Two-mile beachfront promenade from Venice Pier to Santa Monica with skaters, street performers, murals, Muscle Beach, and every LA cliche made tangible. Touristy, chaotic, and exactly what it should be.
Location
Venice, Los Angeles
Map
Insider Intel
Walk the boardwalk from Venice Pier north toward Santa Monica (about 30 minutes at a casual pace). Stop at Muscle Beach to watch the outdoor weightlifters, browse the vendors selling art and sunglasses, watch the skaters at the skate plaza. The beach itself is wide and sandy — if the boardwalk is too much, just walk on the sand parallel to the chaos. Stay for sunset if the weather is clear — Pacific sunsets are the best reason to be on the Westside.
Late afternoon into sunset for the best light and energy. Weekends are a circus — embrace it or avoid it depending on your tolerance for crowds. Early morning is nearly empty and the light is beautiful, but you miss the street culture that defines Venice. Winter is quieter and the locals reclaim the boardwalk.
Venice was founded in 1905 by Abbot Kinney as a beach resort with canals modeled on Venice, Italy. Most of the canals were filled in, but a few remain a few blocks inland. The boardwalk became a counterculture hub in the 1960s-70s and has retained that spirit, even as Venice has gentrified. Muscle Beach (the outdoor weightlifting area) moved here from Santa Monica in the 1960s. The murals along the boardwalk are constantly changing. Yes, it is touristy. It is also genuinely LA in a way that few places are — the collision of beach culture, street culture, wealth, homelessness, and absurdity is real, not manufactured.