About L.A.
Hi all - Visiting LA for the first time later this year and booked a hotel in Santa Monica, close to the pier. I was excited to stay on the beach but a friend told me she prefers Los Feliz and Silver Lake to the more touristy areas like Santa Monica, and looking at maps it seems like those places are more central, i.e. easier to get around if I wanted to explore outside the beach.
I currently live in Boston and like the lowkey vibe here, as well as in places like SF and Seattle. So, am I going to be stuck in tourist hell if I stay in Santa Monica? I'll be there mid-week and not on the weekend.
Sort by:
Best
Open comment sort options
Best
Top
New
Controversial
Old
Q&A
Santa Monica is kind of like Newbury Street or Quincy Market on the beach. It's not tourist hell, it's its own city. If you walk down the pier, it's tourist hell. The 4th Street Promanade, which is similar to and outdoor Quincy Market, has been dying a slow death since the pandemic, and there are many closed businesses, so less reason for tourists to hang out there.
Los Feliz is a little more gritty/artsy and, and as a former Boston native, my preferred neighborhood. It's also at the base of Griffith Park, which is home to the Observatory, Greek Theater, and many many great hiking trails.
However, both are very expensive places to live, so neither will feel like Allston/Brighton.
Also, since everything in L.A. is so spread out (imagine if Boston were considered the entire area from Andover and Hingham down to Taunton), there's no "central," where anything is easy to get to.
I'd stay in Santa Monica or some other beach town (not Venice, but certainly visit Venice) because the ocean is nice.
3rd Street Promenade - otherwise, spot-on description! Santa Monica is very much both its own city, and a place that actual locals frequent for recreation and dining out.
Great perspective, thank you!
Definitely take an Uber or pub trans up to Los Feliz at some point and get to the Griffith Observatory! You can hike up to it via boyscout trail (less than a mile, ~400 ft elevation gain) or just take a DASH bus to the observatory itslef. You won't regret it. It'll take a while by pub trans and/or be expensive from SM, but it'll be worth it.
Public transportation? Have you seen the news lately? Dangerous !
Yea, I’d never suggest a tourist take LA public transit.
I was up in SM for the first time in years a few weeks ago, and i was blown away by how dead 3rd St. Promenade was. Like, dead dead. It was really sad.
LA is dead. Crime. Politics. Costs. Leaving this year.
Curious why you don’t recommend staying in Venice? I stayed there for a week and absolutely loved it, esp being walking distance to Abbot Kinney. I liked it much more than Santa Monica, which felt a bit more corporate/sterile in comparison.
Mostly because the homeless encampments and crime. I'm a fan of Venice, but I'd recommend somewhere nicer for a tourist.
Santa Monica is pretty busy all week, less so during the week day of course, but then you have traffic in and out from offices
SM on the weekends, if I don't make it there by 10am, I'm probably not going
I think ideally you would want to get a hotel in West Hollywood, it’s centrally located between SM and Silverlake / Los Feliz if you time your drive right.
I grew up in Santa Monica and it is definitely touristy. But it’s also its own city with plenty of regular folks living there. The touristy parts are obvious because they resemble touristy places all over the world. The main areas are the pier and promenade. Main Street south of Pico is a fun area and not as touristy.
You need to know that there are people who feel like LA only exists east of a certain point, and that point is definitely east of Santa Monica.
LA is enormous and there are beaches and mountains and hills and canyons and they're all cool.
Of course the beach area is touristy!People come from around the world to see out beaches. But that's not all of Santa Monica, or the Westside. Besides, if you have a car you can go anywhere and if you don't you can take the expo line to DTLA and your friend can pick you up.
Tbh there's not a whole lot of nice hotels in Silver Lake or Los Feliz. If you wanted to be closer to those destinations, you'd probably have to book a hotel in DTLA or Hollywood, and I would much rather be in SM lol
I’d stay in West Hollywood. In the east of LA you have cooler restaurants.
Santa Monica’s mostly aussie/tech bro spots like Elephante.
this!
Only the pier is touristy. The rest isnt. Or doesnt look like it.
