You can see Catalina Island on a day trip from Los Angeles without staying overnight. The Catalina Express ferry runs from Long Beach to Avalon in about an hour, leaving a full day to snorkel at Casino Point, tour the historic Casino, or rent a golf cart to explore, then catch an evening boat back. One full day covers it.
Most first-time visitors plan their LA days around Hollywood, the beaches, and the neighborhoods, and never realize there’s a scenic island 22 miles offshore that’s an easy day trip from the city. Catalina sits far enough out to feel like a real change of scenery and close enough to reach on a morning ferry.
We put this guide together the way we’d plan the day for a friend, which ferry to catch, what to do once you land in Avalon, and how to time the boat back. Stick around to the end for the simplest way to see the rest of LA’s icons, no car required.
More than 20,000 five-star reviews in, we still don’t take it for granted when people hand us a few hours of their trip. We’re the local guides who show you LA’s landmarks without the logistics, with someone else handling the driving, the parking, and the stories along the route.
When you’re ready to see the rest of LA the easy way, check out our tours through Beverly Hills, the Santa Monica Pier, Griffith Observatory, and more.
Catalina Island, 22 Miles Off the LA Coast
Santa Catalina Island sits about 22 miles off the Southern California coast, close enough for a quick crossing and far enough to feel like a different state. Almost everyone who visits heads to Avalon, the island’s one real town, a compact harbor of pastel buildings, small beaches, and restaurants you can cover on foot.
Past Avalon, the island turns wild fast. The Catalina Island Conservancy protects 88% of the land, so the interior stays open hills, canyons, and grazing bison instead of development. That split is what makes Catalina such a good single day. You get a walkable town with plenty to do, plus a backcountry you can sample on a short tour without much planning.
Two Harbors, the island’s other settlement, sits on the far side and pulls in campers and boaters more than day-trippers. For one day out of LA, Avalon is where you’ll want to be.
How to Get to Catalina Island From Los Angeles
There’s no bridge and no driving onto Catalina, so every trip starts with a boat. The Catalina Express runs the ferries most LA visitors take, with year-round service from Long Beach, San Pedro, and Dana Point. A helicopter crossing exists too, but for a day trip the ferry is the simple, affordable choice.
The Catalina Express Ferry From Long Beach and San Pedro
For anyone coming from Los Angeles, Long Beach and San Pedro are the two closest terminals. Long Beach is the most popular jumping-off point, and the city itself makes a fun add if you build in spare time. Dana Point is a third option, though it sits down in Orange County, so it makes more sense if you’re staying south of the city.
- Long Beach to Avalon: about 1 hour, the closest and most popular option from LA
- San Pedro to Avalon: about 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Dana Point to Avalon: longer, and best if you’re coming from Orange County
Boats run daily and year-round, with the most departures in summer and fewer the rest of the year. Because times shift by season, check the current schedule and fares on the official Catalina Express site when you’re picking your boats, rather than relying on last year’s times.
Getting to the Ferry Terminal
If you drive, all three terminals have parking, and Long Beach runs around $27 a day, which is worth confirming before you go since rates change. If you’d rather skip driving, you can reach the Long Beach and San Pedro terminals by rideshare or a mix of Metro and a short car ride, which we cover in our guide to getting around Los Angeles without a car.
Plan to arrive early. Catalina Express asks passengers to check in well before departure, and boarding closes fifteen minutes ahead of the sailing, so a missed check-in can cost you the boat and the fare.
Booking Your Ferry Tickets
Book ahead. Summer weekends and holidays sell out days in advance, so reserve your outbound and return times online as soon as your date is set. For a day trip, an early boat over and an evening boat back gives you the most time on the island.
Planning Your Day Trip to Catalina Island
A day trip to Catalina Island runs on the boat schedule, so build the day around your boats rather than a fixed clock. Catch one of the first departures out of Long Beach, and you’ll be walking around Avalon by mid-morning with the better part of a day ahead of you.
Most people spend the morning on the water or in it, snorkeling, a glass-bottom boat, or a swim off the beach, then break for lunch in town and use the afternoon for the Casino, a golf cart loop, or a stretch of sand. If the interior and its bison are on your list, book that tour ahead, since the trips into the backcountry leave at set times.
Give yourself a cushion at the end of the day. You’ll want to be back at the terminal well before your return boat, and rushing the last sailing is the one way a relaxed island day turns stressful. If you’re still shaping the wider trip, our first-time LA itinerary and travel tips lay out the rest.
The Best Things to Do in Avalon
Avalon packs a lot into a small footprint, and most of the best things to do on Catalina sit within a short walk of where the ferry drops you.
Tour the Historic Catalina Casino
The round, white building at the far end of the harbor is the Catalina Casino, and it’s the island’s landmark. Despite the name, no one has ever gambled here. William Wrigley Jr. built it in 1929 as a place of entertainment, and it has been the centerpiece of Avalon ever since.
Inside are two showpieces, the Avalon Theatre on the lower level, one of the first theaters in the world built for sound films, and the grand ballroom upstairs, still the largest circular ballroom in the world. Daily walking tours take you through both, and it’s a short stroll from the harbor along the water.
Snorkel or Dive at Casino Point
The water right next to the Casino is some of the clearest you’ll find close to LA. Casino Point is a marked marine preserve, calm and protected, with kelp forests and fish you can see from the surface. Gear rental sits close by, so you don’t need to haul anything over on the ferry.
