This article contains affiliate links. If you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Santa arrives by outrigger canoe on Maui. In Key West, Christmas lights reflect off the harbor. And in Southern California, you can walk barefoot along the Pacific before lacing up your skates at an oceanfront ice rink.
The best beach Christmas depends on what you want to do once you reach the sand. Hawaiʻi, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are the strongest picks for a tropical swim. South Florida can deliver a warm beach day, while the California coast is better suited to long walks and holiday outings. Some of the biggest boat parades and festivals take place before Christmas week, so choose your dates around the experience you want most.
1. Waikīkī, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Start Christmas morning at Kūhiō Beach, where you can look down the shoreline toward Diamond Head as the first surfers paddle out. Waikīkī works especially well for families or groups with different ideas of a beach day. You can take a surf lesson, rent a chair, or walk from the sand to lunch without getting in a car.
Santa makes an early-December arrival by outrigger canoe at OUTRIGGER Waikīkī Beach Resort. If you’re coming closer to Christmas Day, head downtown one evening for Honolulu City Lights at Honolulu Hale. It’s an easy way to get both a tropical beach holiday and a city Christmas in the same trip.
Find places to stay in WaikīkīAffiliate
2. Wailea, Maui, Hawaiʻi
If you want the moment that sums up a beach Christmas, go to Wailea Beach on Christmas Eve. Grand Wailea’s holiday program brings Santa ashore in an outrigger canoe, with the ocean and palms behind him. The beach itself is a broad crescent, and the coastal path links several stretches of South Maui shoreline for a walk when you’ve had enough time on the sand.
December is also part of Maui’s humpback whale season. A whale-watching trip gives you another reason to get out on the water, and the sunset walk back along the coast is worth keeping your evening free for.
Find places to stay in MauiAffiliate
3. Key West, Florida
Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park is where I’d spend Christmas morning in Key West. The shoreline mixes sand and pebbles, so bring water shoes if you plan to get in. When the water is calm and clear, the rocky breakwaters make for interesting snorkeling right from shore.
After dark, head to the Historic Seaport for the Harbor Walk of Lights. Boats, docks, and waterfront buildings get dressed up for the holidays, and the reflections make the harbor as much a part of the display as the decorations. The lighted boat parade takes place earlier in December, while the harbor lights are the better bet for a trip centered on Christmas itself.
Find places to stay in FloridaAffiliate
4. San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan gives you two very different settings in one day. Start at Balneario El Escambrón, where an offshore reef helps shelter the swimming area. Then head into Old San Juan as the afternoon cools and the holiday lights come on along its cobblestone streets and plazas.
Make Christmas Eve your main celebration. Nochebuena is a big night for family gatherings in Puerto Rico, and a dinner featuring roast pork, pasteles, and arroz con gandules gives you a taste of the holiday. Reserve ahead if you’re eating out, especially on Christmas Day, when many independent restaurants close.
Find places to stay in Puerto RicoAffiliate
5. St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
At Trunk Bay, the scene is almost entirely beach, forest, and water. The sand is bright white, the hills are green, and on a calm day the water is clear enough to follow the marked underwater snorkeling trail. Cinnamon Bay is a good alternative if you’d rather spend the morning walking a longer stretch of sand.
St. John is the pick for a Christmas built around the beach itself. Stay near Cruz Bay for easier access to restaurants and the ferry. If you’re coming over from St. Thomas for the day, confirm holiday ferry times and your ride to and from the beach before setting out.
Find places to stay in St. JohnAffiliate
6. South Beach, Miami Beach, Florida
Start at South Pointe, where the beach’s colorful lifeguard towers stand against the Atlantic and ships pass through the channel. From there, walk north toward Lummus Park and Ocean Drive, where the Art Deco hotels give this beach day a backdrop you won’t find elsewhere in Florida.
South Beach suits travelers who want a lively dinner and an evening out after the sand. The Holiday Festival of Lights brings music and projections to Ocean Drive on select nights earlier in December. For a Christmas Day visit, reserve a restaurant and leave time for a walk past the lit-up façades afterward.
Find places to stay in FloridaAffiliate
7. Coronado, California
Coronado makes the case for a beach Christmas even if you never get in the water. Spend the afternoon on the wide sand in front of Hotel del Coronado, then head to the hotel’s beachfront ice rink. From the rink, you can see the Pacific in one direction and the hotel’s red-roofed towers in the other.
The hotel also offers Christmas Day brunch in the Crown Room and reservable beachside igloos for gathering around a fire. Book the activities you care about ahead of time. A sweater for the beach and an evening skate fit this trip better than a plan built around swimming.
Find places to stay in CaliforniaAffiliate
8. St. Augustine and Anastasia Island, Florida
Spend the day on Anastasia Island, then cross into historic St. Augustine at dusk. Anastasia State Park has four miles of protected shoreline, with dunes and open Atlantic views. It’s a good place for a long walk and a picnic, though December water can feel cool.
Downtown, Nights of Lights traces balconies, rooftops, and the waterfront in white lights throughout the Christmas period. Start around the Plaza de la Constitución and make your way toward the bayfront. This is one of the strongest choices if you want a quiet beach day followed by a full evening of Christmas lights.
Find places to stay in FloridaAffiliate
9. Clearwater Beach, Florida
Clearwater Beach is the Gulf Coast pick for soft white sand and a front-row seat to sunset. Spend Christmas Day on the main beach near Pier 60, where you can go from a shoreline walk to a waterfront meal without moving the car. The Gulf can feel cool in December, so plan a day you’ll enjoy even if you stay out of the water.
If you’re visiting earlier in the month, look for the Clearwater Yacht Club’s Holiday Lighted Boat Parade. Save nearby Sand Key Park for another day of the trip, since the county park closes on Christmas Day.
Find places to stay in FloridaAffiliate
10. Newport Beach, California
Take a morning walk by Balboa Pier, then switch from the ocean side of the peninsula to the harbor after dark. The Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade sends decorated yachts and sailboats through the harbor on select nights before Christmas. For a trip that lands closer to December 25, look for the Ring of Lights displays on Balboa Island’s waterfront homes.
Newport is a good choice for anyone who likes a Christmas with plenty to see on foot. Walk the beachfront path, get something warm to drink, and save the evening for the harbor. The Pacific is chilly in December, even when the afternoon feels mild.
Find places to stay in CaliforniaAffiliate
11. South Padre Island, Texas
At the island’s southern tip, Isla Blanca Park gives you an open stretch of Gulf shoreline and a view toward the jetty. On a mild December morning, it’s a good spot for beachcombing and watching the pelicans. Cold fronts can change the feel of the day quickly, so leave room in your plans for a windy afternoon.
South Padre’s Lighted Boat Parade takes place earlier in December on the bay side. If you’re arriving for Christmas Day itself, spend the morning on the Gulf side and end the day watching the sun set over Laguna Madre. That’s the advantage of spending Christmas on a narrow barrier island. You can watch the sun come up over one shoreline and go down over the other.
Find places to stay in TexasAffiliate