Things to do in La Jolla: Sea Cliffs, Tide Pools and Ocean Views
A simple guide to La Jolla's coves and beaches, a famous pine reserve, an ocean aquarium and an oceanfront art museum.
8 Oct 2026
La Jolla is a coastal neighborhood of San Diego, about 12 miles north of downtown. It has around seven miles of Pacific coastline, running from Pacific Beach in the south to Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve in the north. Sea cliffs, kelp forests and ocean science give the place its character. Here are the sights that last.
Beaches and the cove
La Jolla Cove is the most talked about spot. It is the most popular tourist destination in La Jolla, a beach for swimming, scuba diving and snorkeling set against sea cliffs.
Above the cove sits Ellen Browning Scripps Park. This 5.6 acre park is on top of a bluff. Its main lawn is a little over twelve feet above three separate beaches, and a path rings the grass. The park runs from the cove east to Shell Beach, with about 1,500 feet of shoreline, and you reach the beaches by stairs and ramps. It was renamed in 1927 for Ellen Browning Scripps, a journalist and philanthropist.
La Jolla Shores, to the north, has some of the gentlest waves of any beach in San Diego. That makes it a calmer pick.
Windansea Beach is a surf spot with sculpted rock formations. Marine Street Beach is popular for body surfing, with rough conditions. Torrey Pines State Beach, farther north, has cliffs and is used for surfing and body boarding.
Marine life in the area includes gray whales, dolphins, California sea lions, harbor seals and kelp forests.
Torrey Pines
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve protects the Torrey pine, which is the rarest pine in the country. The reserve is about 2,000 acres. It has hiking trails, beach access and a pueblo style visitor center built in 1923. It is also one of the last salt marshes and waterfowl refuges in Southern California.
Dogs are not allowed. The reserve can close for months at a time for building work. Check the California State Parks page before you go.
Nearby, the Torrey Pines Gliderport is where people learn hang gliding.
Museums and science
Birch Aquarium at Scripps is the public center for Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. It sits on a bluff above the Pacific and shows research from Scripps scientists through hands on exhibits. It has ocean species displays, kelp tanks and tide pools. Scripps Institution of Oceanography was founded in 1903 and is one of the oldest oceanographic institutes in the country.
The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego has a three acre oceanfront setting in La Jolla. It began in 1941 as the La Jolla Art Center. Its collection holds more than 5,700 works. Part of the museum is in Ellen Browning Scripps' 1915 home.
The Athenaeum Music and Arts Library is a nonprofit that hosts exhibitions, concerts and lectures. The La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 and now has three theaters on the UC San Diego campus.
Other places to see
Mount Soledad, east of La Jolla, is a hilltop with wide views and a popular place to watch the sunset.
On the UC San Diego campus, look for Geisel Library, which has a bold concrete design that looks a bit like a giant UFO. The campus also has a Stonehenge sculpture and a statue called SunGod.
The Salk Institute is a modern concrete building perched above the ocean. Early morning tours are offered, so check ahead if you want to see it up close.
For families
Birch Aquarium is the most natural family stop. It has kelp tanks and tide pools, and it is set up for hands on learning. The aquarium welcomes more than 40,000 school students every year.
La Jolla Shores and its gentle waves are the beach most often suggested for first time swimmers. Ellen Browning Scripps Park gives children a wide lawn to run on above the water.
When it rains
Pick an indoor day. Birch Aquarium, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Athenaeum and the Geisel Library are good choices. The museum and the aquarium also have ocean views, so even a gray day feels like La Jolla.
Getting around
The main sights fall into areas, from the village and the cove in the middle to Torrey Pines in the north and the UC San Diego campus inland. Distances between them add up, so plan your day by area instead of jumping back and forth.
Good to know
The cove, the park and the village are close together. Start there.
La Jolla Shores is the calmer beach. Windansea and Marine Street have rougher water.
Dogs are not allowed in Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve.
The coast here has sea lions, seals and kelp. Look but keep a respectful distance.
Black's Beach is reached by clifftop paths, so read local signs before heading down.
Find local businesses
Visiting La Jolla or living nearby? The San Diego guide lists local businesses that serve La Jolla and the neighborhoods around it. Browse the guide to see who is close to you.
Useful links
Businesses in La Jolla in the San Diego guide
About La Jolla: the town at a glance
Own a business in La Jolla? Claim or add your listing, free
By Thomas Hassett and Eric Andrews, Local Business America
Photo: Dirk Hansen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources: Wikivoyage, "La Jolla" (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/La_Jolla); Wikipedia, "La Jolla, San Diego" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Jolla,_San_Diego); The Cultural Landscape Foundation, "Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Park" (https://tclf.org/ellen-browning-scripps-park); California State Parks, "Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve" (https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=657); UC San Diego, "Birch Aquarium at Scripps" (https://aquarium.ucsd.edu/about); Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, "About" (https://mcasd.org/about). Wikivoyage and Wikipedia text is available under CC BY-SA.