Naples Island is the strangest and prettiest thing in Long Beach, California: a neighborhood of three small islands in Alamitos Bay, laid out around a Venetian canal system, with gondolas that have been running since 1982 and a December light display that draws people from across Southern California. It is the only Venetian-style canal system on the West Coast, and it sits about a mile east of Belmont Shore’s 2nd Street, across a short bridge.

The best part is that almost all of it is free and public. The canal walkway loops the whole main island, there is no gate and no ticket, and the single most rewarding thing to do here costs nothing but an hour of walking. This guide covers the walk, the gondolas, the kayaking, the Christmas lights and boat parade, where to eat, and the practical details that trip people up. Every named place links to Google Maps for hours, reviews and directions.

What Naples Island Actually Is

Naples is a residential neighborhood of Long Beach built on three man-made islands inside Alamitos Bay, in the far southeast of the city. Development began in 1905 under Arthur Parsons, whose company marketed the place as the “Dreamland of Southern California.” Building it was a genuinely large piece of engineering: more than 13,000 feet of concrete seawall and roughly 300,000 cubic yards of dredging and fill to raise three islands out of tidal mudflats, producing a system of canals and named, unsurprisingly, after Naples, Italy. Gondolas appeared on the water within a few years of the islands taking shape.

What survives today is a dense, low-rise neighborhood of waterfront homes with private docks, Italian-inspired architecture, Italian street names, and five Italianate bridges crossing the water — one of which connects Treasure Island, the smallest of the three. Homes here are among the most expensive in Long Beach, and many back directly onto the canal with a boat tied up at the bottom of the garden.

It is worth being clear about what Naples is not. It is not an attraction with an entrance, a visitor center or a parking structure. It is a real residential neighborhood that happens to be beautiful, and visitors who treat it that way — quiet after dark, no blocking driveways, no wandering onto private docks — are the reason it stays open and welcoming.

The Rivo Alto Canal Walk: the Best Free Hour in Long Beach

The Rivo Alto Canal loops the main island, and a public walkway runs the entire way around it. The loop is roughly one mile, completely flat, and takes about half an hour at a stroll, or an hour if you stop to look at things, which you will.

What makes the walk work is that you are down at water level the whole way, walking between the canal on one side and the backs of the houses on the other, crossing the little bridges as you go. The boats are named, the gardens are close enough to see properly, and the light in the last hour before sunset is the reason photographers keep coming back. There are no cars on the walkway. It is the single most-recommended activity on the island, and it is completely free.

Partway around you reach The Colonnade Park, the southernmost strip of fill adjacent to the Rivo Alto Canal, improved with lawn, palm trees and benches, and anchored by an ornamental fountain called La Bella Fontana di Napoli. It is small — about 110 feet of frontage — but it is the natural stopping point on the loop and the best place to sit for a few minutes.

Practical notes: start anywhere, since it is a loop. Go counterclockwise or clockwise, it makes no difference. Wear normal shoes; there is no rough ground. And go at golden hour if you have the choice.

Gondola Rides Through the Canals

The Gondola Getaway has been operating since 1982 and is the oldest and largest fleet of gondolas in America — it was the first company to offer Venetian-style gondola cruises in the United States. Its gondoliers are trained in Venice, and the standard trip is a one-hour private cruise through the Naples canals.

The details that matter: departures run from 11:00am to 4:00pm, the departure point is 5437 East Ocean Boulevard, and reservations are required — there are no walk-ups. That last point is the one that catches visitors out; people regularly turn up hoping to hop on a gondola and cannot. Book ahead. The company handles everything from a romantic cruise for two up to a fleet of 62 boats for larger occasions, which is why it is a fixture for proposals, anniversaries and birthdays in this part of the city.

Is it worth it? For a special occasion, yes — being on the water at dusk while the houses light up is a genuinely different experience from the walkway. For a casual afternoon, the free canal walk gives you most of the same views. Our Long Beach date ideas guide covers where this fits against the other options in the city.

