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280 Best California Instagram Captions And Quotes

Table of Contents

The beauty of California calls for an Instagram post, and this post includes the best captions and quotes if you need some inspiration. Whether you’re exploring the streets of San Francisco, hiking in Yosemite Park, or spending time in LA, the Golden State has a lot to offer.

Find the best California Instagram captions and quotes about Venice Beach, California Beach with plenty of short and cute options for your Cali trip.

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Best California Instagram captions

Make your Instagram posts about California count with these fun captions you can use for any occasion in Cali, whether it’s a trip to Yosemite or San Diego.

1. California dreaming

2. Life is better in flip-flops and under palm trees

3. Golden state of mind

4. No need to ask for directions; the sun always leads you to California

5. California state of mind

6. California love

7. Sunshine on my mind

8. Life’s a beach, and I’m just playing in the sand

9. West coast, best coast

10. I’m a Cali girl for the weekend

purple view with ocean front and palm trees in california with inspirational quotes and instagram captions

11. Already booking my next trip to California.

12. How is California already feeling like home?

13. Still in California, never leaving.

14. Needed a little California.

15. California has become my whole personality.

16. California is better than anywhere else in the world, fight me.

17. In my California outfit.

18. Happiness check in California.

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19. Professional California explorer.

20. Not mad at you California.

California quotes

With so many California quotes to choose from, you’ll struggle to pick a favorite for your next Instagram caption.

21. “I’d rather be in prison in California than free anywhere else.”  Inez Haynes Irwin

22. “We only have two kinds of weather in California, magnificent and unusual.”  James M. Cain

23. “California is an insane state, full of absolutely insane people.” – Chuck Palahniuk

24. “In California, gold was what God was in the rest of the country: everything, everywhere.” — Claire Vaye Watkins

25. “California: The land of fruits and nuts.” Unknown

26. “The two girls grew up at the edge of the ocean and knew it was paradise, and better than Eden, which was only a garden.” ― Eve Babitz

27. “For this is the real nature of California and the secret of its fascination; this untamed, undomesticated, aloof, prehistoric landscape which relentlessly reminds the traveler of his human condition and the circumstances of his tenure upon the earth.” — Christopher Isherwood

28. “I’m with you in Rockland in my dreams you walk dripping from a sea journey on the highway across America in tears to the door of my cottage in the Western night.” — Allen Ginsberg

29. “Dean’s California – wild, sweaty, important, the land of lonely and exiled and eccentric lovers come to forgather like birds, and the land where everybody somehow looked like broken-down, handsome, decadent movie actors.” Jack Kerouac

30. “California is a place where you can be anybody you want to be.” – Glenn Frey

waves at the beach with california quotes and instagram captions

Funny California Instagram captions

Keep it lighthearted and funny with these cute California Instagram captions. Need even more humor? These jokes about Americans are hilarious and these travel jokes are even better.

31. Just another day in paradise… with a side of avocados

32. Got 99 problems, but California living isn’t one

33. Residing in California is like dwelling in a mix of flavors. It’s all about variety!

34. Tried to blend in with the palm trees, but I’m not that tall

35. LA is like a beauty parlor at the end of the universe

36. California’s weather stole my heart and my need for a coat in San Francisco

37. In California, even the trees exude coolness. Have you seen those palms?

38. If bad decisions need a cleanse, California’s got the juice!

39. I came, I saw, I got a sunburn. Worth it

40. Living in California: Sunshine always, fun times guaranteed!

sunset with palm trees and orange sky

41. You should see our California trip on finsta.

42. Yes mum I’m still in California, no I’m not coming back any time soon.

43. Did I lose my passport in California? Yes. Was it worth it? Also yes.

44. Mentally very much still in California.

45. If you need me I’ll be in California ignoring my responsibilities.

46. Bringing chaos to California.

47. I’ve been living life so hard my IG is still in California.

48. Formal announcement: I’m never leaving California.

49. California, uncut version.

50. Bad girls go to California.

The Best Way To Experience the US

Group tours are an incredibly underrated way to travel and you’ll get to experience the US with new friends without any of the stress of planning. Check out my all-time favourite below.

Funny California puns and captions

These California puns are the perfect choice for your Instagram posts if you’re looking for some funny options.

