Day Trips & Nearby

There are many reasons to make Long Beach your homebase for your Southern California vacation: incredible restaurants and hotels, year-round outdoor fun for the whole family. And the city is ideally located between the sights and attractions of Los Angeles and Hollywood as well as theme parks and beaches of Orange County. Enjoy these day trips to some of the most popular SoCal attractions; then come back to Long Beach, the big city with the laid back beach town vibe.

CATALINA ISLAND

Catalina Island is an exciting day trip or overnight stay out of Long Beach, with ferries operated by Catalina Express departing several times daily from the downtown waterfront. Catalina is a great destination for hiking and backpacking the Trans-Catalina Trail, scuba diving and snorkeling, and other outdoor activities like golf cart tours, ziplining, and lounging on the beach. For those who prefer the indoors, there’s shopping, dining, and great hotels on the island. Read more about visiting Catalina in our ultimate guide.

LOS ANGELES & HOLLYWOOD

From Long Beach, you can drive, take public transit, or rideshare to attractions in Los Angeles, including the city’s world class museums, Griffith Park, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Metro’s light rail system is a great way to travel across Los Angeles and connects Long Beach to Santa Monica, Hollywood, the San Gabriel and San Fernando Valleys, and Los Angeles International Airport. You can also catch a shuttle from nearby Lakewood to see a concert at the Hollywood Bowl.

SPORTS EVENTS

SoFi Stadium, where the Rams and Chargers play, is in Inglewood, 20 miles northwest of Long Beach and The Intuit Dome, home of the Los Angeles Clippers, is located next door. Twenty miles to the east in Anaheim, the Anaheim Ducks take the ice at the Honda Center, and Angel Stadium is home to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. For more baseball, take the 710 freeway or the Metro A Line north to Dodger Stadium. See the Lakers, Sparks, or Kings play at the Crypto.com Arena, which is a stop on the A Line.

SURFING & HIKING

If you head out early enough in the morning, 12 of the surf spots mentioned in Surfin’ U.S.A. by the Beach Boys are within a 2-hour drive of Long Beach, from Ventura County Line to Del Mar. For surf spots close to Long Beach, many choose Seal and Sunset Beach (our nearest Orange County neighbors), and spots around the Palos Verdes Peninsula just west of Long Beach. Amazing hiking can also be found on a day trip out of Long Beach, including the Angeles National Forest in the mountains above LA, the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve, and inland Orange County, including the “Grand Canyon of Orange County,” Limestone Canyon in Irvine.

THEME PARKS

On a quiet summer night, if the wind blows in the right direction, you can hear the Disneyland fireworks in Long Beach, a reminder of the park’s close proximity to the city. Disneyland and California Adventure are about 25 miles east of Long Beach, and Knotts Berry Farm in Buena Park is just 20 miles away. Universal Studios is about 35 miles north, and Six Flags Magic Mountain is 60 miles away, but still a reasonable day trip for those who love roller coasters.

CREDIT: Happiest Place Photography
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