Not a bad place, but don't expect an all day visit. The rides are OK, but beware of private events that can close the park to all that are not part of the renting group. Plenty of shopping nearby and beach is nice, walkable, and long.. more

On the pier are a small amusement park, restaurants, souvenir shops, and a nice view of the ocean. It is really lovely walking up and down the pier, but unless you're into that amusement park, I don't think you could stay there for more than a few hours unless you hang out at the beach the rest of the day.... more

Our first stop in LA after checking into our hotel was the iconic Santa Monica Pier. I am sad to say I was not impressed. Coming from the east coast and having been to many beaches with boardwalks and piers, I didn't see anything spectacular. We did enjoy the merry go round, it was beautiful. The pier it's self is... more

The Santa Monica pier is famous. As far as piers go, it's right up there in fame with Pier 39 in San Francisco. The problem is that it isn't anywhere near as interesting as 39 is. The beach that surrounds it is fine...it's typical SoCal fare. But the pier itself suffers from just being mediocre at everything it attempts to... more

My son and I had the best time. We rode the rides and got cool caricatures done of ourselves. Once we were done,we headed down to the beach. It's also not to far from the 3rd st promenade. A must see when coming to SoCal. more

This was a neat place to kill some time on our free day. The kids had never seen the ocean before, but the beach was pretty dirty, so we didn't spend much time on it. There were some homeless folks sleeping by the boardwalk, which kind of scared the kids as well. The pier itself has some neat shops/restaurants, etc.... more

If you are planning to stay in hotel then Santa Monica 3rd Street area is definitely the ideal location. Santa Monica Pier is a fantastic thing to see and go for lunch on, go for a romantic walk on at night. Santa Monica beach is fabulous and is great for tourists. 3rd street in santa monica is a really nice... more

Santa Monica beach is still my favorite beach in California! I LOVE this place – the views are amazing and there’s no limit to the activities. If you have are visiting Southern California – don’t miss it! Also, make sure you check-out the Santa Monica Pier. While it isn’t overly impressive, it is very charming. The shops are quaint and... more

Great place for the kids with carnival rides and games. Bit expensive though. Also available is bike hire, tandem hire, skateboards, rollerblades. more