51. California, I sea you

52. Kale-ifornia

53. Suns out, hamburger buns out!

54. If you’re alive, you can’t be bored in San Francisco

55. Los Angeles is just one big outdoor studio

56. Promise you won’t ‘desert’ me in Death Valley!

57. Every day in Cali is a ‘shore’ thing!

58. West coast – best coast

59. Can’t be ‘fault’ed for adoring San Andreas!

60. Gaze ‘pier’-fectly into the Santa Monica horizon.

sun in blue skies with palm trees

Famous quotes about California

Here is what famous people have to say about California with these fun ideas for captions for your Instagram pictures.

61. “I’d rather be in California than anyplace else.” – Greyson Chance

62. “The morning fog may chill the air, I don’t care. My love waits there in San Francisco.” – Tony Bennett

63. “California is always in my mind.” – David Hockney

64. “In California, they don’t throw their garbage away – they make it into TV shows.” – Woody Allen

65. “Los Angeles is just New York lying down.” – Quentin Crisp

66. “California is a fine place to live – if you happen to be an orange.” – Fred Allen

67. “The future always looks good in the golden land because no one remembers the past.” Joan Didion

68. “I love California. It has such a strong contribution to the history of culture and popular culture.” – Nicolas Berggruen

69. “California is a place in which a boom mentality and a sense of Chekhovian loss meet in uneasy suspension; in which the mind is troubled by some buried but ineradicable suspicion that things had better work here, because here, beneath the immense bleached sky, is where we run out of continent.” – Joan Didion

70. “You haven’t lived until you’ve died in California.” – Mort Sahl

71. “California, still a magical vanity fair.” – Eileen Granfors

beach with amusement park in the destance and blue sky

72. “If you’ve had good gin on a hot day in Southern California with the people you love, you forget Nebraska. The two things cannot coexist. The stronger, better of the two wins.” – Ann Patchett, The Magician’s Assistant

73. “As goes California, so goes the nation.” Unknown

74. “I’m from California. I grew up with sunshine and great weather.” – Ashley Tisdale

75. “Best way to live in California is to be from somewhere else.” – Cormac McCarthy, No Country for Old Men

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76. “California: bordering always on the Pacific and sometimes on the ridiculous. So, why do I live here? Because the sun goes down a block from my house.” — George Carlin

77. “Everything is just better in California – the wine, the food, fruits and vegetables, the comforts of living. Even the instrumentalists are generous and curious. Everything is wonderful.” – Beth Anderson

78. “California, where the spring comes in the fall, and the fall comes in the summer, and the summer comes in the winter, and the winter never comes at all.” Inez Haynes Irwin

79. “In California, everyone goes to a therapist, is a therapist, or is a therapist going to a therapist.” – Truman Capote

80. “Whether they’re for good or bad, all trends in the United States start in California.” – Steve Schmidt

81. “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” ― Mark Twain

beach with palm trees and blue sky with clouds

82. “She stood there bright as the sun on that California coast.” — Bob Seger, ‘Hollywood Nights’

83. “In Los Angeles, everyone is a star.” — Denzel Washington

84. “California deserves whatever it gets. Californians invented the concept of lifestyle. This alone warrants their doom.” ― Don DeLillo, White Noise

85. “Los Angeles was the kind of place where everybody was from somewhere else, and nobody really dropped anchor. It was a transient place. People drawn by the dream, people running from the nightmare. Twelve million people, and all of them ready to make a break for it if necessary. Figuratively, literally, metaphorically – any way you want to look at it – everybody in L.A. keeps a bag packed. Just in case.” ― Michael Connelly, The Brass Verdict

California beach quotes

Here are the perfect Cai Instagram captions to describe your cute beach days in California.

86. “California to me as a concept or as an idea always seems like endless optimism and endless opportunity – when people think of California, they think of palm trees and blue skies and gorgeous sunsets and beaches and everything else.” – Mark Hoppus

87. “Myths that need clarification: “Everyone in California lives on a white, sandy beach.” False. The only people who live on California beaches are vacationers from Arizona, Utah, and Nevada who own condos.” Erma Bombeck

88. “Life is a wave, catch it on a California beach.” Unknown

89. “A day at a California beach is always priceless.” Unknown

90. “Feeling the sand between my toes and the California sun on my face.” Unknown

91. “The beach: where doing absolutely nothing is doing something.” Unknown

92. “The beaches in California are just better, the surf is special” — Unknown

beach with blue sky and yellow surf board standing up in the sand

93. “With sandy toes and sun-kissed nose, that’s the California way.” Unknown

94. “California beaches – where the summer never ends.” Unknown

95. “Salt in the air, sand in my hair, and love for California in my heart.” Unknown

96. “If you haven’t surfed in California, you haven’t lived” — Unknown

97. “My soul is in the sky, my heart is on the beach, my home is California.” Unknown

98. “In California, every route leads to a beach.” Unknown

Short California captions for Instagram

Sometimes, short Instagram captions are all you need, and these options for California will be the perfect companion for your pictures. If you need even shorter options, you might enjoy these one-word travel captions.

