Long Beach: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Downtown Long Beach wraps around a small harbour, and the cruise terminal sits on the far side of it, next to the Queen Mary. This route stays on foot or on short hops along the water, so it works on the afternoon before boarding or the morning after landing. Start on the ship, cross back to the Aquarium and Rainbow Harbor, and end on the bluff to the east for sunset.
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A short history of Long Beach
Long Beach was incorporated as a city in 1897 as a seaside resort. In 1921 oil was discovered on nearby Signal Hill, and the city grew rich quickly. In 1933 an earthquake struck, destroying many schools, and as a result building regulations in California were tightened. Its port, together with the adjoining Port of Los Angeles, is one of the largest in the world. Since 1967 the liner Queen Mary has been permanently moored here, serving as a hotel and museum.
The ten best sights in Long Beach
1Queen MaryThe 1936 ocean liner is now a hotel; walk the decks even if you sleep elsewhere
2Museum of Latin American ArtModern and contemporary art from Mexico to Argentina, in a compact building
3Long Beach Museum of ArtA 1912 seaside mansion on the bluff; the café terrace looks straight over the ocean
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4Rancho Los Cerritos
An 1844 adobe ranch house with a garden; free entry, check opening days
5Rancho Los AlamitosRanch house, barns and old gardens hidden inside a gated neighbourhood; tell the guard you are visiting
6Earl Burns Miller Japanese GardenA koi pond and teahouse on the Cal State Long Beach campus; a calm hour before a sailing
7Aquarium of the PacificThe big family stop of the town; buy tickets online to skip the line
8Shoreline VillageWooden boardwalk of shops and fish restaurants facing the Queen Mary across the water
9Rainbow HarborHarbour cruises and whale-watching boats leave from these docks
10Belmont PierA long fishing pier in the quieter east end; sunset walk after dinner on 2nd Street
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Long Beach →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Long Beach:
Free walking tours in Long Beach
The harbour and the old liner
Downtown Long Beach wraps around a small harbour, and the cruise terminal sits on the far side of it, next to the Queen Mary. This route stays on foot or on short hops along the water, so it works on the afternoon before boarding or the morning after landing. Start on the ship, cross back to the Aquarium and Rainbow Harbor, and end on the bluff to the east for sunset.
- Queen Mary · Cunard's liner made her maiden voyage in May 1936 and crossed the Atlantic for three decades. In the Second World War she was painted grey and carried troops, earning the nickname the Grey Ghost. She sailed into Long Beach for good in December 1967.
- Long Beach Cruise Terminal · The white dome beside the ship was built to show off Howard Hughes's giant wooden flying boat, the Spruce Goose, which was on display here from 1983 until 1992. Today the same dome is the Carnival cruise terminal.
- Aquarium of the Pacific · The aquarium opened in 1998 on the old waterfront and focuses on the Pacific Ocean, from the cold kelp forests of California to tropical reefs.
- Rainbow Harbor · Boats leave from here to watch whales in the channel off the port; grey whales pass in winter and blue whales are seen in summer.
- Shoreline Village · Shoreline Drive in front of the village is part of the street circuit of the Grand Prix of Long Beach, a race held on the city's streets every April since 1975.
- Bluff Park · The park runs along Ocean Boulevard on top of the bluff, beside the Long Beach Museum of Art, whose main building is a seaside house from 1912.
Ranchos, gardens and old California
Before the oil wells and the port, this was cattle country split into huge Spanish and Mexican land grants. Two of the ranch houses survive inside the modern city, both free to visit. Between them sit a Japanese garden, a lagoon and a museum of Latin American art, so the route tells the story of the people who shaped the town. Everything is within 20 minutes by car.
- Rancho Los Cerritos · The two-storey adobe was built in 1844 by John Temple, a New England merchant who had become a Mexican citizen to own land in California.
- Museum of Latin American Art · The museum was founded in 1996 by Robert Gumbiner and is devoted to modern and contemporary Latin American art.
- Colorado Lagoon · The lagoon is a tidal arm of Alamitos Bay, so its water rises and falls with the sea while staying calm enough for small children to paddle.
- Rancho Los Alamitos · The oldest rooms of the ranch house go back to around 1800, which makes it one of the oldest surviving buildings in the region.
- Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden · The garden opened in 1981, a gift from Loraine Miller Collins in memory of her husband, Earl Burns Miller.
- El Dorado Nature Center · The nature centre is a fenced reserve inside El Dorado Park, with dirt trails, ponds and a stream kept apart from the park's lawns and picnic areas.
