SeeCalifornia.com

Photos left to right: Santa Monica, Long Beach, Redondo Beach

In preparation for spring break and summer vacations, we compared 3 Orange County, California beaches yesterday. Each  destination is great, but slightly different. Even more popular than the OC beaches (by the numbers)  are LA beaches.

Comparing 3 Los Angeles beaches:

Most popular – Santa Monica beaches have the most visitors compared to Redondo and Long Beach.
Most beach hotels – Santa Monica comes in first for beach hotels. Redondo Beach has one hotel (Portofino) on the beach and several across the street. Long Beach has several hotels on the bay that are beach-close. None are directly on beaches, however.
Pet friendly beaches – Long Beach is the ONLY beach that features a pet-friendly dog beach.
Pier – Santa Monica has the pleasure pier with an old-fashioned carousel, a solar-powered Ferris wheel, amusements and restaurants. Redondo Beach has a large pier with many fantastic view restaurants. Long Beach has Belmont Pier with one cafe on the end but no rides, etc.
Attractions – Long Beach and Redondo Beach both offer whale watching and harbor cruises. However, Long Beach has Queen Mary historic ship, Naples Island with gondola rides, a convention center and Aquarium of the Pacific, all near the beach. Santa Monica features Third Street Promenade nearby. Redondo Beach has a popular Riviera Village eclectic shopping and dining neighborhood across the street from the beach.
Events – Redondo Beach is known for Lobster Festival and Beach Festival, Santa Monica hosts many events throughout the year, but Long Beach wins for number of major events. It hosts Lobster and Crawdad Festivals, Beach Festival each summer, Blues and Jazz Festivals, Long Beach Grand Prix car races, Funk Fest, Pride Parade and Festival and many more.
Transportation – Long Beach features free Passport bus rides to popular tourist areas in addition to paid service. Of the three cities, Long Beach has the most comprehensive transportation system, though all three have public buses.
Performing Arts – All three cities have performing arts centers with plays, musicals and concerts.
Shopping – All three beach cities have shopping centers and eclectic shopping districts.
Beach paths – Redondo Beach and Long Beach are both bicycle cities, with wonderful beach paths. Santa Monica also has a paved beach path for exercise such as skating, jogging, bikes.
Closest to Hollywood – Santa Monica is the best choice for those wanting to spend most their time seeing Hollywood area. However, Long Beach has a MetroRail station connecting most of Los Angeles via public train rides for a small fee.
Airports – Long Beach has its own airport, though Redondo Beach is a mere 10-15 minutes from Los Angeles International Airport.