99. Palm trees and ocean breeze

100. Dear California, I love you

101. You had me at California

102. My soul lives in California

green hills at beach

103. Happiness is a week in California

104. Home is where the heart is, and mine is in California

105. Making memories in California

106. Always say yes to California

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107. California is all I’ve ever wanted

108. All I need is a California sunset

109. Surf’s up in Cali

110. Cali vibes only

111. West coast wanderer

112. Sun-kissed in SoCal

sun-kissed in socal quote on sunset beach picture

113. Golden state soul

114. California love

115. California forever

116. In a Cali state of mind

117. Brb, gone to California.

118. It’s California, baby.

119. Cali photodump.

120. Cali is all you need.

121. California diaries.

122. Annual California trip.

123. Obligatory California photodump.

124. Love u California

125. California couldn’t have been better.

126. Cali was 10/10.

127. Cali dreamin’.

The Best Way To Experience the US

Group tours are an incredibly underrated way to travel and you’ll get to experience the US with new friends without any of the stress of planning. Check out my all-time favourite below.

California Living Instagram captions

Living in California is special, and here’s why.

128. Life is better by the ocean

129. Living that California life

130. Sunsets, palm trees, and California in my heart

131. I need some California in my life

beach with hills and blue sky

132. Life in California is beautiful

133. Eat. Sleep. Breathe. California

134. Living my best life in California

135. Living the California dream

136. If you can’t go to heaven, then San Francisco is the closest thing to it

137. Life’s a beach in California

Los Angeles, California captions for Instagram

LA has a lot to offer, and these Cali quotes and Instagram captions perfectly summarise the most famous city in California. Find even more LA Instagram captions here.

138. In a city full of angels

139. Everyone is a star in LA

140. Everything is better in LA

orange and blue sunset sky with oean and hills in the distance

141. Living the dream in the city of angels

142. Los Angeles, I’m yours

143. Endless summer in LA

144. Catching LA vibes

145. In Los Angeles, every day feels like a movie

146. Feeling starstruck everywhere I go

147. A bad day in LA is better than a good day anywhere else

148. If you can’t go to heaven, LA is the next best thing

149. If found, return to Los Angeles

150. Sunsets are better in Los Angeles

sunset orange sky with sky line

151. Just here to get my star!

152. Los Angeles is my kind of town

153. Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground

154. Lost in Los Angeles

155. Doing it the LA way

156. You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy a trip to Los Angeles

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San Francisco, California captions for Instagram

If you’re looking for some of the best quotes and captions about San Francisco for your Instagram pictures, you’ll love these options.

157. Finding peace amidst the fog in San Francisco

158. San Francisco vibes, coast to coast

159. San Francisco, you’re a sight for sore eyes

160. Leaving my heart in San Francisco

beach with bridge and mountains

161. Golden Gate dreams, and San Francisco scenes

162. San Francisco: the city that always welcomes me home

163. The Bay has got me falling in love

164. Feeling the San Francisco magic

165. Golden moments in the City by the Bay

166. I fell in love, and his name is San Fran

167. You can leave San Francisco, but it will never leave you

168. Life is better by The Bay

169. In a San Fran state of mind

170. There’s no place like San Francisco

open road driving in california with mountains and oean in the distance

171. Let’s run away to San Francisco

172. Follow your heart, even if it leads you all the way to San Francisco

173. San Francisco is always a good idea

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174. Somewhere between living and dreaming, there’s San Francisco

175. I will never get over you, San Francisco

California love quotes

Fall in love with California all over again with these cute and romantic quotes.

176. “Our love story began with ‘hello’ and became epic in California.” Unknown

177. “Falling in love feels like a California sunset – beautiful, magical, and endless.” Unknown

178. “Like the Pacific, my love for you is deep and endless.” Unknown

179. “Our hearts beat to the rhythm of California.” Unknown

180. “In California, I fell in love with love.” Unknown

beach with san diego written in the sand in california with quotes and instagram captions

181. “My heart whispers your name in every California breeze.” Unknown

182. “We found love and sunshine in the Golden State.” Unknown

183. “California love is the sweetest love.” Unknown

184. “In the land of endless summer, I found my endless love.” Unknown

185. “Our love is as vast and vibrant as California.” Unknown

Song lyrics about California

A lot of songs were written about California, and here are some of our favorites.

