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The Best Places to Watch the Sunset
(also featuring top picks in nearby Bonita Springs)
Gulf beaches, toes-in-the-sand dinners and sunset cruises: where to watch the sun go down in Naples, FL.
By Scott Carr and Kelly Carr
Updated
Sunset from a beach access in Naples
Naples faces west over the Gulf, and sunset is the city's nightly event. People drift down to the beach ends in Old Naples, cocktails come out on the beachfront terraces, and the cruise boats head out through Gordon Pass to catch the last light on the water. On a clear evening, watch the top edge of the sun as it disappears: you may catch the green flash.
Sunset is as early as about 5:35pm in early December and as late as about 8:20pm at the end of June. A few things worth knowing: the Naples Pier is closed while it's rebuilt (the beach beside it is open), the county and state parks close at sunset, and Naples Bay faces east, so for the sun meeting the water you need the Gulf side. Here are the best places to watch the sunset in Naples, Florida.
Comparing boats? Our sunset cruises guide covers more options on the water.
4.83621 Google reviews
Good forOld Naples · Free
The classic Naples sunset. Every avenue in Old Naples ends at the beach, and in the evening locals and visitors wander down from Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South to watch the sun drop into the Gulf. Naples Beach stays open after dark, so there's no rush to leave, and dinner downtown is a few blocks away. The Naples Pier is closed while it's rebuilt, but the beach beside it is open.
Editor's Tip
The beach-end parking spaces are for residents with permits. Park at a pay station (the pier lot at 12th Avenue South or along Broad Avenue South) and walk down.
4.75592 Google reviews
Good forOpen until 11pm · Restrooms
A big, easy beach park with paid public parking, restrooms and showers, and a playground for the kids. Lowdermilk Park is open until 11pm, later than the county and state beach parks, which makes it the easiest place to stay for the afterglow and a walk along the sand once the crowds go home.
Editor's Tip
Bring a picnic: the snack bar usually closes well before sunset.
4.71105 Google reviews
Good forGarage parking · Beachfront dining
North Naples' sunset beach. Vanderbilt Beach Park has a wide stretch of white sand at the end of Vanderbilt Beach Road, a parking garage, restrooms and showers, and two of the best beachfront restaurants in town on the same beach: The Turtle Club and Gumbo Limbo. The park is open until sunset.
Editor's Tip
Make it dinner: watch the sunset from the sand, then walk to The Turtle Club, or book a table there and watch it from your seat.
4.73190 Google reviews
Good forMangrove boardwalk · Tram
The walk is half the fun. At Clam Pass Park, a boardwalk of about three-quarters of a mile winds through the mangroves to a quiet beach facing the Gulf, and a free tram runs the length of it until sunset. Rhode's End, the beach bar on the sand, serves drinks until sundown. The park closes at sunset, so take the boardwalk back as the sky fades.
Editor's Tip
Walk out and ride back, or the reverse: the boardwalk is a lovely 15-minute stroll in the evening light.
4.84501 Google reviews
Good forState park · Closes at sundown
A mile of natural beach at the north end of Naples. Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park looks out over the Gulf and Wiggins Pass, and a quieter, more natural feel than the city beaches. The park closes at sundown, so it's best for the hour before sunset, then leave as the sun goes down.
Editor's Tip
Entry is $6 per vehicle. When the lots fill up the park closes to cars, so arrive in plenty of time.
4.72774 Google reviews
Good forUndeveloped · Closes at sunset
The most natural beach in the area. Barefoot Beach Preserve, reached through Bonita Springs, is a long stretch of undeveloped Gulf beach with a boardwalk through the coastal habitat behind it. There are no concessions and only portable restrooms, so bring what you need, and plan to leave at sunset, when the preserve closes.
Editor's Tip
Non-residents pay a daily parking fee by card only. Dogs aren't allowed.
4.61918 Google reviews
9225 Gulf Shore Dr, Naples, FL 34108
Seafood, Steakhouse$$$$
Good forBeachfront dinner · Book ahead
Dinner with your toes almost in the sand. The Turtle Club, at the Vanderbilt Beach Resort, sits right on the beach with the Gulf in front of every table, serving seafood, steaks and stone crab in season. Reservations are highly recommended for dinner, especially around sunset, and tables are held for about two hours.
4.5917 Google reviews
Seafood, American$$-$$$, $$$$
Good forOpen-air · Sunset cocktails
Sunset cocktails at the Ritz. Gumbo Limbo is The Ritz-Carlton, Naples' open-air beachside restaurant, with a relaxed seafood menu, creative cocktails and an unbroken view of the Gulf from Vanderbilt Beach. It's one of the most popular sunset seats in town.
Editor's Tip
Arrive early for a sunset table: the best seats go well before the sun gets low.
