Venice Beach, located adjacent to Santa Monica Beach and at the mouth of the Ballona River and Marina Del Rey, is a free, year-round carnival, adorned with street performers, weightlifting performances, bohemian-inspired residents, and quirky boutiques. Strolling along the Venice boardwalk, you might even become a prop for the artists. The beach is rich in artistic flair, with hippie-inspired street art adorning the landscape, from tattoos to fabric dyeing to fortune-telling. Spend an afternoon strolling Venice Beach and immersing yourself in this uniquely American culture—a truly rewarding experience.
Attractions Location: Los Angeles, California
Opening hours:  
All day (Monday to Sunday, January 1st - December 31st) 
Transportation:  
You can take the Commuter Express, 108, or 358 bus and get off at Pacific/Fleet Station. 
Time reference: 1-3 hours
Enjoy a full day soaking in the eclectic vibe of Venice Beach, from the iconic boardwalk to Muscle Beach and the Venice Canals.
Transportation: Use rideshare or taxi to/from Venice Beach; walking and biking are ideal for local exploring.
Accommodation/Food: Stay nearby at hotels like The Kinney Venice Beach or Hotel Erwin. Try casual beachside cafes and trendy restaurants on Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Souvenirs: Venice Beach T-shirts, beachwear, handmade jewelry from local vendors, and art prints of Venice Canals.
Combine Venice Beach’s unique culture with the upscale charm of nearby Santa Monica.
Transportation: Big Blue Bus Line 1 connects Venice Beach and Santa Monica. Taxi/rideshare also available (10-15 min drive).
Accommodation/Food: Stay in Venice or Santa Monica. Enjoy fresh seafood by the pier and vibrant café culture on Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Souvenirs: Santa Monica souvenirs include ocean-themed gifts, handmade crafts, and local art; Venice souvenirs as above.
Explore Venice Beach and Santa Monica with a day in the luxurious Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive shopping.
Transportation: Rideshare or taxi for Beverly Hills and LACMA; public transit less convenient for this day.
Accommodation/Food: Choose to stay in Venice, Santa Monica, or Beverly Hills. Experience fine dining in Beverly Hills or casual beach fare.
Souvenirs: Luxury goods in Beverly Hills, art catalogs from LACMA, and local crafts from Venice.
Add the dynamic Downtown Los Angeles arts district and historic sites to your Venice-based trip.
Transportation: Metro Expo Line from Santa Monica to Downtown LA, plus walking in downtown.
Accommodation/Food: Options in Venice, Santa Monica, or Downtown LA. Try modern American cuisine downtown and casual beach eateries back west.
Souvenirs: Art prints from The Broad, Mexican crafts from Olvera Street, plus Venice and Santa Monica souvenirs.
Enjoy Venice Beach plus more of Los Angeles’s iconic neighborhoods and attractions.
Transportation: Rental car or rideshare recommended for Malibu; public transit not convenient.
Accommodation/Food: Stay in Venice or Malibu. Malibu offers upscale dining and beachfront views.
Souvenirs: Beachwear, surf-related gifts, local artisan crafts from Malibu and Venice.
Venice Beach complemented by a deep dive into Los Angeles’s cultural institutions and gardens.
Transportation: Rental car or rideshare highly recommended for museum days.
Accommodation/Food: Stay in Venice or nearby. Enjoy museum cafés or local dining options.
Souvenirs: Art books, botanical gifts, and gallery prints from Getty and Huntington gift shops.
Complete your visit with all major Venice and Los Angeles highlights, plus unique neighborhoods and day trips.
Transportation: Rideshare or rental car recommended for full-day city touring.
Accommodation/Food: Stay in Venice or central LA. Try diverse cuisines reflecting LA’s multicultural food scene.
Souvenirs: Hollywood memorabilia, astronomy gifts from Griffith, plus Venice and LA art and beachwear.

The road from Santa Monica to Venice Beach becomes more and more lively, with many small shops and people setting up stalls, and a variety of unique goods and artworks. 
It's also a gathering place for homeless people. You can see a lot of traces of homeless people gathering near the beach. It's better to come during the day and not wander around at night, especially if you are alone... 
The pier on the Venice Beach side stretched out quite far, and everyone strolled over to see the sea. The view was so wide, and I felt so happy. However, the wind was so strong that I was freezing... 