Kayaking and Paddleboarding the Canals

The cheaper way onto the water is to paddle it yourself, and this is one of the best-value activities in Long Beach.

Kayaks on the Water sits at 5411 East Ocean Boulevard, on the strip of sand at Alamitos Bay Beach directly opposite Naples Island. It rents single and double kayaks plus stand-up paddleboards, offers quick beginner lessons, and is open 9:00am to 5:00pm daily, with hourly rates that have run in the region of ten to twelve dollars per person per hour.

From the push-off point you cross toward the island and enter the circular Rivo Alto Canal, then float past the homes and the improbably named boats. Paddling clockwise takes you under the East 2nd Street Bridge and the Appian Way Bridge and out toward Mother’s Beach. The water here is exceptionally forgiving: Alamitos Bay is sheltered from wind by a sand spit peninsula and by the Long Beach breakwater, so conditions stay calm enough for complete beginners and for children.

Beyond the canals you can extend the trip into Marine Stadium and the Los Cerritos Channel, which turns an hour’s rental into a genuine half-day on the water.

Naples Island Christmas Lights and the Boat Parade

This is what Naples is most famous for, and it lives up to it. Through December the island is regularly described as the most beautiful waterfront in Southern California, with residents and whole blocks competing over their displays. Hundreds of lights go up along the canals, and a number of homes go well past lights into audio and animatronics, telling full holiday stories from the front of the house.

The centerpiece is the Naples Island Christmas Boat Parade, when decorated boats and small craft run the canals. In 2025 it was held on December 20 at 6:00pm, with the large boats leading and smaller craft following at 6:30pm, under the theme “A Tropical Winter Wonderland.” It is free to watch.

Where to actually stand: the classic vantage is along Bay Shore Avenue and the streets near the canals. For elevated views of the boats passing underneath, the 2nd Street Bridge is the best spot, with the Appian Way Bridge a local favorite. The Alamitos Bay Marina gives you the sunset backdrop. Space along the bridges and walkways fills fast, so arrive well before the start.

Two practical warnings. First, parking during the parade and on peak December evenings is genuinely difficult — this is a residential neighborhood with no visitor lot, so park further out and walk in. Second, the same courtesy applies as always: these are people’s homes, and the display exists because residents choose to put it on.

If you are planning a December weekend, the Belmont Shore Christmas Parade runs on the first Saturday of the month one bridge to the west, so the two pair naturally. Our Long Beach events guide covers the rest of the year, and free things to do in Long Beach has more no-cost options.

Where to Eat Near Naples Island

Naples itself is overwhelmingly residential, so dining means the eastern end of 2nd Street and the Belmont Shore corridor just across the bridge.

The Naples Rib Company at 5800 E 2nd Street is the closest genuine destination restaurant, running about 4.4 stars across roughly 1,600 reviews and widely treated as the barbecue benchmark in Long Beach — baby back, St. Louis and beef ribs, plus prime rib and tri-tip, with the cornbread and honey butter and the warm towels after the meal turning up in review after review. It opens at 4:00pm on weekdays and noon at weekends, and it has valet parking, which in this neighborhood is a real advantage.

A short walk west across the bridge puts you on 2nd Street proper, where Domenico’s Belmont Shore (open since 1954, Long Beach’s oldest restaurant, about 4.6 stars over 2,000-plus reviews) and Nick’s on 2nd at 4901 E 2nd Street cover the traditional and the upscale ends respectively.

An important correction: Michael’s on Naples, for many years the special-occasion Italian restaurant at the Naples end of 2nd Street, is closed. It still appears in older guides and roundups. Do not build an anniversary dinner around it.

For the wider picture see our best restaurants in Long Beach guide and the full Belmont Shore 2nd Street guide.

Mother’s Beach and the Water Around the Island

Mother’s Beach sits on the northeastern side of Naples Island inside Alamitos Bay, just below Marine Stadium. Because it is inside the bay, it is protected from open-ocean motion, so the water is calm and shallow with lifeguard coverage in peak periods — which is exactly why it is the default beach for families with small children in this part of Long Beach.

