Experience the vibrant, timeless energy of southern California with a walk down Santa Monica Pier. The 100-year-old wooden wharf serves as the area's hub of entertainment and culture. This spot is home to the Pacific Park amusement park, the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, an array of shops and eateries, and plenty of street artists. Rent bikes and spend the afternoon exploring the carnival-like atmosphere while enjoying the oceanside scenery. Kids love visiting the Playland Arcade, which has more than 200 games and attractions. The pier also is home to California's only over-water Ferris wheel. For Santa Monica Pier and beyond, use our Santa Monica trip itinerary planner to get the most from your Santa Monica vacation.
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Santa Monica Pier reviews
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Quite a few homeless and people selling weed related stuff but fun otherwise. Good food, good views, and nice beaches. more »
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Fun pier with some good places to eat lunch. Very busy, as you would expect, but lots of fun small shops to buy tourist stuff at. A bit pricey... (The trip was made in Oct 2019, not 2020.) more »
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Amazing ! Views, beach, atmosphere. All of it was great. And weather was good too. Definitely recommend. The area where people work out is really cool and fun too. They have monkey bars, swinging rings, swings, those tapes where people balance on... sorry dont know the names... but a really nice chill place to go see.
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This is one of the most fun beaches in my opinion in Los Angeles. Between the amusement park, sunny beach, shops, and interesting people of Santa Monica the Pier is pretty cool. The water at the beach won’t be the clearest or cleanest but it’s still a beach worth checking out and there are plenty of things to do. Also, everyone seems to be in a good mood while there so that makes it enjoyable too. Def a place to check out whether you’re visiting or from LA.
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