Capitola, California is a small seaside town located 40 miles north of Monterey. In the 2024 census its population was 9,456.
Capitola’s Venetian Court consists of two rows of 24 multicolored pastel townhouses sitting beachside. Built in 1924 the complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987 as the First Condominium Beach Community.
A path runs in front of the houses, but a great place to take some pictures is next to Zelda’s restaurant. The small alley will take you right to the beach where you will get an impressive view of the colorful buildings with the water in front of them. The scene is more European than Californian.
This is the only stop I planned in Capitola as my husband and I continued our drive south on the Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco to Los Angeles. As a matter of fact Mister Rain illegally parked while I jumped out of the car and found my way to the spot at the end of the alley, quickly snapping pictures without being able to see what was in the frame. I took a few seconds to breath in the salt air, feel the warmth of the sun on my face, hear the sounds of people on the sand, the gulls circling overhead in the brilliant blue sky.
This is why I travel. I live in the suburbs in a quintessential Philadelphia-esque brick house in a landlocked area, about as different as you can get from these painted houses on the Pacific Ocean. This one quick point on a 1,300 mile itinerary was not nothing. It is these little gems that are everything.
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