The $700/night hotels have mostly trendy locals in the lobby and rooftops. And the crowd on the pier is staying like an hour away somewhere
And keep in mind that many of those “tourists” actually live in Los Angeles. We live mid city near LACMA. My kids love the pier and we go fairly frequently But we don’t live in Santa Monica. Big Blue Blue ^^^. 217
Los Feliz/ Silverlake is a better place to live (imo) but Santa Monica is a better place to visit !!
There is no central place to stay to visit LA unless you’re only exploring a small area. You should possibly utilize multiple hotels for days you’re in the areas exploring. Otherwise you will spend a lot of time in the car. ESPECIALLY, if you don’t plan around rush hours and the afternoon rush starts around 3pm if not earlier.
I don’t think it’s even worth it to see Los Feliz as a tourist. Santa Monica is one of the best places to stay in L.A. check out Venice beach. Walk the strand in Manhattan Beach.
Yea I don’t get the recommendations to visit Los Feliz. It’s just a residential city neighborhood with 1-2 streets of some restaurants & bars. Nice neighborhood to live in but nothing you wouldn’t see in every other city.
Yeah, I thought it was weird to stay at Los Felix too. I mean it is just apartments and multimillion dollar houses.
I suppose LA Zoo is close and Griffith Park/ observatory- but that sounds like a day trip to me
The pier area is extremely touristy, but the rest of Santa Monica is perfectly normal and a place I will occasionally go to hangout. Agreed that Silverlake/Los Feliz is somewhere I'd personally spend more time in, but will making getting to/from the beach a bit of pain. Also a Boston native; be sure to check out Sonny's if you're going to be in Santa Monica. A little slice of Massachusetts in SoCal
Thanks for the rec!
If you’re visiting then I would absolutely stay in Santa Monica over Los Feliz or Silver Lake.
Santa Monica is busier and more preferred by tourists for good reason but it’s not touristy in the sense that Times Square in NY is.
How long are you staying and what kinds of things do you want to do? Many tourists go to Santa Monica, but I would not describe it as touristy. If beaches are important to you then it's a great place to stay.
Los Feliz and Silver Lake are great local neighborhoods, but there are very few places to stay there and if going to the beach is important to you it'll be a pain. I would not consider that area central from a tourist perspective unless you are interested in spending time in the San Gabriel Valley (the heart of LA's Chinese community).
LA is big, and where you stay well definitely impact what you can easily do. It's just a matter of priorities.
Thanks! I'm staying just a few nights before a wedding in San Luis Obispo. Will be solo and it'll be cold on the east coast by then so might be nice to just be a beach bum for a few days. I also want to go to The Getty but looks like that should be pretty Uber-able from Santa Monica. Other than that, walkability is really important to me and it looks like there's plenty to explore on foot near my hotel.
Given all of that I would definitely recommend Santa Monica. Plenty of nice places to walk around there, and you can definitely get to the Getty. You'll have a great time!
I'll second this!
Thank you!
Santa Monica is good because it is close to the Metro E Line. Which takes you from Santa Monica to Downtown LA.
Check out the getty villa it's right up pch from Santa Monica
I would consider renting a car. LA isn’t a walkable city.
I mean you could use public transportation, but what would take 30 minutes by car can take 2 hours!
Yeah, no, I totally understand that. I'm not necessarily trying to see the whole town, just want to dip my toes in and stay in a walkable neighborhood. Thinking of this as my first but not my last visit.
Would also remind you to check the weather.. whenever my family/friends visit from the east coast they’re surprised that most of the year it is high 60s / low 70s by the beach - everyone ends up loving the weather, they just need a reminder that it’s sweatshirts at the beach, not bikinis!
Santa Monica on the beach and around the pier is definitely touristy. But you can walk on the beach a bit north of the pier and find all the calm and serenity you want, if that's what you are looking for.
Walkable from the pier is the Third Street Promenade, which has bars and restaurants and theaters, and also attracts tourists and locals. The area immediately around third street has some nice places, too.
Finally, you can also walk easily to Main Street from the pier. Main Street has more upscale and well-regarded restaurants, and typically less tourists.
