others (just my opinion) but it just has a nice atmosphere. I don’t really see a whole lot of other activities besides swimming and surfing here but thats what I go to the beach to do. Also the ladies here are way hot so bonus points right there lol. I don’t remember if parking is bad or not so I going to go with average. I think the waves here are the best. Everytime I go swimming here I nearly drown (thats the sign of some good beaching :)).
Will I be back? Of course.
PS I remember they had a nice place to get some grub here.
PPS I think this beach is a bit more clean than most.

Great beach overall. It’s a big beach so you never feel like there’s a crap load of people and you can’t get a spot on the beach. However, parking here is a nghtmare and it’s tough to drive here with small lanes, tons of street parking blocking up a lot of the driving area. The great thing about this beach though is that there’s a lot of options for good eats, parking meters take credit cards (yes!!!) and the beach is clean!
I love how pristine the sand is, it’s very soft, and the sand in the surf has gold flakes in it, you can see it sparkle when the surf touches it. Great place to relax with friends and family.

I love Newport Beach!
What a beautiful city, so much to see and do, great food and shopping.
It is so clean here, the weather is great pretty much year round.
Beautiful beaches, I would live here in a heart beat!

I love almost every beach. I really love Newport Beach. I moved here I loved it so much and I spend as much time possible on this beautiful sandy beach. It makes me happy to live across the street. Life is good.
I like the laid back vibe — like someone else said, it’s a charm of a beach town. I used to live on 48^th and usually hang near that tower, which is far enough away from the pier and crowds but still close enough.
The beach by Orange street is popular, it has a bigger stretch of sand to the ocean. Eat Chow is also walking distance from here if you wanted to grab lunch. This is one of my top ten fav food spots in Newport –order the pulled pork sandwich.
You will thank me.
If you like a bit more crowded beach, volleyball, and to be close to the bars I suggest you hang by the pier or around 25^th street. There are a ton of shops, restaurants, bars, ice cream shops and places to grab a snack. My favorite restaurant by the pier is the Fly and Fish Oyster Bar
Dozen B. P oysters and blacked seabass with the cheesy potatoes please.
My ideal Saturday, which I do almost every weekend, is sitting in my beach chair, enjoying some bear flag poke and a refreshing beverage. Then taking a sunset bike ride toward the pier and playing some pool at Beach Ball. And last but not least, heading to Cassidy’s for a delicious burger and an ice cold beer!
The burgers are the best in town — that sauce yummm!

Hooray for Newport Beach, I can bike here from home. You get all the charm of a beach town with such adorable shops for souveniers and Janes Corndog for AMAZING snacky junk food. You have Blackie’s by the Sea where the old farts hang out and talk about the good old days when they were so cool and somebody’s, and you can play pool & enjoy the COLDEST beer on the beach. You have the pier, the tide pools, great sidewalks for biking and walking. You have a terrific and cleanbeach to play, build, swim, surf, body surf, watch the sunset… LIVE!
You can clean up and enjoy about the best happy hour at 21 Oceanfront with an AWESOME sunset view, and great live music.
Here you can buy it, rent it, learn it, try it, do it… I love beach life. I love the sea, the salt, the gulls, the people, the smells, I love the sun, the sand… I love life at the beach. And this one is right on the top of my charts, even when it gets crazy busy with tourists, and parking is just a nostalgic thing of the past.
Newport Beach is one of my all time favorites. If you get bored here — I just don’t want to know you.

Newport Beach Rocks!
Great restaurants and a great beach. My favorite restaurant week is the Newport Beach Restaurant Week because it offers great choices and places and reasonable prices.
The beach is its high point. The sand is softer than its northern sister, HB. The waves are small and faster and a great ride for short boards. The water is also more shallow for kids and family.
The second best thing about Newport Beach is a little local place, unique in this world, called the wedge. This is something that must be experienced when the time is right. It is the stuff movies are made from.
The city itself is very clean and is, in my opinion, the pearl of OC. No graffiti and no litter on the roads or the beach. Plenty of eateries, juice bars and sunshine.
I am a fan and then some!
Newport Beach, OC… another reason the OC is the best place to live.