SANTA MONICA
Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows
United States
TRIP OVERVIEW
Day 1 – Santa Monica Pier · Santa Monica State Beach · Third Street Promenade · Bergamot Station Arts Center
Day 2 – California Heritage Museum · Venice Canals Historic District · Muscle Beach · Venice Beach Skatepark
Day 3 – Tongva Park · Palisades Park · Annenberg Community Beach House · Will Rogers State Beach · Getty Villa
Day 1
From Hotel: 🚶 18 min · 🚕 5 min → Santa Monica Pier
1. Santa Monica Pier
Built in 1909 and extended in 1916, this municipal pier marks the western terminus of historic U.S. Route 66. It holds Pacific Park amusement park with a solar-powered Ferris wheel, a 1922 hippodrome carousel, and the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium below the deck.
🚶 2 min · 🚕 2 min → Santa Monica State Beach
2. Santa Monica State Beach
A 3.5-mile white-sand beach managed by Los Angeles County, stretching from the pier north toward Malibu. Facilities include a paved multi-use path, volleyball courts, lifeguard towers, and access to the 22-mile Marvin Braude Bike Trail running the length of Santa Monica Bay.
🚶 15 min · 🚕 4 min → Third Street Promenade
3. Third Street Promenade
Three car-free blocks of outdoor retail, dining, and street performance in the heart of downtown Santa Monica, running between Broadway and Wilshire Boulevard. Anchored at the south end by Santa Monica Place; licensed street performers occupy designated zones throughout the corridor.
🚶 20 min · 🚕 7 min → Bergamot Station Arts Center
4. Bergamot Station Arts Center
A former railroad depot — first used in 1875 as a stop on the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad — converted into a 5.5-acre campus of more than 20 fine art galleries, studios, and the City Garage theater. The Metro E Line's 26th St/Bergamot Station stop is immediately adjacent.
🏛️ Tuesday - Saturday 11:00am - 6:00pm
🚫 Closed Sunday & Monday
⏰ ~1 hr
Free
🚶 20 min · 🚕 8 min → hotel
Day 2
From Hotel: 🚶 35 min · 🚕 8 min → California Heritage Museum
1. California Heritage Museum
A landmarked 1894 house — the "First Roy Jones House," moved to this site in 1977 and landmarked in 1979 — now home to a small museum with rotating exhibits on Southern California surf, skate, and Native American culture, including one guest-curated by original Z-Boy Nathan Pratt.
🏛️ Wednesday - Sunday 11:00am - 4:00pm
🚫 Closed Monday & Tuesday
⏰ ~1 hr
No pictures found.
🚶 28 min · 🚕 7 min → Venice Canals Historic District
2. Venice Canals Historic District
Six remaining canals from Abbot Kinney's 1905 "Venice of America" development, restored in 1991–93 and now lined with architecturally eclectic waterfront homes, gondola-style footbridges, and resident ducks — a quiet, non-commercial curiosity a few blocks from the boardwalk.
🚶 16 min · 🚕 5 min → Muscle Beach
3. Muscle Beach
An outdoor weightlifting platform on Ocean Front Walk that gave rise to American bodybuilding and fitness culture starting in the 1930s–60s — training ground of early greats before the scene shifted to Gold's Gym. Still a working public gym today, framed by the boardwalk's carnival atmosphere.
🚶 3 min · 🚕 2 min → Venice Beach Skatepark
4. Venice Beach Skatepark
A 16,000-square-foot oceanfront concrete skatepark opened in 2009 on the sand next to Muscle Beach, with a street plaza, snake run, and pool section — one of the most recognized skateparks in the world, built directly on Ocean Front Walk with the Pacific as a backdrop.
🚕 12 min → hotel
Day 3
From Hotel: 🚶 6 min · 🚕 3 min → Tongva Park
1. Tongva Park
A 6.2-acre park named for the Tongva people, opened in 2013 with undulating earthen berms, native and Mediterranean plantings, an amphitheater, and a dramatic overlook fountain — a striking modern counterpoint to Palisades Park's historic character next door.
