Santa Monica Pier: What to Know Before You Go

My favorite view of the Santa Monica Pier is from the sand at sunset. I'd look back at the rides and the Ferris wheel while the sky turned orange behind them.

Heads up: some links in this guide are affiliate links. If you book or buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

In this guide 9 sections

Cream and I lived a short walk from the pier for a month in early 2025. We went at all hours of the day and night and it felt like a different place every time. Whatever time you pick really changes the whole visit!

Santa Monica Pier: My Quick Answer

• Is it free? Yes. Walking on the pier costs nothing. You pay for rides, games, food, and parking.
• Hours: the pier is open every day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The rides open later in the day.
• Best time: the morning if you want it calm, the evening if you want the crowds and the lights. My pick is sunset, from the beach.
• Rides: an unlimited ride wristband is $50 at the park or $40 online for ages 8 and up. One ride on the Ferris wheel is $20, or $14 online.¹
• Getting there: take the Metro E Line to Downtown Santa Monica and walk about half a mile down Colorado Avenue. If you drive, the beach lot next to the pier is $8 to $20, depending on the day and the season.
• For 2026 and 2027: the neon sign at the entrance is away for restoration until late 2027, and you walk on over a temporary bridge. The rides, shops, and restaurants stay open.
• How long: a few hours. Or come twice in one day: once in the morning, and again at night for the lights.
• My tip: skip the rides on a first visit. Walk out to the end of the pier, then go down to the water.

If I wanted to sleep close by, these are the three I'd book.

For the pier itself, I'd pick the Pierside Santa Monica. It's at the pier entrance, and lots of its rooms look out over the pier and the ocean. Shutters on the Beach is our splurge. It's on the sand a few minutes south of the pier. For mid-range, the Hampton Inn & Suites is next to the Metro station and about 7 minutes from the pier on foot.

The Santa Monica Pier by Time of Day

We went at all hours, and some days we went more than once. It changes so much from morning to night! I'd pick your time on purpose.

Sunrise and Morning: Peaceful

Sunrise was peaceful. Our mornings out there were relaxing and not too busy, and it's the best time to walk all the way to the end without weaving through people.

None of the rides are running yet. Pacific Park opens later in the day (11 a.m. the week I checked). So mornings are just for walking and the view.

Afternoon: Nice, but Hot

I thought afternoons were nice, but hot. Everything is open by then. And the crowd keeps building toward sunset.

Sunset: Busy, and Best From the Beach

Sunset gets busy, so this is how we'd do it. We'd walk out to the end of the pier while it was still light. Then we'd come back and go down onto the sand on the north side, toward the lifeguard towers. From there the sky turns orange behind the pier and you see the whole thing at once, from the deck to the Ferris wheel. That's my favorite view of it! We liked to stay until the lights came on.

Gulls love this hour too. One night they were so active, flying all over the beach as the sun went down, and I got some really good photos of them against the sunset. I love a good ocean and bird photo for my phone background. That night gave me a few!

Night: The Busiest, and All Lit Up

Night was the busiest. For the Santa Monica Pier at night, at its most alive, I'd go in the evening when there are tons of people and all the lights are on.

At night, the Ferris wheel was my favorite thing on the pier. It lights up in all these different patterns! Officially it's the Pacific Wheel, and it's the world's only solar-powered Ferris wheel. After dark, its 174,000 LED lights run through the colors. Everything closes at 10 p.m.

My one downside in the evening is the street performers. Honestly, they get in the way. They take up the walkway and they're loud. It's hard to just walk! So I think the daytime is better for walking. Once you get past them and keep going to the end, though, it's not as busy out there.

People around the pier will also try to hand you CDs. We just kept walking.

Is the Santa Monica Pier Free?

Yes. It's free to walk on whenever it's open. Benches and restrooms are free too, and there's even free Wi-Fi!

What costs money:

• Rides and games at Pacific Park
• The Playland Arcade and the merry-go-round
• The Heal the Bay Aquarium under the pier
• Food, and parking if you drive

Santa Monica Pier Rides and Tickets

We never rode a thing! We just aren't ride people. But I did enjoy seeing the rides, and you don't need a wristband for that. They're right there along the deck, so you can walk through the whole park and get the fun for free.

Pacific Park is the amusement park on the pier. It opened in 1996 and has 12 rides like the West Coaster roller coaster and the Pacific Wheel, and you can buy one ride at a time or a wristband for the day.

Ticket	At the park	Online
Unlimited wristband, ages 8 and up	$50	$40
Unlimited wristband, ages 7 and under	$30	$20
Pacific Wheel, one ride	$20	$14
West Coaster, one ride	$20	$14
Smaller rides, one ride	$8 to $14	$8 to $11
Funhouse	$15	$7

• Buy online. It's $10 less for a wristband. You pick it up at the ticket booth, which closes an hour before the park does.
• Only want the big two? The Ferris wheel and the coaster are $28 online as single rides. That's less than the $40 wristband.
• The wristband doesn't cover the Funhouse, and each ride has its own height rule.

The Merry-Go-Round in the Hippodrome

I'd peek inside even if you don't ride. Inside the Looff Hippodrome is the merry-go-round. It was built in 1916 and today it's a National Historic Landmark, and if it looks familiar that's because it played a Chicago carousel house in the 1973 movie The Sting.

• Hours: Mondays and Thursdays to Sundays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays

What Else to Do on the Pier

1. The Route 66 Sign // Where the Road Ends

This one was special to us. We used to live in Tulsa (in Oklahoma), and Route 66 runs right through it. So it was fun to see where the road ends!

Since 2009, the "End of the Trail" sign has marked the end of Route 66 on the pier. It's past Bubba Gump and just before the Playland Arcade. It's only a symbolic end, though. Its official finish is inland where Lincoln meets Olympic Boulevard.

