Santa Monica Beach(Santa Monica State Beach)

Santa Monica Beach, located in the city of Santa Monica, is a highly popular 3.5-mile-long beach with light brown sand. This beach, also known as Santa Monica State Beach, is divided into three main sections: Santa Monica Beach - North Beach (which is also known as Santa Monica - North Beach and Santa Monica North Beach), Santa Monica Beach - Pier Beach (which is also called Santa Monica - Pier Beach and Santa Monica Pier Beach), and Santa Monica Beach - South Beach ( which is also called Santa Monica – South Beach, Santa Monica South Beach, and Ocean Park Beach). 

Santa Monica Beach—North Beach is quieter, offering a more peaceful experience, while Pier Beach is at the center and features the iconic Santa Monica Pier. Santa Monica Beach - South Beach, also referred to as Ocean Park Beach, is situated to the south of the pier.

Santa Monica Pier, stretching 1,650 feet, is a well-known landmark and draws millions of visitors annually. It is an iconic pier that was initially opened in 1909 and has been designated as a Santa Monica Historic Landmark - this pier offers a large variety of things to do including a popular amusement park named Pacific Park that has the world’s only solar-powered Ferris wheel, fun rides for kids (including a 1920s carousel), an arcade, an aquarium at the end of the pier named Heal The Bay Aquarium, and interesting concessions and shops. If you are planning to fish from the Santa Monica Pier or from any part of Santa Monica State Beach, please follow the local fishing regulations that can be found on the website of California Department of Fish and Wildlife. 

Santa Monica Beach is also frequented by snorkelers and scuba divers, and visitors may spot wildlife such as seals, sea lions, and migrating whales at certain times of the year. If you’re into biking or skating, the Ocean Front Walk (also called the Santa Monica Boardwalk) offers a scenic path with oceanfront views and passes by various restaurants and shops. The North Beach Trail section includes unique artwork inspired by local plant and animal life. A portion of another famous biking trail named the Marvin Braude Bike Trail (also known as The Strand) is also located along Santa Monica State Beach - this popular 22-mile oceanfront biking, jogging, and roller-skating trail mostly runs parallel to the coastline of the Santa Monica Bay.

Santa Monica Beach is well-equipped with amenities, including restrooms, showers, lifeguards, picnic tables, volleyball courts, and bike rental facilities. Dogs are not allowed on the beach.

Santa Monica Beach provides a range of activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, fishing, biking, basketball, tennis, scuba diving, volleyball, wildlife watching, picnicking, swimming, surfing, bodysurfing, skating, skateboarding, bodyboarding, kneeboarding, skimboarding, kayaking, paddleboarding, canoeing, jet-skiing, surf-skiing, water-skiing, boating, parasailing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, and wakeboarding. 

Santa Monica Beach is popular with all kinds of surfers because the water here offers fun, manageable, and consistent surfing waves. Santa Monica State Beach will host two sporting events – surfing and beach volleyball – during the 2028 Summer Olympics.

The waves are great for surfers of all levels, although rip currents can be dangerous, so caution is advised. Portions of the beach may have surfing restrictions during the summer, so check with lifeguards for guidance. Note that water near the Santa Monica Pier can sometimes be polluted, so keep an eye on local advisories. It is important to note that in 2022, a non-profit organization named Heal the Bay rated the water around Santa Monica Pier as having one of the highest levels of pollution and bacterial contamination in California.

Santa Monica State Beach offers accessibility to people with disabilities - there are multiple wheelchair-friendly pathways that lead to the beach and these are located near 200 Santa Monica Pier, near 1200 Pacific Coast Highway, near a community beach center named Annenberg Community Beach House(that is located near 415 Pacific Coast Highway), near the south-western ends of Bay Street, Ocean Park Boulevard, and Ashland Avenue. There are also two playgrounds near Santa Monica State Beach that offer accessibility to kids with disabilities – one of the playgrounds is located near that is located near 810 Pacific Coast Highway and is called North Beach Playground while the other playground is in a recreational park named South Beach Park that is located near Santa Monica State Beach’s southern part. In addition, complimentary manual and electric beach wheelchairs are also available for various locations near Santa Monica State Beach - you can book manual beach wheelchairs (that are available on a first-come-first-serve basis) at Annenberg Community Beach House (that is located near 415 Pacific Coast Highway) and you can contact them through phone at (310) 458-4904.

