Super nice beach up by bodega bay with plenty of space to roam around and find seashells and live mussels! It's a bit of a decline going to the beach from the parking lot, so be weary with littles! read more

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Portuguese Beach is definitely a must see. I visited a few years ago and was very impressed with it. It has some amazing rocks in the water and to see the water and waves hit thos tall rocks is a magical experience. It has a lot of multi colored pebbles ! That was amazing, I never saw soooo many colored pebbles and colored rocks before, it is absolutely a magical beach. The road to get there was a lot of fun as well, very curvy. read more

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This was a nice little stretch of beach! From the large parking lot, you get a beautiful view of the coastline & large rocks. There are several picnic tables available, & I saw restroom facilities as well. Descend to the beach via a path of narrow steps. The beach has sandy & pebbly textures. The pebbles are colorful & little one enjoyed sorting through them. It was easy to find a nice clean area to situate ourselves & enjoy our time. Getting up & down the steps keeps the beach from being accessible to everyone, & I'm glad we didn't encounter having to get by anyone. read more

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Portuguese beach is beautiful just make sure to bring a jacket and warm clothes it gets cold. There is a bathroom and it was clean. The only thing is that you can't swim or go into the water because of the rip tides. The other thing is that there is a climb to go down and get back up to the parking area and the bathroom. There is one side with stairs and there is another that just has rocks and sand. Not the best beach for people that have a hard time climbing. Dogs are welcomed to come on a leash our corgi loved it. Parking area is small but there is no fee to park there. read more

Portuguese Beach - Beaches Near Me - Bodega Bay, California

THIS BEACH IS A DEATH TRAP. DO NOT TAKE YOUR DOGS TO THIS BEACH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my sister's dog got swept out by a sneaker wave and the dog drowned. On average one person drowns every year from bodega bay to goat rock. This beach is one of the most dangerous. DO NOT GO EVER! seriously. Doran is the only safe beach, especially during big swells. The county needs to do something about this! Stay safe. read more

Aaaww, Bodega! It doesn't get any better than that. Bodega Bay beaches just do something for me. I truly adore them. If you've driven down highway 1 through Sonoma Coast State Park, you've probably driven passed tons of Bodega Bay beaches. And while they're all beautiful if their own special way, I've always preferred to hit the beaches that are closer to the Jenner side. For one thing, these beaches tend to be a lot less crowded since people don't like to drive too far. But, I also feel like the views are so much better and the coastline is just that more rugged. Plus, there's just that much more beach to go around. Portuguese Beach is one of those beaches. And while it's busier than the other beaches that I tend to frequent on this side, I'd say it's actually one of the most beautiful within Sonoma Coast State Park. It's picture perfect. Crystal blue water, beautiful white sand, and super calming waves. I find this beach to be quite warmer than the others that I've visited too, but not overwhelming hot. The water feels so good. Not too cold, but just right. And there's so much space!!! Social distancing is nothing to worry about here. This is abperfect place to have a picnic! Bring some food and some drank, and drag it down to the sand and enjoy. This beach has one of the larger parking lots, but of course it still fills up during peak season. Parking on the side of the road can be tough here, but it's doable. And there are restrooms! Yep! Right near the path from the parking lot. Not the softest sand, but you can still comfortably walk along the beach without your shoes on. I have sensitive feet so if you're like me, bring some tennies or at least some flip flops. The best part about this beach are the views. It's located a little deeper into the coastline, so you'll be able to see a few other beaches alongside the amazing rugged coast. Definitely a Bodega gem of beach, and I can't wait to go back soon. read more

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While visiting the area we absolutely loved this beach. Our dogs enjoyed running around. It's easy to get too and a nice beach to relax at! read more

Portuguese Beach - Portuguese Beach - Beaches Near Me - Bodega Bay, California

Beautiful beach, and allowed to bring dogs on leash. Plenty of parking available, and easy access to the beach. Public Bathrooms are available as well. read more

Portuguese Beach - Beaches Near Me - Bodega Bay, California

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One of the best beaches. Parking is easy and of course it is free that is the best part about it. Do you want to make sure that you get here early enough to enjoy the beach and find a parking. We were also able to bring her dog as well which is very helpful. read more

BEAUTIFUL beach!!! My boyfriend and I stopped here as we were leaving our weekend getaway at bodega bay and we had a ball!! It was raining off and on that day but that didn't stop us from walking down to the beach and enjoying the gorgeous views and sounds that this beach has to offer. We had fun finding some unique and pretty rocks, sitting on a log that's perched in a little channel of water on the beach, and observing the wildlife. We were the only people down on the beach while a few people stayed in the parking lot to watch the view. The beach and the parking lot were very clean, which made me happy. We read the sign about how dangerous this beach can be due to the tides and drop offs. Even though we didn't go into the ocean, we still enjoyed our time there and found it very relaxing! read more

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Monday, 7/03/2023 - At Portuguese Beach in Bodega Bay, CA. Beautiful beach. Clean. There's is a Bathroom.

