Santa Monica for 5nights/4 days

Hi there, i arrive in Santa Monica on a Sunday and i%26#39;m staying at Best Western Gateway (which judging by some reviews is not a great idea!!) Anyway, this is at the end of our 3 week trip and it%26#39;d be good to slow down a bit - any suggested itineraries or chilled places would be well received.

Would i be best getting cab to Santa Monica Pier in evening? How much would cab be from my hotel to Venice Beach, and is that within walking distance?

Any views or help would be appreciated??

Santa Monica for 5nights/4 days

You can walk to the Promenade during the day - it%26#39;s only about 15 blocks from your hotel. I wouldn%26#39;t recommend walking on Santa Monica Blvd or going to the Pier at night, though. You can also walk up about a mile to Montana Ave for daytime shopping and lunch (lots of great cafes). Also walking distance from your hotel is the up and coming Ocean Park area - lots of great little restaurants for lunch and dinner. Check la.com for other ideas.

Go to any of the restaurants on Main Street or Abbot Kinney (you have to take a cab) and you%26#39;ll have that chill experience you%26#39;re looking for (World Cafe, Primativo, Lillys, La Vecchia, Beechwood).

Santa Monica for 5nights/4 days

Can take the Tide Shuttel from the Pier to Venice Beach. Goes several times an hour. Venice Beach is a great place to visit.

The Hollywood tours, Chinse Theater, L.A. tours are fun.( L.A. City Tour Group does a great job!) Our tour was an all day tour, but there are shorter ones. Many pick you up from your hotel.

Third Street is a wonderful place, we spent many, many hours eating, shopping and people watching.

have a great trip!!

Thanks to you both for your comments ..yogachick are you suggesting the Boulevard and/or the Pier is not safe at night - would you therefore suggest Main Street in the evening and is that in Santa Monica??

At night, you should absolutely wander Main Street in Venice, or even Abbot Kinney. Not the pier, though. Although 3rd Street Promenade is safe at night, the pier can be sketchy (although it depends on the time of year, in the summer there are lots of police patroling the pier).

Do you like walking around and just window shopping ? Looking into art galleries ? If so, take the bus (during the day, not the greatest public transpot in the world but it is a short ride from SM) to Marina del Rey. There are some cool restaurants and cafes overlooking the marina, most have outdoor patio which is a great place to hang out and look at the sail boats passing by.

Hi Paul

Visited Santa Monica twice in the last year - once as a family.

I had read a number of comments regarding safety at night. Now maybe we were lucky but we did not feel in the slightest be intimidated walking around after dark.

There are lots of homeless people around in the area but we felt safer there than we would walking around the streets of pretty much any major UK Town / City at night time.

There were no gangs of boozed up kids running around causing havoc in the way that we often get in the UK.

Hope you have a great time and am really pretty jealous. Would go back again tomorrow if we possibly could.

Thanks to you all for your comments - pretty helpful. Its always good to hear too from a fellow Scot or English neighbour re their experience. Marina del Rey sounds fabulous and is a definite!!

Thanks