Things to do in Malibu
Planning on spending time in Malibu?
Whether you’re a fellow local, here for a weekend getaway, or you’re here for a sun-soaked vacation, this guide is your go-to for all things to do in Malibu.
From local-approved places to eat, stay, and explore, to the best times to visit and scenic spots you won’t want to miss, consider this your personal roadmap to experiencing Malibu, written by a local.
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Things to do in Malibu
Malibu Activities
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![Group of friends enjoying a Malibu wine tour, sitting and standing around an off-road vehicle in a grassy field, toasting with drinks against a backdrop of trees and rocky hills. Things to do in Malibu.]()
Malibu Wine Tours
Saddlerock Ranch is an 1,100-acre working vineyard and ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains where you can join guided wine-tasting tours that explore the expansive vineyard.
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![Surfer riding a large green wave in the ocean, carving along the face of the wave while another surfer watches from the water in the background.]()
Surf Lessons
Drill Surf & Skate offers surf lessons at Zuma Beach with experienced local instructors, beginners’ board rentals, and personalized coaching in a relaxed, friendly setting.
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![Group of people horseback riding along a narrow trail through tall grass in the Malibu hills, surrounded by green mountains and clear skies.]()
Trail Rides
Malibu Riders offers guided horseback trail rides through scenic locations like Malibu Creek State Park, Paramount Ranch, and Zuma Canyon—with panoramic mountain and ocean views.
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![An image from the Adamson House in Malibu.]()
Adamson House
“Built by Rhoda Rindge Adamson and her husband Merritt Adamson in 1929, Adamson House holds a significant place in California history.”
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![Scenic evening view of a hillside winery with string lights, outdoor seating, and a stone building, overlooking rolling mountains at sunset in Malibu.]()
Cielo Farms
“Relax and unwind in the middle of our grape vines and enjoy the views of the Santa Monica Mountains while our wine curator helps you discover the pleasures of Cielo Farms wines.”
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![An Image of the Getty Villa.]()
The Getty Villa
The Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades showcases ancient Greek and Roman art with beautiful gardens, ocean views, and museum-style exhibits inspired by a Roman villa.
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![Spanish-style winery building with outdoor seating and visitors gathered under a shaded patio, surrounded by trees and greenery in Malibu.]()
Rosenthal Winery
“We’re excited to welcome you back with the limited-time launch of The Vineyard Experience—a more intimate, reservation-only setting where we can reconnect, celebrate one another, and savor great wines together in an idyllic canyon landscape.”
Best Malibu Beaches
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![An image of a lifeguard tower at Zuma Beach at sunset.]()
Zuma Beach
Zuma Beach is one of Malibu’s largest and most popular beaches, known for its wide sandy shoreline, gentle waves, lifeguard stations, and convenient parking. It’s ideal for swimming, sunbathing, and beach walks.
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![An aerial image of El Matador State Beach.]()
El Matador State Beach
El Matador State Beach is known for its dramatic sea caves, rocky cliffs, and golden sunsets. With tide pools and photogenic coves, it’s a favorite spot for beach walks, photography, and coastal views.
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![A sunset image of Surfrider beach with surfers walking out of the water.]()
Surfrider Beach
Surfrider Beach, located by the Malibu Pier, is famous for its long, smooth waves and classic surf culture. It’s a popular spot for surfing, coastal walks, and enjoying views of the Pacific.
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![A sunset image of Westward beach in Malibu.]()
Westward Beach
Westward Beach features a long stretch of sandy shoreline, backed by cliffs and calm waves. It’s a popular spot for swimming, sunbathing, and watching sunsets near Point Dume in Malibu.
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![An image of Big Dume beach at Point Dume in Malibu.]()
Point Dume
Big Dume Beach, also known as Point Dume Beach, offers wide sandy shores, rugged cliffs, and scenic coastal trails. It’s popular for tide pooling, surfing, wildlife spotting, and quiet beach walks.
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![An image of Leo Carrillo looking east toward Point Dume.]()
Leo Carrillo State Beach
Leo Carrillo State Beach offers rocky tide pools, sea caves, and sandy coves along the Malibu coast. It’s a favorite for beach walks, surfing, camping, and exploring coastal rock formations.
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![An image of Paradise Cove with the beach cafe in the distance.]()
Paradise Cove
Paradise Cove is a sheltered beach with calm waters, a scenic pier, and beachside café. Known for its relaxed atmosphere, it’s a popular spot for lounging, swimming, and coastal dining.
