La Jolla beats Florida for best beach title
La Jolla Cove Just Got Named America's Best Beach and San Diegans Are Not Surprised
Move over, Florida. Step aside, Hawaii. Tripadvisor just announced its 2026 Travelers' Choice Awards for the world's best beaches, and sitting pretty at the top of the entire United States list is a tiny protected cove that San Diegans have known about forever: La Jolla Cove.
The annual rankings, based on millions of traveler reviews collected between late 2024 and the end of 2025, praised the Cove for its extraordinary marine biodiversity and year-round accessibility. Tripadvisor highlighted its status as a protected underwater park where visitors can encounter sea lions, leopard sharks, garibaldi fish, and even migrating gray whales just steps from shore.
La Jolla Cove beat out Clearwater Beach in Florida, Poipu Beach Park in Hawaii, and even Santa Monica State Beach, which also made the top U.S. list. Globally, Mexico's Isla Pasion off Cozumel claimed the number one spot worldwide.
For locals, this is both validating and slightly terrifying. The Cove already draws massive crowds year-round, and anyone who has tried to find parking on a Saturday afternoon in La Jolla knows the struggle. Adding a national spotlight is not going to help the situation.
Still, the recognition is well deserved. The Cove sits within the La Jolla Underwater Park and Ecological Reserve, a protected marine sanctuary established decades ago. That protection is exactly why the snorkeling is world-class and the sea lion colonies are thriving, sometimes to the chagrin of beachgoers who underestimate how loud those animals really are.
San Diego quietly stacked another win. The 858 already knew, but now Tripadvisor has made it official.
Sources: Forbes | Tripadvisor Press | PR Newswire | Focus on Travel News