Things to Do in Santa Monica (E Line Guide)

The things to do in Santa Monica that we could check are the pier and Pacific Park, Palisades Park, the Third Street Promenade, the beach path to Venice, and the art galleries at Bergamot Station. All of them are near the E Line, so you can do Santa Monica as a day trip from Downtown LA for a $1.75 fare. We read each official page on 27 October 2026.

Santa Monica at a glance

Getting to Santa Monica on the E Line

The E Line runs from East Los Angeles through Downtown LA, Expo Park and Culver City, and ends in Santa Monica. Santa Monica has three stations: 26th St/Bergamot, 17th St/SMC and Downtown Santa Monica.

Subway: Westbound weekday trains leave 7th St/Metro Center about every 8 minutes in the daytime and reach Downtown Santa Monica about 47 minutes later. One morning train leaves 7th St/Metro Center at 8:40 a.m. and arrives at 9:27 a.m. (E Line timetable effective 14 December 2025, read 27 Oct 2026)

Note: Metro's E Line timetable says all rail lines may have delays after 8 p.m. for maintenance, and sometimes early on weekend mornings (same timetable)

Price: $1.75 a ride with free transfers for two hours, and never more than $5 a day on Metro. Tap a contactless bank card or phone (our LA Metro guide, Metro fares page read 25 Oct 2026)

Address: Downtown Santa Monica station is at 4th Street and Colorado Avenue. The pier's directions page says to walk west on Colorado, cross Ocean Avenue and walk down the pier bridge, about 10 minutes (Santa Monica Pier, directions and parking page, read 27 Oct 2026)

Santa Monica runs its own buses, the Big Blue Bus. A ride costs $1.25 with a contactless card or TAP, and $1.50 in cash. Metro passes are not accepted, and Big Blue Bus rides do not count toward Metro's $5 daily cap (Big Blue Bus fares page, read 27 Oct 2026; TAP fare capping page, read 25 Oct 2026).

Flying in? Big Blue Bus Route 3 runs from the LAX/Metro Transit Center to Downtown Santa Monica for $1.25. Times, the free airport shuttle and the rideshare pickup are in our LAX to Santa Monica guide.

The sights, with address, hours and price

Santa Monica Pier

Address: 200 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CA 90401

Hours: Daily 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Santa Monica Pier FAQ, read 27 Oct 2026)

Price: Free to walk

Subway: E Line to Downtown Santa Monica, about a 10-minute walk. Big Blue Bus 8 stops at Ocean Avenue and Colorado Avenue, at the top of the pier (pier directions page, read 27 Oct 2026)

The pier is the symbolic end of Route 66, and most visitors come for the ride park, the view and the walk to the end. The pier FAQ says fishing is allowed, and dogs on a leash are welcome on the pier but not on the beach.

Note: The bridge works. The pier FAQ says the old pier bridge is being replaced and the work should finish by the end of 2027. The city said on 20 July 2026 that people on foot can reach the pier and Ocean Front Walk throughout the work (City of Santa Monica press releases, 20 Jul and 24 Sep 2026, read 27 Oct 2026)

Note: The Moomat Ahiko Way ramps between the pier and Pacific Coast Highway were set to close for about two months from as early as 28 September 2026. The pier stays open, and the city says to follow the posted signs (same 24 Sep press release)

The pier's site lists free history walking tours: Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m., and a sunset tour on Monday at 7 p.m. The page does not say whether you need to book, so check before you go. Locals' Night runs on the third Thursday of each month from September to May, 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. The next one after this page was written is 19 November 2026.

Pacific Park

Address: 380 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CA 90401 (Pacific Park, read 16 Oct 2026 for our LA guide)

Hours: Late October 2026: 12 to 7 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Sunday 25 October opened at 3:30 p.m. The park closes to the public at 7 p.m. on 29 October and at 3 p.m. on 5 November (Pacific Park hours page, read 27 Oct 2026)

Price: No entry fee. Big rides (Pacific Wheel, West Coaster, Sea Dragon) $20 at the park or $14 online. Smaller rides $14 ($11 online) or $8. Unlimited wristband: ages 8 and up $50 ($40 online), ages 7 and under $30 ($20 online). The Funhouse is $15 ($7 online) and is not part of the wristband (Pacific Park tickets page, read 27 Oct 2026)

Buy a wristband online if you plan more than two big rides. The online wristband must be picked up at the ticket booth, says the ticket page.

Heal the Bay Aquarium

Address: 1600 Ocean Front Walk, Santa Monica, CA 90401, under the pier (Heal the Bay Aquarium page, read 27 Oct 2026)

Hours: From 19 October 2026 the aquarium paused its regular weekend public hours during the pier bridge work. It plans special events and open houses instead. The page lists no weekday drop-in hours and no reopening date (same page)

Price: Adults and teens 13+ $12, kids 4 to 12 $5, ages 3 and under free, students and adults 65+ $10, military free (same page)

Call (310) 393-6149 x206 or check the aquarium's events calendar before you plan a visit with kids.

Third Street Promenade

Address: Third Street, between Wilshire Boulevard and Broadway (Downtown Santa Monica, Third Street Promenade page, read 27 Oct 2026)

Hours: No set hours. Each shop and restaurant sets its own

Price: Free

Subway: Downtown Santa Monica station, one block west and a short walk north

The Promenade is a three-block shopping street closed to cars since 1965. It has chain stores, restaurants and street performers.

