Booking choice: The LA and Hollywood day trip, from $280 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
After four or five hours in the desert, Santa Monica is the payoff: the Pacific, a wide beach and the old pier with its Ferris wheel. Every Vegas day trip stops here, usually for about an hour.
It is also where many tours have lunch, so the stop is often the longest of the day.
The quick answer
Every day trip from Las Vegas includes Santa Monica Pier, usually for about an hour (35 minutes on the premium tour). You can walk the pier, dip your toes in the Pacific and photograph the Route 66 End of the Trail sign. Guests on the most reviewed tour have a hot lunch nearby.
How long do you get at Santa Monica Pier?
About an hour on the three standard day trips, and about 35 minutes on the premium tour.
On the most reviewed tour, lunch follows in Santa Monica, so the area gets more time overall. Guests on several tours still say they would have liked longer here, which is the most common wish in the reviews.
An hour at the Pacific and a hot lunch: check dates for the most reviewed day trip.
Check dates for the LA and Hollywood day tripWhat can you do in an hour?
Walk to the end of the pier, put your feet in the Pacific, and take the classic photos.
- Photograph the pier entrance and the Ferris wheel from the beach
- Walk out over the water to the end of the pier
- Find the Route 66 End of the Trail sign
- Step onto the sand and into the surf
Where is the Route 66 End of the Trail sign?
On the pier itself, where it was installed in 2009 as the symbolic end of Route 66.
It is a favourite photo spot and gets a queue at busy times. The historic end of Route 66 is actually a few blocks inland, at Olympic and Lincoln boulevards, but the pier sign is the one everyone photographs.
How old is Santa Monica Pier?
The Municipal Pier opened on September 9, 1909; the amusement pier beside it was added in 1916.
The two piers now read as one. The rides and Ferris wheel at the amusement end are extra if you want to ride, but walking the pier is free.
Can you swim at Santa Monica?
You can wade, but there is no time for a proper beach session on a day trip.
Bring sandals or shoes you can slip off and a small towel if you want to paddle. The water is cool for much of the year, and the day continues straight to Beverly Hills.
Want a real beach afternoon? Stay a night and the full-day LA tour adds Venice and more coastline.
Explore the full-day LA city tourWhere do you have lunch?
On the most reviewed tour, at a restaurant in Santa Monica that guests describe as nice, with several choices.
The breakfast-and-lunch tour hands out a sandwich or salad lunch near the beach. On the six-seat tour, meals are not included, so you buy your own.
Is Santa Monica the best stop?
For many guests, yes: it is the stop most often named as the highlight, and the one they want more time at.
If you would rather have hours by the ocean than minutes, compare a day trip with a night in LA.
Feet in the Pacific by lunchtime: check dates for the small-group day trip.
Check dates for the LA and Hollywood day tripFrequently asked questions
Is Santa Monica Pier free?
Yes, walking the pier and the beach is free. Rides at the amusement park cost extra.
Is the Route 66 sign really the end of Route 66?
It is the symbolic end. The historic end of the road is a few blocks inland at Olympic and Lincoln boulevards.
Is Santa Monica the first stop?
On most tours, yes, but the guide may change the order to avoid traffic.
Ready to book
Choose your day
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Los Angeles & Hollywood Small-Group Day Trip
- Strip hotel pickup and drop-off (about 6 AM; time confirmed two days before)
- Driver-guide with live commentary in an air-conditioned Mercedes with Wi-Fi
- Hot lunch at a restaurant, plus snacks and bottled water all day
Hollywood Day Trip with Breakfast & Lunch
- Hotel pickup and drop-off on the Strip and Downtown (about 5 AM)
- Light breakfast, a sandwich or salad lunch (choose when booking), snacks and water
- Santa Monica Pier (1 hour) and the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1 hour)
