If you want to go to the beach in Los Angeles, Santa Monica certainly comes to mind. Alongside Malibu Beach and Venice Beach, Santa Monica Beach with the Santa Monica Pier is very popular with tourists and locals alike. How much does the Santa Monica Pier cost to enter? None at all – only the rides cost admission if you want to use them. Is it easy to park at the Santa Monica Pier? Yes, but parking costs between 6 and 15 USD depending on the day of the week and time of day.

Santa Monica Beach has many parking lots directly on the beach, small stores, many restaurants and a pier, the Santa Monica Pier. If you like, you can stroll along the Ocean Front Walk or watch the athletes on the original Muscle Beach. However, it is clear that the focus is always on the pier.

Santa Monica Pier on Santa Monica Beach

To make it perfect, the Santa Monica Pier is located right at the end of the legendary Route 66. To get to the pier, pedestrians have to cross a small bridge, but from here you already have a great view of the pier. In fact, there are actually two different piers, which you only really realize on closer inspection. You can even see the connecting sill.

The 488-metre-long pier was the first pier and was opened on September 9, 1909. This pier is also known as the Municipal Pier. At the time, the pier was intended to lead the sewage pipes away from the beautiful beach, which was successfully carried out until 1920. The pier was immediately popular with anglers and remains so to this day.

History of the pier

As there was an amusement park in the neighborhood, such as the Venice Pier, they wanted to keep up and built a second pier on the already easily accessible pier so that they could also build a park here. The Pleasure Pier, or Newcomb Pier, was built by father and son Looff in 1915 and opened in 1916.

There was a minor incident in 1919 when the long pier partially collapsed under the weight of too many people, as rust had not been planned for at the time. The pier was renovated until 1921. In 1924, the La Monica Ballroom dance hall was opened, but in between it was also used as a convention center, lifeguard station and prison until it was closed again in 1959.

In 1943, the Pleasure Pier was purchased by Walter Newcomb, who upgraded the amusement park with carousels from 1922 and other highlights. After his death in 1948, his wife Enid continued to run the park. In 1953, Newcomb Pier was purchased by the city.

In 1960 there were many plans for its possible demolition. Even a hotel with 1500 rooms was planned, but was stopped by a citizens’ initiative in 1973. There was a major storm in 1983, after which renovation work was carried out on the pier again from 1983-1990. The footbridge can be seen in many films and series, as its proximity to Hollywood has always been unbeatable. You could even see the Santa Monica Pier on German television, for example in Gemany’s Next Topmodel GNTM in running training.

Beach and amusement park with roller coaster

The famous pier on the outskirts of Los Angeles is a popular place for outings for locals and tourists alike. There are always events and concerts here, which are a tradition. The view of the Pacific and the sunset is one of the highlights when you are in Los Angeles.

• Address of the pier: 200 Santa Monica Pier, Suite A Santa Monica, CA 90401
• Coordinates: 34°00′31″N 118°29′55″W
• Website: www.santamonicapier.org
• Admission: free
• Admission to Pacific Park: single ride USD 5-8, day ticket USD 29.95
• Park ticket: from USD 6 to USD 15 (depending on day and time)

The amusement park Pacific Park – PacPark offers various rides. You pay USD 8 for a ride on the Pacific Wheel Ferris Wheel, West Coaster, Inkie’s Scrambler, Sea Dragon, Pacific Plunge & Sig Alert EV. USD 5 is charged for Inkie’s Wave Jumper, Inkie’s Pirate Ship, Inkie’s Sea Planes, Inkie’s Air Lift, Pier Patrol, Frog Hopper and Sig Alert EV. The day pass is USD 29.95 (child under 7 USD 17.95) and is available online with a USD 2 discount.

Conclusion – Impression of the Santa Monica Pier as an attraction

I enjoyed my time in Santa Monica and would always walk around Santa Monica first and then go for an ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s, for example, before heading to the beach. It’s nice and empty there in the morning and you only meet a few athletes. In the evening it gets a bit crowded and I personally didn’t enjoy it as much. I didn’t try any of the rides as I have a bit of respect for the fact that everything is only on supports above the sea :).

The pier itself is really nice to look at and is one of the classic sights in Los Angeles. Parking fees are cheap in the morning. Parking fees are particularly high on public holidays and at weekends. I’m already looking forward to making another trip to the Santa Monica Pier when I’m back in Los Angeles.