Santa Monica Bay – The Most Beautiful Beaches in Los Angeles
Santa Monica Bay is probably the quintessential spot for the concept of California. Along the long coast of Venice and Santa Monica, you'll find the beach life of Los Angeles, with skateboards and rollerblades heading towards the iconic Santa Monica Mountains ridge to the north.
The city of Santa Monica is a fantastic place to hang out, boasting excellent restaurants and the famous pier over the Pacific Ocean. To the north, along Highway 1, lies the famous beach town of Malibu, where houses stretch over the bay's waters. Up the ridge, there are Mediterranean-like nature reserves, offering stunning views of Los Angeles.
How long should you spend touring Santa Monica Bay?
For a trip through Santa Monica, Venice, Malibu, and all the parks and sites up the ridge, you need between two to four days. Two days for those who want to drive on Highway 1 from Venice to Malibu (and beyond), and four days for those who also want to chill on the beaches or hike in the parks up in the mountains.
12 Must-See and Do Things in Santa Monica Bay
- Enjoy the sunset at the Santa Monica Pier
- The iconic Malibu coastline
- Watch the ocean's marine life at the Santa Monica Aquarium
- Important archaeology at the Getty Villa
- Shopping on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica
- Skateboard with all the cool kids of California at the Venice Boardwalk
- Stroll through the Venice Canals
- Tasting cowboy life at Will Rogers Historic State Park
- Walk among the tall palm trees of Palisades Park
- Ocean view from Eagle Rock at Topanga State Park
- The wild nature of Malibu Creek State Park
- Relax on the beaches of Point Dume under the cliff shadows
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What is Santa Monica Bay?
- Santa Monica Bay is the body of water that bounds Los Angeles to the west with the Pacific Ocean
- The bay was formed by the folding of the Santa Monica Mountains range that encloses Los Angeles from the north, giving the city's coastline its iconic look
- The bay stretches from Venice northwards through Santa Monica to the southern slopes of the range that touch the ocean waters
- On the slopes lies the famous seaside town of Malibu, and further on are some of the metropolis's most beautiful beaches like Paradise Cove Beach and Point Dume beaches, marking the western edge of the bay
- Above Malibu, there are several popular nature sites from which views of the bay can be seen to the south
Click here for a guided bike tour along the Santa Monica Bay coast…
The central city in Santa Monica Bay is the city of Santa Monica, which is connected to Los Angeles and is part of the continuous urban fabric of the city. This large coastal city lies west of Westwood and Beverly Hills and it is a separate municipal entity from the big city
- About 90,000 residents live in Santa Monica, in one of the most fun and upscale areas of the metropolis
- Santa Monica is a very popular vacation city with plenty of hotels, restaurants, and entertainment spots
- The main avenue of Santa Monica is Santa Monica Boulevard, the Highway 2 axis that also forms the center of Beverly Hills and stretches westward to the ocean shore
- The city's coastline is one of the most attractive vacation and entertainment spots in Los Angeles, where you'll find the famous Santa Monica Pier and the city's wide sandy beach
Map of Santa Monica Bay
Santa Monica Bay Travel Route
- The travel route in Santa Monica Bay is mainly based on Route 1, which runs along the entire shoreline from the Santa Monica Pier, through Malibu, to Point Dume beaches.
- From the Santa Monica Pier south towards Venice Beach, you can walk on the boardwalk, Venice's promenade, and take a short stroll in the American canal city.
- Almost everything to do in Santa Monica is close to the pier, including the Third Street Promenade and Santa Monica Boulevard.
- It's worth going a bit into the city to the Aviation Museum and the Bergamot Station Arts Center.
Click here to rent bicycles for a tour in Santa Monica and the ocean shore…
From the Santa Monica Pier, it's worth heading north towards the Santa Monica Mountains, stopping at sites and cities along the way. From Highway 1, you should climb to parks and sites up the hill such as the Getty Villa, Will Rogers Historical Park, Topanga State Park, and Malibu Creek State Park.
A large part of the drive along the southern slopes of the range will be in the endlessly charming Malibu beach town.
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Everything you must see and do in Santa Monica Bay
Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica Pier is one of the most fun spots in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. It offers the perfect mix of everything that defines California – a sandy beach, stunning ocean views, the iconic Santa Monica Mountains to the north, attractions, restaurants, entertainment venues, and a dreamy sunset. The pier is located across from Colorado Avenue, just a bit south of Santa Monica Boulevard and the Santa Monica Place Mall.