You can also book complimentary electric and manual beach wheelchairs from a local concession named Perry’s Cafe and Beach Rentals (that is located near 2400 Ocean Front Walk) and you can contact them through phone at (310) 452-2399. In addition, you can also book manual beach wheelchairs from another separate branch of Perry’s Cafe and Beach Rentals that is located near 2600 Ocean Front Walk and you can contact them by phone at (310) 864-3323. In addition, you can also book complimentary electric and manual beach wheelchairs from Perry’s Cafe and Beach Rentals (that is located near 1200 Ocean Front Walk) and you can contact them by through phone at (310) 696-8644. Santa Monica State Beach was awarded the “Most Accessible Beach” award by a non-profit organization known as Wonders Within Reach in 2021. 

There are several paid parking lots along Santa Monica Beach, with access from the Pacific Coast Highway and Interstate 10. Limited street parking is also available. Arriving early during peak summer months is recommended, as the area can get crowded.

As an interesting fact, the southern portion of Santa Monica Beach has an oceanfront public open-air gym named Muscle Beach (also called the Original Muscle Beach) that was initially established in the early 1930s and became famous in the 1940s and 1950s for its bodybuilding and acrobatic performances. 

Many famous bodybuilders including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jack LaLanne trained at this Muscle Beach, and it became a cultural icon of the fitness movement and played a crucial role in raising awareness about physical fitness in California and the West Coast of the United States. Muscle Beach has an outdoor gymnastics training area, chinning bars, parallel bars, rings, a small jungle gym for children, and a padded gymnastics area – and also offers fitness classes.

It is important to note that Muscle Beach in Santa Monica should not be confused with the nearby, more well-known, and world-famous Muscle Beach in Venice, California which was established in 1963.

There are many attractions near Santa Monica State Beach. Palisades Park is a 26-acre recreational park that offers many amenities including an observation area, benches, a pergola, petanque courts (which is similar to bocce), picnic areas, and restrooms. Will Rogers State Historic Park is a state park that is set within the palatial estate of the acclaimed Hollywood star Will Rogers – the state park has a golf course, a stable, a polo field, a roping arena, hiking and horse riding trails, a library, picnic areas, and a visitor center that has a mini theater and exhibitions. Bergamot Station Arts Center is one of Southern California’s largest art centers and has many smaller art galleries. If you like shopping, Santa Monica Place has many stores and restaurants and is located across from Santa Monica State Beach. 

Santa Monica’s dining scene is unbeatable. 1 Pico is an upscale oceanfront restaurant that features simply grilled coastal cuisine, an extensive wine list, and a large variety of beer and craft cocktails – it’s open nightly for dinner and also for brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

The Lobster is an internationally recognized seafood establishment located on the Pacific Ocean overlooking the Santa Monica Pier – it is a local favorite that specializes in Maine and California Spiny Lobsters, in addition to entrées composed of fresh, seasonal, locally-sourced ingredients from Chef Govind Armstrong.

Terrazza Lounge is a Santa Monica Mediterranean restaurant and lounge with a panoramic ocean view that features a wide variety of seafood and tapas – it also has an extensive wine list, a large beer selection and classic cocktails, and has a lively happy hour. BOA Steakhouse Santa Monica is a popular upscale restaurant with an elegant modern decor that is known for its wagyu beef steaks, seafood, and seasonal side dishes including macaroni-and-cheese and fries – it also has a fun bar area and serves a wide array of amazing cocktails. 

Sushi Roku is a popular Japanese fusion restaurant that offers delicious Japanese dishes with European, Latin American, and local Californian culinary influences - it is known for its incredible sushi, Japanese-style steaks, gyoza dumplings, Japanese-style seafood, tempura, and Japanese fried chicken, and innovative Asian-inspired cocktails.

Travelers wishing to spend the night in Santa Monica will find a wide array of resorts and hotels. Shutters on the Beach is a luxurious and beautiful Cape Cod-style hotel with a spacious oceanfront pool terrace that features a bar, hot tub, and cabanas – it also has a great lobby lounge with ocean views, a beach concierge, a spa, and a fitness center.

Hotel Casa del Mar is an oceanfront hotel with panoramic views of the Pacific Coastline – it features a luxurious decor, sophisticated accommodations, lively public spaces, a spa, a fitness center, and a beach concierge that provides bikes, chairs, and sun umbrella rentals to guests.

For a modern luxury option with spacious oceanfront rooms just steps from the Santa Monica Pier, check out The Shore Hotel. If you prefer a more reasonably priced option, head to The Georgian, a colorful hotel inspired by Miami’s legendary South Beach. Another option is the 4-star Viceroy Santa Monica which is known for its Caribbean-themed rooms and in-house bar.