Short answer: pick Clearwater for clear Gulf water, white sand and a sunset every night at Pier 60.
Pick small-town Cocoa Beach for surf and rocket launches nearby on the Atlantic.
They’re on opposite coasts, about 154 miles and 3 hours 10 minutes apart by car, so this is really a choice of which side of Florida you want.
I rewrote this page in October 2026 and folded in our second page on the same question, “Clearwater Beach vs. Cocoa Beach.”
Between the two old pages, one called the surf shop “Ron John.”
The other sent you to see the Phillies at “Spectrum Field.”
It’s been BayCare Ballpark since February 2021.
Side by side
- Water: Clearwater is on the Gulf, with white sand and clear blue water for 2.5 miles. Cocoa Beach is on the Atlantic, a surf town with the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame.
- The big draw: Clearwater’s Pier 60 sunset celebration every evening. Cocoa Beach’s launches at Kennedy Space Center, about 15 miles north.
- The pier: Pier 60 in Clearwater; the 800-foot Westgate Cocoa Beach Pier.
- From the airport: Tampa (TPA) is 20 miles from Pier 60. Orlando (MCO) is 48.5 miles from the Cocoa Beach pier.
- Size: Cocoa Beach had 11,354 people in 2020, with a median age of 59.8. Clearwater, the city, had 117,292.
- Spring extra: the Phillies hold spring training in Clearwater, at BayCare Ballpark.
Why I’d pick Clearwater
If the plan is lying on white sand and swimming in clear water, Clearwater’s the easy call.
In February 2019 TripAdvisor named it the best beach in the United States and sixth-best in the world.
Lifeguards are on duty seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Evenings are the best part.
Pier 60 runs a sunset celebration from 2 hours before sunset to 2 hours after, with local artists, craftspeople and performers.
Boat tours out of the beach commonly spot dolphins, and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, home of the Dolphin Tale dolphin Winter until 2021, is just up the causeway.
Turns out it’s also easier to reach.
From Tampa’s airport it’s about 20 miles.
But if you’ve booked into Orlando, it’s 109 miles, so check fares into Tampa first.
Why I’d pick Cocoa Beach
Cocoa Beach is a surf town first.
It has the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame, an Easter Surfing Festival going since 1964, and Ron Jon, billed as the world’s largest surf shop at over 52,000 square feet.
About 10,000 people turn up for the Surfing Santas at Christmas.
If surfing is the point of the trip, this is your side of the state.
And then there’s space.
Kennedy Space Center is about 15 miles north, so check the launch schedule before you book.
Visit Florida’s line is that you “might be rewarded by the unforgettable view.”
In summer, add a bioluminescence kayak tour on the Banana River (July to October is brightest), and a guided sea turtle walk in June or July.
It’s also the quick one from Orlando: about an hour from the airport on SR 528, part of it a toll road.
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My pick
Here’s where I draw the line.
For a classic beach week with kids, Clearwater.
For surfers, space fans or anyone flying into Orlando, Cocoa Beach.
So what if you can’t decide?
Honestly, you don’t have to.
The drive between them is about 3 hours 10 minutes, so a split week works.
I’d just do the Atlantic side first, while you still have energy for the surf.
More on the Gulf side is in our Clearwater and Pinellas beaches hub.
Heading to Cocoa?
See Cocoa Beach at night, and for today’s water, our Florida beach conditions.
