Santa Monica Pier & Beach (2024)

Spotlight: Santa Monica

Over the years,Santa Monicahas never lost its beach town soul, even as it has become more glamorous with luxury beachfront hotels, fine dining, and high-end boutiques. Today you can experience the best of both worlds: broad California beaches with surfing and volleyball, plus a sophisticated, city-within-a-city scene. On your next visit, try some of Santa Monica’s ultimate experiences.

Wake up by the beach in a stylish hotel

If you’ve ever dreamed of your own beach cottage, it probably felt a bit likeShutters on the Beach. Effortlessly chic, this grey-shingled hotel’s bright and breezy rooms are both relaxed and elegant, with balconies overlooking the expansive sands of Santa Monica’s beach. Hang by the pool or rent a beach cruiser at the hotel, then set out on the bike path that stretches for 22 miles along the shore. Shutters is just one of many high-end resorts to choose from in Santa Monica; other fantastic options includeCasa Del Mar,Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows, and theViceroy Santa Monica.

Take a stroll along a historic pier

A lot of fun begins whereRoute 66ends, on the landmarkSanta Monica Pier. Its neon gateway sign is one of Southern California’s most recognizable icons, and the pier, which opened in 1909, puts you out over the surf, with spectacular views up and down the coast. Go for a spin on the beautifully preserved 1922 Looff Hippodrome carousel and catch a glimpse of the world beneath the waves at theSanta Monica Pier Aquarium.

Enjoy old-school fun at Pacific Park

With its updated roller coasters and bumper cars,Pacific Park, on the Santa Monica Pier, brings the classic amusem*nt park experience into a new era. The West Coast’s only amusem*nt park on a pier, Pacific Park has an arcade where you can fine-tune your skills at Whac-A-Mole or the Balloon Bust. Then take a ride and enjoy incredible coastal panoramas on the Pacific Wheel, the world’s only solar-powered Ferris wheel.

Escape to a bungalow on the bluffs

Inspired by both Santa Monica’s chilled-out vibe and the romance of a Baja California-style casita,The Bungalowis the beach life incarnate. With its raftered ceilings, funky furnishings, and game room, this hideaway on the grounds of theFairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalowsis like a private beach club—as conceived by surfers. Hang out on the patio with a craft co*cktail as you take in one of Santa Monica’s unforgettable sunsets.

Browse the Third Street Promenade

With an all-star retail line-up that includes the likes of Lululemon, Abercrombie & Fitch, and a spectacular Apple Store, the open-airThird Street Promenadeis a shoppers’ paradise. Browse the stores as you walk this vehicle-free street, where street musicians serenade passers-by and the fantastical topiary dinosaurs add a whimsical touch.

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Art lovers will definitely want to stop atthe26th Street ArtCenter, a onetime water-heater factory and warehouse complex that’s now home to one of Southern California’s leading collection of galleries. And for high-end fashions in a low-key setting, go toMontana Avenue, where you’ll find cool boutiques, restaurants, and a good chance of spotting a few A-list celebrities.

Spotlight: Santa Monica

Explore one or all of Santa Monica’seight neighbourhoods, each boasting its own unique identity and experience. Downtown, pedestrian-onlyThird Street Promenade, four blocks east of the beach, offers big-name brands like Abercrombie & Fitch, H&M, Old Navy, as well as galleries, movie theatres, and comedy shows. On the promenade’s south end is luxurious, open-airSanta Monica Place.

It’s not all about chains here.On Main Street, peruse handmade accessories and gifts by local artists atMindfulnest, or shop for unique home goods atLost and Found. Kids go crazy playing dress-up and just plain playing in theAcorn Store, specializing in wooden toys.

The promenade keeps things lively too, with entertaining street performers, especially on weekends (permits required, so the bar tends to be higher here than just your average street-corner act).

For another slice of heavenly shopping, stroll alongMontana Avenuedowntown. If you’re into flea markets, beeline to Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture. Get your skin “mapped” during a spoil-yourself facial at Dermalogica. And find ultra-hip outfits at Jill Roberts and a flurry of other designer boutiques.