4.51003 Google reviews
9891 Gulf Shore Dr, Naples, FL 34108
Seafood$$$$
Good forUpscale · Terrace by the sand
For a special-occasion sunset. BALEEN, at LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort, has a tiered outdoor terrace and tables right on the sand facing the Gulf, with seafood, steaks and an elegant setting that suits anniversaries and big nights out. Reserve ahead and ask for an outdoor table at sunset.
4.3273 Google reviews
American, Mediterranean, Seafood$, $$-$$$
Good forBeach bar · Drinks until sunset
A barefoot beach bar at the end of the Clam Pass boardwalk. Rhode's End, run by Naples Grande, feels like a little Greek island taverna on the sand, with Mediterranean plates until 5pm and drinks until sunset. Walk the boardwalk through the mangroves or ride the tram, then settle in with a glass as the sun goes down.
Editor's Tip
The kitchen closes at 5pm, so eat early and stay for drinks. It's cashless.
4.34226 Google reviews
American, Pizza$$-$$$
Good forBonita Beach · Casual
A Bonita Beach institution, back after Hurricane Ian. Doc's Beach House sits right on the sand with burgers, seafood baskets and cold drinks, and flip-flops are the dress code. Grab a table outside, or walk out onto the beach with your drink as the sun goes down.
Editor's Tip
Parking at Bonita Beach Park next door is paid by the hour through Lee County's app or text system.
4.6930 Google reviews
Good forYacht · Dinner cruises
Sunset in style. The Naples Princess, a 105-foot yacht with climate-controlled decks and full bars, runs two-hour sunset cruises from Port O Call Marina down Naples Bay and out through Gordon Pass into the Gulf, weather permitting. Choose a sunset cruise with hors d'oeuvres or a full dinner cruise.
Editor's Tip
Boarding starts 30 minutes before departure, and parking is free.
4.61344 Google reviews
Good for90 minutes · From Tin City
A relaxed sunset on the Gulf. Pure Florida's sunset cruise aboard the M/V Double Sunshine leaves Tin City about an hour before sunset, cruises the Gordon River and Naples Bay past Port Royal, then stops out on the Gulf as the sun goes down. Dolphins often join the ride.
Editor's Tip
Sit on the upper deck for the best view as the boat stops for the sunset.
4.892 Google reviews
Good forSailing catamaran · Bar on board
Sail into the sunset. Miss Naples, a 48-foot catamaran from Port O Call Marina, cruises Naples Bay and Port Royal before heading into the Gulf, weather permitting, with an open deck, shade and a bar serving wine and beer. Two hours, and a front-row seat for the green flash on a clear night.
4.8404 Google reviews
880 12th Ave S, Naples, FL 34102
Good forSailing · Bring your own drinks
A Naples favorite for decades. Sweet Liberty's two-hour sunset sail leaves the Naples City Dock aboard a 53-foot sailing catamaran, through Naples Bay and past Port Royal into the Gulf. You're welcome to bring your own snacks, beer and wine.
5.0716 Google reviews
Good forClear kayaks · Glow paddle
The most memorable sunset in Naples. On Get Up and Go Kayaking's Sunset/Glow tour, you paddle a clear kayak through Wiggins Pass to Barefoot Beach for the sunset, then glide back in LED-lit kayaks that light up the water beneath you. Tours leave from Cocohatchee River Park and take about two hours, for ages 3 and up.
Editor's Tip
Book a few days ahead in season: the tours are capped at six kayaks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time is sunset in Naples, FL?
It ranges from about 5:35pm in late November and early December to about 8:20pm at the end of June. In mid-October it's around 7pm, and when clocks fall back in early November it moves to about 5:45pm. Arrive 20 to 30 minutes early: the colors are often best just after the sun goes down. Our beaches page shows today's sunset time.
Where is the best free place to watch the sunset in Naples?
The beach at the end of almost any avenue in Old Naples, a short walk from Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South. The beach-end parking spaces are for residents with permits, so park at a public pay station (Lowdermilk Park, the pier lot or along Broad Avenue South) and walk. Lowdermilk Park itself stays open until 11pm.
Is the Naples Pier open for sunset?
Not yet. The pier was badly damaged by Hurricane Ian in 2022 and is being rebuilt; construction began in January 2026, and the city expects it to reopen in mid-2027 at the earliest. The beach on either side stays open, with access around the work site at Broad Avenue South and 13th Avenue South, and you can watch the sunset from the sand.
What is the green flash?
A brief burst of green just above the top of the sun at the moment it slips below the horizon. It's not unique to Naples, but the Gulf's open western horizon makes it a good place to look. You need a clear sky right down to the water, and it lasts a second or two.
Do Naples beach parks close at sunset?
Several do. Vanderbilt Beach Park, Clam Pass Park and Barefoot Beach Preserve are open from 8am to sunset, and Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park closes at sundown, so plan to leave once the sun is down. Lowdermilk Park (open until 11pm) and the Old Naples beach ends are better if you want to linger.