Virginia Beach

No reviews yetCity Virginia, United States

Write a review Things to do Businesses Add photos

The King Neptune statue stands in Neptune Park at 31st Street beside the Boardwalk, Virginia Beach, Virginia

The fishing pier near 15th Street reaches out into the Atlantic from the resort strip, Virginia Beach, Virginia

Bald cypress swamps and maritime forest fill the interior of First Landing State Park, Virginia Beach, Virginia

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel links Virginia Beach with the Eastern Shore across the mouth of the bay, Virginia

About Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach is a resort city on Virginia's Atlantic coast, where the Chesapeake Bay meets the ocean. Its long sandy shoreline and warm summers make it one of the most visited beach destinations on the East Coast, but the area also holds history: English colonists first landed at Cape Henry in 1607 before heading upriver to found Jamestown. Today it combines a busy oceanfront with marshes, state parks and quieter beaches.

Much of the action centers on the Virginia Beach Boardwalk, which runs for miles along the oceanfront and is shared by walkers and cyclists. A large statue of King Neptune stands in Neptune Park, and the Virginia Beach Surf and Rescue Museum occupies an old lifesaving station. Anglers head to the fishing pier and Rudee Inlet, and several small museums sit near the oceanfront. At Cape Henry, the old and new Cape Henry Lighthouses stand near the First Landing Cross, while First Landing State Park offers trails through cypress swamps and dunes. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel stretches across the mouth of the bay, the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center explores local waters, and Sandbridge Beach offers a quieter shore to the south.

The city suits families and beach lovers. Summer is busiest, while spring and fall are calmer.

Best seasonJune to September for swimming, or May and October for quieter beaches.

Ideal stayThree to five days allows beach time plus parks and nearby historic sites.

ArrivingNorfolk International Airport is the nearest major airport; most visitors also drive in via Interstate 264.

WiserMap travel guideVirginia Beach Virginia Boardwalk and Lynnhaven OystersPlan Virginia Beach: the Boardwalk, Cape Henry lighthouses, First Landing State Park, Back Bay refuge, Sandbridge, Lynnhaven oysters and when to go.Read the guide

Why People Love Virginia Beach: 12 Things to Discover

Beaches 3

The Virginia Beach Boardwalk

Running about three miles along the Atlantic between Rudee Inlet and the 40th Street area, the oceanfront boardwalk is the heart o...

Virginia Beach Fishing Pier and Rudee Inlet

The wooden fishing pier at 15th Street stretches far out over the surf, and anglers line its rails for spot, croaker, flounder and...

Sandbridge Beach

About fifteen miles south of the resort strip, Sandbridge is a quiet community of beach houses on stilts lining a long, uncrowded...

Landmarks 3

King Neptune and Neptune Park

Rising 34 feet above the oceanfront at 31st Street, the bronze statue of King Neptune by Paul DiPasquale was unveiled in 2005 and...

Cape Henry Lighthouses and First Landing Cross

Where the Chesapeake Bay meets the ocean, two lighthouses stand side by side. The older one, an octagonal sandstone tower complete...

Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel

Opened in 1964, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel links Virginia Beach with the Eastern Shore across about 17.6 miles of open water...

Museums 3

Virginia Beach Surf and Rescue Museum

Housed in a 1903 life-saving station on the boardwalk at 24th Street, this small museum tells the story of the surfmen who patroll...

Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art

Known locally as MOCA, this museum grew out of the Boardwalk Art Show first held in 1952 and now occupies a modern building a few...

Military Aviation Museum

On a grass airfield in rural southern Virginia Beach, this museum keeps one of the largest collections of flyable First and Second...

Nature 2

First Landing State Park

Named for the 1607 landing of the Jamestown colonists nearby, First Landing is one of the most visited state parks in Virginia and...

Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Established in 1938 to protect migrating waterfowl, Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge covers a narrow barrier island and the marsh...

Family 1

Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center

Near Rudee Inlet, the Virginia Aquarium shows life in the Chesapeake Bay and coastal waters across two main buildings linked by a...

Businesses in Virginia Beach

Share your photos

Been to Virginia Beach? Add your best shots to the gallery.

More places in Virginia

See all places in United States →

Photo credits

Photo: SchuminWeb, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Laura A. Macaluso, Ph.D., Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Greyfiveys, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Virginia State Parks, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: Patrick Nouhailler from Genève, Suisse, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: Rlevse, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Lago Mar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Antony-22, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Tomás Del Coro from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: DebateLord, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Rlevse, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: Semibreve42 of English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Photo: Serge Melki from Indianapolis, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: Lago Mar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Hanc Tomasz, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: PumpkinSky, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: PumpkinSky, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Joey Genco, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Aegray, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: OhanaSurf, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Greyfiveys, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Norfolk District from United States, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Photo: Ole Bendik Kvisberg, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: David Broad, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Photo: VBSRM, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Chris Hunkeler from Carlsbad, California, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Rachel Hughes, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Tomás Del Coro from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: Joanna Poe from Munith, MI, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: Michael Rehbaum, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Tomás Del Coro from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: Virginia State Parks staff, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: Virginia State Parks, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: Virginia State Parks staff, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: Virginia State Parks, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: Antony-22, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Rlevse, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Fredlyfish4, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ryan Somma, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0