What could be more serene than the sound of the surf and the pulse of the ocean in a gorgeous coastal towns in Northern California, where the climate is pretty perfect and the views are almost too good to be true?
Sure, Southern California steals the limelight a lot of the time, but these amazing coastal towns that hug the Northern California coast should absolutely be on your must-visit list. Especially during the summer months, these towns will blow you away.
If you’d like to plan a longer trip, check out our Northern California road trip itinerary, which covers a lot of ground, from beach to mountains. Tack on a few of these lovely Northern California beach towns to customize it any way you want. There are also some beautiful mountain towns, lakes, hot springs, and gold rush towns to see while you’re at it.
» Looking for more inspiration along the route? Check out all our guides to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Diego. Find the best beaches in Monterey, waterfalls in Southern California, and national parks.
Best Northern California Coastal Cities & Towns
You’ll find endless sea views in these Northern California dream towns. Here are the best briny cities along the northern coastline.
1. San Francisco
San Francisco is one of Northern California’s best beach cities (okay it’s not really a town, I admit). Surrounded by water on three sides, this peninsula has many sun-bathed beaches perfect for soaking in some rays.
It’s easy to succumb to the charm of the cable cars and architecture of the city though, so be prepared to take a lot of photos. There are dozens of things to do in San Francisco, like Fisherman’s Wharf with some of the freshest seafood and clam chowder and visiting one of the great neighborhoods like the Castro or North Beach, or spend a whole day at Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
Afterward, visit the Aquarium of the Bay and walk the 300-foot clear tunnel for a 180º view of leopard sharks, jellyfish, and 20,000 other marine creatures. To satisfy your touristy impulses, visit Alcatraz Island on a bay cruise or jump on a Hop-on Hop-off bus tour of the city.
For something a little more romantic, take a sunset cruise and enjoy panoramic views of the city lit up at dusk, with the sun setting behind the Golden Gate Bridge.
» Try this tour: Little Italy and North Beach Walking Tour in San Francisco
2. Half Moon Bay
Just a short trip from San Francisco, the city of Half Moon Bay is a nature lover’s paradise. With nine state parks to choose from, you’ll have a hard time deciding if you want to beachcomb, surf, hike, or go on a wildlife safari.
Once you’ve had your fill of nature’s beauty, take to the city and explore the adorable shops and exquisite dining options in the downtown area. I’d recommend Half Moon Bay Distillery, a small craft distillery located right on the coast.
Just outside of town is Big Basin Redwoods State Park, California’s oldest state park offers backpacking, mountain biking & other outdoor activities. If you’re up for a longer driver, Santa Cruz and Natural Bridges State Beach are only an hour away.
The city also happens to be the “World Pumpkin Capital”, and fittingly hosts the Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival every year in mid-October.
3. Fort Bragg
As you can tell by its name, Fort Bragg was once a military garrison founded in 1857. Since then, it has become a rather developed town thanks to the timber economy, with a decent assortment of restaurants and places to stay.
It’s most famous for its glass beach, where you’ll find yourself walking on rounded white, green, and amber-colored pebbles of sea-glass instead of sand. It’s certainly one of the most unique beaches on the Northern California coast.
Other highlights include the blooming-beautiful Mendocino Botanical Gardens, where you’ll find heritage roses from June to July and dahlias from August to October.
Hop aboard the Skunk Train for a ride through the majestic redwoods that cuts across Pudding Creek estuary. There are trails to be hiked and a rail bike experience to be had, so boredom won’t be an option here.
This splendid black sand beach is a great place for Whale watching. Located north of the small hamlet of Shelter Cove in a remote region of the “Lost Coast”, it’s the trailhead for the famous King Range hike. This is a day only beach, so campers will have to head for the mountains.
4. Mendocino
Mendocino is one of the most beautiful coastal towns in Northern California and it feels a world away from other posh spots on the California coast.
It’s known for the cliffside trails and beaches of Mendocino Headlands State Park, with stunning coastal scenery and Russian Gulch State Park where the 1909 Point Cabrillo Light Station is and waterfall loop trail. You’ll also want to visit Glass Beach, north of Mendocino near Fort Bragg.