The attractions at the pier include the aquarium and the small amusement park Pacific Park with its fast roller coaster, Ferris wheel, and a wide range of attractions for children and families. At the end of the pier, there are restaurants and a place to sit and watch the sunset.
Santa Monica's Heal the Bay Aquarium
The Santa Monica Aquarium is located at the western end of Colorado Avenue, right on the coastline where the pier's wooden decking begins. It's not a large aquarium, but it's quite good with an interesting collection of marine life that characterizes this area of the Pacific Ocean. In the aquarium, you can see several shark species, octopus varieties, and lots of fish.
Address: Ocean Front Walk, 1600, Santa Monica
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The Santa Monica Beach
Santa Monica's long coastline actually starts from Marina del Rey and runs through the stunning beach of Venice. North of the pier, the beach continues towards Will Rogers Beach in the neighboring town of Pacific Palisades (the beach from the legendary series Baywatch). The beach of Santa Monica (along with Venice Beach) is the shimmering beach of Los Angeles, with crowds of vacationers, walkers, travelers, and others enjoying all the beach fun. Highway 1 seals the coastline and continues north towards the ridge and Malibu. Along the highway, you’ll find charming resort hotels, restaurants, and plenty of entertainment spots.
Click here for a guided electric bike tour along the beaches of Santa Monica…
Palisades Park
The green park stretches along the coast of Santa Monica, north of the pier. Palisades Park offers walking paths under tall palm trees and a stunning view of the beach and the mountains to the north. The long park, which extends over more than two kilometers, features several attractions such as the impressive Santa Monica sculpture from 1935 by sculptor Eugene Morahan, the Idaho Gate made of stones, and the Santa Monica Veterans Memorial in the section adjacent to the pier.
Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica
Third Street Promenade is the place for shopping and entertainment in Santa Monica (along with the nearby beach). It starts at Wilshire Avenue in the north and stretches over four blocks to the Santa Monica Place mall between Broadway and Colorado Avenue. The promenade also hosts the Santa Monica Art Museum. The street features unique shops, large chain stores, excellent restaurants, fast food, and all the fun and style of Santa Monica.
Bergamot Station Arts Center
The trendy and developing arts center of Santa Monica opened in 1994 in a large, abandoned station of the city's former electric railway system. As part of the area's gentrification, the large complex with a concentration of fancy galleries was established.
The galleries showcase a wide range of exhibitions, some groundbreaking and others excessively postmodern and unnecessary. The exhibitions frequently change, so it's worth checking in advance what's on display. The site also features a place to eat and drink.
Address: 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica
Click here for the center's current operating hours…
Museum of Flying
The Museum of Flying in Santa Monica is located near the city's small airport. It's a charming little museum where you can see a wide variety of old aircraft and learn about the development of the aviation industry.
Address: 3100 Airport Ave., Santa Monica
Click here for the museum's current operating hours…
Venice
The small coastal city of Venice was founded in the 1920s by the entrepreneur Abbot Kinney. Kinney's vision was to emulate the atmosphere of Venice in the New World and integrate it with the rapid development of California. To this day, Kinney's urban planning character is reflected in the beautiful and small canals running through the heart of the city in what is known as the Venice Canals area.
Click here for a surfing lesson at Venice Beach…
Today, around forty thousand people live in Venice. The small city is still influenced by the unique vibe it had in the 1960s, as a hub for beatniks and hippies. To this day, the residents of the city are part of the New Age culture with its own distinctive character.
The city's main street is Abbot Kinney Boulevard, featuring restaurants, shops, and entertainment spots. Venice Beach, the southern extension of Santa Monica Beach, is one of the most attractive beaches in Los Angeles. Along the coast stretches the Venice Boardwalk. The boardwalk is bustling with rollerbladers, skateboarders, or anything born in California that's still considered cool today (or bikes for the geeks).
Click here for kayaking adventures in Marina del Rey and sea lion watching…
Will Rogers State Historic Park
The large ranch house of legendary actor and entertainer Will Rogers sits on the southern slopes of the Santa Monica Mountains at the northern end of Pacific Palisades. Rogers sought to recreate a country atmosphere as a cowboy from Oklahoma during his time in Los Angeles, building a vast estate surrounded by green spaces and riding trails.
Rogers passed away in 1935 and his wife died 9 years later, donating the villa and the riding and grazing lands to the state of California. Today, the mountainous park is a very popular outdoor recreation spot among Los Angeles residents, offering a breathtaking view of the ocean and the city. The farmhouse is preserved as it was, and visitors can see how the couple lived on the farm.