187. “You could travel the world, but nothing comes close to the golden coast.” Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dogg, “California Gurls”

188. “California knows how to party.” 2Pac and Dr. Dre, “California Love”

189. “You look so Seattle, but you feel so LA.” Fall Out Boy, “Irresistible”

190. “I’m your biggest fan, California, I’m coming home.” Joni Mitchell, “California”

191. “I’d be safe and warm if I was in LA, California dreamin’ on such a winter’s day.” The Mamas & The Papas, “California Dreamin’”

192. “It’s understood that Hollywood sells Californication.” Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Californication”

193. “Hello, can you hear me? I’m in California dreaming about who we used to be.” Adele, “Hello”

194. “I’ve got a pocketful of sunshine.” Natasha Bedingfield, “Pocketful of Sunshine”

hollywood sign in LA california with inspirational quotes and instagram captions

195. “Made up my mind to make a new start, going to California with an aching in my heart.” Led Zeppelin, “Going to California”

196. “Hey, here’s to you California, beautiful haze of suburbia, living in the perfect weather, spending time inside together.” Blink 182, “California”

197. “On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair, warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air” – The Eagles, “Hotel California

198. “I’m going back to Cali, Cali, Cali, I’m going back to Cali.” – LL Cool J, “Going Back to Cali

The Best Way To Experience the US

Group tours are an incredibly underrated way to travel and you’ll get to experience the US with new friends without any of the stress of planning. Check out my all-time favourite below.

199. “Are you going to San Francisco? Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair” – Scott McKenzie, “San Francisco”

200. “She had to leave Los Angeles. She found it hard to say goodbye to her own best friend” X, “Los Angeles”

201. “I left my heart in San Francisco” – Tony Bennett, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”

202. “California, here we come, right back where we started from” Phantom Planet, “California”

203. “California, rest in peace, simultaneous release, California, show your teeth” Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Dani California”

204. “I wish they all could be California girls” Beach Boys, “California Girls”

orange red yellow sunset sky with palm tree

205. “California girls, we’re unforgettable” – Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dog, “California Gurls”

206. “In a coastal town, we never found the love we sought / Just an empty page and that word Californication” – Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Californication”

California beach Instagram captions and quotes

Perfectly describe your beach days in California with these quotes and Instagram captions.

207. Beach please, I’m in California

208. Cali beach babes

209. Every day’s a beach day in Cali

210. Sun, surf, sand, and Cali

211. Let the sea set you free

212. Sun kissing ocean – beach touching bum

213. Nothing beats the beaches in California

214. Just a couple of California beaches

sunset sky over water in california and quotes and instagram captions

215. You go to California for the beaches

216. Golden beaches, blue skies, and perfect waves

217. Surfin’ USA!

218. “In California, every day is a beach day.” Unknown

219. “Beach day is every day in Cali Unknown

220. More Pacific Ocean, please

221. “I love how Hollywood still wants to perpetuate the myth that beaches in Southern California are warm at night.” Chris Carmack

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222. “Out here in California, in the Pacific Ocean, the sharks have a bad attitude.” Katy Mixon

223. “I think my best memories are when I go home to California, and I get to play beach volleyball with my friends from home.” Gigi Hadid

224. “I’m all about palm trees and 80 degrees.” — Unknown

225. “Palm trees, ocean breeze, salty air, sun-kissed hair – California, take me there.” — Unknown

226. “In every outthrust headland, in every curving beach, in every grain of sand, there is the story of the earth.” Rachel Carson

California sunset captions for Instagram

Capture the sunset vibes in Cali with these captions to go along with your Instagram posts.

227. I wanna spend the rest of my sunsets with you in California

228. Sunsets & palm trees

229. You can never watch too many sunsets in Cali

230. All you need is a California sunset

231. Nothing like a Cali sunset, baby

232. There’s a boulevard called Sunset here

open road with bridge in california during sunset with quotes and instagram captions

233. Dreams are made of sand and sunsets

234. My favorite color is sunset

235. Chasing sunsets in the Golden State

236. California dreams, painted in sunset hues

237. When the sky matches the golden coast

238. Oh Cali, you’re just so beautiful

239. Where the sun kisses the ocean, California comes alive

240. Catching the last rays of California’s magic

California vacation Instagram captions

Make your next Cali trip one to remember with these quotes and Instagram captions.