Venice Beach in Los Angeles is worth a visit! 
As the sun sets, the energy of the skatepark infects everyone who comes! 
The colors of the graffiti area impact the visual senses. Regardless of age, gender, or occupation, the beach is full of scenes of life! 
Venice Beach is a place of relaxation and joy at dusk. Here, music, sports, graffiti, and other art performances permeate the ordinary crowds with lively fun. There's nothing more exciting than stepping into this atmosphere yourself! If you're in Los Angeles next time, Venice Beach must be your first choice to stay and enjoy life! 
We found enough happiness at Venice Beach, so we returned to our accommodation with satisfaction. 

Venice Beach is a very down-to-earth beach with few tourists. It's mostly locals, especially skateboarders. There's a skatepark with people from a few years old to sixty-something. I didn't take any pictures, as it's considered impolite to take pictures of others. The sunset glow was a dreamy pink, especially the distant mountains, which loomed and captivated my imagination.

It is a very pleasant beach. The sky is so blue that makes people feel relaxed, and the waves are so white that people can't help but touch them. There are also flocks of seagulls and baby seagulls who are learning to fly. They seem to be racing with the waves, leaving rows of small footprints on the beach, and then fleeing in a hurry. Their little legs are so cute. 

This is where the famous muscle man beach will be built 
But I don't know if it's because of the Christmas holiday, no one is practicing 
There are basketball courts and tennis courts nearby. 

Venice Beach was a bit chilly, but bustling with activity. Americans, fearless of the cold, surfed on their skateboards, helicopters flew overhead, and the sun slowly set over the sea, leaving behind the graceful flight of seagulls.

Venice Beach is a long-established Los Angeles beach, connected to Santa Monica to the north and closer to the airport to the south. The beach stretches a long, bustling coastline, with a wide range of amenities. As a traditional tourist destination, you'll still see a lot of homeless people, so it's recommended to stay near Marina Del Rey. 
Beach, sunshine, palm trees, this is what the Los Angeles coast originally looked like. 
Venice is beautiful in the evening. There are many restaurants to choose from on the Venice beach. 

Venice Beach, one of Los Angeles' famous beaches, was packed with surfers. They're truly unfazed by the cold; it was even cooler than I'd imagined. The pier was covered in bird droppings due to the abundance of seabirds. A fisherman gave me his fish and insisted on taking a picture. He thought I was Japanese—so funny. I heard you need a license to fish, and there are certain limits on the size of the fish you can catch. Some people were running, some were cycling, and some were even riding scooters with bicycles strapped to their backs. Such a lifestyle. 
I strolled along the beachfront, each one stylishly decorated. Runners and cyclists passed by, and even scooters with bikes strapped to their sides. Life is truly wonderful, the laid-back Los Angeles people. The guidebook said this place should be bustling, with a boardwalk, performers, and all sorts of shops. But I didn't see any. Did I end up in a fake Venice Beach? 

Legend has it that this is the youngest beach in Los Angeles. There are very few tourists and almost no Asian faces. Americans are lying in the sun leisurely. It is full of strong California style. 
This is a gathering place for young people, skateboarding, surfing, cycling, and there are many graffiti walls, with a strong American street culture atmosphere. There are many street vendors with local American characteristics, selling relatively cheap items, which have a bit of the flavor of Chinese street stalls. 

The biggest difference between Venice Beach and Malibu Beach is that its beach is very wide and deep. From the coastal avenue to the waves, there is no end in sight. Standing on the beach, it feels like walking in an endless desert. Without some effort, it is probably difficult to appreciate the rough waves of the Pacific Ocean.

While not as famous as Santa Monica, it's a great place to experience American culture. Unlike the lonely, cold beaches to the north, this area is vibrant and vibrant. In the evenings, as the sun sets, the sand beneath your feet still holds its warmth, and skateboarding, street photography, hip-hop, and all sorts of other street art are gradually taking over.

I wonder if this Venice Beach is the same Venice Village we visited. The Merchant of Venice came to Los Angeles and recreated it to resemble Venice, with kayaks outside every door. The wealthy lived in paradise. It was amazing!

Venice Beach is not one of the regular tourist attractions. I wanted to come and see it because I saw a photo of a beach gym on the Internet, but I was attracted by the rainbow-colored lifeguard house on the beach. It was super beautiful. 
Venice Beach has a vibrant atmosphere. It seems young people in Los Angeles have brought everything they love to the beach: dancing and singing, working out and playing sports, and even opening various toy stores. I really like this youthful and cheerful beach. 

I spent three days in the past two weeks lying on Venice Beach, sleeping and sunbathing. It was so relaxing.

Been here during the Christmas and New Years holiday, the weather is not very good. It was windy and foggy and a little bit chilling near the beach in the afternoon. The sunset was pretty nice though. There were a lot of roles playing people and they were fun. The skateboarders at the skatepark were awesome! Love this place so much, just don't park your car at the parking lot near the Venice sign. They charge a lot and close at 7pm.