The town is a perfect weekend getaway for couples looking for romance, a camping adventure, or for a girls’ weekend of wine tasting. Most of the wineries are located along Highway 128, called The Wine Road.
The coastline is dotted with natural sea caves that you can explore from a kayak. You can also visit the tidepools on land at Headlands State Park or go hiking on one of the many trails, especially the ones mentioned above. Enjoy a soak and some tranquility in the Orr Hot Springs located just outside of Mendocino.
5. Shelter Cove
Shelter Cove is another coastal California town with a unique beach view. The most prominent beach is called the Black Sands Beach, which is exactly what it sounds like. The picturesque beach is worth visiting if only to enjoy the natural black sand, but it’s also a generally quiet beach because of how small Shelter Cove is. The beach also has tidepools, which are always fun to explore to see what ocean life you can find inside them.
You can also drive or hike what’s called the Lost Coast. The Lost Coast is a range of coast outside the town which is largely undeveloped and remains very natural. It’s called The Lost Coast because the area was depopulated around the 1930s. Now it’s a place you can either drive to to see the view, or hike the trail that covers over 25 miles of the wilderness in the surrounding area.
The best time to visit is when the temperatures are neutral, between May and October but there will also be more people visiting in the summer months so keep that in mind when planning your trip.
There are also amazing opportunities for fishing and mountain biking in the area. If you like the outdoors, this is a great town to visit for all the things you can do in the wilderness.
6. Eureka
Eureka is a bigger city, above San Francisco that has a lot to offer. It’s near the Redwoods, so if you’re looking to visit those this is a great launching city. There’s plenty of things to do as far as eating, shopping, and walking around as well.
This city has a one-of-a-kind culture. In the historic waterfront district, there are a large portion of the buildings in a Victorian style, making walking around a fun scavenger hunt for cool architecture. It contains 154 buildings in a Victorian architectural style, that have been well preserved since the 1800s. These buildings now house a group of museums, shops, cafes, antique stores, and more.
If you’re looking for things to do outdoors, or natural sights to see, Eureka lies along the Redwood Highway, making it a good place to take a drive through the Redwoods. You can also go to the Sequoia Park Forest to walk among the trees, or take a picnic there and snack while enjoying the views.
Whale watching tours are also great here. Charter a boat or take a kayak tour out of Trinidad Harbor. There are also countless sites to whale watch from land. The best ones are located high on the cliffs of Shelter Cove, Sinkyone Wilderness State Park, Patrick’s Point State Park, and Table Bluff.
7. Trinidad
If you’re looking to go beach hopping, Trinidad is the perfect place. There are a lot of beaches to explore, and they range different stretches of the town, have different views, and are all around really nice beaches.
You can try them all and find your favorite beach to spend time at. The beaches also have a lot of sea stacks, which are large standing rocks that are in the ocean. This makes these beaches stand apart from some of the others in northern California.
Trinidad State Beach is the best beach in the area. It has a gorgeous view of the sunset, and has a smaller place called College Cove on the northern part of the beach. This is a more intimate and cozier atmosphere than the big beach.
Trinidad is also a huge fishing town. You can eat freshly caught fish at plenty of the restaurants in town, but you can also fish yourself. The Trinidad Harbor is a place where you can bring your own fishing gear to fish, and you can either rent a boat or bring your own boat if you have one. There’s a harborside restaurant with fresh fish that has a fish cleaning station for if you caught your own.
8. Bodega Bay
Bodega Bay is a tiny town along the coast, but the town isn’t the primary reason to visit the bay. The reason tourists and locals flock to this place is because of the scenery surrounding it.
The Doran Regional Park is a good place to start when exploring their natural world. It’s a two mile stretch of beach where people can relax. Fly a kite, walk along the coast, take a picnic, bird watch, and more in this serene park. On the northern part of the beach there’s also a trail that winds through the grassy area above the beach for a longer outing.
There’s a vineyard in the area called Sonoma Coast Vineyards that has a tasting room where you can explore the local tastes of the grapes grown and wine made in the area. Nearby is also Sonoma Coast State Park, which is a beautiful place to go camping and fishing.
