Santa Monica

Travel Guide
Santa Monica featuring street scenes, a city and general coastal views
An up-market city home to surfers, students, and celebrities, this is where to enjoy one of the famous beaches, a historic pier and great nightlife of the Los Angeles area.

Santa Monica has been one of LA’s most fashionable beach cities for decades. It’s easy to see why with its famous beaches, historic pier, balmy year-round weather and a trendy crowd that frequents the many cafés, boutiques and bars.

Grab a towel and head to the well-maintained beach, which stretches for 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometres). The sand is raked daily and is shared by volleyball players, swimmers and sunbathers throughout the year. 

For a bit of fun, check out the historic Santa Monica Pier where all the family will enjoy the Pacific Park amusement centre. There’s also a small aquarium, shops and arcade. 

Wander between the cafés, bookstores, and cinemas of the Third Street Promenade. Check out Main Street for more shops, or go celebrity watching on Montana Avenue. Admire quality top-notch art, visit the Bergamot Station Arts Centre. You’ll find the Santa Monica Museum of Art as well as several other smaller galleries. In the evening, drop by the Santa Monica Playhouse for a show, then head out to choose from dozens of bars and restaurants. 

From Third St Promenade head to Palisades Park. It stretches for 25 acres (10 hectares), and its treelined paths give a great view of the ocean. There are plenty of spots to picnic, read and watch the world go by. 

If you feel like picking up the pace, rent a bike and go for a ride along the 22-mile (35-kilometre) Marvin Braude Bike Trail. This trail passes beneath the Santa Monica Pier and runs mostly along the Pacific Ocean.   

Santa Monica is home to a sophisticated and fun crowd. You can hit the beach, party, go celebrity watching, or check out the well-developed art scene and eclectic shops. 

Where to stay in Santa Monica

Santa Monica showing tropical scenes and general coastal views

Downtown Santa Monica

4.5/5(45 area reviews)

While you're in Downtown Santa Monica, take in top sights like Santa Monica Beach and jump on the metro at Downtown Santa Monica Station to see more of the city.

Downtown Santa Monica
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Ocean Park

4/5(23 area reviews)

Ocean Park is known for its stunning beaches, and you can see some sights area like Venice Beach and Santa Monica Beach.

Ocean Park
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Pico

While you're in Pico, take in top sights like Santa Monica Place or Third Street Promenade, and hop on the metro to see more of the city at 17th Street/SMC Station or 26th Street/Bergamot Station.

Pico
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North of Wilshire

4/5(7 area reviews)

While visiting North of Wilshire, you might make a stop by sights like Santa Monica Beach and Third Street Promenade.

North of Wilshire
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North of Montana

If you're spending some time in North of Montana, Santa Monica Beach and Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area are top sights worth seeing.

North of Montana
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Wilshire Montana

If you're spending some time in Wilshire Montana, Santa Monica Beach and Third Street Promenade are top sights worth seeing.

Wilshire Montana
Gateway Hotel Santa Monica
Gateway Hotel Santa Monica
3.5 out of 5
1920 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA
The price is RM1,037 per night from 31 Mar to 1 Apr
RM1,037
per night
31 Mar - 1 Apr
Stay at this 3.5-star business-friendly hotel in Santa Monica. Enjoy free WiFi, room service, and a fitness center. Our guests praise the helpful staff and the ...
8.6/10 Excellent! (1,548 reviews)
"Had to have surgery at UCLA. This hotel is close by. The attached restaurant was convenient & tasty. Parking was easy & only $16 a day. Made a difficult time easier."

