La Jolla Cove is the best beach in the country, Tripadvisor says

Last Updated on February 27, 2026

The Tripadvisor 2026 Travelers’ Choice Awards ranking moves La Jolla Cove up three spots; The Cove is also at No 7 worldwide.

The reviews are in, and they’re glowing: La Jolla Cove Beach is now the best beach in the country, according to the Tripadvisor 2026 Travelers’ Choice Awards “Best of the Best Beaches” list for the US.

The Cove is also ranked No 7 worldwide.

It’s a move up: La Jolla Cove was fourth out of the top 25 beaches nationwide last year and the fifth best beach in 2024.

Celebrating “the highest level of excellence in travel,” the Best of the Best is awarded to beaches with a high volume of superlative reviews and opinions from the Tripadvisor community over a 12-month period.

La Jolla Cove, with its 13,847 Tripadvisor reviews, is a “scenic beach where blue-green waters meet dramatic cliffs,” the travel site writes, popular with surfers, sea lions and more.

The only other California beach to break the top 10 this year was Santa Monica State Beach in ninth place (up from spot 18 last year).

© lajolla.ca

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Elisabeth Frausto

Elisabeth Frausto has been reporting on and writing about La Jolla since 2019. With dozens of local and state journalism awards to her name, Elisabeth knows the industry as well as she knows her community. When she’s not covering all things 92037, you’ll find her with coffee in hand staring at the sea.

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