The surrounding Marine Park is the only spot in the area that combines grass, a sandy beach, a large modern playground, picnic facilities and a designated swim area in one place, with a concession stand on site. It is also the best launch point for paddling if you want to reach Marine Stadium, the Los Cerritos Channel or the full loop around the island. See things to do with kids in Long Beach and the Long Beach parks guide for the rest.

Getting There, Parking and Practicalities

Naples sits at the far southeastern edge of Long Beach, reached by driving east on 2nd Street through Belmont Shore and over the bridge. There is no visitor parking lot. Street parking on the island is limited, residential and tight, particularly at weekends and through December.

The reliable approach is to park in Belmont Shore — the metered spaces there run $3.00 per hour from 10:00am to 7:00pm and accept cards, with side streets, alleys and public lots easier than 2nd Street itself — then walk east across the bridge. The walk is flat and pleasant and takes only a few minutes, and it removes the single biggest source of frustration for first-time visitors.

Best times to visit: the last hour before sunset for the canal walk, mid-morning for kayaking when the bay is at its calmest, and any December evening for the lights, with the boat parade as the peak. The island is quiet at night and it is a residential neighborhood, so keep the volume down after dark.

A Half-Day on Naples Island

Park in Belmont Shore mid-morning while meters are still cheap and spaces exist. Walk east over the bridge and do the full Rivo Alto Canal loop, stopping at the Colonnade fountain. Rent a kayak from Kayaks on the Water and paddle the canals from the inside, out under the 2nd Street and Appian Way bridges toward Mother’s Beach. Dry off on the sand at Marine Park, then walk back west for a late lunch at Domenico’s or an early dinner at the Naples Rib Company. If it is December, stay for the lights; if it is a special occasion, book The Gondola Getaway in advance and take the sunset cruise.

Total cost if you skip the gondola: the price of a kayak rental, lunch, and a few hours on a parking meter. It remains one of the best-value days out anywhere in Long Beach.

Naples Island FAQ

Where is Naples Island in Long Beach, CA?

Naples is a neighborhood of Long Beach built on three islands in Alamitos Bay, at the far southeastern edge of the city, reached by heading east on 2nd Street through Belmont Shore and over the bridge.

Can you walk the Naples Island canals for free?

Yes. A public walkway runs the entire way around the Rivo Alto Canal, roughly one mile, completely flat, with no ticket or gate. It is the most recommended thing to do on the island and it costs nothing.

How do you book a gondola ride in Naples, Long Beach?

The Gondola Getaway, operating since 1982 and the oldest and largest gondola fleet in America, runs one-hour private cruises departing between 11:00am and 4:00pm from 5437 East Ocean Boulevard. Reservations are required and there are no walk-ups, so book ahead.

When are the Naples Island Christmas lights and boat parade?

The lights run through December. The Naples Island Christmas Boat Parade is held in mid-to-late December; in 2025 it ran on December 20, with large boats starting at 6:00pm and smaller craft at 6:30pm. Watching is free. Best viewing is along Bay Shore Avenue, the 2nd Street Bridge, the Appian Way Bridge and Alamitos Bay Marina.

Can you kayak in the Naples canals?

Yes. Kayaks on the Water at 5411 East Ocean Boulevard rents kayaks and paddleboards daily from 9:00am to 5:00pm, directly opposite the island. Alamitos Bay is sheltered by a sand spit and the breakwater, so conditions suit complete beginners.

Where do you park to visit Naples Island?

There is no visitor parking lot and island street parking is limited and residential. Park in Belmont Shore, where meters run $3.00 per hour from 10:00am to 7:00pm and accept cards, then walk east over the bridge.

How old is Naples Island?

Development began in 1905 under Arthur Parsons, using more than 13,000 feet of concrete seawall and around 300,000 cubic yards of dredging and fill to raise three islands out of tidal mudflats. It was named after Naples, Italy, and remains the only Venetian-style canal system on the West Coast.