San Clemente is a city by the beach in Orange County in Southern California. It is called the "little Spanish village by the sea" because many of the buildings have a rustic and antique Spanish look to them. People from San Clemente pride themselves on the laid-back and closely knit community traditions that are practiced in this small town. Not only does the culture have a great influence on all the people who live there, but anyone who visits is also sure to experience this feeling as well.

Get in

San Clemente is located about halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego of Interstate 5, which has 7 exits in the city. The nearest airport is John Wayne Airport, 25 miles north of San Clemente. Further airports include Los Angeles International Airport and San Diego International.

There are two train stations in San Clemente, one at the pier, and one at North Beach. Both 1 San Clemente Pier and 2 San Clemente is served by Metrolink via its Inland Empire - Orange County Line and Orange County Line services between Los Angeles, Oceanside and San Bernardino and cities in between, only on weekends. Additionally, San Clemente Pier is also served by Amtrak and its Pacific Surfliner service, with two trains south in the late morning and two trains north in the early evening daily. One of these trips each way extends to/from the Santa Barbara area. The Pacific Surfliner operates 12 trips daily through the area, but most trains don't stop here.

Get around

It is possible to walk around the center of the town although it is a little bit of a slope up from the beach and pier to Avenida Del Mar shopping and restaurant area. There is free 2 hour car parking around the area although close to the beach expect to pay and display.

San Clemente provides a daily trolley service from Memorial Day to September and weekend service year-round. The trolley runs between the pier and Outlets at San Clemente, with stops connecting to popular attractions along Avenida Del Mar and El Camino Real. Trolleys arrive at each stop every 15 minutes. The trolley rides are free.

See

• 1 San Clemente Pier. (updated Nov 2015)
• 2 Casa Romantica, 415 Avenida Granada, ☏ +1 949 498-2139. former home of San Clemente founder Ole Hanson, , there's usually a good art exhibit going on (updated Nov 2015)
• 3 San Clemente State Beach, ☏ +1 949 492-3156. (updated Nov 2015)

Do

The beach is the largest attraction in San Clemente. Local teens tend to venture north to the Kaleidoscope or the Irvine Spectrum for entertainment, but the local movie theater, the Krikorian, is relatively cheap and well-run.

• Beach Trail. It is easier to exercise when you have a view like this to look at. From Riviera Beach to the pier is one mile, and from the pier to North Beach is one mile. If you’re looking to step up the rigor of your work out, you can run the stairs along the way. 
• Leslie Park, 1910 Calle de Los Alamos. Some inexpensive ways to enjoy what SC has to offer is to check out the scenery. Leslie Park is a small park that overlooks a beach where most locals visit. From this point, you can see all the way down to the edge of State Beach, the Pier, and even down to Dana Point. 
• Stewart Surfboards, 2102 S El Camino Real, ☏ +1 949 492-1085. 9-6 7 days a week. Stewart Surfboards is a fixture in the surfing community, A great place to get started with surfing they offer surf lessons as well as surfboard rentals.Legendary longboard shaper, Bill Stewart creator of the modern longboard still owns and runs the store 

Buy

• 1 Avenida Del Mar. this street is the heart of Village San Clemente. There are a lot of charming shops, cafés, and restaurants on this historic stretch. If you are looking to bring something for the kids, just stop in Petit Bonhomme. They have reasonable prices and they carry from infants up to size 16 for both boys and girls. If you are looking for a souvenir, they have adult and matching kid button up shirts boy the men and dresses for girls with all the local cities from San Clemente to Laguna Beach. Lots of cute stuff for the ladies at shops like 'Angel Wings. They carry beautiful items. Visit Russel’s Stationary for your souvenirs like shells and shirts and lots of other items. There are a lot of cute antique stores up and down Del Mar that you should at least poke into. They even have ice cream and sandwiches. Right next door is Gus' Fresh Jerky. They have all sorts of goodies including vegan beef jerky. (updated Nov 2015)
• 2 Trestle's Outlet, 3011 S El Camino Real, ☏ +1 949 498-7474. Trestles outlet is in south side San Clemente. They sell the overstocked bathing suits and beachwear from companies such as RipCurl that are also in department stores, but they are much cheaper. 

Eat

There are a variety of local restaurants that are fairly priced and simply delicious.