Address: Will Rogers State Park Rd. 1501, Pacific Palisades
The Getty Villa
The Getty Villa was purchased by Jean Paul Getty, a wealthy oil magnate and art and antiquities enthusiast, to house and display his impressive collection. It was built in 1954, inspired by the Villa dei Papiri, one of the important villas in the city of Herculaneum, which was buried alongside Pompeii by the ashes of Vesuvius in 70 AD. The villa is located in the upscale coastal town of Pacific Palisades, north of Will Rogers Beach heading towards Malibu.
Today, the villa has been converted into a museum, one of two entities that make up the J. Paul Getty Museum, together with the famous Getty Center perched on the hill where the Getty art collection is housed.
For a guided tour of the Getty Villa, click here…
The museum collection in the villa includes more than 45,000 archaeological items, primarily from Greece and Rome. It opened in 2006 with the purpose of showcasing these artifacts in a setting that roughly simulates the original Roman villa where they were displayed. Among the exhibits are some well-known and highly significant archaeological items like the Getty kouros, an artifact from the Archaic Greek period that traveled the world for years before being acquired by Getty to be saved, the impressive Lansdowne Heracles statue from the Roman period, and more.
Address: 17985 Pacific Coast Hwy, Pacific Palisades
For the museum's current operating hours, click here…
Topanga State Park
The large state park is located east of the village of Topanga, up the Santa Monica Mountains. It's within the municipal area of Los Angeles, technically making it the largest nature reserve in the world located within a city. Access to the park is from the village of Topanga, a 15-minute drive from Highway 1 that runs along the coast.
The park has several hiking trails but is mainly popular with cyclists. The park offers views towards Santa Monica Bay to the south and the San Fernando Valley to the north. In many parts, the park resembles the Galilee, with similar vegetation and a Mediterranean vibe. At the heart of the park is Eagle Rock, a large exposed rock that serves as a viewpoint and an important landmark above the valleys of the mountain range.
Malibu
The beach town of Malibu is one of the most photographed and famous places along California's coastline. The town has a population of about ten thousand residents, yet it has been cited in popular culture over ten thousand times. Malibu is a peculiar municipal entity that stretches along a 43-kilometer strip of coast formed by the Santa Monica Mountain Range sloping to the bay. The width of the municipal entity doesn’t exceed tens of meters. Behind the houses facing the bay runs the town's main street – Highway 1, offering an initial taste of the mythical glamour on the stunning route for a road trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco.
Click here for a cool guided tour in Malibu with wine tasting…
Along the coastline, right next to the ocean waters, lie the iconic houses of Malibu, with their deck patios and stilts above the shore and water. The town is home to the wealthiest, movie stars, and anyone who wants and can afford to take part in the glamour of L.A. The town stars in the '60s series Charlie's Angels, as the set of the series “Two and a Half Men,” as the set of Hannah Montana, in the beach party crashed by The Big Lebowski, as the place where Samantha moved when she left New York in the series “Sex and the City,” and in many series, movies, music videos, and more.
The coastline is privately owned by the homeowners and is hard to access, but you can stop at Malibu Colony Plaza, a small complex of restaurants and shops serving as sort of the town's center. It's a very popular spot for celebrity-spotting in the town.
Malibu Lagoon State Beach
Malibu Lagoon is the estuary of the dry mountain creek, Malibu Creek, which now serves as the public center of Malibu. At the estuary, known as Malibu Point, you can swim in the bay's waters before the beach was taken over by wealthy homeowners. West of the lagoon stretches Malibu Colony Road, the most private and inaccessible place in Malibu. The lagoon also houses the historic Adamson House Museum. Near Highway 1, there is a large shopping center with restaurants and shops.
Malibu Creek
Malibu Creek State Park is situated up on the ridge above Malibu towards the Monte Nido homes. It's a beautiful natural area where the creek's channel forms small canyons with Mediterranean vegetation. There are hiking trails along the creek. A bit further up is the Malibu Hindu Temple, with nearby camping and nature areas.
The Beaches of Point Dume
Unlike the beaches of Malibu, the beaches westward, in what's known as Central Malibu towards Point Dume, are nestled below towering coastal cliffs. Atop the cliffs are luxurious gated residences, but below lie breathtakingly beautiful beaches. In the past, this area was comprised of natural beaches, but nowadays, the entire area is undergoing residential development. Nevertheless, the cliffs still isolate the beach from the villas above.
