Of course there are! All of the parking and driving secrets are right here!!!

Marine Ave – Shops and Dining

If you are going to visit marine avenue, here are some parking tips and tricks. Marine Ave is the main drag on the island. 3 Blocks of homes and businesses from North Bayfront to South Bayfront. Most of the businesses are in the 200 and 300 blocks of Marine Ave. You will find may great places to Eat, Shop and Play on Balboa Island at these Marine Ave locations. On Marine Ave, most the parking is a 2 Hour Max from 8AM to 6PM. There are some shorter period parking spots like 5 Min in front of the Post Office and our Luxury Real Estate office as well as some 30 Min parking spots by Starbucks and Irvine Ranch Market. There are also electric cart parking in front at each of the 4 way stops. There is also bike parking in front of the Village Inn and at the crosswalk in the 200 block by our office. If you need parking for a longer period of time, just head a street or two West or the 100 block of Marine Avenue or park on Little Balboa Island… Just pay attention to street sweeping days. If the street has already been swept, you are good to park there regardless of the posted times. Also, there are NO Parking Meters on Balboa Island!

General Traffic On and Off Balboa Island

If you are coming on the island, it’s most convenient to take an immediate right turn into the North Bayfront alley as soon as you come over the bridge to Marine Ave. Marine Ave gets pretty backed up due to the 2 4-way stop intersections, the short term parking, parallel parking and pedestrians crosswalks. If you miss the alley turn, which is right in front of the pedestrian crosswalk, then take the first right at Balboa Ave and head west. It’s a lot quicker route! If you are leaving the island and want to exit via the bridge, then avoid Park Ave. Park Ave gets backed up near Marine Ave due to the traffic from the ferry crossing. Most tourists are just following google maps in a bliss on island time. However, if you want off the island quicker, take and of the left turns along park ave to get over to Balboa Ave. This will bring you up to Marine Ave between the 200-300 blocks and save you time from sitting on Marine Ave as well.