No matter which beach you go to, you can't miss the opportunity to stroll along the seaside promenade. 
Venice Beach Boulevard has a slightly bohemian feel, with a decidedly laid-back Californian vibe. But it's also a hodgepodge of people, often singing to themselves, wearing unusual clothing, and behaving strangely. These include street vendors, fortune tellers, graffiti artists, and more. 
The streets are lined with shops and roadside stalls selling a wide variety of artworks, souvenirs, clothing, and food. Many T-shirts feature bizarre and bold designs, while others are vulgar and inappropriate for children. 
I felt a bit dazed, unable to wrap my head around the mingling of fashionably dressed people and homeless people. It sometimes gave me a false sense of time and space. After two hours of walking, besides worrying about the seawater getting my camera wet, I was also nervous about the strange people around me. My highly anticipated beachside stroll was filled with fear along the way. 

I read an article in which the author described the contrasting experiences of living in New York and Los Angeles. One thing that struck me most was how, while living in New York, I would often dress up to go to museums and restaurants with friends. But in Los Angeles, life was completely different. I'd go out with a bare face, sunglasses on, and then bask in the sun on the beach in flip-flops. The most unmissable thing about Los Angeles is the sun and the beach. While the UV rays are intense and a tan is easy to come by, for locals, that's nothing; freedom and comfort are what matter most. 
Venice Beach is very popular because it has many internet-famous walls. Due to time and physical constraints, I didn’t go to find them one by one, but people who often browse Instagram will definitely not miss it. 

It's very LA-esque, with lots of homeless people, street performers, and skateboarders. The surrounding buildings and people all have a sense of vicissitudes, but it's far from as good as the guidebooks boast. The first time I came here, I saw so many homeless people, and some strange people even spoke to me. Honestly, I was devastated and didn't like the place. It's better to walk a few minutes from Venice Beach to Abbot Kinney. It has a more artistic atmosphere, no homeless people, and is next to the Google office.

Compared to the more famous Santa Monica Beach next door, this beach isn't as well-known in China. But if you ever visit Venice Beach, you'll find it's far more crowded with locals than Santa Monica. Weekends are packed with young people playing basketball, working out, and skateboarding. The street is also filled with local vendors and artwork, giving it a truly American feel!

Venice Beach and Santa Monica are not far from each other, and the drive takes about 20 minutes. If you take the subway from downtown, you can reach both beaches after transferring, but driving is also faster. 
Venice Beach boasts Venice-like canals and boats, and the houses are painted in different colors. It's as if a tycoon, dissatisfied with Americans' poor aesthetic taste, single-handedly recreated a Venice here. Unfortunately, the tycoon chose to build a canal in water-scarce California. I visited a few days ago and saw it was completely dry and deserted during the summer. I'm not sure what's better. 

This is the recommended beach among many beaches. It is a beach full of young hormones. It is a gathering place for young people to play basketball, skateboard, exercise and surf.

It's beautiful, but the wind is strong and a bit cold, remember to wear more clothes

It's not far from Santa Monica, a few blocks from my workplace. While not as touristy as Santa Monica, it's still quite famous. It's known for its surfing, streetball, and graffiti, and has a strong American street culture vibe. There are a few small shops along Ocean Boulevard, but overall, the prices feel a bit like those in touristy areas, and I've heard the security is bad and there are pickpockets. 
There are also many small shops on Abbot Kinney Road in the nearby town, which are more fashionable but also a bit expensive. 

The beach is popular with locals, but parking is hard to find.

While it's becoming more popular, it's still a place most tourists avoid. However, compared to the more popular Santa Monica, it still has a lot of unique charm. It's a very hip, Californian place, and you'll meet lots of interesting people. Just be careful not to linger after sunset.

Venice Fishing Pier is about three miles south of Santa Monica Pier. Many locals come here to surf and fish. The scenery is beautiful, and it's much less crowded than Santa Monica.

It is a quiet and beautiful place, but parking is difficult. It is similar to the Jiangnan water towns in China.

Walking south along the famous Santa Monica Beach, you will soon reach Venice Beach, where many people surf, walk and sunbathe.

Venice Beach is a classic choice for surfing and is highly recommended. The surrounding area is also very unique. Welcome to read my surfing strategy!

