We will be staying in Newport, and are planning on taking the ferry from Newport to Balboa Island to walk around and see the sights there. I have heard that most of the shops and restaurants are on Marine Ave, so we will be heading there. Since we will be walking, could someone recommend the best route to take to see the houses and other interesting things on the way? What other things would be fun to see and do there? Thanks!
I like the walk along the bay, so maybe take the walk on the Bay first, and then inland on the way back.
Here is a marked map of my suggested route, starting/ending at the Ferry Station.
Right when you get off the ferry, turn right on the boardwalk (in front of the Island Market).
You can follow the boardwalk down to Marine Ave, turn left onto Marine, and then make your way along the shops until you get to the bridge at the end of Marine Ave, then jump back on the boardwalk, walking to your left.
That will wrap along the North Bayfront around the tip of the island and back to the Ferry dock.
Actually, I think there is a better plan then the one I suggested above:
Right when you get off the Ferry, turn right on the boardwalk (in front of the Island Market).
You can follow the boardwalk down to Marine Ave, turn left onto Marine. Stay on the left side of the street and walk along the shops until you get to the end of Marine Ave at the bridge.
Then cross the street, and walk back the way you came, to see the shops on the other side of the street. By the time you get to Park Ave, you will have seen all the shops (at Hershey's Market). Take a left on the sidewalk there, and you will see the bridge to Little Island ahead of you. At the base of the bridge, you will see another boardwalk, turn left and it will take you along the picturesque Grand Canal.
Follow the boardwalk along the Grand Canal, and it will wrap to your left, and then follow the boardwalk past the Marine Ave bridge, along the North Bayfront, and the boardwalk will wrap around the western tip of the Island, past the bridge to Collins Island, along South Bayfront, and you will be back at the Ferry dock.
This way you get to see all of the shops, both the North and South Bayfronts, and the Grand Canal, and don't have to do any backtracking.
Edited: 17 May 2012, 18:18That sounds like a good plan. When I look at a map, it looks like that would be a lot of walking, but I know the islands are small. How much walking total do you think that would be? We are not concerned about a nice long walk around the island - I'm just curious.
The gmaps link in post 1 shows the distance in miles and km's, and you can change the route easily if you want to walk around the entire area.....
The island is pretty small. I bet the plan I laid out above would be somwhere between 2-3 miles.
If you figure it takes about 20 -25 minutes to walk a mile, then you are probably looking at a little more than an hour just for the walking (not counting looking at the shops). Its very flat too, so it won't be strenous.
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185 reviews LOL --"TRIP" -- You do realize that the ferry ride only goes 800 feet?
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429 reviews Balboa Island is 1.7 miles, the Little Island is .79 of a mile so if you did both, 2.5 miles.
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429 reviews Oh, and depending on who is going.... the island has many good and some great restaurants.
Basilic Cafe is one of Orange County's most romantic places, ditto for Amelia's.
Also good are Shanghai Pine Garden, Picante Martin's, Wilma's Patio and Ciao.
"We will be staying in Newport, and are planning on taking the ferry from Newport to Balboa Island to walk around and see the sights there. I have heard that most of the shops and restaurants are on Marine Ave, so we will be heading there. "
I'm curious where you are staying. Balboa Island IS part of Newport Beach (Therefore, you won't be going from Newport to Balboa---you'll be going from someplace in Newport Beach to another place in Newport Beach.)
