Santa Monica pier
Not technically part of Los Angeles, but great for a laid back afternoon of shopping, eating and seeing the sea. You’ll recognise the Santa Monica pier because it’s been used in many a movie, although we wouldn’t recommend it at night when it becomes a hang out zone for local youths. The shopping/eating area though is a great place to be day or night and has a fantastic atmosphere. Take a walk along the beach path to see Muscle Beach or drive up the coast road (Highway 1) to see places noted for celebrity houses like Malibu. This is an extract from our free Los Angeles City Guide.
The sea front walkway in Santa Monica
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT SANTA MONICA
Staying in Santa Monica is our “Top Tip” for your trip to Los Angeles. This is because the sights of LA are all spread out and it doesn’t really have a centre. This gives you somewhere nice to base yourself, plus the beach is nearby and you can still get to all the major attractions of LA by driving to them. One point to note though, Disneyland is quite a long way away from Santa Monica. A really exciting way to see the sights of Santa Monica and Venice Beach is on the Segway Tour.
Santa Monica Street Art
LOCATION & DIRECTIONS
To get to Santa Monica from LA, take Freeway 10 (Santa Monica Freeway) and follow it all the way to its junction with Pico Blvd where we’d recommend you leave the Freeway. If you stay on, you’ll end up on Highway 1 with some great views of the beach. The main parking lot is just by the pier.
SANTA MONICA LINKS
Santa Monica official website
Wikipedia - Santa Monica page
Santa Monica & Venice Beach Segway Tour – Get latest prices
Hotels in Santa Monica – Best price guarantee from Hotels.com
More hotels in Los Angeles – Up to 30% off from Expedia.co.uk
Books on Santa Monica - Amazon.co.uk
Pier webcam
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