Travel Channel named Coronado Beach one of the best, citing its surroundings, with Hotel del Coronado behind and downtown Coronado nearby.
Gently sloping sand, small surf and year-round lifeguard make Coronado Beach great for kids. Tired of water? Bike, rollerblade, go shopping or try the ice cream at Hotel del Coronado.
The most popular part of Coronado Beach is around the hotel. North Coronado Beach is less busy, but further from restrooms and noisier, with airplanes landing overhead.
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Entrance Fee: None
Parking Fee: None
- Restrooms
- Showers
- No alcohol allowed on the beach
- No glass of any kind allowed on the beach
- Food nearby
- Dogs allowed only at North Coronado Beach, from Sunset Park to the North Island Naval Base
- Beachcombing, with many shell fragments and a few whole ones
- Bike path
- Surfing
- Swimming, lifeguard on duty during daylight hours year round
- Walking path
- Glorietta Bay Inn: Beautifully restored home of Coronado's former owner, just across the street from the beach. $$$
- Hotel del Coronado: This famous hotel is right on the beach and we mention it here because everyone has heard of it, but we do not feel that its level of quality merits its high prices.
- You'll find good camping at Silver Strand State Beach just south of Coronado Beach.
- Perfection has its price. It's hard to find parking here on busy days
- Noisy airplanes come in for a landing overhead on the north end
- In summer, San Diego beaches are subject to red tides.
- Watch for stingrays, which settle in the sand. Shuffle your feet as you walk to keep from stepping on one.
- Parking here during a busy mid-day can range from very hard to almost impossible. Even the locals can't offer much in the way of advice except to come early and be prepared to walk.
You will find some street parking near the Hotel del Coronado and an underground parking garage to the right of Orange Avenue just before you get to the hotel. There's also a public lot just before the highrise apartment buildings. Don't let the signs here fool you. They make it look like it's a private lot, but it isn't.