Venice Beach, located adjacent to Santa Monica Beach and at the mouth of the Ballona River and Marina Del Rey, is a free, year-round carnival, adorned with street performers, weightlifting performances, bohemian-inspired residents, and quirky boutiques. Strolling along the Venice boardwalk, you might even become a prop for the artists. The beach is rich in artistic flair, with hippie-inspired street art adorning the landscape, from tattoos to fabric dyeing to fortune-telling. Spend an afternoon strolling Venice Beach and immersing yourself in this uniquely American culture—a truly rewarding experience.

Venice Beach, while it bears the name "Venice," is actually a Los Angeles locale. The name originated from a network of canals dug into the area of the city adjacent to the beach, earning it the nickname "Venice," much like Suzhou being called the Venice of the East. Venice Beach is perhaps the most secular part of Los Angeles. Unlike Santa Monica Beach, which is packed with international tourists, or Malibu, where it's more upscale, it's a vibrant place for all walks of life. You'll find vendors selling all sorts of unique goods, street performers, street basketball, roller skating, skateboarding, cycling, beach volleyball, and other sports, as well as graffiti and hip-hop artists. It's a bustling scene. This is probably the most crowded beach in Los Angeles. Every available parking spot is filled, and people are imaginatively squeezing in where no parking is clearly marked. I wasn't so adept at that, so I found a paid parking lot a little further away. If you go after 4 p.m., you can find a spot in the beachfront parking lot, and the rates are discounted. We arrived in the afternoon, the sun still high, and the beach was too hot. We first wandered around the street market and the street performances, but we couldn't handle the hustle and bustle anymore. We'd been terrified back home of the crowds, and we were so tired of them. We went abroad for the quiet, so we took one look and left. The beach was huge, with a section designated for children. Tuanzi took a fancy to the swings and swung on them for a long time. There's a small park near our apartment, and the standard park amenities are a sand pit, a slide, and swings. Tuanzi, without any instruction, learned to swing on his own after dozens of attempts. He often says, "Look, Dad, I can swing so high!" 
You can refer to our travelogue "Study in Los Angeles - See what four- and five-year-old kids can do!" http://www.mafengwo.cn/i/7284662.html. 

Very beautiful beach, and there are muscle shows, all kinds of handsome men and beautiful women

Choose a sunny afternoon, then spend a few dozen dollars to buy a cheap pair of cool sunglasses on the edge of Venice Beach, and stroll along the street with them. If you are lucky, you will see many street art performances. Venice Beach is very lively.

Venice Beach is adjacent to Santa Monica Beach, and the housing prices here are considered to be more expensive in Los Angeles. The host provided free bicycles, so you can ride from here to Santa Monica and enjoy your beach vacation. It's very comfortable~

I love this beach. Although it is not big, there are not many people. It is a good place for taking pictures or taking a rest. There are also young people performing arts on the roadside.

Venice is actually the same beach as Santa Monica, but it is not as famous as the latter. However, it is relatively quiet and suitable for those who like quietness.

America's Little Europe, a very peaceful place.

This beach is where the locals come. There are many people surfing... There are also people riding bicycles, running, walking their dogs, and playing basketball. In short, if you want to experience the sunny beach in California, this is the right place!

Very beautiful beach with soft sand. Surfing and swimming are more beautiful than expected.

It's not as famous as Monica Beach, but the beach is still quite beautiful. There are many handsome men and beautiful women sunbathing there. The water is also very clean.

One of the California beaches, it has much fewer people than Santa Monica and is more niche.

It feels like Kenting and Kenting Street in Taiwan. 
Not very attractive 

I must go to California to learn how to surf in my lifetime.

I forgot what the beach on the left side of Santa Monica Pier is called, but the beaches on the right are generally called Venice Beach. You can walk from one end to the other and back again with your girlfriend to enjoy the sunset. If you don't have a girlfriend, bring your dog.

This place is very artistic and there are many people skateboarding. Both men and women are so handsome. You must come here. There are not many people swimming because it is too cold. But it is very comfortable.

It is a public beach, second only to Santa Monica Beach, and is also very beautiful. 

You can only go to the nearby Venice Beach, which is much less crowded. Venice Beach is a beach with a strong artistic atmosphere. The pedestrian area of the beach is full of vendors selling tattoos, dyeing, pizza, piercings, fortune-telling, etc.

Venice is a major cultural center for Los Angeles, as it was once a hub for poets and artists during the early years of the Beat Generation. Long bike and skating paths run along the coast, and the pedestrian-friendly beachfront area is home to vendors selling tattoos, fabric dyeing, pizza, piercings, fortune-telling, and other services, as well as diverse street performers. 
Here, the beach scenery is mixed with various street performances. Sometimes you will see many hilarious performances that are really unforgettable. Maybe one day when you go to Venice Boardwalk, you may be asked by a street performer to use his props for a street performance, or you may find a street performer making the art you want! 

