Why go
- City in California, United States.
- Served by Naval Outlying Field Imperial Beach (Ream Field) (NRS).
History
Imperial Beach is a beach city in San Diego County, California, United States, with a population of 26,137 as of the 2020 census. It is in the South Bay area of San Diego County, 14.1 miles (22.7 km) south of downtown San Diego and 5 miles (8 km) northwest of downtown Tijuana, Mexico. Imperial Beach is the southernmost city in California and the West Coast of the United States.
Airports
San Diego International Airport (SAN) 12 mi to the centre
3225 N Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101 — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 29 airlines (Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, AirTran Airways…) · direct flights to 55 destinations incl. Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 29 airlines, 55 direct destinations
- Alaska Airlines AS (737-800, 737-800, 737-900, 757, Dash 8-400, 73J…) · 21 routes: Atlanta*, Boise*, Boston, Chicago*, Dallas-Fort Worth*, Detroit*, Fresno*, Honolulu, Kahului, Lihue, Los Angeles*, Minneapolis*, Monterey*, New York*, Orlando, Portland, Puerto Vallarta, Salt Lake City*, San Jose Del Cabo, Santa Rosa*, Seattle
- Southwest Airlines WN (737-700, 73C, 737-300, 737-800, 737-800) · 20 routes: Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Nashville, New Orleans, Oakland, Phoenix, Reno, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Francisco, San Jose, St. Louis, Tucson
- American Airlines AA (737, 737-800, A320, A321, A319, 757…) · 18 routes: Boston*, Calgary, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, London*, Los Angeles*, Miami, New York, Orlando*, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland*, Puerto Vallarta*, Santa Rosa*, Seattle*, Tokyo, Washington
- AirTran Airways FL (737-700, 737-800, 737-800, 73C) · 11 routes: Atlanta*, Baltimore*, Denver*, Houston*, Kansas City*, Las Vegas*, Louisville*, Phoenix*, Reno*, San Antonio*, San Jose*
- US Airways US (737-800, A320, A321, A319, 757, M83…) · 9 routes: Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles*, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Washington
- Delta Air Lines DL (737-900, 737-800, A320, 737-800, 757, A319…) · 7 routes: Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles*, Minneapolis, New York, Salt Lake City, Seattle*
- United Airlines UA (737-800, 737-900, A320, 757-200, A319, 737-700…) · 7 routes: Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles*, Newark, San Francisco, Washington
- Spirit Airlines NK (A319, A320) · 4 routes: Dallas-Fort Worth, Las Vegas, Portland, San Jose Del Cabo
- JetBlue Airways B6 (A320) · 2 routes: Boston, New York
- AeroMéxico AM (73J) · 1 route: Puerto Vallarta*
- Air Canada AC (A319) · 1 route: Toronto
- Air France AF (737-900, 767-300, 737-800) · 1 route: Atlanta*
- Alitalia AZ (737-900, 767-300, 737-800) · 1 route: Atlanta*
- Allegiant Air G4 (MD-80) · 1 route: Bellingham
- British Airways BA (777) · 1 route: London
- Finnair AY (777) · 1 route: London
- Frontier Airlines F9 (A319, A320) · 1 route: Denver
- Hawaiian Airlines HA (A330-200) · 1 route: Honolulu
- Iberia Airlines IB (777) · 1 route: London*
- Japan Airlines Domestic JL (787-8) · 1 route: Tokyo
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (737-900, 767-300) · 1 route: Atlanta*
- Malaysia Airlines MH (787) · 1 route: Tokyo
- Qatar Airways QR (737-800) · 1 route: New York*
- SeaPort Airlines K5 (CNC) · 1 route: Imperial
- Sun Country Airlines SY (737-700) · 1 route: Minneapolis
- Virgin America VX (A319, A320) · 1 route: San Francisco
- Virgin Atlantic Airways VS (737-900, 767-300, 737-800) · 1 route: Atlanta*
- Volaris Y4 (A319) · 1 route: Mexico City
- WestJet WS (737-800, 737-700) · 1 route: Calgary
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Tijuana International Airport (TIJ) 8.1 mi to the centre
Carretera Aeropuerto S/N, Nueva Tijuana, 22435 Tijuana, B.C., Mexico — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 5 airlines (Volaris, AeroMéxico, Interjet (ABC Aerolineas), Birmingham European…) · direct flights to 32 destinations incl. Culiacan, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Ciudad Juarez, Del Bajio… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 5 airlines, 32 direct destinations