• 1 Hapa J's, 2016 S El Camino Real, ☏ +1 949 276-6657. Unique cuisine with a Hawaiian influence. Family owned and affordable. Very tasty "Man Fries" and "Khalua Pig Nachos" 
• 2 Cafe Calypso, 114 Avenida Del Mar, ☏ +1 949 366-9386. Open for breakfast and lunch. Home of San Clemente's famous Acai Bowls and amazing Chinese Chicken Salad. Prices range from $8-$10 for a salad, and about $7 for the Acai Bowl (this is fairly standard in comparison to other restaurants of this nature). 
• 3 Cafe del Sol, 3817 S El Camino Real, ☏ +1 949 492-7120. Another great place for Mexican food. Very affordable and tasty, and theres a drive-through window for your convenience. 
• 4 Antonio's, 218 S El Camino Real, ☏ +1 949 492-1763. Great breakfasts on Camino Real in the heart of the village. 
• 5 The Fisherman, 611 Avenida Victoria, ☏ +1 949 498-6390. For good seafood in the best location in town on the pier. Expect a bit of a wait in summer. (updated Oct 2015)
• 6 Iva Lee's, 555 N El Camino Real (El Camino Real just north of Palizada), ☏ +1 949 361-2855. For San Clemente's take on Cajun cuisine. 
• 7 Pedro's, 550 N El Camino Real, ☏ +1 949 498-5908. For the best burritos in town . 
• 8 Nick's, 213 Avenida Del Mar,, ☏ +1 949 481-2200. This is a rather formal restaurant and the prices tend to be high, but there are also items on the menu that are less expensive. 
• 9 Mongkut Thai, 212 Avenida Del Mar. 
• 10 Sonny’s Pizza, 429 N El Camino Real (Corner of Palizada and El Camino Real.), ☏ +1 949 498-2540. 
• 11 Schmid's Fine Chocolates, 99 Avenida Del Mar, ☏ +1 949 369-1052. For dessert, chocolate dipped strawberries or a special treat. 
• 12 South of Nick's, 110 N El Camino Real, ☏ +1 949 481-4545. This restaurant branches off of the southern California favorite "Nick's" which is detailed above. South of Nicks differs because it features a high class Mexican menu with items that originate from south of the border. Keeping consistent with the fairly high pricing of Nick's, this place is of a more formal nature than most Mexican restaurants in the San Clemente area. 
• 13 Cafe Mimosa, 243 Avenida Del Mar, ☏ +1 949 481-6780. French style food (updated Nov 2015)

Drink

• 1 Molly Blooms Irish Bar, 2391 S El Camino Real, ☏ +1 949 218-0120. (updated Jul 2019)
• 2 Oles Tavern, 127 S El Camino Real, ☏ +1 949 498-9400. sports bar 
• 3 The Cellar, 156 Avenida Del Mar, ☏ +1 949 492-3663. wine bar 

Sleep

• 1 Beachcomber Inn, 533 Avenida Victoria, ☏ +1 949 492-5457. (updated Oct 2015)
• 2 Casablanca Inn, 1601 N El Camino Real, ☏ +1 949 361-1644, fax: +1 949 361-3825. 
• 3 Comfort Suites, 3701 S. El Camino Real, ☏ +1 949 361-6600. 
• 4 Holiday Inn Express San Clemente North, 35 Via Pico Plaza. 
• 5 Rodeway Inn San Clemente, 1301 North El Camino Real, ☏ +1 949 361-0636. 
• 6 Hampton Inn and Suites San Clemente, 2481 S.El Camino Real, toll-free: +1-800-308-5306, fax: +1 949 366-1030. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. This hotel has a rather confusing format to it, but the employees are all very friendly and accommodating. It is right next to the San Clemente Golf Course. It has a weight room and a pool. 
• 7 The Volare, Ascend Hotel Collection, 111 S. Ave. De La Estrella, ☏ +1 949 361-3000. 
• 8 Casa Tropicana, 610 Avenida Victoria, at the pier (Avenida Del Mar to the pier), toll-free: +1-800-492-1245. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11:30AM. $225-$475. 

Go next

Routes through San Clemente

Santa Ana ← Dana Point ←	N  S	→ Oceanside → San Diego
Los Angeles ← San Juan Capistrano ←	N  S	→ Oceanside → San Diego