It is a very relaxing place, one of the public beaches. People like to come here to sunbathe on weekdays, and there are more people coming here on weekends or holidays.

It was afternoon when we went, not many people, and it was a little cold. The environment was good, but you have to be careful of the seabirds on the beach, they are really good at snatching things.

The most beautiful sunset in the world, there are people singing on the beach. When the sun sets, when you look back from the orange sky, you will find that the other half of the sky is a more beautiful lavender.

Venice Beach and Santa Monica are both great beaches with great views.

I still prefer ***, but this place is also nice. There are many luxury cars in LA, especially near the beach. You can go there to feast your eyes.

This beach is a must-visit! The water is the clearest I've ever been to in so many beaches in the United States!

This is a palace for artists, and every year during the Venice Art Festival, artists from different regions come to perform. So if you like modern art or postmodern art, you should come to the restaurant.

You must come here when you come to Los Angeles. There is also a very famous open-air gym and many street performers.

There are many artists performing on the pier and many specialty shops, but it is very chaotic after dark and there are many people taking drugs. It is recommended to go there during the day.

Venice Beach is the most lively beach. People are working out, skateboarding, surfing, running, and selling things at various stalls... Children are playing in the children's playground next to the beach... I happened to see a film crew shooting a TV series... It seems like Baywatch was filmed here.

It's a beautiful beach, connected to Santa Monica Beach. There are cobblestone paths, many performers, and people selling goods. The atmosphere is great!

I went there with a friend on a free afternoon. It's nice, with a decent atmosphere. It's just not very pleasant, with lots of black people and poor people. The streets smelled of garbage and other things. It was much better once we got to the beach.

In this warm season, many trees in the woods are covered with bright flowers. Red, yellow, white, purple, all kinds of flowers are blooming, it really looks like a beautiful flower bed. Many butterflies and bees, smelling the fragrance of the flowers, all fly in to collect nectar, flitting around in the air.

It is known as Muscle Beach and is not far from Santa Monica. There are many muscular men walking around on the beach, and the security is a bit chaotic at night.

I live near Venice, the lowest point in the US, and it's full of strange things. If you keep going straight, you'll reach Third Street, and then you'll follow Highway 1, known as the most beautiful highway in the US, to our school.

It's a great place, free, but parking is charged. Summer is the best time to go, as you can swim. There are also many people surfing and playing ball.

The beach is very wide and there are trash cans on the beach, so it is very clean. There are even private helicopters flying around. 
We sat on the beach and watched the big pelicans flying over the waves. 

A place where Americans relax. On the beach, many people are surfing and running. Seagulls are flying in the distance. The waves are sparkling and very beautiful. It is worth a visit.

There are all kinds of street performers and works of art that are not very understandable. There are skate parks, open-air stadiums and fitness fields, various shops and snack bars. The beach is nice. It is also nice to stroll down from Santa Monica.

It has a very tropical atmosphere. If you have time, then sitting quietly by the sea and daydreaming is a good way to relax.

The beauty of living in Los Angeles! When you're tired, take a stroll along the boardwalk and you'll find plenty of surprises.

This beach is pretty good. It's a little less crowded than Santa Monica. Parking is a bit difficult.

You can see a lot of weirdos here, you can see a lot of weirdos here, you can see a lot of weirdos here,

It's okay, the beach is pretty good, but it's too commercialized and crowded. I prefer beaches with fewer people, such as Redondo Beach. I like to eat crabs there. There is a restaurant run by Lao Mo that is relatively cheap. That's the one with a lot of people.

Compared to Santa Monica, Venice Beach, which is right next to it, has more street performers, vendors along the street, and random graffiti that makes it more street-style.

On the third day, of course, I went to the beach. A friend of my American colleague recommended Venice Beach. My time there was the happiest. I watched Americans surfing and chasing birds along the shore. Along the beach, there were all kinds of handicrafts. I bought sunglasses, a T-shirt, and two handmade kaleidoscopes. The kaleidoscope maker even took photos of me, which I was happy with.
Venice Beach has a long coastline, with a bike path running along the waterfront, sunshine, sand, and palm trees. Along one side of the promenade are some shops, some graffiti on the walls, and some women taking photos, but refugees are sitting or lying against the walls.
There were also many homeless people and quite a few tents on the beach. It seemed that they were eating and sleeping here. A young man was sitting on a high trash can and asked us for the food in our hands. My sister said, "No, that's my dinner." He didn't mind and happily asked the girl walking behind us for the drink in her hand.