Balboa Pier

Absolutely loved spending Sunday afternoon on the pier and at the beach. We live in Las Vegas and so seeing the ocean was amazing for us! We were on the pier for a good hour just soaking up the sun and enjoying the view. We assumed the water would be freezing but decided to go down to the beach anyway and ended up playing for way longer than we expected to! We had so much fun just walking around in the sand and getting our feet wet. Definitely a fun afternoon during our vacation.

Just made it to balboa pier, real nice. People out enjoying the beach here. No surfers but again no waves here

Beautiful and fun! Gorgeous scenery a cute park love the waves and sunset on the mountains. The whole area is amazing! A must visit if you’re in the area.

The only reason we came here was because PCH was closed to Huntington Beach. We had to detour way out of our way. We decided to make a go of our morning here in Newport. Sadly it cannot compare to Huntington Beach pier. This is basically a fishing pier with an over abundance of swarming birds. The little surrounding area is also not very nice. We will stick with Huntington Beach and Seal Beach.

Beautiful place by the beach, amazing sunsets and small town feel. Love fishing here, you can catch perch, bonito, macks, even a barracuda or yellowtail sometimes

When I lived in Newport Beach, I used to bike down to Balboa Pier from my apartment. The boardwalk runs along the beach and is great for bicyclists, runners, or walkers. The Balboa Pier is one of many piers along the beach but this one has a Ruby’s Diner at the end in case the salty sea air makes you hungry. The view is gorgeous on a clear day. You could have a bonfire nearby, a picnic, or just hang out on the sand to watch the waves. Parking nearby is metered but if you park after 6 pm, parking is free. No dogs are allowed at this beach.

The only reason I’m giving it 3 stars is because of the 2 hour drive it took to get there. Balboa Pier is a beautiful, well preserved pier & location.

Fantastic and beautiful beach. Neat little town as well.

Out in the open, with nice weather, I find the Balboa Pier to be a very nice place to hang out. Many times I have come here to go fishing.
The Pier goes pretty far out into the ocean, giving you a very beautiful view of the endless blue ocean. Sometimes you are lucky enough to get a good glimpse of the ocean life that will come to the surface.
During California’s endless heat wave, you will find that it does get crowded at times, even the times when children should be in school. Be prepared to have some difficulty finding a packing place.

Out of the three local beaches I normally frequent (Newport, Corona del Mar and Balboa), Balboa is definitely my favorite. It’s not as busy as the others and you can comfortably find your own place to seclude yourself and enjoy some nice time under the sun!
The Balboa Pier area is super cute. It’s a lot calmer than Newport, which tends to have a lot of business from young adult folk and surfers in the area. There’s also a bar scene and plenty of businesses over there. Balboa Pier has nice food spots and a generally calmer atmosphere. It definitely feels a lot cleaner and well-​maintained. There’s kid spots, a Fun Zone and a nice promenade to walk. And, I feel like the view here is so much more gorgeous! Newport tends to be more congested. Corona del Mar has smores pits and a generally more open plain beachside, which makes it harder to find your own personal seclusion place.
Living in Orange County from UCI for the past four years, the general vibe and atmosphere at Balboa is LOVELY. The sun shines just a little more vibrant; the atmosphere seems nicer and calmer; and lots of little shops to check out. I definitely prefer it here to lay out on the beach, grab a book, and soak up the sun.

A great pier for tourist !! Hotels and all sorts of snack shops locally. Two different piers and a variety of restaurants, snack shops, rentals, and souvenirs !

We had a fabulous time at our team building challenge at Balboa Pier. The day was beautiful and sunny. The people were lovely.

+ One of the cleaner beaches in the Orange County
+ Not as packed as other piers for fishing
+ Well maintained beach!
+ Nice swells/​waves
— Parking can get sucky and hard to find
Came here to fish for the first time over this past weekend, it was great! Besides the California rain kicking us out, my buds and I had a blast fishing out here. We caught a lot of mackerel, others caught some Barracuda. This place is pretty cool, the water is much more cleaner/​clear than say. Huntington. The pier on this side of the beach isn’t as packed as its counterpart, Newport Pier.
There’s also a Ruby’s Diner at the end of the pier if you’re hungry/​thirsty and want something before walking back. The pier isn’t too long, but still gives some nice views of the coastline. I’d recommend coming here if you’re looking to chill and hang out.

There is plenty of parking, so you must spend time on Balboa Island. Lots of little shops with nice merchandise to buy souvenirs from, great little places to munch on or lots of ice cream places to grab something cold.
This is a fun place for the entire family and is withing and around a few blocks away from the beach! You will always find people fishing and walking on the pier. This pier gives you the open space to observe and absorb the view of the water, mountains and Palm trees.
Very nice calm place to enjoy and check out.

This has got to be one of the most gorgeous places in the country. To me the place I never want to leave. If I ever hit the lottery the big one. I would be moving close to here.
My happy place it is so beautiful here and the pier is amazing. A great place to people watch and bask in the glorious sun. There are always lots of people fishing and a great place to pack a lunch and chill on the beach. At the end of the pier there is the famous and nostalgic Ruby’s which I’ve never tried but would like to but, have heard it’s not so great.
Across the way there is all kinds of bars and restaurants and a ton of boutiques and sun and surf wear shops, as well as an arcade and ferris wheel.
There is also a ferry that will take you over to Lido island for even more shopping, people watching and restaurants. so much to do if I could somehow click my heels and just be there how sweet it would be.
Damn I really need to hit the lottery.

Gorgeous place. I loved how clean the beach was and it wasn’t too crowded like other beaches in the area. The pier is smallish but still very beautiful and worth a little stroll.

This pier may not be as long as most piers along the coast but it’s still great. You get wonderful views of the coast. It’s worth a stop if you’re in Newport Beach.

Lowdown:
Great socal pier!
Worth the 10 min drive away from crowded Newport Beach pier.
Ruby’s dinner at the end of the pier for a great burger or shake ($ 5) with a million dollar view
Keep an eye out for local fisherman (fishing off the pier) surfers in the water and wildlife in the ocean!
Close to restaurants like Cabo Cantina and Bj’s for a drink /​meal (no ocean view)
Paid parking lot at the base of the pier.
* BRING A JACKET — usually windy

Beautiful pier.
Make sure to make the drive up and see the Newport Pier as well.
Parking is free after 6PM. Lots of great people watching and photos to be taken here.
If you’re splitting your evening, make sure to allocate over a hour at the Newport Pier. There is more there than there is here.

Great for people-​watching because it’s a mix of residents (some homeless looking people, too) fishing and visitors, like us– out-​of– towners. Go to the end of the pier, but watch for fish lines and do watch your step, ’cause you might just step on fish guts or bird poop on the floor. This area’s very dirty. The sink to clean the fish, is so gross. Ok, to see this once, is fine, but heard that the other pier is more family-​friendly.
About the beach nearby, looked like lots of people were having fun; noticed lots of couple and families. Also, there are restaurants (try local favorite– frozen bananas) on the street side, and bike rentals (both peds and cyclists share the trails), so lots of activities besides being in the water. Looked like there were many beach house rentals, as well, too.
Hubby also noted that if there were sharks, they’d be under the pier, so don’t go swimming there.