7 Best Beaches Near Disneyland In Anaheim California
Are you looking for the perfect family-friendly beach to visit after Disneyland? You’ve come to the right place.
Not only is Orange County home to the first Disneyland Park, it has many amazing beaches.
The closest beach to Disneyland Park is Huntington Beach, a beautiful long stretch of sandy beach with picnic areas, and a pier.
But, that’s not all. There’s many great beaches along the Orange coast within an hour drive from the park. From beaches with tide pools to whale watching, there’s something on this list for everyone.
Ready to discover the best beaches near Disneyland? Let’s dive in.
Here are the 7 best beaches near Disneyland in California.
Best Beaches Near Disneyland Park
- Huntington City Beach: 16 miles
- Newport Beach Pier: 17 miles
- Corona del Mar State Beach: 19 miles
- Balboa Beach Pier: 20 miles
- Crystal Cove State Park – Laguna Beach: 21 miles
- Rosie’s Dog Beach – Long Beach: 21 miles
- Treasure Island Beach – Laguna Beach: 29 miles
1. Huntington City Beach
- Distance from Disneyland: 16 miles
- Cost for parking: $1.50/hr or $15 per day (weekdays), $20 (weekends) during peak season
- Where to park: Pier Plaza
Looking for the closest beach? Head to Huntington Beach, just a 30 to 45 minute drive from Disneyland Park.
It’s known for being one of the best surfing beaches in Southern California, and has a a pier, restrooms, kid’s playground, volleyball courts, and bonfire pits.
Whether you want to set up a picnic on the beach or watch surfers along the pier, this is a fun place to visit.
Duke’s is a great Hawaiian style seafood restaurant right by the pier, and there are ice cream shops, gift shops, and a surfing museum across the street.
2. Newport Beach Pier
- Distance from Disneyland: 17 miles
- Cost for parking: $3.40 per hour (May-September), $1.15 per hour (October-April)
- Where to park: Newport Pier Parking Lot
Just a mile east of Huntington Beach, Newport Beach is another popular Orange County beach with a pier.
It has volleyball courts, restaurants, bars, cafes, and shops right by the water.
If you’re looking for a beach town to stay in on a trip to Disney, Newport Beach is the place to go.
It has some of the best seafood restaurants, fun activities like whale-watching tours, and is less than a 15 minute drive to Balboa pier and Corona del Mar state beach.
At the pier, you can rent out surreys and bikes to ride along the beach, or stop by Seaside Bakery to try their famous croissant donuts.
3. Corona Del Mar State Beach
- Distance from Disneyland: 18.9 miles
- Cost for parking: $2.65-$7.05/hr, or $26.55 per day. Free parking on top of hill (Ocean Blvd.)
- Where to park: Up the hill (free) or Corona del Mar Municipal Lot (paid)
Corona Del Mar State Beach Park is a peaceful family-friendly beach with stunning views of the cliffs.
It’s located down the hill from a beautiful residential area, and the beach has gentle waters for swimming.
Here there’s restrooms, showers, fire pits, volleyball courts, and the Jetty beach shack restaurant right on the beach.
On the right side of the beach, there’s rocky cliffs and a short pier you can walk out onto for an amazing view of the coast.
When I visited, I parked on top of the hill for free and walked down to the beach. There were many families having picnics and people swimming in the water.
4. Balboa Beach Pier
- Distance from Disneyland: 20.1 miles
- Cost for parking: $1.75/hr (May-September), $1.20/hr (Oct–April)
- Where to park: Balboa Pier Lot
Just a few miles down from Newport Beach, the Balboa pier is a hidden gem that’s often much less crowded than Newport pier. There’s a long sandy beach with kid’s playgrounds and gentle waves, that’s a great place to go for sunset walks.
You’ll likely see more locals than tourists here, fishing right off the pier. At the end of the pier, there’s a great little diner where you can stop for burgers and shakes.
If you cross to the other side of the peninsula, there’s a marina lined with restaurants, gift shops, and the iconic Balboa Fun Zone.
Here you can ride the Balboa ferris wheel, go on a whale watching tour, or take the Balboa ferry to try a famous frozen banana at Sugar N Spice.
5. Crystal Cove State Park
- Distance from Disneyland: 21.3 miles
- Cost for parking: $15 per day or $5/hr if paying with the Yodel app
- Where to park: Los Trancos Parking Lot
Around a 30 to 45 minute drive from Disneyland, Crystal Cove State Park is one of the most beautiful Southern California beaches.
It’s a state park, so you’ll have to pay a vehicle entrance fee of $15/day (or $5/hr), but it’s well worth a visit.
This state park spans over 2,400 acres, with 3.2 miles of beach, and scenic hiking trails that lead down to the beach.
This park’s most known for it’s historic district, which has old shops from the early 1900’s, and charming coastal cottages that you can rent out for the night.
Once you work up an appetite, there’s a Beachcomber Cafe and Shake Shack right by the water in the historic district.
To get here, you can part at Los Trancos parking lot, and walk half a mile down to the historic district.
On the way down, you’ll walk through a little tunnel, and pass by fields of wildflowers.
There were beautiful orange flowers in bloom when I visited, and plenty of secluded areas to relax on the beach.
Tip: To pay for hourly parking ($5/hr) instead of the $15 entrance fee, download the Yodel app, and pay on the app. Just make sure to pay before leaving the park to avoid a ticket.
6. Rosie’s Dog Beach – Long Beach
- Distance from Disneyland: 21 miles
- Cost for parking: Plenty of free street parking & metered parking at $0.50/15 minutes
- Where to park: Along the street (free) or Granada Avenue Parking Lot (metered)
Located in Long Beach, Rosie’s Dog Beach is another great family friendly beach.
This is a long 4 acre stretch of sandy beach with volleyball courts, restrooms, and an off-leash dog area.
It has a laid back vibe, and is fun to visit to watch all the dogs run freely on the shore.
The sand is clean, and there’s many areas to set up a picnic to relax and watch the sunset. There’s free parking along the residential areas, as well as a large metered parking lot.
Long Beach is another great beach town to stay in near Anaheim if you want to be close to Disneyland. Along the marina there’s the Queen Mary, Aquarium of the Pacific, restaurants, and Shoreline Village with restaurants, arcades, and live music.
7. Treasure Island Park – Laguna Beach
- Distance from Disneyland: 28.6 miles
- Cost for parking: $2.75/hour (8am-7pm)
- Where to park: Lot 8 (Treasure Island Garage)
Treasure Island Beach is the furthest beach from Disneyland on this list, but I had to include it because it’s one of the most beautiful.
It’s a scenic oceanfront park with paved walking trails, picnic areas, benches and incredible views of the coast.
The beach is nice and quiet, and has rock arches, and tide pools for exploring.
The parking lot is located at the entrance of the park, which is a covered parking garage with restrooms.
Summary
There’s many incredible beaches along the Orange Coast.
Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Balboa Beach, and Corona Del Mar are all within 30 minutes from each other, but offer something unique.
For surfing and seafood, Huntington Beach is the place to go. For shopping and croissant donuts, head to Newport Beach.
For burgers, shakes, and ferris wheels, head to Balboa Beach. But if you prefer a more secluded, family-friendly beach, head to Corona Del Mar.
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