

Over on the Balboa Peninsula, you’ll find the lively Balboa Fun Zone amusement park, not to mention the iconic sight of Balboa Pier. Time out on the water is a popular option, whether it’s to go on a whale-watching cruise or to enjoy water sports like surfing, kayaking, and stand-up paddleboarding.

There are plenty of ways you can spend your day on a trip to this man-made island. Gabriele Maltinti / Balboa Islandĭown in Newport Beach, just a short trip from Los Angeles, lies Balboa Island, a relaxed harborside getaway. Getting there: Laguna Beach is just under an hour’s drive from Los Angeles. If you want to see the artistic side of Laguna Beach and you’re visiting in summer or winter, head for the Sawdust Art Festival to visit the local art stalls and maybe even take an art class. Even further up the coast, you’ll reach Crescent Bay Point Park, which sits atop a bluff and boasts great coastal views. Just north from there is beautiful Heisler Park, a great green space with sculptures and staircases leading down to rock pools. Start your visit down by the water at Main Beach stroll along its boardwalk or head out onto its pristine sand. Equal parts beach resort and artist colony, Laguna Beach is an enjoyable part of Orange County to spend the day exploring. Gabriele Maltinti / Laguna Beachįor a fun and scenic Los Angeles day trip, head down the coast to the seaside city of Laguna Beach. Below is a wonderfully diverse selection of destinations you can visit for the day from LA, including many of the best places to visit in California. That’s where this list of the best day trips from Los Angeles comes into play. But after a few days of sightseeing around the city, you might wonder what other places there are to visit around the area. With all there is to see and do in LA across its incredibly diverse neighborhoods, there’s little chance you’ll grow bored during your visit. Tourists from around the world travel to Los Angeles to see what this California city has to offer.