Staying near the pier is nice location to do things without needing a car.
Getty is great. Santa Monica has that great bike path that goes all the way down to redondo beach.
I don't know what you enjoy but e bike rentals might be a fun trip. Most segments of the strand "prohibit" not pedaling the bike burs it not really enforced other than in crowded areas.
Mid-week in Santa Monica is chill. Wednesday is LA’s largest farmers market right around the 3rd Street Promenade, great people watching and you might catch a celeb. There are great restaurants in Santa Monica as well ( one of my favorites is “The Ivy at the Shore” on Ocean near the pier). A great walking street in SM is Colorado Ave, great shops and restaurants. As has been mentioned I would definitely choose SM over Los Feliz or Silverlake/Echo Park.
I don't consider Santa Monica as touristy as areas like The Walk of Fame. It's tourist area is concentrated near the 3rd Street Prominade/Mall/Pier but walk two or so blocks away and it's just a fairly nice city near the beach with a lot of little restaurants. You will also be near the Pacific Palisades which isn't touristy but trendy, and Malibu, which has tourists but is too long to be touristy.
I am intrigued by the Palisades! Any particular areas or spots to check out?
It's just a little town near the beach with a swanky little mall and a nice little place called Lake Shrine. There is also Temescal Canyon if you like hiking.
Santa Monica is beautiful. I lived there for a year. There's a lot to explore that isn't the pier...but you should visit that anyway. Just walk, walk and walk and you'll be happy.
Los Feliz / Silver Lake just don't do it for me. I can understand why people would want to live there but it's not worth spending your entire LA time there.
If this is your first time to LA you’ve gotta stay at the beach. Santa Monica is the quintessential California experience!
The beach areas in LA tend to be pretty tourist-y. Santa Monica is very, very tourist-y--especially at the pier. Santa Monica and Venice tend to be more touristy. Malibu a little less so. Marina Del Rey and the South Bay beaches much less so. LA tends to be pretty low-key in the non-tourist-y areas.
Redondo and Hermosa Beach are worth a visit too
Santa Monica is okay. As an LA native, I still go there, but it is touristy by the pier. If I was visiting LA, it isn’t somewhere I would want to stay. I agree with your friend on her suggestions of where to stay. Considering you are going to SLO, you will also be able to experience the beach there and also maybe pass through Santa Monica on the way back if your heart desires since it is down the coast.
Santa Monica will be great to stay and is quintessential part of an LA visit. Don’t worry at all. Like others are saying only the pier is the real touristy area but still go down there why not. Santa Monica is its own city it isn’t tailored for tourists or anything it is an authentic California experience.
I'm not a huge fan of Santa Monica and it does seem a little like an island to me because there is only one freeway in and out. I agree with your friend that los feliz/silverlake are more central but I don't think it'll be awful to stay in SM!
Yes it’s touristy and for good reason. But people live there too. I’d pick SM.
I love Santa Monica, it’s gorgeous. It’s not too touristy if you avoid the pier. Silverlake is for people who like a hippy vibe. Santa Monica is more high end and developed. It’s pretty quiet midweek!
Main Street Santa Monica is cool enough, the Promenade isn’t.
In Los Angeles, doesn’t matter where you stay since you need to drive everywhere.
Can you list some of the things you want to do? I can recommend the best location-
Some popular places- Santa Monica pier Getty/ Getty Villa (two separate art museums) Griffith observatory / hike to Hollywood sign Disneyland pasadena, rose bowl two presidential libraries lots of bars and clubs all over amazing beaches LA Zoo Universal Studios pantages Hollywood Bowl/ greek theater walk Disney Concert Hall plus so much more…
i would recommend Redondo or Hermosa Beach over Silver Lake or Los Feliz, but you are farther from the central LA stuff (so it depends what you want to do).
i might consider staying in two different hotels across LA
If you do go to Santa Monica try Bay cities deli godmother sandwich (best sandwich ever)…I even saw Matt Dameon say it was his favorite recently- lol
Honestly, when traveling alone I like to wander around and enjoy the lack of itinerary or expectations. Definitely not looking to do anything like Disney or Universal, but the observatory looks cool. Thanks for your suggestions!