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![An image of Carbon beach in Malibu.]()
Carbon Beach
Carbon Beach, also known as “Billionaire’s Beach,” features a long stretch of sandy shoreline lined with luxury oceanfront homes. It’s a calm spot for beach walks and coastal views near the Malibu Pier.
Things to do in Malibu: Hiking
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![An image of a full creek at Malibu Creek State Park]()
Malibu Creek State Park
Malibu Creek State Park is a scenic spot in the Santa Monica Mountains with hiking trails, oak woodlands, rocky peaks, and creekside views. It’s popular for hiking, filming locations, and outdoor recreation.
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![Aerial view of the Malibu coastline with mountains in the foreground, winding cliffs, sandy beaches, and the Pacific Ocean stretching into the distance.]()
Charmlee Park
Charmlee Wilderness Park offers peaceful hiking trails, coastal views, wildflowers, and oak woodlands across 532 acres in western Malibu. It’s a quiet spot for nature walks and scenic overlooks.
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![Hiker standing with arms raised at the base of Escondido Falls, a tall rocky waterfall cascading down moss-covered cliffs in Malibu.]()
Escondido Falls
Escondido Falls features a scenic hiking trail through oak-covered canyons leading to one of Malibu’s tallest waterfalls. It’s a popular spot for a moderate hike with lush, seasonal waterfalls.
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![Stone ruins and brick chimneys of an old structure surrounded by trees and hillside vegetation in Solstice Canyon, Malibu.]()
Solstice Canyon
Solstice Canyon offers easy hiking trails, shaded creek paths, historic ruins, and a small seasonal waterfall in the Santa Monica Mountains. It’s a peaceful spot for nature walks and exploring Malibu history.
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![Dirt hiking trail winding through wildflowers and shrubs in the Malibu hills, with rugged mountains and cloudy skies in the background.]()
Zuma Canyon Trail
Zuma Canyon Trail features wide, scenic paths through coastal canyons with views of rugged hills, native plants, and seasonal streams. It’s a peaceful Malibu hike with easy-to-moderate terrain.
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![Sunset over the Malibu mountains with golden light reflecting off the ocean, dramatic clouds overhead, and rolling hills in the foreground.]()
Sandstone Peak
Sandstone Peak is the highest point in the Santa Monica Mountains, offering a moderate hike with panoramic views of the coastline, mountains, and valleys. It’s a popular spot for sunrise and sunset hikes.
Malibu Photoshoot Tips & Galleries
Best Restaurants in Malibu
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![Outdoor dining tables with umbrellas on a wooden deck overlooking the ocean at Nobu Malibu.]()
Nobu Malibu
Japanese–Peruvian fusion
Nobu Malibu blends upscale Japanese-Peruvian-influenced cuisine with sweeping Pacific Ocean views just above Surfrider Beach and the Malibu Pier.
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![An image of Malibu Farm Restaurant in Malibu.]()
Malibu Farm
Organic Californian cuisine
Malibu Farm Restaurant and its sister Malibu Farm Cafe sit on the iconic Malibu Pier, offering fresh, organic, farm-to-table cuisine with unrivaled ocean views.
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![Neptune’s Net restaurant in Malibu with its iconic sign, surrounded by palm trees, parked motorcycles, and visitors along the Pacific Coast Highway.]()
Neptunes Net
Seafood
Neptune’s Net is a classic Malibu seafood spot along PCH, known for fried seafood, ocean views, and appearances in films like Point Break and The Fast and the Furious.
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![Close-up of a glass of beer with “Malibu Brewing Company” printed on it, sitting on a wooden bar top with a coaster underneath.]()
Malibu Brewing Company
American Pub
Malibu Brewing Company is a locally-owned craft brewery on the coast in Malibu, offering a casual yet elevated taproom and eatery with 22 on-tap beers and a menu of food made for the beach lifestyle.
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![Front view of The Sunset Restaurant in Malibu at dusk, with large windows reflecting the ocean sunset and people sitting outside near the entrance.]()
The Sunset Restaurant
Seafood
The Sunset Restaurant sits right on Zuma Beach in Malibu, offering fresh California-coastal seafood and sweeping Pacific Ocean views from its beachfront bungalow.
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![Outdoor patio at Spruzzo’s in Malibu with tables, blue umbrellas, string lights, and views of the hills and ocean in the background.]()
Spruzzo's
Italian-American
Spruzzo Restaurant & Bar serves Italian-American food like pizzas, pastas, salads, and seafood, with patio seating and ocean views in Malibu.