Downtown Farmers Market

Address: Arizona Avenue, between 4th Street and Ocean Avenue (Visit Santa Monica, event listing for 28 Oct 2026)

Hours: Wednesday 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (same listing). There is also a Saturday market on Arizona Avenue, but we did not confirm its hours

Price: Free to walk

Subway: Downtown Santa Monica station, a few blocks north

Palisades Park

Address: Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90401, along the bluff north of the pier (City of Santa Monica, Palisades Park page, read 27 Oct 2026)

Hours: The city page says it closes at 12 a.m.

Price: Free

Subway: Downtown Santa Monica station, then 3 blocks west to Ocean Avenue

The city says the park covers more than 26 acres along Ocean Avenue, with a walking path, benches, a rose garden, public art and the Camera Obscura Art Lab. It is the place to watch the sunset over the bay. We did not check the Camera Obscura's opening hours.

The beach and the path to Venice

Address: Santa Monica State Beach runs north and south of the pier. Venice Beach and Ocean Front Walk are to the south

Hours: Not confirmed. We did not find official beach path hours

Price: Free. The pier FAQ says Blazing Saddles and Santa Monica Bike Share rent bikes at the pier. We did not check their prices

Getting there: Big Blue Bus 1 runs along Main Street toward Venice (our car-free LA guide)

Walk or bike south on the beach path to Venice for the boardwalk and Muscle Beach. Main Street, between Santa Monica and Venice, has cafes and small shops.

Bergamot Station Arts Center

Address: 2525 Michigan Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90404 (Bergamot Station site, read 27 Oct 2026)

Hours: Most galleries open Tuesday to Saturday. Hours change by gallery. For example, Craig Krull Gallery is open Tuesday to Friday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (same site)

Price: Not confirmed. The site lists no entry fee

Subway: 26th St/Bergamot station on the E Line, the station named for the arts center

Bergamot Station is a group of art galleries in old industrial buildings. On the way to the beach it is the stop after Expo/Bundy. Avoid Sunday and Monday, when most galleries are closed.

Annenberg Community Beach House

Address: 415 Pacific Coast Highway, Santa Monica, CA 90402 (City of Santa Monica, Annenberg Community Beach House page, read 27 Oct 2026)

Hours: Marion Davies Guest House tours Friday to Monday, 12 to 2 p.m., all year. The pool opens for Memorial Day weekend, the summer season and September weekends, and the page does not list it as open in October or November (same page)

Price: Not confirmed. The page lists no tour or pool prices. The on-site parking lot is paid

Getting there: North of the pier along the beach. We did not confirm a bus route, so walk the beach path or take a rideshare

Things to do in Santa Monica with kids

• Pacific Park. Small rides for young children cost $8 each. A wristband for ages 7 and under is $30 at the park or $20 online.

• The beach. It is free. Dogs are not allowed on the sand, says the pier FAQ.

• Heal the Bay Aquarium. Kids 4 to 12 pay $5, but weekend drop-in hours are paused. Check its events page for open houses.

• The beach path. Rent bikes at the pier and ride south. We did not check bike rental prices or child seats.

Free things to do near Santa Monica Pier

• Walk the pier to the end and back.

• Watch the sunset from Palisades Park.

• Walk the Third Street Promenade and watch the street performers.

• Visit the Wednesday farmers market on Arizona Avenue, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

• Walk south on the sand to Venice Beach.

• Join a pier history walking tour on a weekend morning. The pier site does not list a price.

A day in Santa Monica by train

This is our own plan, not an official one. Take a morning E Line train from Downtown LA. Get off at 26th St/Bergamot if it is Tuesday to Saturday and see the galleries, then ride two more stops to Downtown Santa Monica. Walk the Promenade and Palisades Park. Spend the afternoon on the pier and the beach path. Stay for sunset, then take the train back. After about 10 p.m., our LA Metro guide suggests a rideshare for the last leg to your hotel.

To sleep by the beach, our car-free LA guide names hotels near the E Line in Santa Monica. Santa Monica to Downtown LA is about 47 minutes by train, so it works best as a base for a beach-first trip.

What we checked and what can change

Read on 27 October 2026: the Santa Monica Pier FAQ and directions and parking pages; the pier home page for tours and Locals' Night; the City of Santa Monica press releases of 20 July and 24 September 2026 on the pier bridge; Pacific Park's hours and ticket pages; the Heal the Bay Aquarium page; the City of Santa Monica pages for Palisades Park and the Annenberg Community Beach House; the Downtown Santa Monica Third Street Promenade page; Visit Santa Monica's farmers market listing for 28 October 2026; the Bergamot Station site; the Big Blue Bus fares page; and Metro's E Line timetable effective 14 December 2025.

Not confirmed: the Saturday farmers market hours, Bergamot Station entry fees, Camera Obscura hours, bike rental prices, beach path hours, Beach House tour and pool prices, whether pier walking tours need booking, Pacific Park's November calendar, and when the aquarium's weekend hours come back. Our own advice, not an official source: the day plan and the tips on which day to go. The bridge work changes routes near the pier, so check the city's pier bridge page before you go. We did not visit Santa Monica for this page.