Orange County sits between Los Angeles and San Diego along 42 miles of Pacific coastline, and manages to be both thoroughly suburban and genuinely enjoyable to visit. The inland cities — Anaheim and Buena Park chief among them — contain some of Southern California's most visited theme parks, including Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm. The coast is a different proposition: a string of beach communities ranging from the surf culture of Huntington Beach to the galleries and coves of Laguna Beach.
Beyond the theme parks, the county has character worth finding. Newport Beach and its harbour, the historic Spanish mission at San Juan Capistrano, and the canyon country of Trabuco Canyon offer alternatives to the crowds. The weather is reliably mild year-round, and the beaches are among the most accessible on the California coast.
Getting around requires a car — public transit is limited and distances between attractions are substantial. Most visitors base themselves in Anaheim for the parks or along the coast for the beaches, and day-trip between the two.