🚶 4 min · 🚕 2 min → Palisades Park
2. Palisades Park
A 26.4-acre bluff-top promenade above the Pacific, established in 1892 and designated a historic landmark in 2007. Features include the 1912 Idaho Gate, a Native American totem pole donated in 1926, a rose garden, and a restored Camera Obscura — with unbroken ocean views the length of the park.
🚶 20 min · 🚕 5 min → Annenberg Community Beach House
3. Annenberg Community Beach House
The last surviving piece of "Ocean House," the 1929 beach estate William Randolph Hearst built for Marion Davies, later the Sand & Sea Club before earthquake damage in 1994. The Annenberg Foundation restored the site in 2009 as a free public beach facility, preserving the historic pool house and grounds.
🏛️ Monday - Thursday 12:00pm - 6:00pm
🏛️ Friday - Sunday 10:00am - 6:00pm
⏰ ~45 min
Free
🚕 13 min → Will Rogers State Beach
4. Will Rogers State Beach
A long, relatively uncrowded state beach named for the humorist and actor whose 345-acre ranch once covered this stretch of coast — less commercial than Santa Monica's own beach, with a wide sand stretch below the Palisades bluffs.
🚶 12 min · 🚕 4 min → Getty Villa
5. Getty Villa
A reconstruction of the Villa dei Papiri, a 1st-century Roman country house buried by Vesuvius, built to house J. Paul Getty's antiquities collection. Cliffside gardens, a reflecting pool, and Mediterranean plantings surround galleries of Greek, Roman, and Etruscan art.
🏛️ Wednesday - Monday 10:00am - 5:00pm
🚫 Closed Tuesday
⏰ ~2 hr
Free
🚕 15 min → hotel
🗓️ Weekly Closures
Galleries & Fine Dining · Closed Sunday - Monday
Fine Dining · Closed Sunday - Tuesday
📅 Tours
Viator
A 5-hour 30-minute bus tour departing downtown Santa Monica with stops at Hollywood Boulevard, Griffith Observatory area, Beverly Hills, and Rodeo Drive.
⏳ 5 hr 30 min · 👥 Group
🚶 10 min · 🚕 4 min
📅 2. Hollywood and Beverly Hills Celebrity Home Tour from Santa Monica · Viator · 4.9⭐ · 240+ reviews
A 3-hour 30-minute sightseeing tour departing from downtown Santa Monica covering Hollywood landmarks, celebrity home neighborhoods, and Beverly Hills.
⏳ 3 hr 30 min · 👥 Group
🚶 10 min · 🚕 4 min
A 5-hour 30-minute guided city tour with stops at Hollywood Boulevard, Griffith Observatory area, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica.
⏳ 5 hr 30 min · 👥 Group
🚕 20 min
☕ Cappuccino
Espresso Cielo · 4.2⭐ · 340+ reviews
Demitasse · 4.0⭐ · 580+ reviews
🏛️ Sunday - Friday 7:00am - 4:00pm
🚫 Closed Saturday
🚶 12 min · 🚕 4 min
🫕 Restaurants Near Hotel
FIG Restaurant · 4.3⭐ · 1380+ reviews
California cuisine with wood-fired pizza, fresh pasta, and market produce.
🏨 In the hotel · Ground floor
🏛️ Daily 7:00am - 10:00pm
Rustic Canyon · 4.1⭐ · 1560+ reviews
Seasonal wine bar with a rotating market-driven menu by chef Jeremy Fox.
🏛️ Daily 5:00pm - 10:00pm
🚶 3 min · 🚕 2 min
Élephante · 4.1⭐ · 3600+ reviews
Rooftop Italian restaurant with ocean views and wood-fired coastal cuisine.
🏛️ Tuesday - Friday 11:00am - 12:00am
🚫 Closed Saturday, Sunday & Monday
🚶 10 min · 🚕 4 min
Milo + Olive · 4.5⭐ · 2400+ reviews
All-day bakery and pizzeria with wood-fired pies and housemade pasta.