- Volaris Y4 (A319, A320) · 29 routes: Acapulco, Aguascalientes, Cancun, Chihuahua, Ciudad Juarez, Ciudad Obregon, Colima, Culiacan, Del Bajio, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, La Paz, Los Mochis, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Mexico City, Monterrey, Morelia, Oaxaca, Puebla, Puerto Vallarta, Queretaro, San Jose Del Cabo, San Luis Potosi, Tepic, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Uruapan, Vera Cruz, Zacatecas
- AeroMéxico AM (737-800, 777, 787, ERJ, EMJ, 737…) · 9 routes: Ciudad Juarez*, Culiacan, Del Bajio, Durango*, Guadalajara, Hermosillo*, Mexico City, Shanghai, Tokyo
- Interjet (ABC Aerolineas) 4O (A320) · 2 routes: Guadalajara, Mexico City
- Birmingham European VB (737-300) · 1 route: Culiacan
- Korean Air KE (787) · 1 route: Tokyo*
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Brown Field Municipal Airport (SDM) 7.1 mi to the centre
San Diego, CA, US — Indoor waiting areas, but some gates board by bus or on foot across the apron — plan for the weather on the day.
Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport (MYF) 17 mi to the centre
San Diego, CA, US — Indoor waiting area, but you walk out to the aircraft to board — bring an umbrella or a coat if the forecast is poor.
Gillespie Field (SEE) 19 mi to the centre
San Diego/El Cajon, CA, US — Indoor waiting area, but you walk out to the aircraft to board — bring an umbrella or a coat if the forecast is poor.
Getting there by ferry
Chula Vista Ferry Landing
Ferry terminal · 3.1 mi from the centre · Flagship Cruises and Events
Coronado Ferry Landing
Ferry terminal · 9.3 mi from the centre · San Diego Harbor Excursion
Convention Center / 5th Avenue Ferry Landing
Ferry terminal · 9.4 mi from the centre · Flagship Cruises and Events
Broadway Pier
Ferry terminal · 10 mi from the centre · Flagship Cruises & Events
Chula Vista - Convention Center
Ferry route · Flagship Cruises and Events
Chula Vista - Convention Center Ferry Route
Ferry route
Convention Center to Chula Vista
Ferry route · Flagship Cruises and Events
Where things are
Local search powered by Geoverts and geo-intelligence by Better Mapping
base map © OSM
Photographs
credit: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons · See source page
When to go
Tourist season
May – September
The warmer, longer-day half of the year is the safest bet for a first visit.
Shoulder season
April, October
Cooler and quieter, with fewer visitors and better value.
Worth avoiding
Deep winter
Short days and the coldest weather — check local conditions before travelling.
Getting there & around
Getting there. The nearest airport on record is Naval Outlying Field Imperial Beach (Ream Field) (NRS). Check rail and road links from the tourism sources below. By water: 4 ferry terminals within 12 mi (nearest: Chula Vista Ferry Landing, 3.1 mi); routes include Chula Vista - Convention Center, Chula Vista - Convention Center Ferry Route, Convention Center to Chula Vista.
Getting around. Use the map above to orient yourself; nearby hotels, attractions and places to eat are listed from the live Ultimate data for Imperial Beach, California. Local transit details will be added as the guide is expanded.
Local transit
Bus · San Diego, California · Schedules & GTFS data (official feed)
Trains & rail
National rail
Coaches & shuttles
Intercity coach
Intercity coach
Intercity coach
Intercity coach
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.
Charter, shared flights · Light to large-cabin via partner fleet · Vista Global's on-demand charter and by-the-seat shared flights, app-based.
Semi-private scheduled · Embraer 135/145, 30 seats · Scheduled "hop-on" jet service from private terminals in the western US and Texas — no TSA lines.
Fractional, jet card · Cessna Citation, Embraer Phenom, Bombardier Challenger & Global · The largest private-jet operator in the world; fractional shares and the NetJets card, US and Europe.
Fractional, jet card · Embraer Praetor, Bombardier Challenger & Global, Gulfstream · Fractional ownership and jet cards in North America and Europe.
Jet card, charter · Partner fleet · Jet cards and on-demand charter from Boston.
Tours & experiences
Sightseeing