Guide to Travel Malibu
Malibu, California
Malibu, California
About Malibu, California
Malibu is a small picturesque city that lies on the coast of California, USA, and due to its extremely high real estate prices, the town is home to a small population of only 13,000 mostly wealthy residents. Malibu is of course well-known for its incredibly scenic coastal bluffs that provide jaw-dropping views around every corner. Comparing it to other cities in the area, Malibu has a much more relaxed feel and surfing seems to be the order of the day. This is precisely what attracts so many celebrities, who work in Los Angeles and want a quiet place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. That being said Malibu does get busy with tourists who are road-tripping on one of the most awe-inspiring roads in the world, the Pacific Coast Highway, which runs through Malibu and provides an excellent drive up the California coastline all the way to San Francisco.
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Malibu, California
How to Get There
Map of Malibu
Malibu, California
Beaches in Malibu
Malibu has miles upon miles of splendid coastline and with that, comes a seemingly endless amount of beaches. Malibu has enough beaches to keep you busy for weeks just visiting a new one each day.
Sandy Dune - A great stop along the PCH where you can hike to the top and get some excellent shots of the Malibu coastline.
El Matador State Beach - A park that features dramatic cliffs, sea caves, rock formations, and a large sandy beach.
Leo Carillo State Beach - A beach park and campground that is a very popular spot for its excellent surfing, as well as hiking trails.
Las Tunas Beach - A popular public beach that offers good swimming, fishing, and diving. Lifeguards are on duty during the day.
Big Rock Beach - A rocky beach that is submerged in water during high tide. Named for the big rock that lies offshore. Lots of sea birds and seals are found here.
La Costa Beach - A public beach that doesn’t have any access, except for local residents.
Carbon Beach - Nicknamed “Billionaires Beach” for the extremely expensive homes that line the shores.
Malibu Surfrider Beach - A recreational beach that is a popular surfing spot because of its excellent conditions. Also features the Malibu Pier, which is excellent for fishing.
Malibu Lagoon State Beach - Located on a large sand spit where Malibu Creek exits into the Pacific Ocean. This spot boasts a beautiful lagoon that is excellent for wildlife watching.
Amarillo Beach - A public beach located along Malibu Road and below Malibu Bluffs Park. This beach is popular for surfing, scuba diving, sunbathing, and beach walking and connects to Malibu Bluffs park hiking trails.
Puerco Beach - Located between Puerco Creek and Corral Creek Bridge. in good weather conditions this beach can be a great place for snorkeling, and scuba diving.
Dan Blocker Beach - A long sandy beach that is named after television actor Dan Blocker from the TV show Bonanza.
Latigo Beach - A public beach that is 3 miles North of Malibu Pier on Latigo Shore Drive. This beach is incredibly beautiful, but has no parking, so beachgoers must park somewhere else and walk in.
Escondido Beach - A beautiful beach that is somewhat hidden from view and located at the end of a narrow access road. When translated to English “Escondido” in Spanish means “hidden”
Paradise Cove Beach - A very popular Pacific coast surf spot featuring dramatic scenery. Movies are frequently filmed here.
Little Dume Beach - A small secluded beach backed by steep cliffs. This beach is popular for its ideal surfing conditions.
Big Dume Beach - A scenic beach featuring splendid white sand and beautiful blue water.
Point Dume State Beach - A world-famous beach known for its vast, rugged coastline, and nature preserve.
Pirates Cove Beach - A hidden sandy beach situated in a small cove of Point Dume. It is well-known for being the filming location of the end of the 1968 movie Planet of the Apes with Charlton Heston.
Zuma Beach - This is one of the largest and most popular beaches in Los Angeles County. It is known for its long, wide sands and ideal surfing.
Lechuza Beach - A tranquil and lesser-known sandy beach with amazing rock formations.
Playa San Juan Leighton - Another one of Malibu’s controversial beaches, that sees local homeowners fighting the public to keep access private.
La Piedra Beach - A gorgeous beach situated right next to the popular El Matador, but much less crowded.
Encinal Beach - A beach featuring one of the most beautiful bluffs in California
El Sol County Beach - An amazing, and controversial beach that is supposed to be open to the public, but local homeowners have fought tooth and nail to keep it private,
Nicholas Canyon Beach - A large sandy beach with lifeguards. Great for swimming, surfing, and fishing. Features food trucks in the summer months.