Not sure if you’re a big fan of history- but Olvera street and Little Tokyo is also a lot fun and it easy to get there on the metro.
LA had a significant Japanese population that were placed in interment camps and they have actual testimonies and artifacts. For lunch there are amazing ramen places, my favorite is Shin-Sen-Gumi Hakata Ramen - Little Tokyo- but you can’t go wrong.
Griffith observatory has a tourist magnet, not sure why- so time wisely.
Very touristy, but not a bad place to stay.* Head over to Main Street in the southern part of Santa Monica, much cooler and less touristy than by the pier/3rd St promenade. 3rd St Promenade was a ghost town last time I was there. The beach near the pier isn’t very nice either. But gets nicer a little north of there, or south of there near Main St.
*Just don’t plan on leaving Santa Monica during evening rush hour, you’ll regret it.
Santa Monica attracts tons of tourists, but the pier is really the only tourist attraction there. If you have a car, head up the coast to Zuma Beach in Malibu or south of LAX to Manhattan or Hermosa Beach— nice, clean beaches that don’t give off a “tourist hell” vibe. Definitely while in LA, check out one or both Gettys, and the Griffith Observatory. Everything else depends on your interests. If you have the time, drive the 90 minutes or so up the coast to Santa Barbara to see the historic Mission and the beautiful courthouse. Well worth a side trip.
You will love the Boardwalk. Rent an Electric bike from one of the stand alone rentals. you use your credit card. The one I rented at Dockweiler beach was super reasonable. ...I rode to SM Pier. So they must also have them at the Pier. Don’t rent from a bike shop. They gouge you
I hope you’re in town for this! https://www.losangelesfunevents.com/event-details/boston-in-la-social-night-1
I won't be, sadly! Looks fun!
A perk about Santa Monica is that the metro line ends there. It is very easy to hop on the train and take it to Hollywood/Highland, Beverly Hills, Downtown, etc. I would argue this makes it easier to see other areas of LA without having to sit or get lost in traffic.
Santa Monica is beautiful, but can be quite touristy - if you do tourist things. For example, there will be tons of tourists at the Pier, near muscle beach, off the Third Street Promenade, and near Santa Monica’s place. The further east you go from Lincoln, the less touristy it gets. Walking/biking the strand to Venice or up toward Malibu is amazing and worth the trek. You could also check out First Fridays in Venice or the farmer’s market in SM on Saturday morning for a more local vibe.
Fellow MA native here; I’ve lived in CA for 35 years, and 4 of those years were spent living in downtown SM. I second many of the things others have said, but I’m shocked no one has mentioned the terrible homelessness situation. It’s not as bad as Hollywood, but if you’re triggered by the homeless, SM is not for you.
Re: Silverlake and Los Feliz: they’re great, they have their funky charms - but they don’t have the picture postcard sun and surf vibe that screams CA the way SM does. (FYI: beach access requires a hike down the cliffs and across the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway). You can’t just stroll onto the beach from downtown SM, but if you walk down to Pico and turn to the ocean, the beach is right there.)
Definitely hit the Getty, but re: driving too far from your base: don’t do it. Boston traffic is bad; LA traffic is Satan’s take on Boston traffic. If you’re in SM, DO NOT attempt to drive east any real distance after 4pm. You have been warned. Or in your case, wahned.
Best comment, thank you! I go to SF a lot so am not too shocked by the unhoused populations. Appreciate the tip about the hike down to the beach. That hasn’t been apparent from the maps and I’ve been wondering why they give such a high time estimate to walk to the beach when it doesn’t look that far.
I live in Los Feliz and think Santa Monica is underrated and Los Feliz/Silverlake very overrated, especially for tourists just sightseeing for a few days. If looking for central, West Hollywood would be good, especially if ubering and not driving a rental. That would put you close enough to see Griffith Park and the couple of commercial streets in Los Feliz/Silverlake people rave about online, but also closer to Melrose/Fairfax/the Grove and the beach cities.
