Playa Del Rey Beach

Playa Del Ray is one of those places that you don’t really think of as a tourist destination, but it’s definitely worth a visit in my opinion, if only to see all the planes taking off from LAX.
Honestly, this place is mainly for joggers and bikers to exercise along the water. Certainly. But the attraction for me was being directly next to LAX airport and seeing all the huge and small planes coming to land and also take off. Because they just take off right across the road from the beach, the planes are extremely close and it was very cool.
The beach itself is clean and you can walk for miles, so it’s good for exercise as well. But the best aspect for me was definitely the plane spotting. It’s like those people camping out at airports, but you’re right on the ocean with sand instead of concrete and fences!

I love this beach. Rarely overcrowded, lots of free parking, volleyball nets in good condition. The patrons of this beach are mostly locals: joggers, yoga enthusiast, and strollers, lots of strollers. They are friendly and keep mostly to themselves, which are two qualities I highly value in my neighbors. Across the street is a lovely lagoon that comes off the wetlands to the north, a very nice playground, a small baseball field and a basketball court. There are plenty of trash and around so please don’t litter.

I love this little beach community right under the LAX … Most of LA is on the other side of the wetlands preserve, keeping PDR quieter than most other beaches around here. Bike path riding, people watching, coffee and food nearby in abundance. I’ll be back next holiday season!

This beach was stunning and I loved how quiet it was here. I went here for a fun little mini shoot and the timing couldn’t be more perfect. The overcast of the clouds and beautiful sunset made picture taking so much easier for the photographer since it was pretty empty.
If you’re looking for a hidden gem away from the crowd, this is that beach! Both sand and water was absolutely clean!

I only went here once while running. I recently moved to the area and live up by Lincoln. I ran down Manchester to Pershing to Culver, which dumped me at the beach. Great reward at the end of my run! I definitely want to go back one day to actually enjoy the beach. It was kind of early in the morning, so of course the beach was not crowded at all. I’m sure though it wouldn’t be that crowded even during the day as it is not a «major» beach. Which is perfect I think because you don’t have to deal with a bunch of tourists! The only downside is there are a couple flight paths over the beach which can damper the peacefulness of the beach. Overall, seems like a great beach if you want to get away from the crowds.

I absolutely would love to live here permanently. This beach is definitely one of my favorite beaches along the strand. So many great places to drink and eat a few steps inland and totally biker friendly. Best way to enjoy this area is via bicycle so get out your cruiser (or I prefer a bike with gears) and make the short treck out to this gorgeous and less crowded beach. Love this area!

I have been coming to this beach for about 8 years now. I must say maybe one of the less crowded than most. If you are not big on crowds and annoy just relaxing his beach is for you. Very rarely you will find loud music or any other type of loud noises at this beach. There is plenty of room and best of all, the restroom is located close and they are usually pretty clean. They’ve maintained this beach somewhat of a small hangout for locals with very few visitors from far. I would recommend to all.

We discovered this beach on accident on Unilocal and I must say that I love this beach! We had the best time here on Saturday. The weather was perfect and the ocean was as blue as the sky. My friend and I laid out for about an hour and just hung out listening to music and watching the soothing waves. The beach is pretty clean but it did get crowded pretty quickly. After laying out, my friend and I went to go rent some beach cruisers and rode along the beach on the bike/​walking path. It was beautiful and definitely stress-​relieving.

This is probably the closest beach to me and it’s nice during the week or in evenings to take a walk, but I don’t recommend it on weekends because there’s really not much parking. The beach itself is smaller and there’s not a ton around in terms of food and stuff. There isn’t a boardwalk so if you’re looking for a real SoCal beach scene I’d recommend the South Bay or heading close by to Venice or the south part of Santa Monica Beach. But this is still a great place for sunsets and beach walks, just without all the hoopla that the bigger beaches offer.

A really nice beach to just chill! Not too much exciting here, but it was nice to spend the day tanning :)
We ended up walking into town to have dinner, and waited over 30 mins for a cab, but it never showed… Definitely not a «touristy» area.

Love coming here during non-​peak season, I get the whole beach to myself, read a good book and get to watch the waves crash down onto the sand, so relaxing. Parking is usually easy to find. Bike riding is highly encouraged because it’s just so beautiful riding through. Great place to people watch or just have some «me» time.