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![Oceanfront terrace at Geoffrey’s Malibu at dusk, with string lights, outdoor seating, lush greenery, and views of the Pacific Ocean.]()
Geoffrey's Malibu
Seafood
Geoffrey’s Malibu offers California-style international cuisine, seafood, steak, and seasonal ingredients, served on a dramatic ocean-cliff patio with panoramic Pacific views.
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![Aerial view of Paradise Cove in Malibu, showing the beach, pier, coastal cliffs, parking area, and surrounding hillside homes and greenery along the shoreline.]()
Paradise Cove Beach Cafe
Seafood
Paradise Cove Beach Cafe serves California-coastal fare including seafood, burgers, tacos, and hearty brunch dishes like banana pancakes in a relaxed beachfront setting.
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![Outdoor view of Taverna Tony in Malibu, featuring white stucco walls, hanging string lights, bright blue patio tables and chairs, and a sign reading “Taverna Tony Greek Eats & Sweets.”]()
Taverna Tony
Greek-Mediterranean
Taverna Tony serves traditional Greek-Mediterranean fare like grilled octopus, flaming saganaki, lamb dishes, dips with warm pita, and fresh seafood—offering Mediterranean flavors in a lively Malibu patio setting.
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![Entrance to Café Habana in Malibu with open patio doors, wooden deck flooring, lush greenery, and a sign reading “Café Habana Malibu.”]()
Cafe Habana
Cuban-Mexican
Café Habana serves Cuban-Mexican comfort food including grilled corn, ceviche, tacos, burritos, Cuban sandwiches, burgers, and root-vegetable sides in a relaxed Malibu setting.
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![Malibu Seafood restaurant and fresh fish market along Pacific Coast Highway, with a colorful sign, outdoor seating, palm trees, and hills in the background.]()
Malibu Seafood
Seafood
Malibu Seafood offers fresh, beach-side seafood classic fare with picnic-table seating and ocean views along the Pacific Coast Highway.
Where to Stay
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![Entrance to The Surfrider Malibu hotel with a white “Surfrider Malibu” sign, coastal walkway, lush greenery, and ocean views in the background.]()
The Surfrider Hotel
“The Surfrider Malibu is an award-winning, 20-room California Beach House located on the scenic Pacific Coast Highway, overlooking the world-famous Surfrider Beach.”
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![Oceanfront balcony at Malibu Beach Inn with striped umbrellas and glass railings overlooking the sandy beach and pier at sunset.]()
Malibu Beach Inn
“47 elegantly appointed guestrooms sit directly above the sands of Carbon Beach and are designed with your comfort and relaxation in mind.”
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![Luxurious outdoor garden at night with a small waterfall, stone pathway, lush plants, and a fireplace at Nobu Ryokan Malibu.]()
Nobu Ryokan Malibu
“The world’s first Nobu Ryokan is a sanctuary of true seclusion, set directly on the shores of Malibu’s iconic Carbon Beach.”
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![Outdoor swimming pool at The M Malibu hotel, with lounge chairs and balconies behind palm trees and modern guest rooms.]()
The M Malibu
“Welcome to the M, a small boutique hotel in the heart of malibu, where you can enjoy the iconic beaches of the area.”
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![Exterior walkway at Hotel June in Malibu with dark brick walls, wooden doors, cacti, desert plants, and modern black light fixtures.]()
Hotel June
“Meet the latest Hotel June, a private enclave of Mid-Century bungalows that once served as historic hideaways for wayfaring writers, musicians, and artists on iconic Point Dume.”
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![A palm tree and gardens overlooking the ocean from the Malibu Country Inn, with a view of the beach and Pacific Coast Highway in the background.]()
Malibu Country Inn
“Within the sounds of waves brushing up to the shoreline, the palm trees swaying briskly back and forth, and the luxurious surrounding aroma of fresh budding flowers, is the newly renovated Malibu Country Inn, your absolute California Oasis.”
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![Outdoor lounge area at Calamigos Guest Ranch & Beach Club with wooden deck, cushioned seating, potted plants, and surrounding trees.]()
Calamigos Guest Ranch
“Voted Best Resort in Los Angeles by LA Magazine and The Hollywood Reporter, Calamigos is a luxury resort in Malibu offering refined accommodations, a private beach club, and 3,000 scenic acres just minutes from LA.”