Agree, Los Feliz and Silverlake are the type of neighborhoods that were underrated to move to, but that doesn’t make them better to visit than areas like Santa Monica and WeHo. Might as well tell them to stay in Eagle Rock (and I like eagle rock).
Santa Monica is pretty good for public transit and more walkable than the other two areas, so I'd stick with that. Plus it's on the beach.
I guess the charms of Silverlake and Los Feliz as tourist spots are not as apparent to me as to others.
You will be on eastern time, so get up early and enjoy the quieter mornings, which are very pretty. Go to beach , walk along Ocean avenue which overlooks the bay. Find a nice cafe etc….then go explore the rest of the city.
Santa Monica can be touristy yet still fun, the bike path is always filled with people but there can be quiet moments there. The pier itself is nice, go on the Ferris wheel if anything to get a good view out to Catalina, at the end of the pier you can watch people fish, see dolphins or a sealion swim about.
Third street promenade and the mall are fun for some lunch time things, youll find a lot of stores not found elsewhere generally. Past that if youre into Museum's you can go to the Getty and the Getty Villa. The Getty is filled with paintings, sculptures and art while the Getty Villa is a Roman Villa recreation. Tickets are free, though timed and parking is 15-20 bucks depending on when you go.
If you've got some time, head on down to Venice to get a slice of life of the mishmash of LA,
you'll see skateparks, new graffiti going up, fun shops, random artists, Surfers at the break and a pretty nice vibe overall.
IMO as someone who worked 6-7 years in SM it’s pretty touristy esp around the pier, as to be expected. Really the biggest place this shows is the food. Food is just meh overall, catered to tourists and fairly suburban / sanitized IMO. There are definitely more “authentic” parts of SM for whatever that means, like Main Street etc idk
Check out how many rats live on the edge of the pier. Mind boggling.
The touristy parts of LA are roughly in a triangle formed by downtown, Playa Del Rey and Malibu. But all these areas have a life of their own beyond tourism. If you think of Provincetown as “too touristy,” there’s not much like that in LA except right on the beach. (OC is another story.) Just be aware that you probably can’t average over 15 miles per hour going anywhere unless it’s between midnight and 5 AM.
Extremely in the summer.
Pretty much. I would stay in DTLA instead. If you really want to be near the beach, I would look out for Airbnbs in Ocean Park or Venice
It’s a HUGE tourist destination.
From Santa Monica’s own website:
The Pier and 3rd street are the only touristy areas.
By the beach? Very
Not by the beach? Not very
Los Feliz is great. Silver Lake is fine, but likely further from everything you'll want to do. SM is a fun spot, just don't try to drive during rush hour if you're super close to the pier off Ocean Ave. or something. Get out before/after.
Santa Monica and Venice….. tourist enough I don’t do there.
S anta Monica is lame. Los Feliz is not "gritty".
I wouldn’t visit LA. You’re going to be disappointed.
Outside of the tourist streets, it’s a normal city. I definitely see tourists, but in the inner parts of the city not so much. Where you are staying is tourist central
Tourist hot spot, so is venice now. 3rd Street promenade and Abbot Kinney. Whatever you do, avoid hollywood!
For sure hit up the whole east side. Silverlake, Los Feliz, Echo Park, Highland Park. A wayyy better ACTUALL LA experience. Those areas are eccentric, a bit hipster but lots of awesome shops, fun events and honestly it’s a very artsy awesome side of town.
Santa Monica is ehh tourist trap. Lots of foreigners and people from out of state…or mega rich douchgebags live there. Super crowded and the pier is cool but definitely doesn’t feel like “LA”
I would agree that Silverlake and that scene is much more interesting but it’s very “hipster” and out there, so it isn’t for everyone. Just depends what you’re into. If you’re a creative artistic type who likes cool food, eccentric mom and pop shops, it’s a very cultured place.
There’s literally nothing special about Santa Monica besides the beach, which is dirty. The rest of it is generic strip malls. It could literally be Phoenix arizona.
I agree that Los Feliz with its 1920s Spanish and Tudor buildings is more interesting.
Take a walk at Palisades Park and grab dinner at The Georgian, it will change your mind!!! It’s gorgeous here