Must-see beach · Santa Cruz, California
Capitola Beach
Capitola Beach is a beach in Santa Cruz, California.
Capitola Beach: crowds and conditions
Typical pattern: heavy on weekends and holidays; arrive early morning. Been there recently? Post today’s status and it shows here for the next traveller.
Status options for this beach: Open, good conditions · Very crowded · Approach road bad · Closed / not accessible.
Best time to visit Capitola Beach
Season: October to March; rough seas and lifeguard warnings June to September.
Busiest days: Weekends, public holidays, Sankranti and Dasara breaks.
Crowd: Heavy on weekends and holidays; arrive early morning.
Typical week: Mon busy · Tue light · Wed light · Thu light · Fri busy · Sat packed · Sun packed.
How to reach Capitola Beach — distance from nearby cities
Coordinates: 36.97155, -121.95256. Road distances are estimates; the road-trip planner uses real routes and adds stops worth the detour.
Places to visit near Capitola Beach
- Anna Jean Cummings Park · park · Santa Cruz · ~3 km · Must-see
- S. S. Palo Alto · attraction · Santa Cruz · ~4 km · Must-see
- Seacliff State Beach · beach · Santa Cruz · ~5 km · Must-see
- Santa Cruz Anchorage · church · Santa Cruz · ~7 km · Must-see
- Giant Dipper · attraction · Santa Cruz · ~7 km · Must-see
- Undertow · temple · Santa Cruz · ~7 km · Must-see
- Valencia Lagoon · sanctuary · Santa Cruz · ~8 km · Must-see
- Santa Cruz Lighthouse · beach · Santa Cruz · ~9 km · Must-see
- Neary Lagoon Wildlife Refuge · sanctuary · Santa Cruz · ~9 km · Must-see
- The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park · sanctuary · Santa Cruz · ~11 km · Must-see
- Aptos Creek Fire Road · trek · Santa Cruz · ~12 km · Must-see
- Antonelli Pond · lake · Santa Cruz · ~12 km · Must-see
- Younger Lagoon · sanctuary · Santa Cruz · ~13 km · Must-see
- Scotts Valley Community Bible Church · church · Santa Cruz · ~13 km · Must-see
- Bigfoot Museum · museum · Santa Cruz · ~16 km · Must-see
- Felton Covered Bridge Park · park · Santa Cruz · ~17 km · Must-see
- Felton Presbyterian Church · fort · Santa Cruz · ~18 km · Must-see
- Four Mile Beach · beach · Santa Cruz · ~19 km · Must-see
Other beaches & coast near Capitola Beach
- Seacliff State Beach · beach · Santa Cruz · ~5 km · Must-see
- Santa Cruz Lighthouse · beach · Santa Cruz · ~9 km · Must-see
- Four Mile Beach · beach · Santa Cruz · ~19 km · Must-see
- Sunset State Beach · beach · Santa Cruz · ~20 km · Must-see
- Panther Beach · beach · Santa Cruz · ~24 km · Must-see
- Bonny Doon Beach · beach · Santa Cruz · ~26 km · Must-see
- Salinas River State Beach · beach · Monterey · ~32 km · Must-see
- Scott Creek Beach · beach · Santa Cruz · ~32 km · Must-see
- Point Pinos Lighthouse · beach · Monterey · ~47 km · Must-see
- Pigeon Point Light · beach · San Mateo · ~57 km · Must-see
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · © GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) · Wikidata (CC0) · Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA) · Overture Maps Foundation (CDLA-Permissive-2.0)
Frequently asked
Is Capitola Beach safe to swim today?
No visitor has reported the sea & crowd status for Capitola Beach yet. Typical pattern: heavy on weekends and holidays; arrive early morning. Busiest: Weekends, public holidays, Sankranti and Dasara breaks.
What is the best time to visit Capitola Beach?
October to March; rough seas and lifeguard warnings June to September. Heavy on weekends and holidays; arrive early morning.
What are the places to visit near Capitola Beach?
Nearby: Anna Jean Cummings Park (park, 3 km), S. S. Palo Alto (attraction, 4 km), Seacliff State Beach (beach, 5 km), Santa Cruz Anchorage (church, 7 km), Giant Dipper (attraction, 7 km), Undertow (temple, 7 km).
Is Capitola Beach worth visiting?
Capitola Beach is listed as a must-see beach in California on Spotwander.