Spotlight: Santa Monica

Take a stroll along Santa Monica’s signature pier at sunset, that enormous sun sinking into the Pacific, and you'll probably wonder if it can get much better than this. But wait; it can. Right here. First, there’s an amusem*nt park—perched right on the pier—called PacificPark, with not-too-scary roller coasters and classic carnival rides that make a nice mix even for little ones. Then there are incomparable views from the top of the pier’s solar-powered Ferris wheel. On weekends, you can join free historical walking tours to learn more about the pier, which dates back to 1909. And then there are those simple pleasures—a creamy thick milkshake or a simple necklace of seashells, at snack shacks and trinket shops lining the pier. And there are the local fishermen adding colour to the scene; hang out for a while and you’re bound to hear some good yarns and watch some slippery fish reeled in. Find out what those fish might be by heading under the pier (directly below the turn-of-the-century wooden carousel), to the inviting Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, with some 100 species of fish and aquatic animals, and lots of family-friendly educational displays.

And then of course, there’s the beach, a broad expanse of pale yellow sand lining the coast for 3.5 miles. For the complete beach treatment, explore the ocean atop a paddleboard (various hire equipment and lessons are available) or go VIP with your own Perry’s on the Beach Butler service.

Spotlight: Santa Monica

Spotlight: Santa Monica

Whether you want to wake up with an ocean view out your window or prefer to feel like a high-stylefashionista, Santa Monica has a luxury hotel that suits your style.

Check into The Huntley Hotel for its alluring blend of beachside chic and urban sophistication, plus the hot scene and chilled co*cktails at The Penthouse, which offers sweeping ocean views. There’s the streamlined art deco glamor of Hotel Shangri-La, a 1939 landmark where you can join the hip crowd at ONYX, a rooftop bar and lounge. Or live like a star at Viceroy Santa Monica in an ocean-hued room as cool and breezy as the nearby Pacific.

With its Cape Cod-inspired architecture and homey, yet elegant rooms created by star designer Michael S. Smith, oceanfront Shutters on the Beach epitomizes Santa Monica’s relaxed coastal charms. Or just down the beach, step inside the graceful Mediterranean-style lobby of the 1926 classic Hotel Casa del Mar, where rooms offer flawless ocean views through your arched floor-to-ceiling windows.

Spotlight: Santa Monica

With restaurants helmed by both celebrity chefs and rising culinary stars, Santa Monica boasts a sizzling-hot dining scene. Start with a classic, Chinois on Main, where Wolfgang Puck pioneered the fusion style of cooking. There’s also Michael McCarty’s Michael’s restaurant, a landmark for California cuisine since 1979.

Michelin-starred French cuisine, including an impeccable Kagoshima Wagyu beef filet, can be enjoyed at Josiah Citrin’s Mélisse. Sample irresistible creations (don’t miss the maple-bacon biscuits) at breakfast hotspot Huckleberry Bakery & Café, home to James Beard award-winning pastry chef Zoe Nathan. (Her pastries and desserts, like Champagne chocolate tart and sticky toffee pudding, are also served at farm-to-table Rustic Canyon restaurant).

Even burgers get the special treatment in Santa Monica: Head to gastropub Father’s Office for chef Sang Yoon’s deliciously decadent burger topped with a smoked-bacon and caramelized-onion compote, and gruyere and Maytag blue cheeses. Just don’t ask for ketchup. Yoon doesn’t allow anyone to mess with his masterpieces.

Spotlight: Santa Monica

Venice is the ultimate L.A. neighborhood where the surf meets the human circus. Spend a day along Venice’s palm-lined, beachfront boardwalk and you might spot a skateboarding guitarist, a guy juggling chainsaws, bodybuilders, and bikinis. You may also see some of the country’s best pickup basketball games on local outdoor courts, as well as fearless skateboarders on the skateboard nestled right in the sands of Venice Beach. Find a bench to watch the passing parade, or become part of it, by renting beach cruiser bikes to follow Venice’s stretch of the 22-mile Marvin Braude Coastal Bike Trail, linking Santa Monica to Torrance. For a truly wild experience, find something to bang with (an empty soda can and your car keys will do) and join the nightly drum circle out on the beach.

Walk inland away from the beach to discover a different Venice. The town’s most popular street, stroll-ableAbbot Kinney Boulevard, is a shopping treasure trove. Browse for designer duds in stylish boutiques that draw Hollywood celebs, and search for home furnishings—from vintage to mid-century. Blend your own scents at Strange Invisible Perfumes. Cafes and food trucks make sure you don’t go hungry while you shop. And yes there are canals in Venice: Stroll past the original cottages, lush gardens, and modern homes of the Venice Canal Historic District.