This California Beach Village Is Made for Strolling

Hugging a spacious cove along the Central Coast of California, the colorful village of Capitola is perfectly suited for a casual stroll. Often considered one of California's oldest seaside resort towns, it offers a wooden wharf, waterfront walkway, shop-lined downtown, and a postcard-worthy beach, all within a short walk of each other. You won't miss your car in this seaside village, so park somewhere up on Cliff Drive and set out on foot for a lovely day around sunny Capitola.

Capitola Wharf

Ditch your car in a parking spot on Cliff Drive, and begin walking down the hill until reaching Wharf Road (the last right before crossing Soquel Creek). If you stick to the right side of the road on the way down, you will almost immediately spot the lengthy wharf and know exactly where to aim for. The wide and populated beach might also act as a magnet, but we'll get there soon enough.

Wandering out onto the wooden wharf, you will have the chance to talk with local fishermen and fellow morning walkers, spot the handful of boats in Soquel Cove, take in the dramatic cliffs to the west, and get your first glimpse of the multicolored, beachside Venetian homes to the east.

Capitola Beach

Capitola Beach runs right under the wharf and continues a good distance in the opposite direction, past the mouth of Soquel Creek. It might look incongruous on the map, but the creek tends to pool well before reaching the shoreline, creating both a generous walkway for barefoot strollers and a flat playground for paddleboarders.

When you reach the lifeguard tower, turn around for a full view of the Mediterranean-style Capitola Venetian Hotel. These boutique accommodations, built in the 1920s, light up the shore in a way no other California beach town can quite match. Having reached the restaurant patios on the east side of Capitola Beach, it's time to slip those sandals back on and join the Esplanade.

Esplanade

Capitola's Esplanade allows walkers to stay in beach-mode while also regaining stable footing. This open-air walkway transitions from the commercialized street bearing the same name, through the shading trees of Esplanade Park, and to the Bandstand Pavilion, which, if you stroll through in the summer, is bound to have festivities underway.

Proceeding beyond the pavilion, you will find an additional paved walkway that extends to another set of sheer Pacific Ocean cliffs. Watch the whitecaps pool and shorebirds frolic for a few moments, and then double back that quarter-mile or so toward downtown Capitola.

Capitola Avenue

To reach Capitola's namesake thoroughfare from the Esplanade, head north on Monterey Avenue for two blocks and then turn left. Here you will find the village's commercial core. Lined with cars and a steady flow of fellow pedestrians, Capitola Avenue offers a welcome injection of beach-town energy. This is where walkers with a flair for shopping can sift through racks of board shorts and swimsuits, sunglasses and seashell crafts, and even indulge their sweet tooth.

On the north side of Stockton Avenue (an extension of Cliff Drive), Capitola Avenue quiets down, introducing a couple of wine bars, a collection of low-key restaurants, the Capitola Tap House, and the cottage-style Capitola Historical Museum, all viable mid-walk stops.

Downtown Nooks And Crannies

One of the subtler pleasures of exploring Capitola on foot is the chance to discover quiet alleyways, clusters of shops beyond the main drags, and second-floor establishments hiding in plain sight. For instance, between the avenues of Monterey, Capitola, and San Jose, the criss-crossing pathways called "Lawn Way" run past an enclave of historic cottages painted in a range of solid colors.

For a break from the midday sun, you might also want to visit the Capitola Village Mercantile. This mix of gift shops and eateries can be accessed from San Jose Avenue and exited on the creek side of Esplanade (or vice versa). If you follow this route, you'll arrive at another worthwhile stop: Mr. Toots Coffeehouse.

You may have to walk back and forth a few times to find the entrance to this second-floor cafe (hint: it's the narrow doorway underneath Margaritaville), but the extra effort is worth the payoff. The interior is cozy if you are still wanting a break from the sun, but if you can snag one of the few spots on the creek- and beach-facing patio, then, coffee or pastry in hand, you will have a strong send-off for your Capitola stroll.

Cruising Santa Cruz

If Capitola pulls you in (which it tends to), you can replicate this stroll just ten minutes up the road in the surf town of Santa Cruz. Like Capitola, Santa Cruz has a pedestrian-friendly wharf (this one lined with seafood restaurants up top and crowds of barking sea lions below) that runs perpendicular to a sandy beach and boardwalk. Santa Cruz Beach is quite a bit bigger than Capitola, and its boardwalk passes through an entire amusement park with carnival games and roller coasters. At the far end of the beach, you can join the Santa Cruz Riverwalk, or head west on Cliff Drive (sound familiar?) to visit the overlooks at Lighthouse Field State Beach and the exhibits at the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum.

In short, Santa Cruz takes the framework of Capitola and scales it up. If you prefer high energy and more attractions, Santa Cruz works. But if quieter pleasures and a compact footprint are more your speed, Capitola still claims the top spot.

Stroll-a Capitola

California's landmark beach village of Capitola is one of the highlights of the Central Coast. Its rainbow visage, mixed-medium walkways, and tastefully developed downtown set a stage that is best experienced on two feet and without a time limit. So if you find yourself in the Bay Area this season craving that Golden State beach feel, chart a course for Capitola.