Los Angeles Travel Forum

hi
first trip to la. which is better to stay in santa monica or venice beach areas.

venice beach is very lively during the day, but itīs not the best neighbourhood and can be unsafe at night.

santa monica is more upscale and i think most people would prefer to stay there.

donīt miss out on venice beach though.
itīs really a fun place to hang out.

If you can afford it, Santa Monica. A classier neighborhood. They have a farmers market and Saturday and Sunday (2 different locations) where you can get some awesome breakfast. Venice is fantastic for people watching and hanging out at the beach but the neighborhood isn't as nice. Long Beach also has a lot of night life - comedy clubs, dancing, etc. If you can't afford to stay in Santa Monica, I would opt for a nice hotel in Long Beach right on Shoreline Drive.

Venice will have more funky stores, more eclectic, more interesting places to eat. I prefer the beach in SM, and to me it has better access. SM has lost a lot of its charm as the big chain stores have moved in to the 3rd St Prominade and proximity. From a foodie standpoint, SM is better than what you will find in Venice. You can always stay in SM and walk or bicycle to Venice beach. If you don't have a car, the Getty, or taking a bus down Wilshire to Beverly Hills and then on the LACMA, the La Brea Tar Pits, is easier. Hi Grace, Hi Cas... Karl

Either your shift key is broken or you'll like Venice.

Santa Monica, and Santa Monica over Long Beach, as well.

I like Long Beach, but not nearly as lively, and the beaches are not nearly as accessible, nor as scenic.

But, yes, don't miss Venice during the day(you can bike there in 10 minutes, on the beach), and take a stroll down Abbott-Kinney.

GC

I've just gotten back from 4 days in Venice. We stayed at the Marina Del Rey Ramada and it was perfect for our needs - we walked everywhere - to the beach, to the pier at Marina Del Rey (for the wedding cruise that brought us down there), to Hal's restaurant (rehearsal dinner) and to a residence about 30 minutes from the Ramada (post wedding bash), returning after dark in the latter three instances. No problem with safety that we encountered. Venice is an eclectic neighbourhood, as someone else has already mentioned. I vote for Venice!