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Art Wager\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
What makes the perfect beach? Turquoise waters teeming with life? Sun-dappled sands and fluttering palm fronds? Perhaps a waiter delivering parasol-speared cocktails to your sun lounger while island music plays softly in the background? Many of the world’s top beaches fit some of these descriptions, but how do we define whether a beach is really worth visiting? That’s where The Global Beach Index 2026<\/a> comes in, a ranking of the world’s best beaches based on expert nominations, user reviews, weather forecast analyses, water color and clarity data, and accessibility. According to the rankings, devised by\u00a0Beach.com<\/a>, the top West Coast beach in the U.S. this year is California surf hub Huntington Beach.<\/p>\n Huntington Beach, a charming SolCal beach town known for its colorful Victorian-style homes<\/a>, is about an hour south of downtown Los Angeles by car. Its namesake beach was considered the 15th best beach globally, receiving praise for its beauty, amenities, and overall balance. Huntington Beach stretches along the coast for 3.5 miles (8.5 miles if you include the adjacent beaches), welcoming 8 million annual visitors. With year-round surf, waves that peel along the shore in defined peaks, and a history of hosting pro surf competitions\u00a0\u2014 including the annual U.S. Open of Surfing\u00a0\u2014 it has rightly acquired the epithet, “Surf City, U.S.A.,\u00a0and that vibe follows you wherever you go in Huntington.\u00a0<\/p>\n Serious surfers come\u00a0in winter \u2014 especially January \u2014 when the swells are big and the summer tourists long gone. Waves are usually smaller in spring through early fall, but this might suit newbies looking to cut their teeth on the SolCal surf. Huntington is proud of its surf heritage. It has a\u00a0Surfing Walk of Fame<\/a>, where inscribed pavestones commemorate dozens of surf legends, and the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum<\/a>, charting the history of the sport and displaying the world’s largest surfboard (more than 42-feet long, 11-feet wide, and 1 foot thick).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Coastal vibes and ocean views at Huntington Beach<\/p>\n
Svetlanasf\/Getty Images<\/p>\n The\u00a0concrete pier\u00a0at Huntington Beach, stretching 1,850 feet into the Pacific, is one of the longest on the West Coast. At sunset, when the tide’s out, the pier reflects off the wet sand like a scene from a landscape painting. Open daily 5:00 a.m. to midnight, it’s a scenic spot for fishing (no license required) or taking a\u00a0stroll, with views across the broad expanse of sand and the swelling ocean. Perched at the end of the pier,\u00a0Broad Street Oyster Co.<\/a>\u00a0serves up seafood towers,\u00a0lobster rolls, clam chowder, oysters, and more \u2014 plus craft cocktails \u2014 all with an epic view and cool beach vibes.<\/p>\n Unsurprisingly, this is a great corner of the country for watching the sunset \u2014 last year, San Diego, about 90\u00a0miles away, was considered the best sunset destination in the U.S.<\/a>\u00a0Watch the sun descend from Huntington Pier or while gliding along a six-mile\u00a0bike path running parallel to the beach.\u00a0Alternatively take in the views with a drink in hand. Shor, part of the Hyatt Regency Hotel<\/a>, is a casual spot right on the beach. Grab a seat on the terrace and pair a West Coast IPA with\u00a0seafood tacos. The views stretch farther along the coast from the chic rooftop bar\u00a0Offshore 9<\/a>, the highest of its kind in Orange County. Order an elevated sharable from the locally-sourced menu and a signature sip from the creative\u00a0cocktail menu, and soak up the sweeping ocean vistas and upscale beach energy.<\/p>\n
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