Santa Monica Travel Guide

Tourist Guide

Santa Monica featuring street scenes, a city and general coastal views
Santa Monica featuring general coastal views
Santa Monica
Santa Monica which includes general coastal views and marine life
Santa Monica featuring a city, a playground and modern architecture

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 kilometers). 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 center. 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 Center. 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-kilometer) 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

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Downtown Santa Monica

4.5/5(44 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

4.5/5(18 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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Sunset Park

4/5(6 area reviews)

If you're looking for some top things to see and do in Sunset Park and surrounding area, you can visit Bergamot Station Arts Center and Main Street Santa Monica.

Sunset Park
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Wilshire Montana

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

Wilshire Montana
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Mid-City

4/5(2 area reviews)

Even though there aren't top sights in Mid-City, you can explore the larger area and take in top sights like Santa Monica Beach. Jump on the metro at 17th Street/SMC Station to see more of the city.

Mid-City
The Pierside Santa Monica
The Pierside Santa Monica
4 out of 5
120 Colorado Avenue, Santa Monica, CA
The price is NZ$614 per night from 17 July to 18 July
NZ$614
17 July - 18 July
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this 4-star beach hotel in Santa Monica. Enjoy free WiFi, breakfast (surcharge), and room service. Our guests praise the restaurant and the helpful staff ...
8.6/10 Excellent! (1,299 reviews)
"I LOVED how helpful the staff were here - it really was the best service we had in any hotel we stayed in while we were in the States!"

Reviewed on 12 Jul. 2025

The Pierside Santa Monica
The Huntley Hotel
The Huntley Hotel
4.5 out of 5
1111 2nd St, Santa Monica, CA
The price is NZ$680 per night from 17 July to 18 July
NZ$680
17 July - 18 July
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this 4.5-star luxury hotel in Santa Monica. Enjoy breakfast (surcharge), a free area shuttle, and room service. Our guests praise the restaurant and ...
9.2/10 Wonderful! (1,918 reviews)
"Near everything"

Reviewed on 10 Jul. 2025

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 NZ$564 per night from 10 Aug to 11 Aug
NZ$564
10 Aug - 11 Aug
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this 4-star beach hotel in Santa Monica. Enjoy breakfast (surcharge), a free beach shuttle, and room service. Our guests praise the helpful staff and ...
8.8/10 Excellent! (1,103 reviews)
"I had a great stay at the Hilton Santa Monica. The location is ideal—just a short walk to the pier, beach, and local shops. The rooms were spacious and comfortable, and the staff was genuinely friendly and helpful throughout my visit. Overall, a very convenient and enjoyable experience. Highly recommend ..."

Reviewed on 9 Jul. 2025

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.
Santa Monica  Garden Beach Bungalow - Private, and Steps from the Sand
Santa Monica Garden Beach Bungalow - Private, and Steps from the Sand
Santa Monica
Stay at this apartment in Santa Monica. Enjoy free WiFi, a garden, and laundry facilities. Popular attractions Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach are located ...
9.8/10 Exceptional! (123 reviews)
"Perfect area for our stay with our daughter. Wouldn’t stay with more than three adults as it is small but the walk to the beach is short and perfect distance between Venice and Santa Monica Pier. WiFi worked well but we didn’t have cell service inside the bungalow so had to walk out to talk on phone ..."

Reviewed on 15 Jun. 2025

Santa Monica Garden Beach Bungalow - Private, and Steps from the Sand
Santa Monica Beach House
Santa Monica Beach House
Santa Monica
Stay at this vacation home in Santa Monica. Enjoy laundry facilities, patios, and cable/satellite TV service. Popular attractions Santa Monica Pier and Santa ...
9.6/10 Exceptional! (155 reviews)
Amazing place
"We loved our stay here. The host was very responsive, super easy to check in, very convenient parking either on the street by the house or half a block down on the beach parking lot with provided permits. The area was close to the beach, restaurants and the Pier. We used the bikes provided by the ..."

Reviewed on 27 May 2025

Santa Monica Beach House
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 ...
8.4/10 Very Good! (663 reviews)
"Honestly had such a great time, everything was chill, clean and service was amazing. All Staff was friendly. Had zero problems"

Reviewed on 8 Jul. 2025

The Haas, Trademark Collection by Wyndham
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.

Popular places to visit

Activities

Reviews of Santa Monica

4.4
Top destination
5 - Excellent
36
5 - Excellent 55%
4 - Good
23
4 - Good 35%
3 - Okay
4
3 - Okay 6%
2 - Disappointing
2
2 - Disappointing 3%
1 - Terrible
0
1 - Terrible 0%

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

Feel very easy and plenty of shopping and places to dine out. Good for a jog, bike ride or walk.

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

Very chilled. Very friendly people.

2/5 - Disappointing

Verified traveller

Although Santa Monica appears to be bright and beautiful it still has very shady, dirty little parts in between that make you feel uncomfortable and unsafe. This can be witnessed by the constantly high level of Police presence.

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

Love the city would move there tomorrow

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

Santa Monica is awesome.

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

Great place to stay. The atmosphere is great and the people very friendly.

Cities near Santa Monica