Malibu, California
Malibu, California
Hiking Trails in Malibu
Malibu has many canyons, coastline bluffs, and majestic waterfalls which means an abundance of worthwhile hiking trails to take advantage of. There are in fact so many trails in the Malibu area that in our list we just scratched the surface.
Zuma Beach Trail - Hiking area with tremendous ocean views. Features both hiking and horseback riding trails, as well as a picnic area and outhouses.
Escondido Canyon Park - A park with a forest hiking trail that is ideal for biking and horseback riding as well. The trail leads to the gorgeous 150-ft. Escondido Falls.
Tuna Canyon Park - A 1,225-acre park that boasts scenic hiking trails that leads to panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean
Solstice Canyon - A dog-friendly hiking area that offers hiking trails of varying difficulty, plus picnic areas, a waterfall, and plenty of wildlife.
Corral Canyon Park - A peaceful 100-acre park area with an abundance of wildlife to view.
Charmlee Wilderness Park - A 532-acre public park that features convenient picnic areas, hiking trails, and an educational nature center.
Point Dume - One of the most popular attractions in Malibu. The trails offer incredible scenery and an abundance of wildflowers.
Los Lioness Trail - A hiking trail that meanders through a lush canyon covered in vibrant green ivy. The trail leads you to exquisite views of Santa Monica Bay and the vast blue Pacific Ocean.
Malibu Canyon Creek - This park provides a hike through many different environments including volcanic cliffs, babbling creeks, canyon gorges, and majestic waterfalls.
Malibu Bluffs Park - A lovely waterfront community park that boasts sports fields, a playground, hiking trails, and even a super cool whale-watching station.
Mishe Mokwa to Sandstone Peak - A 10.9-kilometer loop trail that features beautiful wildflowers and is moderately difficult. The trail is also dog-friendly if they are kept on a leash.
Paradise Falls - A hiking trail takes you to Paradise Falls, which drops 40 feet into a large freshwater pool.
Topanga Lookout Trail - Located in the Santa Monica Mountains 2,375 feet above the Pacific Ocean this hiking trail takes you to the former site of a fire tower.
Cave of Munits - A very popular hiking and rock-climbing area that features some super neat caves that offer breathtaking sunset views.
Malibu, California
Where to Stay in Malibu
Malibu is typically a playground for the wealthy and as such accommodations can be quite expensive if you’re traveling on a budget and you have camping gear, then you may want to stay in a campground like the one at Leo Carillo State Beach. Another budget-friendly option is to stay in a vacation rental, which you can easily rent through apps like Airbnb or VRBO by using our links and helping support the site at no extra cost to you.
Luxury
Malibu Beach Inn - A lovely resort located along breathtaking Billionaire’s Beach otherwise known as Carbon Beach. Being perched directly above Carbon Beach, this property offers breathtaking Pacific Ocean views to wake up to every morning during your stay.
Calimigos Guest Ranch and Beach Club - This luxurious resort is the only of its kind in Malibu as it includes a private 250-acre Ranch situated in gorgeous Malibu Wine Country. The property also includes an exclusive waterfront Beach Club for its guests.
Mid Range
Malibu Private Beach Apartments - A selection of condo units that directly overlook the beach and provide excellent views of the Pacific.
Budget-Friendly
Malibu Country Inn - A quaint and tranquil hotel that offers a quality stay for a decent price and is perfectly situated atop an oceanfront bluff. You can select rooms that offer ocean, mountain, and garden views with private patios. The property also boasts a heated pool and is only a block from the beach.
The M Malibu - A small boutique hotel, that is close to beaches, hiking trails, restaurants, and vineyards. The rooms sport modern decor and amenities while at the same time sticking to a cool tropical surf vibe.
Seafood in Malibu, California
Where to Eat in Malibu
For an incredibly unique culinary experience, we recommend using Eatwith which connects users with professional hosts who run cooking classes and workshops in Malibu and all over the world.
Obviously, Malibu has a number of excellent restaurants to choose from, and with the ocean right there the majority of them serve seafood. That being said there are plenty of different kinds of cuisine in Malibu.
Neptune’s Net - Quick Bites, American
Moonshadows - American, Seafood
Nobu Malibu - Fusion, Japanese
Malibu Farm Restaurant - American, Healthy
Malibu Farm Pier Cafe - Cafe, American
Cholada - Asian, Thai
Taverna Tony - Mediterranean, Greek
Tramonto Bistro - Italian
Casa Escobar - Mexican, Latin
Kaishin - Chinese, Asian
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