Hidden Gem: Victoria Beach in Laguna Beach, CA

Laguna Beach. home to some of the most beautiful Southern California beaches you can see, and Victoria Beach is one of them. Nestled between cliffs and upscale beach homes, Victoria Beach is one of the hidden gems of Orange County. Many refer to this beach as Rapunzel's Castle or a Pirate Tower beach. And as you can see, it really could be called those.

Last week, the boys and I decided to have sunset picnic on Victoria Beach. What a special evening it was to enjoy the magical landscape and candy coated sunset over the Pacific waters.

Directions to Victoria Beach

Victoria Beach is located on Victoria Drive, off of Pacific Coast Highway. The entrance is not the easiest to spot. It is surrounded by gated homes and private beach mansions. So here is a photo of the entrance you need to look for. A small steep staircase on the beach side of Victoria Drive.

The Address to Victoria Beach in Laguna

The address to the stairway entrance is 2713 Victoria Drive, Laguna Beach.

What about parking at Victoria Beach

And parking? Yes, it is very scarce! You may be lucky enough to find a parking space between all the houses along Victoria Drive...but be careful you aren't blocking driveways and garages. Most likely you'll have to park on Pacific Coast Highway and walk down.

Luckily, my hubby dropped us off at the entrance, and went off to search for parking on his own.

What to Expect

Once you've parked and found the entrance, you will have to walk down multiple flights of stairs to the beach. It's not a horrible hike down...but it's also not the easiest especially if you have a baby or toddlers.

However, the walkway and stairs are paved and nicely kept...so that's a plus! 

When you reach the bottom, you will see a small white sand beach. I'm sure it gets crowded at times, especially during the day, but it wasn't too crowded the evening we went.

P.S. There isn't bathroom access or lifeguards at Victoria Beach.

How to Find the Pirate Tower at Victoria Beach

To get to the "castle", you need head to the right and walk around the cliff to the North. This is where you will see the Pirates Tower..or Rapunzel's Castle...or whatever you want to call it.

A fantastic rustic castle-looking rocket structure nestled up to one of the Laguna Beach cliffs.

So what is the deal with this tower?

This structure, is a 60-foot castle-inspired tower that was built in the 1920's along with the house at the top of the bluff. The tower has a staircase inside that was used to get down to the beach.

It's made of poured concrete, and has an ocean stone foundation. The cone-shaped roof is made of shingles. there are several narrow window openings in the tower wall that allow light to pass through to the wooden spiral stairway inside.

What is the history of this so called Pirate Tower?

The home located above the tower is known as the “Norman House”, and it and the tower are landmarks of Laguna Beach. They were built for the wealthy, California State Senator William Edward Brown and his family as a summer home. many Americans who spent time in France during WWI were inspired by the chateaus and castles. Many of them built homes during the 1920s that would emulated these chateaus and castles. the Norman House is one of the few remaining examples of this on the oceanfront of Southern California.

Just a few yards south of the tower, you will see a circular concrete structure that was once a seaside pool. It's now filled with sand, but you can still see the basic outline where the pool once was. kids can run and play here as the waves crash around it.

this is the view from the tower looking to the south. if you look closely, you can see the circular pool structure.

Exploring Victoria Beach is always a lot of fun. Not just the tower, but also the beach, circular pools and tide pools.

Is Victoria Beach Dangerous?

Just like any beach, the ocean can be dangerous. Not only do you have to worry about that at Victoria Beach, there are also a lot of rocks around the area. The tide was in on the evening we visit, so the water was kind of rough. I had to keep a close eye on all the boys to make sure they were safe from the water. But that didn't stop us from having fun

I highly recommend visiting Victoria Beach in Laguna Beach. It's always a treat to check out the different hidden gems we have in Orange County as well as the beauty of our beaches. Victoria Beach will not disappoint.