Ahhh, the beach. Fewer places bring me the type of relaxation laying in the sand and listening to the ocean break against the shore does. There are some beaches that aren’t very clean or are over crowded with tourists or weirdos, but Playa Del Rey is not one of them. I will guess mostly because it’s off the beaten path and can be a bit tough to get to.
I hit up this beach all summer (ditched my usual Will Rogers as I have friends in this area and timed it out to be a faster commute than W.R.) Parking isn’t too bad. There’s a park near the main Lifeguard tower/​bathroom area and there’s parking in the lots and all around the park. It’s an easy and non-​hilly walk which is wonderful when the kiddos are in tow. There’s some restaurants within walking distance of the main area of the beach and not a lot of traffic as there aren’t any many roads, blvds, or highways.
Bathrooms are sorta meh, but at least they have them and the outdoor shower area is roomy. They have bike paths that go through the whole beach area and I haven’t encountered any jerks so far. There’s also a lot of volleyball nets set up behind the bathroom and they have a pedestrian/​biker walkway all the way from the street to the bathrooms which is really helpful.
My only complaint, this beach has a lot of tar in the sand (I think that’s what it is) and I’m not sure what that’s from. I also feel like there’s a lot of garbage that seems to be in the sand like it comes and goes with the tide or something? I see that trucks have come through there that apparently sweep it, but I haven’t noticed it being super clean. I feel like I’m often telling my kids not to touch stuff. It’s weird cause the water is so clear and beautiful looking so I’m not sure what that’s from.
Anyhow, still a great place to unwind after a hard week and enjoy a little down time with the family. Looking forward to Memorial Day when beach season starts once more!

Walking hereabouts be wary of the stray biker or boarder blaring musack from I’m not sure what these days, IPod, boom box etc. they don’t seem terribly concerned about avoiding pedestrians or right of way. But hey, I know. It’s the beach, so chill.
Update: Went too close to the water, cell phone took a half-​gainer into the Ocean Blue. Used alcohol to displace the salt water, and dried in the sun (rolled up car windows) Voila! Almost good as new… it just turns itself off randomly, won’t take a full charge, can’t receive email anymore, or take pictures, um and oh yeah, when I call people they can’t make out what I’m saying. Other than that, poifect!

Kind of a hidden gem. Less known than it’s counterparts north and south, this place is for the locals. My friend has an apartment here, so we just walked out onto the beach, which is a great bike path. The beach itself is shallow but there are a decent number of sunbathers. You can see the Marina on the right, plenty of boats on the water, and some factories further south near Manhattan. But overall, it’s still a nice place to spend a hot afternoon. You won’t find too many tourists here.
One interesting thing here is that you will see (and hear) many planes taking off over Dockweiler Beach, which is just to the south of this establishment. Right off the beach are many small restaurants where you can grab brunch and coffee.

The only boat I could ever afford
is washed up on the Playa shore.
Quite the volleyballer’s delight,
it’s serene and calm at twilight.
That salty sea air and the sand in my toes
are the greatest comforts that my heart knows.
As the waves gently wash over the shore
I’m glad it’s my new beach, right next door.

On a Warm Friday afternoon this place is surprisingly barren. You go down south a couple of miles and it’s hopping. In the summer the waves are as flat as the sand and if you’re looking for quiet and a small expanse of ocean, this isn’t so bad.

The great thing about this beach is that is not as crowded as others. So there’s plenty of room that no one is eavesdropping on your conversations.
Since it is a smaller beach, parking spots may fill up quickly since it’s free. The sand is not as smooth especially near the waves. There are small shell bits and a few rocks. However, it’s a good beach if you want to lay out or just relax.
I will definitely be back.

4 Stars is more for what this place does to my soul. I come here early in the mornings or later when the crowds have dissipated.
What you need to know: 1. parking is tuff unless you come here at unconventional times. 2. Water is ok not as clean as Manhattan or Malibu. 3. Cleanliness needs to improve.
Why I like it so much: it’s my Bible, my chair, my coffee, and God. Nature right in front of me. The power of the ocean at my feet, the strong but comforting breeze reassures me that My creator is all Mighty. If you are taking meds for depression or a behavioral condition, I recommend adding this place to your treatment. Blessings :-)

Great beach and it’s never over crowded. It’s as if the Playa Del Rey beach is still unknown in LA and no one from other cities comes to visit. I live in Playa and love how secluded the beach is. Even over the holiday weekend it wasn’t too crazy. I think most people visit Venice and Santa Monica because those beaches are much more touristy.
If you want a nice relaxing beach experience then you should visit Playa Del Rey. Just down the street on Culver blvd there are a lot of cute restaurants and beach bars to check out. Great area!

This is by far my favorite beach — free of fuss, available parking, calm and serene. My favorite beach to go to if I want to have a relaxing time. There’s a bike/​foot path that seems to stretch for miles if you want to take a walk but don’t want to end up with sand in your toes. There’s even a park nearby for kiddies and dogs to enjoy.
Definitely come here if you want to beach it up without all the foot traffic and distractions that Venice or Santa Monica seem to have.