241. Making memories under California skies

242. Creating sun-soaked memories in California

skyline with water in front of it and blue sky

243. Catching waves and rays on my California getaway

244. The best kind of therapy is beach therapy

245. Wish you were here in sunny California!

246. Sun, fun, and California sunsets

247. California dreaming – California living

248. Never leaving Cali

249. On California time

250. Exploring Cali one landmark at a time

California travel quotes

Commemorate your California trip with these captions about traveling to the Golden State.

251. “California, here I come!” Al Jolson

sand dune with clouds during sunset

252. “I love California. I practically grew up in Phoenix.” Dan Quayle

253. “The sun shines bright in California. It’s almost blinding. People come out to Los Angeles to get a tan. I come to hide in the shadows.” Ed Harris

254. “I love Los Angeles. I love Hollywood. They’re beautiful. Everybody’s plastic, but I love plastic. I want to be plastic.” Andy Warhol

255. “Everything in California is great as long as you’re not there when it happens.” Michael J. Pollard

256. “The California crunch really is the result of not enough power-generating plants and then not enough power to power the power of generating plants.” George W. Bush

257. “The sunlight clasps the earth, and the moonbeams kiss the sea: what are all these kissings worth, if thou kiss not me?” Percy Bysshe Shelley (about California’s natural beauty)

258. “The air in California is the healthiest in the world – if you don’t count that of New York.” Werner Finck

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259. “It’s the easiest thing in the world to get to California – you just aim yourself west and start walking.” Rae Carson

260. “I sought California for its weather – 365 days of near-perfection” Unknown

261. “Exploring California is like diving into a treasure trove of endless wonders.” Unknown

262. “California: where the journey becomes a story you’ll tell for a lifetime.” Unknown

beach in california during sunset with waves and hills and inspirational quotes and instagram captions

263. “Embarking on a Californian adventure – where every road is a chapter waiting to be written.” Unknown

264. “Traveling through California is a symphony of landscapes and experiences.” Unknown

265. “In California, each vista is a canvas painted by nature’s hand.” Unknown

266. “Roaming California’s landscapes, I found a map of my soul.” Unknown

267. “California’s beauty isn’t a destination; it’s a journey of the senses.” Unknown

268. “Venturing across California’s horizon, where the sunsets are as legendary as the dreams.” Unknown

269. “Wandering through California, I found that the real journey was within.” Unknown

270. “I’ll never forget this road trip, and California was what truly made it special” Unknown

Captions about California girls

Your girl’s trip to California is about to get even better with these fun and cute captions for Instagram.

271. I’m a California girl

272. Cali girls are sunkissed and ready for anything

273. California girls just wanna have sun

hut at the beach with girl doing yoga in calfirnia with inspirational quotes and instagram captions

274. They write songs about California girls for a reason

275. Dancing to the rhythm of the waves, just like a true California girl

276. Living that West Coast dream

277. California girl chasing dreams and sunsets

278. Golden state beauty

279. Living that Cali life!

280. Born to be wild in California

More Instagram caption ideas

If you’re looking for Instagram captions and quotes about places around the US, you’ll love these posts. Click on one of the buttons below to read our other quote guides.

Here are more quotes about places around the world.

You might also enjoy our more general Instagram caption posts about travel styles and much more. Here are the best quotes about:

Keep yourself entertained while you travel with these joke guides.

My Most Important Travel Resources

Did I miss anything?
If you have any questions or feel like something is missing from this post, please leave a comment below or contact me.

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Niklas Forstreuter

Niklas is a travel writer, business executive and travel planning expert. He has been travelling the world for the past eight years, living in places like Spain, France, Portugal, and Mexico. He is passionate about providing helpful and accurate information and assists over 200,000 people with planning the trip of their dreams every month. 

Nick is originally from Germany but now visits at least five new countries every year, sharing his travel advice for Europe, the Americas and much more.

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Hi, I'm Victoria

Welcome to Guide your Travel – a blog about South East Asia and how to travel on a budget.

I’m a blogger, writer and photographer and love to introduce my favourite destinations to others and encourage them to see the world.

I’m originally from Germany but spent four years living in the UK, quite a bit of time in Spain and Malaysia, and am now travelling full time with a home base in Bali, Indonesia.

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