Colorful Painted Houses of Capitola Village

On a recent trip to Santa Cruz, I stumbled on the colorful houses of Capitola Village, something that I never knew existed previously. These condos are all painted in vibrant pastel color, and they sit basically on the sand at Capitola Beach. It is a fantastic spot for dinner and a stroll while staying in the Santa Cruz area; here is all the information.

Detail

• Metered street parking is available
• The homes are privately owned, so be respectful. Some are available for rent as well.

Getting There

We parked over near the Zelda’s on the Beach restaurant and then walked through the alley to the sand and the view of the houses.

Capitola Painted Houses

Right next to Zelda’s, there is a small alley that takes you right to the beach and to a great view of the painted houses. From here, you can see the houses with the water in front of you, and it looks like something you would see in Europe, not in California.

I recommend just walking along the sand and taking in the views from many different angles. It is gorgeous at sunset.

I walked over to the houses to get more information on them and was told that they are condos that people own but often show up on vacation rental sites if you are interested in booking one. I would love to stay here myself some time in the future.

After exploring for a little while, I grabbed a few slices of pizza from Pizza My Heart and just sat on the beach to watch the sunset with the family. 

This is one of those places that I had never heard of, even after eight years of exploring California. It was a beautiful spot, and I recommend you check it out if you get the chance. Let me know what you think in the comments!