If you’d rather stay dry, glass-bottom boat and semi-submersible tours leave from the pier and show you the same underwater world through the hull. Lovers Cove, a short walk the other direction, is a second protected snorkeling spot worth knowing about.
Rent a Golf Cart to Explore Avalon
Cars are limited on Catalina, so the way most people get around is by golf cart. Rentals are simple to find near the harbor, usually by the hour, and a cart gets you up the hills to viewpoints over the bay that are a slog on foot. A loop past the residential streets, the lookouts, and the Wrigley Memorial and Botanic Garden is a low-effort way to see beyond the waterfront.
Relax at Descanso Beach Club
A short walk past the Casino is Descanso Beach Club, Avalon’s only beachside restaurant and bar and one of the last public beaches in Southern California where you can order a drink with your feet in the sand. You can rent a cabana or a chaise, swim off the beach, or just sit with the island’s signature drink, a Buffalo Milk, and watch the harbor.
It doubles as the base for the island’s water sports and its zip line, so it works as a good anchor for the afternoon whether you want to do a lot or nothing at all.
Head Into the Interior for Bison and Ziplines
Most of Catalina is wild backcountry, and the fastest way to see it in a day is a tour that goes in for you. Open-air Hummer trips run into the hills to find the island’s bison, a herd of around 150 that descends from a handful of animals brought over for a movie shoot in the 1920s and never taken back.
For something faster, the Zip Line Eco Tour is a five-line zipline down through Descanso Canyon with the Pacific in front of you the whole way. If you’d rather go on your own two feet, the interior trails are open to day hikers with a free permit from the Conservancy, quick to pick up online or in town before you set out.
The Best Time to Visit Catalina Island
Catalina is a year-round island, and it works as a day trip in any season, but the experience changes month to month. Summer brings the warmest water and the most departures, along with the biggest crowds and cruise-ship days that fill Avalon’s small streets. Spring and fall, roughly April to May and September into October, are the sweet spot, with mild weather, warm-enough water, and far fewer people.
Winter is the quiet season. Rates drop, the town slows down, and the crossing is the main thing to watch since seas can be rougher. It’s also whale season, when gray whales migrate past on their way south and boat tours head out to find them. Blue and fin whales are more common in summer and fall.
If your trip lands in fall, you’re in luck, since the same shoulder-season calm that makes LA easier to explore this time of year carries over to the island. Our guide to the best time to visit Los Angeles by season breaks down the rest of the year on the mainland.
Making the Most of the Rest of Your LA Trip
Catalina takes care of one day. The rest of your trip is the mainland, and that’s the part where LA’s size catches first-timers off guard, with Hollywood, Beverly Hills, the celebrity neighborhoods, and the coast sitting miles apart and a rental car turning into a full-time job in traffic.
That’s the part we handle. We’re the local guides who show visitors the icons without the stress of driving, parking, or figuring out the route, and it’s a big reason we’ve earned more than 20,000 five-star reviews.
If Hollywood and celebrity homes are the priority, our Hollywood, Beverly Hills & Celebrity Homes Open Air Tour is the one first-timers book most. For a wider sweep of the city in half a day, the Half Day Best of LA Tour covers Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive, the Santa Monica Pier, The Grove, and Griffith Observatory.
If you’re planning more than one day away from the city, Catalina is one of several trips we round up in our guide to the best day trips from Los Angeles, alongside closer escapes like Malibu and Pasadena. However you split your days, we’ll get you to the landmarks without the logistics, so you can save your energy for the island.
Catalina Island Day Trip FAQ
How long is the ferry to Catalina Island from Los Angeles?
The Catalina Express ferry takes about an hour from Long Beach to Avalon, and about an hour and fifteen minutes from San Pedro. Boats run daily year-round, with more departures in summer. Check the current schedule on the official Catalina Express site, since times change by season.
Can you visit Catalina Island in one day?
Yes. A day trip to Catalina Island works well if you catch an early ferry over and an evening boat back, which gives you most of a day in Avalon. That’s enough time to snorkel, tour the Casino, rent a golf cart, or take a short trip into the interior.
How much does a Catalina Island day trip cost?
Costs vary by ferry fare, what you do on the island, and the season. Round-trip ferry tickets are the main fixed cost, and activities like snorkeling gear, golf cart rentals, and interior tours are extra. Check current ferry fares on the Catalina Express site when you book.
Do you need a car on Catalina Island?
No. Cars are limited on the island, and Avalon is small enough to explore on foot. Most visitors get around town by walking or renting a golf cart by the hour.
What is there to do in Avalon in one day?
Avalon fits a lot into a walkable area. Popular options include touring the historic Catalina Casino, snorkeling at Casino Point, renting a golf cart, relaxing at Descanso Beach Club, and taking a glass-bottom boat or a tour into the island’s interior to see the bison.
What is the best time to visit Catalina Island?
Spring and fall, roughly April to May and September into October, offer mild weather and smaller crowds. Summer is warmest and busiest, and winter is quietest and best for spotting migrating gray whales.
Is the Catalina Casino a gambling casino?
No. Despite the name, the Catalina Casino has never been a gambling hall. William Wrigley Jr. built it in 1929 as a place of entertainment, and today it holds the Avalon Theatre and a grand ballroom you can see on daily walking tours.
