Mission Bay/San Diego Beaches

Mission Bay Beach Hotel Mission Beach Hotel Fiesta Island Pacific Beach State Beach

Enjoy San Diego’s most beautiful and colorful beaches, offering miles of sandy beachfront, excellent surfing and swimming, and a myriad of water activities for a whole truly memorable family vacation.

Mission Bay in San Diego. Mission Bay welcomes you with 4,000 acres of tranquil bay waters, bike paths, parks and miles of sandy beaches for fun in the sun and surf. A haven for boating activities Mission Bay offers many boat docks and launches. Visitors enjoy water sports such as sailing, waterskiing, windsurfing, jet skiing, rowing, and swimming. Rent a sailboat, cruise the bay or bicycle around the bay on the paths that wind for miles.

Picnickers and sunbathers revel in the green grassy knolls, and the sports-minded enjoy basketball, volleyball, and over-the-line games. Bring the kids to the playground at Tecolote Shores, or see plant and animal life at the nature reserve near Crown Point to the north. With miles of paved bike paths, Mission Bay boasts the best riding in San Diego. Mission Bay also has picnic shelters, barbecues, showers, lifeguards and free parking. Mission Bay Rent a surfboard or bicycle along Mission Blvd. Families enjoy the calm, protected waters wher children can splash around without the dangers of ocean surf.  [Top]

Mission Beach. A local favorite for surfing, body boarding, swimming, kayaking, sunbathing, picnicking and building sand castles, Mission Beach spans 2 miles of ocean between Mission Bay to the east and Pacific Beach to the north. The boardwalk at Mission Beach offers the best people watching in San Diego, and is a booming scene of bicycling, rollerblading, running, and skateboarding in contrast to the hip local flavor, which features tattoos, piercings, and exotic pets.

The southern part of Mission Beach is a volleyball Mecca. Ride the Big Dipper at Belmont Park at the north end for the thrill of a beachfront rollercoaster and 1920’s nostalgia. The 73-foot-tall wooden rollercoaster - built in 1925 - is an exhilarating ascent into the palm trees above the beach. Kids love the Mission Beach arcade, bumper boats, and Olympic-sized swimming pool - “the Plunge.” Adventurous bikers can begin at the Mission Beach boardwalk and continue to La Jolla on the connecting bike paths. For surfboard, bicycle and gear rentals, head to Mission Boulevard, lined with surf shops, taco stands, coffee houses, and ethnic food.  [Top]

Fiesta Island. Located in the heart of Mission Bay Park, Fiesta Island is wonderful retreat for picnics, bonfires, water skiing, jet skiing, walking, and jogging. The 5 MPH zone on the east side of the island is popular for recreational water sports, tournaments, walks/runs, bicycle races/time trials and special events. There are bonfire rings around the shore, a permitted water ski area in Hidden Cove, and dogs are allowed off leash. Check out the San Diego Youth Aquatic Center nestled in a protected cove on the water.

The beautiful one-acre facility adjacent to the Fiesta Island Youth Camp is surrounded by sandy bay front beaches with access to the Pacific Ocean. On a hot summer day with the cool ocean breeze in your face, you’ll enjoy boating, catamaraning, sailing, water-skiing, canoeing, rowing, kayaking, surfing, swimming and windsurfing. The Aquatics Center’s facilities include: a boat ramp, a marine biology lab, touch tanks, a shark and sting ray tank, locker rooms, meeting and program rooms, a kitchen, and court yard.  [Top]

Pacific Beach. Pacific Beach exudes the essence of Southern California with its brilliant, year-round sunshine and blue ocean swells that greet its sand and boardwalks. This colorful community blends an eccentric mix of surfers, beach bums, college students, professionals, and families. A few blocks east of Pacific Beach, you’ll find fun surf shops, taco stands, craft galleries, and smoke shops with a hint of tie-dye.

Expect ultra casual and zero attitude in Pacific Beach. With the ocean, the bay, and 3 miles of bike paths, Pacific Beach offers a myriad of recreational activities, such as surfing, swimming, kayaking, and body boarding in the blue waters. Bicyclists, skaters, walkers, and joggers play on miles of paved paths winding between the ocean and Mission Bay. The paths afford spectacular views and offer up basketball games, picnics, Frisbee, kite flying, and outdoor barbecues. Sunbathing abounds on the ocean, the bay, or a quiet grassy knoll. Kids love building sand castles, splashing in the ocean, or romping through the waves on a body board. Rent surfboards, body boards, rollerblades, and bicycles near Crystal Pier. Pets are permitted on a leash.  [Top]

Torrey Pines State Beach. When in San Diego, head to Torrey Pines State Beach is a two-mile long, sandy strip at the base of majestic sandstone cliffs. The scenic beach offers excellent swimming and is perfect for long walks. There is a glider port atop the cliffs overlooking the beach where hangliders, paragliders and remote controlled gliders can soar.  [Top]