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Newport Beach is located on the Balboa
peninsula. The peninsula is accessible from the Pacific Coast Highway
(PCH) or you can take the more adventurous route by cutting across Balboa
Island and taking the ferry over. The fare is only 60 cents per person
one way and $1.50 per car.
Balboa peninsula is part of the city of Newport. It is a hip and cool
beach town with trendy cafes and an ample amount of surf shops.
There are rental stores along many of the side streets which offer;
rollerblades, beach cruisers, tandem bikes and surfboards. |
The beach
offers a small-scale surf break for
tourists and children. It is rarely surf able, but a fun and mellow
place to try out surfing
for the first time.
Don’t miss out on The Fun Zone; a famous amusement park attraction
on the Balboa peninsula. It is pretty hard to miss the bright lights
of the Ferris wheel, the loud crashes of the bumper cars and the strong
smells of popcorn and cotton candy.
You can escape the carnival-like attraction by hanging out at the beach
across the street.
The summer is the best time to visit Newport Beach. The beach crowd
is relatively
small because the peninsula is located somewhat off the beaten track.
So you can enjoy the summer sunshine and the long sandy beach, without
the typical Southern California beach traffic. The car traffic is minimal,
which makes for great bike travel. This is an ideal place for cycling
and skating. Balboa peninsula has a lengthy bike trail, which extends
around most of the peninsula. Riding along the boardwalk is fun and
a great way to check out some of the most expensive real estate in Southern
California. Many of the houses on the boardwalk are summer rentals,
so if you have the extra cash it is a nice way to experience living
life on the beach.
Unfortunately there are no picnic tables, so bring a beach blanket or
choose from the
abundance of restaurants and food vendors close to the beach. The bathrooms
and
playground area sit south off the pier, along with a large grassy area
for recreational
sports like soccer, or football.
There is fishing off either of the two piers and a handful of places
to purchase bait or rent fishing gear and sinks available to clean your
catch of the day. Kayaking is also a popular past time, as the peninsula
is fun to explore. Kayak rentals are also available on the boardwalk
or in the harbor.
- No dogs (9am-5pm)
- Parking (50 cents every 20 minutes or $8 dollars a day). Larger vehicles
pay more.
- No glass containers/no alcoholic beverages
- No fires (Bonfires are permitted in designated fire rings only)
- No vehicles on the beach
- No camping
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