Beautiful beach!! Side note for families with littles: there's a sign that says this is one of the most deadliest beaches in CA. So no swimming for the kids (when we arrived we noticed the waves crashing differently and told our kids to stay back then noticed the sign on the way out) so as long as you came to just walk and admire the beach you're good!! If you're looking for a beach the kids can play in, maybe North Salmon Creek Beach. It's just a couple miles up, we didn't go there but on our way out, noticed a bunch of families there. read more

Portuguese Beach - Waves - Beaches Near Me - Bodega Bay, California

One of the best beaches along the Sonoma coast! Great views, easy parking, not too rocky. They have a few picnic tables near the parking lot with great views. Walking down to the beach from the parking lot is a little tricky, so not recommended for the elderly. Overall great beach to bring the family. + views + parking + family friendly - little difficult to walk down to the beach, don't bring the grandparents... read more

Portuguese Beach - Beaches Near Me - Bodega Bay, California

Portuguese Beach is one of the chain of beaches in the Sonoma Coast State Park along Highway 1 between Bodega Bay and Jenner. The beach has a decent parking lot with beach access via stairs or a moderately steep dune. The area is often overcast and foggy, but this sometimes burns off during the day. I chose Portuguese by chance on my trip since it looked to have a nice sandy beach to relax. The beach is mostly coarse gravel which is a bit hard to walk on in bare feet, but there are a few softer sandbars. The fog burned off about halfway through my stay opening up the full coastline. Swimming is a bit dangerous at this beach, so most people just stayed in the wave zone. The main part of the beach is good for relaxing and playing with your dogs. The southern end has some rock outcroppings for fishing and climbing. This is where you can watch the ocean crash against rocks covered with mussels and other sea creatures. It also made for a shady spot to get the sand out of my toes before heading out! This is a scenic beach, but lacks a lot of ocean activity. Surfers were absent, which is always a disappointment. There are pit toilets which is better than some. Overall, Portuguese Beach is better than average with lots of parking, decent access, and a nice wide beach. read more

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Easy parking and spacious beach! We had no issue with finding a spot on the weekend. It's definitely a trek to get here and there's not too many restaurants in bodega bay. Recommend packing a lunch. There's some picnic tables next to the parking lot. Dress in layers! It can be super chilly and windy! Dog friendly too! read more

Portuguese Beach - Beaches Near Me - Bodega Bay, California

The Sonoma coastline is beautiful with the jagged rocks, crashing waves and amazing views. This is one of the best beaches here with easy parking. read more

Great spot was nice when so many other beaches were already full and you had to pay where here was free

Great for taking in the sights and just looking at the ocean view, but terrible for fishing or crabbing from shore.

Sonoma Coast living, at its best. Beautiful shoreline, ocean views and majestic (and awe-inspiring) waves. Dog friendly (on leash pups), easy parking. Google Maps can get a bit confused on this beach's exact location, so just keep driving till you see the signs for Portuguese Beach. read more

Portuguese Beach has the spectacle that is the Pacific. There are enormous rock formations/sea stacks (not unlike the ones at Oregon's Cannon Beach), and even on an otherwise quiet spring day, the waves are fierce. The parking&facilities are minimal, and it can get crowded on the weekends. Be sure to get there early. It's not a beach for wading or swimming, but one can picnic, walk on the sands, take in the amazing sights. read more

This is a lovely little spot to take a walk with your partner or friend/friends. The waves are stunning to watch crashing into the shoreline as well as the giant rocks to the left. The beach is fairly large, so you have plenty of room to wander and walk around. There is a small bathroom at the highest point of the beach about a minute away from the main parking area on a cliff. What is really cool about this beach is you can see the waves crashing into the rocks. There is a little cliff you can climb on to get closer to the sea! Another cool thing is there are two or three picnic tables sitting nearby the cliff so you can have a little picnic and watch the waves. Very romantic! read more

A beautiful beach with fairly easy access (not wheelchair accessible though), state park toilets, lots of driftwood for kids to play with. One of the best sonoma coast beaches in my opinion. read more

When I lived in Bodega Bay, Portuguese Beach was one of my favorite beaches along highway 1! While all of the beaches are beautiful and some better for swimming than others, I love this beach because there usually aren't very many people there. It's about a 10-15 minute drive north of the actual town of Bodega Bay. Parking is free and easy and there are bathrooms at this beach. This beach is also dog friendly but they must be on a leash at all times. If you take the stairs down to the beach you will find that the cliffs offer protection from the wind which is great on a blustery day. I would not recommend this beach for swimming because of how the sand drops off in places which could make it dangerous for kids but if you aren't looking to go into the water then this is a great picnic beach. There are also picnic benches by the parking lot with a beautiful view. Sometimes you can even see dolphins, seals and whales here! Come spend the day and watch the sunset over the water, you'll be glad you did! read more