San Diego Beaches: Coronado Central Beach
Coronado is a small town directly across the harbor from downtown San Diego. It is almost completely surrounded by ocean. The Pacific Ocean is on one side and the San Diego Bay is on the other. This makes it a beach lover’s paradise. This is our look at the prime Coronado Central beach, one of the best family beach areas in San Diego.
- Beach Type: Classic wide sandy beach
- Access: Directly from street across wide sand area
- Parking: Free street parking
- Facilities: Restroom and shower area
- Good For: Laying out in the Sun, scenery, swimming, surfing, family day at the beach
- Not Good For: N/A
Coronado is pretty much an island, except for the small strip of land that connects the city to Imperial Beach 10 miles to the south. Most people come to Coronado by crossing the iconic San Diego-Coronado bridge which was built in 1967. There is also a ferry directly connecting downtown San Diego to Coronado.
Coronado Central Beach stretches for about a mile and a half along Ocean Blvd from the Hotel Del Coronado to the north area which is dog-friendly. Much of the activity is in the several blocks close to the Hotel Del.
This beach is consistently on lists of best beaches not just in San Diego, but also the entire U.S. Coronado has a scenic small-town feel, despite being in the heart of a large urban center. Downtown is only 2 blocks from the beach. The actual beach is a huge sandy area.
For families with children, Coronado Central Beach is ideal because the surf is relatively calm. The Point Loma peninsula sits across Coronado defining the entrance to San Diego Bay. Point Loma helps block much of the rougher surf conditions.
If you are staying near downtown San Diego, Coronado Central Beach is probably the best all-around beach option, especially if you have young children. However, if you are further out, there are many other beaches that are also very nice.
A major downside to Coronado Central Beach is that you usually have to haul your stuff quite a distance. While this is true of many San Diego beaches, Coronado Central Beach is worse because there is a vast amount of sand between street parking and the ocean. Even when you find a reasonably close parking space, you still will have a haul.
If you go to Coronado Central Beach you also need to make sure you stop by and at least walk around the Hotel del Coronado. However, we caution people that at the Hotel del they may just want to look.
One downside to Coronado Central Beach is that there is limited lodging, and the surrounding area can be quite expensive. This is especially true of the Hotel del Coronado. The Hotel del is a classic that makes Coronado Central Beach special. However, if you plan to eat, drink or park at the hotel be prepared for sticker shock.
When we have guests they almost always want to go to the Hotel del Coronado (which has its own beach access). Usually we encourage them to go for a drink and then walk down to the many restaurants on Orange Avenue.
Our family lives in the north area of San Diego so we do not get to Coronado Central Beach very often. This is mainly because of logistics. If we lived closer to downtown, there is no doubt Coronado Central Beach would be our prime go-to option.
To see our guide to San Diego Beaches go here
Silver Strand State Beach is the next beach to the south
Coronado Dog Beach is directly to the north
3 Comments
Comments are closed.