The coast either side of the port
West of Long Beach the land rises into the Palos Verdes hills, with lighthouses and cliffs; east of it the coast flattens into wetlands and the surf beaches of Orange County. One day can cover both if you start at the battleship in San Pedro and finish at Huntington Beach pier for sunset. Traffic on the 405 and the 710 is the real enemy, so avoid rush hours.
- Battleship USS Iowa · The Iowa carried President Franklin Roosevelt across the Atlantic in 1943 on his way to the Tehran Conference, and a bathtub was fitted on board for him. She opened as a museum in San Pedro in 2012.
- Cabrillo Marine Aquarium · The low building of the aquarium was designed by Frank Gehry and opened in 1981, years before his titanium museums made him famous.
- Point Fermin Lighthouse · The lighthouse was first lit in 1874 and is built of wood in the Victorian Stick style, with the keeper's home and the light tower in one building.
- Point Vicente Lighthouse · The white tower on the Palos Verdes cliffs has guided ships since 1926, and the interpretive centre next door is a good spot to look for passing grey whales in winter.
- Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve · The reserve is one of the larger coastal salt marshes left in Southern California, and flat paths and bridges lead out over the water among herons, egrets and terns.
- Huntington Beach Pier · The city calls itself Surf City USA, and the US Open of Surfing is held every summer on the waves beside this pier.
Getting to Long Beach and getting around
- Long Beach Cruise Terminal · A cruise departure port: Carnival sails from the white dome beside the Queen Mary. From downtown it is about 10 minutes by taxi over the Queensway Bridge, with paid parking at the terminal. Check the ticket — some lines leave from the LA World Cruise Center in San Pedro, 15 minutes west
- Long Beach Airport · A small, easy airport about 20 minutes from the port; LAX is around 40 minutes in normal traffic
- Downtown Long Beach Station · End of the Metro A Line; light rail to downtown Los Angeles in about an hour
Cheap eats in Long Beach
Long Beach eats like greater Los Angeles: tacos, burgers and diners on every corner, with a twist of its own on Anaheim Street, where Cambodian families who arrived as refugees opened noodle shops and bakeries. Quick lunches are easy away from the waterfront, where prices jump. Tips of 15-20% are expected at any table service.
- Phnom Penh Noodle Shack · Cambodian rice-noodle soups in Cambodia Town, about $12-15
- Holé Molé · Local taco chain, cheap and quick, about $3-4 a taco
- Hof's Hut · Old-school family diner for a big breakfast, about $15-20
- The Hangar · Food hall in an old aircraft hangar near the airport, dishes about $12-18
- Rose Park Coffee Roasters · Good coffee and a pastry, about $6-10
- Tacos La Carreta · Mexican grill in north Long Beach, plates about $10-14
Museums in Long Beach
- Queen Mary · Self-guided decks and paid tours of the engine rooms and Art Deco salons
- Museum of Latin American Art · An hour of strong modern art; the sculpture garden is free to wander
- Long Beach Museum of Art · Small shows in a house on the bluff; come for the ocean view as much as the art
- Rancho Los Cerritos · Adobe rooms and a historic garden, free entry
- Rancho Los Alamitos · Ranch house, barns and gardens; free, check opening days
Nature and day trips near Long Beach
- El Dorado Nature Center · Easy shaded loop for an hour of quiet
- Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve · Free wetland walk with water birds, 25 minutes south-east
- Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden · Koi, bridges and a teahouse on campus; check hours
- Point Vicente Lighthouse · Cliff-top whale watching in winter from the interpretive centre
- Huntington Beach Pier · Watch the surfers from the pier at sunset
Things to do in Long Beach with kids
- Aquarium of the Pacific · Sharks, sea otters and a lorikeet aviary where kids feed the birds
- Cabrillo Marine Aquarium · A small, low-cost aquarium with touch pools of local sea life
- Battleship USS Iowa · Climb the decks and see the huge 16-inch guns
- Colorado Lagoon · Calm, shallow water and sand for small children
- Bixby Park · Playground and lawns a block from the beach
Where to eat in Long Beach
- Parkers' Lighthouse · Seafood in a lighthouse-shaped building, views of the lit-up Queen Mary
- L'Opera · Classic Italian on Pine Avenue, for a proper last dinner on land
- The Attic · Southern comfort food in an old house on Broadway
- Belmont Brewing Company · Beer and dinner on the sand at the foot of Belmont Pier
Frequently asked questions about Long Beach
What is there to see in Long Beach?
The top sights in Long Beach are Queen Mary, Museum of Latin American Art and Long Beach Museum of Art. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Long Beach?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Long Beach without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Long Beach?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Long Beach, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The harbour and the old liner.
How do you get to Long Beach and get around?
The main ways are Long Beach Cruise Terminal, Long Beach Airport and Downtown Long Beach Station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Long Beach, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Long Beach that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Long Beach for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.