A long weekend is the perfect amount of time to spend on Catalina island. The island is pretty small and you can do just about everything the island has to offer in four days. Here is my sample itinerary that I actually went on:

Getting there

The flyer to get to and from leaves Long Beach, San Pedro, Newport Beach, and Dana Point. It is a quick hour trip over to Catalina and if you shop at Costco, they have great deals on the flyer. The flyer cost is about $75 per person round trip.

Day 1

Start your day taking the early morning flyer out to Catalina. If you have time, get a big brunch in beforehand so you can get going when you get to the island! Check in to your hotel and get situated. If it is before check in time, there is a bag check right by where the ferry drops you off. This will also be a good time to do a store run if your staying in a place with a kitchen! Alcohol, snacks, breakfast, and a dinner or two to eat at home.

After you get situated, waste no more time! To the beach you go. I would go zip lining next. It’s vastly overpriced (200+) but at the same time so worth it to do once because you get the most amazing views! Go to Descanso Beach to end the afternoon and grab happy hour. Descanso is the main beach and it has a bar and live music in the summer. Head to dinner when your done! Blue water is my favorite restaurant. Finally, end the night with a flying fish tour ($35 per person). This is where you go out on a boat with flood lights and they scare the flying fish out of the water.

Day 2

The next day eat breakfast and take a golf cart around the island. If you are at an Airbnb you most likely already have a golf cart or you can rent one for the day. Grab a map and take a tour! You drive by a 9 hole golf course, botanical gardens, and great viewpoints. Definitely stop at the botanical gardens if you have time! It’s free and has some amazing plants and leads to a huge tomb.

Stop at Mt. Ada for lunch, it has the most spectacular views. It is $48 per person for a 3 course brunch and unlimited drinks! We got bottles of champagne as we overlooked the ocean from the Wrigley Mansion. This is one of the highlights of the entire trip.

Spend the rest of your afternoon relaxing by the pool or beach before doing a twilight casino tour. You get to tour the casino right at sunset and it is a magical experience. It is not an actual casino but an old, circular ballroom that is the largest in the world. You get to hear about old Hollywood stars, the elite, and politicians who used to walk the same halls. End the night with a quick dinner and go to Luau Larrys for a Wiley Wacker.

Day 3

Get a boat ticket to the other side of the island, called Two Harbors. It’s $30/person round trip. This is my favorite place on Catalina!!! It is much less crowded and touristy. The beach you have more to yourself and the water is a little calmer than Descanso. You can also rent beach chairs and have a server all day. You could also bring your own stuff and not use the nicer sand by the restaurant. Catalina beaches are naturally rocky so they import sand for the rental chairs. The rental chairs on the beach are pretty comfy ($10/person). There is great activities from here including kayaking, biking, snorkeling, and hiking. I went kayaking and actually got in the water from a secluded cove off my kayak to snorkel ($15/person) The water can be pretty chilly so I’d only do this in the summer.

After a long day in the sun, take the evening ferry back to Avalon and enjoy the sunset from your place.

Day 4

The last day get breakfast before exploring some new territory on the island, the back country! Do a Jeep tour which gets you access to the back part of the island where you can see great views and some wildlife! You climb up to 1600ft on kind of a wild ride up the mountain (I think they go fast around corners on purpose to freak out tourists!). There is bison, bald eagles, foxes and plenty of other cool nature stuff! It was $51/person.

After exploring the rest of Catalina, get ready for the ferry back home.

Where to stay

Hamilton cove is my favorite. You get a pool, great balcony views, your own golf cart, and a kitchen to make meals at home. It’s a quaint community next to Avalon. There isn’t too much variety in places to eat in Avalon and all the activities add up so I think making a few meals at home can save money. Hamilton cove is not cheap, although neither are many of the accommodations in Avalon. A place can run you $400-$600+/night in the summer on a weekend. Another reason a long weekend trip is the right amount of time because it gets expensive.

When to go

I’d go in the summer. It’s the most expensive time, but for a reason. This is when the weather is best. The weather is pretty mild which can mean chilly for a lot of the year, making a lot of activities out of the question such as snorkeling or laying out by the beach or pool. One note, there are a lot of bees in Catalina. I haven’t been in a year but I’m hoping they’ve gotten rid of some of the bees.

How to book

You can book your activities here, your flyer here, and I’d check Airbnb or HomeAway for the place in Hamilton cove.

Enjoy!

If you want more information on the activities and why you should visit Catalina, check this out.