capitola city beach

It's always nice to take a break from the cold long winters. We enjoy coming to this beach especially mid week. A nice walk along the shoreline, listening to the waves, really does the soul good. The shopping center is fun to browse and enjoy all the options. We have a fav restaurant, we always try to go to while here.

On the week-ends it can get a bit too crowded, but today it was mid week and a gorgeous sunny wonderful day. Surfers and long boarders were out. We enjoyed the views. There are shops, dining, and wine bars to enjoy nearby the city beach. I liked seeing a couple of surfers carrying their surf boards on their bikes. The birds were enjoying the delightful weather also.Also in this area is part of the Sanctuary Scenic Trail, which is a 50 mile coastal trail from Santa Cruz to Monterey.We parked in the downtown area (much easier to find a spot to park mid week than on the week-ends.)

loved to walk around the town, had great meals at three local restaurants and a delicious breakfast at the hotel..

Capitola Beach is a complete experience--you can surf, swim, little kids can play safely in the shallows, and wildlife can be impressive: think dolphins, waves breaching, sea lions, the occasional sea otter, herons, pelicans (even white ones). The beach itself is probably best in off season, since it is small and parking immediately adjacent is limited. But, oh, the charm. The iconic Venetian condos and hotel, in their brilliant colors establish a quirky and somewhat European vibe. There are numerous full-service restaurants, as well as "beachy" food like hot dogs, pizza, cupcakes, and ice cream. And when you've had enough sun, just one block back are a variety of appealing shops.

This is a must visit. I used to come here often as a kid and I must say, not much has changed. Really, the only thing is that now they have a time limit and fees for parking. As you pull up and park there is an attendant that comes and marks your tires. So Beware! They are very strict about their parking! Now back to the good stuff. It is still very quaint and quite lovely to sit on the deck of one of the restaurants and have a bite to eat and some drinks. It's so relaxing. Although you can bring your dog to walk around, the restaurants don't allow your dogs on the deck. I saw people sitting on the deck by the railing/fence line to the walkway so they could be on the deck and the dog can be on the walkway. There are sweet shops for you to mosey around. The beach is pretty big and it wasn't that busy when I was there in Feb even though it was in the 70s. There are benches along the walkway for you to spend time just pondering. If you walk towards the 'end' of the beach towards the restrooms there are stairs with a lookout. This is a great place to watch the surfers. The beach had a lot of driftwood piles. This is a must visit if you are in the area, you won't regret it!

great small town beach town, both very nice and total local style.Best in off season- fog is gone in off season

Capitola Beach is clean and safe, and a pleasant place to visit.it's a great place for families! Parking near the beach can be tight, but there is a city lot up the road for a charge.

Every year I go a couple of times. Always a beautiful day and the shops around the beach are so nice. There is something for everyone.

Little town, fair size beach, pretty houses along. It was a perfect trip for Sunday. Small shops and small coffee shops too.

I did not ever want to leave! The beach was so clean, beautiful. The bathrooms were convenient and clean. I loved it here, I can't wait to go back!

Capitola Beach is nice, not the greatest beach in the area, but nice. It could definitely use a bit of a clean up. We may have come on the wrong day or something, but there seemed to be a lot of trash on the beach. Parking can quite difficult and it can get crowded here, but the close proximity of good restaurants and nice shops are definite pluses for this beach though especially as compared to others in the area. We like to come here on late afternoon/early evening of weekdays when its not crowded.

too crowded and really small, but if you want a place for kids and a close bathroom its nice. Parking is horrible!

Easy to get to, clean, long sandy area leading to the ocean, easy access to village restaurants & shops.

Capitola can be crowded in peak season but in off season it's a lovely place to visit. We had great weather and it wasn't too crowded. It was so nice to walk on the beach and the pier.

It was a great experience there was a very low tide we had fun looking at the tide pools we saw a sea otters lots of birds then walked along the cliff's to plesent point.