🏛️ Daily 7:00am - 9:00pm
🚶 22 min · 🚕 7 min
R+D Kitchen · 4.1⭐ · 1640+ reviews
American bistro on Montana Avenue. Noodle salads, burgers, and small plates.
🏛️ Daily 11:30am - 10:00pm
🚶 25 min · 🚕 8 min
🍽️ Downtown Restaurants
Din Tai Fung · 4.7⭐ · 870+ reviews
Taiwanese chain known for Xiao Long Bao soup dumplings at Santa Monica Place.
🏛️ Daily 11:30am - 9:30pm
UOVO · 4.4⭐ · 1950+ reviews
Italian pasta from Bologna. Carbonara, cacio e pepe, and bolognese.
🏛️ Daily 11:30am - 10:00pm
Colapasta · 4.8⭐ · 670+ reviews
Bib Gourmand Italian pasta. Seasonal market sourcing and generous portions.
🏛️ Monday - Thursday 5:00pm - 9:00pm
🚫 Closed Friday, Saturday & Sunday
Calabra · 4.3⭐ · 450+ reviews
Rooftop Mediterranean restaurant atop the Proper Hotel with ocean views.
🏛️ Monday - Friday 12:00pm - 10:00pm
🚫 Closed Saturday & Sunday
The Georgian Room · 4.2⭐ · 60+ reviews
Italian steakhouse in the Georgian Hotel basement. Art Deco interiors.
🏛️ Wednesday - Thursday 5:30pm - 10:00pm
🚫 Closed Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday & Tuesday
🍮 Local Tastes
Baja Fish Tacos
Battered or grilled white fish in corn tortillas with crema, shredded cabbage, and pico de gallo. A California coastal staple from the Baja tradition, found at casual spots along Main Street and near the pier.
Avocado Toast
A California breakfast staple built with local Haas avocados on seeded sourdough, finished with lemon, red pepper flakes, and sea salt. Found across cafes and bakeries citywide.
In-N-Out Burger
The California chain founded in 1948. The Double-Double and Animal Style are the standard orders. The nearest location to the hotel is on Wilshire Boulevard.
🚆 Train Stations Near Hotel
🚊 Downtown Santa Monica Station
Western terminus of the E Line. Connects to Downtown Los Angeles, Culver City, and Expo Park.
🚶 12 min · 🚕 4 min
⛲️ Day Trips by Train
Culver City · 20 min
Mid-route Metro E Line stop. Museum of Jurassic Technology, Platform LA, and Washington Boulevard restaurants.
🎫 book at: Omio
Downtown Los Angeles · 45 min
Direct Metro E Line to 7th Street/Metro Center. Grand Central Market, Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Broad, and the Arts District.
🎫 book at: Omio
🏓 Pickleball
Pickle Pop · Indoor
Three indoor PPA courts. Open play, clinics, and court reservations available.
🏛️ Monday - Thursday 7:00am - 9:00pm · Friday - Saturday 7:00am - 10:00pm · Sunday 7:00am - 9:00pm
🚶 10 min · 🚕 4 min
Santa Monica Pickleball Center · Outdoor
Four outdoor courts with 100+ demo paddles. Reservations required online.
🏛️ Daily 7:00am - 10:00pm
🚶 13 min · 🚕 5 min
⭐ Michelin Restaurants
⭐⭐ Mélisse
14-seat contemporary French tasting menu. Reservations required via Tock.
🚶 3 min · 🚕 2 min
⭐ Citrin
Modern California cuisine à la carte. Bar walk-ins accepted from 5:30pm.
🚶 3 min · 🚕 2 min
The Marvin Braude Bike Trail runs 22 miles from Will Rogers State Beach north of the pier to Torrance Beach in the south — completely flat along the water. Starting at Santa Monica Pier and riding south to Venice takes about 30 minutes on a rental bike, passing Muscle Beach, the Venice Boardwalk, and the Venice Canals.
Bike rentals are available at the pier and along Ocean Front Walk.