• Cost: free
• Good to know: the 66 to Cali kiosk on the pier sells Route 66 souvenirs.

2. The End of the Pier // Fishing and Bird Watching

I feel like people get lost in the middle of the pier. I'd make sure you walk all the way to the end! That's where the best views are. It's nothing but ocean out there.

People fish off the railings out here and gulls and pigeons perch on the rails right beside them. We loved watching both, and we'd come out in the morning and again in the evening just for that. In the daytime, the gulls sit on the railings and posts and you can get really good photos of them. I enjoy the nature side of the pier a lot.

• Cost: free
• Best time: early morning when it's quiet, and again around sunset
• Fishing: allowed, and California doesn't require a license on public piers like this one.⁷ The bait shop at the far end rents poles, and there are lower fishing decks out there too.

3. Playland Arcade // Old-School Games

On a rainy afternoon on the pier, this is where I'd go. It has classic games and new ones, from pinball to Skee-Ball.

4. Heal the Bay Aquarium // Local Sea Life Under the Pier

We never went in, but it's there if you're curious. It's a small aquarium of local sea creatures, down at beach level under the pier. Its regular weekend hours are paused during the bridge work.⁸ I'd check before you go.

• Tickets: $12 for adults and $5 for kids 4 to 12
• Hours: special open days only since October 19, 2026, while the bridge is rebuilt

Santa Monica Pier Restaurants: Where We Ate

We ate at two spots on the pier, and both were good.

Pier Burger // Our 10 out of 10

We got regular and keto burgers here, plus a milkshake. Both burgers were amazing! So juicy. You can add as many patties as you want. It's a classic American burger.

But the milkshake was the surprise. It was so creamy, and I was shocked. It turns out Pier Burger makes its shakes with frozen custard instead of regular ice cream.

It's a little pricey (the prices are below). But for food on the pier, it felt like a better deal than we expected. You can't beat the location!

It's a walk-up stand near the start of the pier just past the replica of the pier sign, and the seating is mostly outside with only a little inside. They do hot dogs and frozen custard too.

• Prices: a double cheeseburger is $10.50, and shakes start at $7.95 (checked October 2026)⁹

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. // Our 8 out of 10

We had fried shrimp and fish here, and it was good. Bubba Gump is the big seafood restaurant themed on the movie Forrest Gump. It's like every Bubba Gump. If you've never been to one, it's fun!

It has inside seating, so it's a good place to get out of the heat or the rain. Bubba Gump also has the pier's public elevator.

Other Food on the Pier

We had ice cream on the pier one day, and it was really good. Churros from a street vendor were another story. They were cold and not very tasty. Pricey too! I'd stick to the real stands on the pier.

You'll also see people selling fruit outside the pier and on the beach, and we never tried it but they're always there if you want something fresh.

These are on the pier too, but we didn't try them:

• Mariasol Cocina Mexicana: Mexican food and margaritas with ocean views
• The Albright: cooked-to-order seafood
• Seaside on the Pier: seafood, salads, pizza, and burgers
• Snack stands: churros, funnel cakes, Japadog, and Hot Dog on a Stick

Santa Monica Pier Parking (and Easier Ways to Get There)

We never parked at the pier. We didn't have a car that month and we didn't need one, because we walked.

If you're not staying nearby, I'd take the Metro. You ride the E Line to its last stop, Downtown Santa Monica (4th and Colorado), and then walk west down Colorado for about half a mile until the pier is right there at the bottom of the street.

Plenty of LA visitors rent a car, though. If that's you, I'd compare rental cars at LAX before your trip. These are the lots by the pier, at the city's 2026 rates.²

• Beach Lot 1 North, 1550 Pacific Coast Highway, on the sand right next to the pier. A flat $8 on weekdays and $12 on weekends (November to March), and $20 a day (April to October). About a third of it is a construction yard until late 2027.⁴
• Pier Deck, on the pier itself. Open Monday to Thursday only, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. It's $3 an hour (November to March) or $4.25 (April to October), up to $15 or $20 a day.
• Downtown parking structures, by the Third Street Promenade, about a 10-minute walk from the pier. $1 for the first 90 minutes, then $3 on weekdays or $4 on weekends up to three hours, and up to $20 or $22 a day.³
• From LAX: the airport is about 9 miles away, 30 to 45 minutes by car depending on traffic.

Good to Know on the Pier Right Now

• The Santa Monica Pier sign is away. The neon "Santa Monica Yacht Harbor" sign has stood at the pier entrance since 1941. It came down on October 20, 2026, to be restored in Las Vegas, and it's due back in late 2027, a little higher than before. Until then, a half-size replica stands on the pier, on the left just before Pier Burger, and it lights up at night.⁶
• You walk on over a temporary bridge. The old Pier Bridge is being rebuilt through the end of 2027. The temporary walkway is about 30 feet south of the old entrance. You can also come up from the beach on Ocean Front Walk, or take the stairs near Bubba Gump. Bikes and skateboards aren't allowed on the temporary bridge; use Seaside Terrace instead.⁵
• There's an elevator at Bubba Gump, open to everyone during the restaurant's hours.
• Dogs on a leash are welcome on the pier, but not on the beach. No smoking anywhere on the pier, and there are no lockers.

Is the Santa Monica Pier Worth It?

Yes! It's a 10 out of 10 for us. Going to the pier is classic, and it costs nothing to walk on.

It's touristy, but you can make it as touristy as you want. I found it peaceful in the daytime and high energy in the evening. It's a fun night in Santa Monica. You can see it in a few hours, or you can start your morning on the pier and explore the rest of Santa Monica and come back that evening for the lights.

You don't need a wristband to have a good time. My best moment was always the same one, standing on the sand at sunset and watching the Ferris wheel light up.