Long Beach is a harbor city with its own downtown, its own bus system and its own shoreline, and it works best if you treat it as a place in its own right instead of a stop next to Los Angeles. The waterfront has an aquarium, a historic ship and a free bus between them, the neighborhoods run from 4th Street shops to canal streets, and Catalina Island is an hour away by ferry. This page is organised by water: the harbor first, then the streets behind it, then the island.
Checked 2026-11-01 against official sites.
The harbor, and a bus that costs nothing
The Aquarium of the Pacific says that Long Beach Transit's free Passport bus serves downtown Long Beach, the Aquarium and the Queen Mary. The Aquarium is half a mile from the Transit Mall in downtown, a 10-minute downhill walk, according to the same page (Aquarium of the Pacific: public transit). A bus you do not have to pay for makes a first solo harbor day easy to start and easy to leave.
- Aquarium of the Pacific. Open daily 9am to 6pm except 25 December, with extended hours on select days. The site notes reservations are required on weekends and holidays (Aquarium of the Pacific: prices and hours). It has a Late Nights events category for evenings.
- Queen Mary. The ship is a hotel with dining and guided tours, including historical and paranormal ones (Queen Mary). Check hours and tour times before you go. A guided tour is a structured way to see a big place alone.
Art on the bluff and the ranch
- Long Beach Museum of Art (LBMA Ocean), 2300 E Ocean Boulevard. Open Thursday to Sunday, 11am to 5pm, closed Monday to Wednesday. General admission is $15, students and seniors $10, and children 12 and under are free. Parking is free. Long Beach Transit route 121 stops in front. Claire's, the museum's oceanfront dining area, has a view of the Queen Mary and Catalina Island (LBMA Ocean).
- Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA), 628 Alamitos Avenue. Open Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 6pm, and closed Monday and Tuesday (MOLAA).
- Rancho Los Alamitos, 6400 E Bixby Hill Road. The historic ranch house and gardens are open to the public at no charge, Wednesday to Sunday, 1pm to 5pm, with entrance gates closing at 4:30pm. The entrance is beyond a guard gate. The ranch lists four acres of historic gardens (Rancho Los Alamitos). Free admission and a slow pace make it the easiest art-and-history outing to do alone. See the museum guide for pacing.
Streets behind the harbor
- Retro Row and the Art Theatre. Visit Long Beach describes Retro Row on 4th Street as more than 40 locally owned shops, from vintage clothing to books and records (Visit Long Beach: Retro Row). The Art Theatre, at 2025 E 4th Street on the corner of 4th and Cherry, calls itself the last independent cinema in Long Beach and was established in 1925 (Art Theatre Long Beach). Its site lists film series including Art After Dark. A single ticket to a film is a calm solo evening. See cinema alone.
- Belmont Shore and Naples. Second Street has independent boutiques and pubs, plus coffee spots and casual cafes, among them Breakfast Republic at 5313 2nd Street. Naples is built around canals that, per Visit Long Beach, invite kayaking, paddleboarding and gondola rides, and during the holidays residents decorate their homes there (Belmont Shore, Naples). The Gondola Getaway is listed at 5437 E Ocean Boulevard. Check the operator for current times before you plan a ride.
- Cambodia Town. On Anaheim Street, Visit Long Beach says Cambodian and Southeast Asian markets stock specialty ingredients, spices, sauces and snacks, and the annual Cambodia Town Parade and Culture Festival takes place there (Visit Long Beach: Cambodia Town). Shopping for a snack in a market is a low-pressure way to practise starting a conversation.
- Billie Jean King Main Library. At the corner of Broadway and Pacific, next to Lincoln Park, it opened in its current building on 21 September 2019. The library lists study rooms, free Wi-Fi and a space called The Studios (Long Beach Public Library: Main Library). Check the library hours page before you go. A reading room is a low-pressure place to spend a quiet hour alone.
One hour to an island
Catalina Express runs ferries to Catalina Island from Long Beach, San Pedro and Dana Point, and Visit Long Beach says the crossing from Long Beach takes about an hour with as many as 30 trips a day (Catalina Express, Visit Long Beach: Catalina Island). Check the schedule and reserve before you go. It is a bold step, but a ferry gives the day a clear shape: a boarding time out and a boarding time back.
For more on planning a day away, see first solo trip tips.
First solo outings
- Easy: ride the free Passport bus to the Aquarium of the Pacific, or spend the afternoon at Rancho Los Alamitos.
- Medium: an evening film at the Art Theatre on Retro Row, with a walk along 4th Street first.
- Bolder: the one-hour ferry to Catalina Island and back in a day.
Solo Era for iPhone
Order a savoury breakfast
Solo Era has a food mission at level 2: "Choose a savoury dish at a breakfast cafe." Read the menu, ask about ingredients if needed and order a savoury dish you have not tried there. Visit Long Beach lists coffee spots and casual cafes along 2nd Street in Belmont Shore, among them Breakfast Republic at 5313 2nd Street. Free to download. A subscription is required to start missions. Prices and any free trial are shown in the app and depend on the offer and eligibility.
More cities are in the cities hub. For nearby coastal cities, see Los Angeles and San Diego, and for general tips the new-city guide.
Details change; check the venue before you go.
FAQ
Is there a free bus to the Aquarium of the Pacific and the Queen Mary?
The Aquarium of the Pacific says Long Beach Transit's Passport bus is free and serves downtown Long Beach, the Aquarium and the Queen Mary.
Do I need a reservation for the Aquarium of the Pacific?
The aquarium's prices and hours page says reservations are required on weekends and holidays. It is open daily 9am to 6pm except 25 December.
Is Rancho Los Alamitos free?
Yes. Its site says the historic ranch house and gardens are open to the public at no charge. Hours are Wednesday to Sunday, 1pm to 5pm, with entrance gates closing at 4:30pm.
How long is the ferry from Long Beach to Catalina Island?
Catalina Express and Visit Long Beach both describe the trip as about an hour, and Visit Long Beach says there are as many as 30 trips a day.
Which museum is open on Thursday through Sunday?
The Long Beach Museum of Art's ocean-side building, LBMA Ocean, is open Thursday to Sunday, 11am to 5pm. MOLAA is open Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 6pm.
Sources (checked 2026-11-01)
- Aquarium of the Pacific: Prices and hours and public transit
- Queen Mary
- Long Beach Museum of Art: LBMA Ocean
- Museum of Latin American Art: Visit
- Rancho Los Alamitos
- Art Theatre Long Beach
- Visit Long Beach: Retro Row, Belmont Shore, Naples and Cambodia Town
- Catalina Express and Visit Long Beach: Catalina Island
- Long Beach Public Library: Main Library and hours
Solo Era for iPhone
Try it with Solo Era
Solo Era gives you one realistic mission a week, records how nervous you felt before and after, and keeps a photo journal of what you did. An iPhone app. A subscription is required to start missions; any free trial depends on the offer and eligibility shown in the app.
