Santa Monica Vacation GuideBeaches, Shopping, Sights And More For Your |
Located where the 10 freeway intersects Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy. 1), it is faster to get to from most inland areas than Malibu (to the north), or beaches south of LAX. But its convenient location also means a lot of traffic in the area to contend with.
View Southern California Beaches in a larger map |
One way to get around on your Santa Monica vacation without hassling driving and
parking
is by taking the Big Blue Bus or Mini Blue Bus. Santa Monica has an excellent bus system and almost half of the buses are fueled on Liquefied Natural Gas, which is much cleaner for the environment. The ride costs a dollar (2 for the express buses) and has convenient routes around town.
Click here for routes to popular visitor destinations.
Where To Stay
Most Santa Monica lodging is found around the Pier and Third Street Promenade areas. This also makes them within walking distance to the beach. A few others are further inland.
To see a list of hotels with their contact information and basic features, go to our Santa Monica Hotel Directory.
Some of the more popular hotels include:
Travel Lodge Santa Monica
Doubletree Hotel Santa Monica
Shutters Hotel Santa Monica
Casa Del Mar Santa Monica
Hotel California Santa Monica
Hotel Oceana Santa Monica
Miramar Hotel Santa Monica
And just in case you want to stick around a while longer, check out Santa Monica Vacation Rentals.
Shopping In Santa Monica
One of the major shopping and dining areas in Santa Monica is the Third Street Promenade. It is chock full of shops, restaurants, bars and art galleries. The nice thing about it is that no cars are allowed on that section of Third Street, so it’s like an open air mall. The Third Street Promenade runs between Wilshire and Broadway.
Another major shopping district is called the Main Street Historic District, featuring unique boutique shops with antiques, gifts, clothes and more. You will also find restaurants, art galleries and bookshops.
Thirdly, there is Santa Monica Place (quite close to Third Street Promenade), featuring larger department stores and located between Broadway and 4th and Colorado and 2nd. It is currently under renovation (March 2008).
Other Things To Do
Other possible things to do before or after spending the day at the beach include visiting the Museum of Flying at the Santa Monica airport. The address is 2772 Donald Douglas Loop near Ocean Park and 28th. They have over thirty vintage aircraft to check out, as well as an interactive children’s area. They are open from Wednesday through Sunday and charge $7 for adults, $5 for seniors and 3$ for kids aged 3-17. For more information call 310-392-8822.
Another popular activity for adventurous visitors is to stroll down famous (or infamous) Ocean Front Walk in neighboring Venice Beach California with all its assortment of characters doing, wearing, displaying and/or selling things that will amaze.
A third option of things to do on your Santa Monica vacation is to check out the many art galleries at Bergamot Station at 2525 Michigan Ave. (well inland). There are 24 art galleries here and a cultural center on 6 acres. They are open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 to 6. Admission is free. For more info call 310-829-5854.
Find cheap flights to California
Dining In Santa Monica
For more information on the wealth of restaurants in Santa Monica, see
where to eat.
Back to the Southern California Beaches Vacation Guide home page.