There’s also a lot of places to enjoy fresh seafood from the area, such as Drakes Sonoma Coast. You can also find fresh food at the several markets in the area.
9. Stinson Beach
This is seaside beach town has a unique backstory. The town was created when the San Francisco earthquake in 1906 displaced a lot of San Francisco citizens. They left and created Stinson Beach, a town north of SF, surrounded by Mount Tamalpais.
For things to do in the outdoors, you could visit the nearby Mount Tamalpais State Park. Mainly covered in redwood and oak forests, you can walk through the park on one of its many trails while admiring the trees. You can also take a trek up the mountain that’s the namesake of the park. Mount Tamalpais is 2,571 feet tall, and at the top there’s a view of the San Francisco city and bay, the Farallon Islands, and Mount Diablo which is another mountain in the area.
You can also take to the water with surfing and kayaking, or take a hike up to Cataract Falls for the view of a rushing waterfall. Or explore the town which has plenty of shops, a couple museums, and some beautiful mansions.
10. Gualala
Gualala is a beautiful place to visit any time of year, while it’s on the normally foggy California coast but the ocean winds push away the fog. So there’s good views anytime, and it’s given Gualala the nickname “banana belt” for how sunny it is all year long.
There’s a large art scene in the area, with many people in the town making art such as paintings, sculptures, dancers, glassworkers, and more. You can see these wares in the Gualala Arts Center, which has monthly new exhibits, and the Dolphin Gallery. Gualala also homes a large performance arts scene, and there are five annual festivals that show off mixtures of different types of art. If you’re planning to visit the town, check the dates of the festivals to find a date where you can see the arts scene.
You can also hike the sand dunes in the area, at the Gualala Point Regional Park. This is a great place to explore the white sand beaches and the Gualala River. Another thing to do in the park is take a walk along the coastal bluffs. The most prominent trail in the area is called the Bluff Top Coastal Access Trail, which runs near the cliffs edge and gives a view of the coast.
11. Bolinas
Bolinas is a tiny, unincorporated town about 15 miles northwest of San Francisco. It’s sometimes referred to as a well kept secret because of how beautiful and secluded the town is.
Visit the Alamere Falls, a large waterfall that empties straight onto a beach. To get there, you must take a long hike along Palomarin Trail. It’s not for the faint hearted, as it’s a 13 mile hike roundtrip. But if you take it, and eventually get to the waterfall, it’s worth it for the view of the falls. This waterfall is a unique type of waterfall that empties directly into the ocean, making it actually a tidefall-which is the technical name for this type of waterfall.
The Bolinas Beach is also a great place to visit, as it’s a relatively small beach that isn’t often crowded. Because of the nearby Bolinas Lagoon, the waves are perfect for surfing if that’s your thing. You can also go directly to the lagoon, which is a 1100 acre lagoon that’s part of the greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.
12. Point Reyes
Located in Marin County, just 50 miles north of San Francisco, Point Reyes National Seashore is most known for the incredibly picturesque Point Reyes Lighthouse, fantastic hiking, and outdoor activities, plus the Ten Mile Beach.
There are many trails at Point Reyes National Seashore, but Tomales Point Trail should be the first you do. There are jaw-dropping views all along the route. At Point Reyes National Seashore there are lots of great beaches, but be sure to visit Drakes Beach. You can get to the beach via Drakes Beach Road, off Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.
Watch the elephant seals gather at Chimney Rock, then you can see the Point Reyes Lighthouse nearby. Rent a kayak or paddleboard so you can get a view from the water. It’s epic.
Conclusion
Whether you’re looking for beaches to hop, places to eat, forest, trails, or anything else, the Northern Californian coasts are always amazing. These versatile and beautiful places make great places to get away from the bustle of everyday life with their unique views, culture, and areas to relax and watch the sunset.
The next time you’re planning a vacation in Northern California, give some of these California beach towns a shot. You’ll soon see why everyone raves about them.
When you’re ready, head south and hit up some of the central coast beach towns, like Morro Bay, San Simeon, and Cambria.
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Laura is a travel fanatic who loves seeing and doing new things. She lives in Ventura, CA, and spends a lot of time exploring California’s cities, beaches, and national parks.