Reviewed on 26 Mar 2024

Gateway Hotel Santa Monica
The Huntley Hotel
The Huntley Hotel
4.5 out of 5
1111 2nd St, Santa Monica, CA
The price is RM1,359 per night from 31 Mar to 1 Apr
RM1,359
per night
31 Mar - 1 Apr
Stay at this family-friendly hotel in Santa Monica. Enjoy breakfast, WiFi, and a free area shuttle. Our guests praise the restaurant and the helpful staff in ...
8.8/10 Excellent! (1,157 reviews)
"Great customer service. Great location. Lovely Rooms"

Reviewed on 25 Mar 2024

The Huntley Hotel
Hilton Santa Monica Hotel & Suites
Hilton Santa Monica Hotel & Suites
4 out of 5
1707 4th St, Santa Monica, CA
The price is RM1,258 per night from 28 Apr to 29 Apr
RM1,258
per night
28 Apr - 29 Apr
Stay at this beach hotel in Santa Monica. Enjoy breakfast, WiFi, and a free beach shuttle. Our guests praise the helpful staff and the clean rooms in our reviews. ...
8.2/10 Very Good! (1,005 reviews)
"Was welcomed right away by the front desk personnel."

Reviewed on 25 Mar 2024

Hilton Santa Monica Hotel & Suites
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.
The Haas, Trademark Collection by Wyndham
The Haas, Trademark Collection by Wyndham
3 out of 5
219 W 7th St, Los Angeles, CA
Stay at this 3-star aparthotel in Los Angeles. Enjoy free WiFi, a 24-hour front desk, and daily housekeeping. Our guests praise the helpful staff and the clean ...
8.6/10 Excellent! (277 reviews)
"Very convenient location with within walking distance of metro and other public transport. Walking distance to a lot of great sights within the city. The actual location though had a lot of vagrants within the area. Would not recommend walking around at night alone."

Reviewed on 18 Mar 2024

The Haas, Trademark Collection by Wyndham
GORGEOUS Hollywood Living Los Angeles
GORGEOUS Hollywood Living Los Angeles
3.5 out of 5
900 S Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA
Stay at this 3.5-star aparthotel in Los Angeles. Enjoy free WiFi, a fitness center, and onsite parking. Our guests praise the convenient parking and the clean ...
8.8/10 Excellent! (134 reviews)
"This was excellent value for the money- we stayed 4 nights and communication was excellent with the on- duty contact Mark. We notified when flight landed to give plenty of notice and he was there at our arrival. The beds are doubles so smaller but the extra trundle cot was great and extra blankets ..."

Reviewed on 28 Mar 2024

GORGEOUS Hollywood Living Los Angeles
Venice Breeze Suites
Venice Breeze Suites
3.5 out of 5
2 Breeze Avenue, Venice, CA
Stay at this 3.5-star beach aparthotel in Venice. Enjoy free WiFi, a rooftop terrace, and a 24-hour front desk. Our guests praise the helpful staff and the clean ...
8.2/10 Very Good! (1,489 reviews)
"Had a bed. It was near the beach"

Reviewed on 27 Mar 2024

Venice Breeze Suites
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.

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Reviews of Santa Monica

4.4
Top destination
5 - Excellent
45
" "5 - Excellent 50%
4 - Good
35
" "4 - Good 38.888888888888886%
3 - Okay
10
" "3 - Okay 11.11111111111111%
2 - Disappointing
0
" "2 - Disappointing 0%
1 - Terrible
0
" "1 - Terrible 0%

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller
4 Jan 2020

Pier and beach are excellent, city seemed very clean, didn’t not feel unsafe at all, people friendly, decent transport links. Quite a few homeless but that’s basically the same throughout LA from what we could tell.

5/5 - Excellent

Gill
19 Dec 2019

A great location to stay for a visit to LA. We visited downtown LA and other attractions in the daytime and returned to Santa Monica to chill in the evening. The area is very safe to walk around with many excellent restaurants and good shopping

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller
5 Nov 2019

Great atmosphere with plenty to see and do. Good beaches and great shopping. Always felt safe and everyone was friendly.

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller
31 Oct 2019

Excellent place to visit. Loved it will be back x

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller
23 Oct 2019

Len & Jan are lovely hosts.

4/5 - Good

Verified traveller
23 Oct 2019

Apart from the large amount of homeless people in the area found Santa Monica to be a safe and friendly place, quite clean and would definitely stay there again.