USA

As the name suggests, this area's main attraction is the beach. But there's more to Virginia Beach: once you're done swimming and sunning, you can run off and play among the boardwalk bike paths and markets, galleries, shops and restaurants galore.

Before the 20th century

The first settlement along this strip of coast was at Lynnhaven Inlet in 1621. One of the first settlers' homes from that time - the Adam Thoroughgood House - still stands. The coast has always been famous for shipwrecks, and the increasing number of tragedies led Congress to establish a lifesaving station here. Burgeoning Virginia Beach started with the 1791 Cape Henry Lighthouse, designed to guide ships into Chesapeake Bay. The first oceanfront hotel went up in 1883 and the beach developed as a holiday retreat.

Modern history

In 1970, there were 172,000 people living in the city. In 1980, the Beach began to boom, and in only 10 years, the permanent population more than doubled, to 393,000.

Recent history

Today, Virginia Beach's population is expected to soon top more than half a million. The town has become everything it unashamedly wanted to be: a vulgar beach party town surrounded by a wall of concrete so big it often stops the sun's rays from reaching the beach. Those who call Virginia Beach 'The Redneck Riviera' are not entirely off the mark.

Top Accommodation

Top Restaurants

The Capital Region gets extremes of summer and winter: high summer, in July and August, is very hot and humid, with temperatures getting up to around 38°C (100˚F), although the coast is usually about three or four degrees cooler than the inland areas. Winters on the coast are cool, with low temperatures around 1°C to 3°C (33.8°F to 37.4°F) for the December-to-January period, though snow is rare. Occasionally a cold snap can send the mercury plummeting below zero, but these events are thankfully uncommon. Springtime is beautiful, with more comfortable temperatures, but a bit rainy. Autumn temperatures are cool and crisp, and the turning leaves are spectacular.

Average weather

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Transport

Getting around

Virginia Beach calls for more traditional modes of transport. Bike riding and walking will get you to most places you need to go. A trolley service runs four different routes through the city; the best one for tourists runs along Atlantic Ave in summer.

Getting there and away

Most people flying to Virginia Beach arrive at either the Norfolk or the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airports. The closest Amtrack train station is in Newport News; buses run to and from there to Virginia Beach. There is a Greyhound terminus in Virginia Beach. If you're coming by car, both highway 264 and 60 connect to Virginia Beach.