To have a car in LA is a good thing. You are more flexibel in a city where public transport does not matter much. Nevertheless, I don’t think that a car is mandatory. Especially when you live or stay in Venice Beach or Santa Monica and don’t need to go every day to Malibu, West Hollywood, Brentwood, Bel Air or the Runyon Canyon, you can be happy with a cruiser bike.
A super nice bike ride I do almost every time when in LA, is all the way from Will Rodgers Beach to Manhattan Beach and back. There are some spots you shouldn’t miss on that 40 miles tour. For me, it is the perfect LA day, so I absolutely wanted to share my favorite stops on this tour with you. There is more than only biking between Venice and Santa Monica. Here are my 9 favorite stops on the way, starting on Will Rodgers Beach and ending on Manhattan Beach:
Will Rodgers Beach
Will Rodgers is on the way from Santa Monica to Malibu. It is a beach to chill, play volleyball and go surfing. Many people come here. It is outside the city and therefore like a small getaway.
Santa Monica Pier
The pier is a must-see when you are in LA anyway. Leave the bike for about half an hour and get a funnel cake or take a ride with the roller coaster.
Venice Beach Boardwalk
Packed with crazy people, merchandise shops, cafés, skaters and a lot of tourists, the board walk is always nice. Enjoy the creative and leisure vibe and get off your bike for a few minutes.
Venice Beach Skatepark
The skatepark is the vibrant heart of the beach. Everyday it is crowded with skaters and people who just watch what they are doing. Stay a bit and you will see some artists in action.
Venice Canals
Built after the Italian Venice and its canals, these are way more beautiful, because of the bohemian chic. The views are magical and I wish I would own a house there.
Venice Beach Pier
The pier in Venice is not spectacular. There are no fun things like roller coasters or carousels, you will find just fishermen and musicians. That’s what makes it such a great place to think and relax.
I really love it at night. It is illuminated and you walk on an ocean into the night to experience whatever you want. It is one of my favorite things to do and I have been going to the pier at night often when I was unsure how to decide, or what to do next.
Marina del Rey
If you are interested in boats, Marina del Rey is the place to be for you. You can do sailing, parasailing or a harbor cruise. It is nice to ride the bike through the water and all the boats and everything looks so beautiful.
Fisherman’s Village
The small village is part of Marina del Rey and the cutes part of Los Angeles. I already wrote a blog post about it. Check it out here!
Manhattan Beach
Home to many surfers and equipped with a nice and simple pier, Manhattan Beach is like the clean and hip version of Venice. You ride the bike between volleyball fields, nice villas and cutest houses. It gets crowded in summer and in the afternoon, so I would recommend to come here a bit earlier or enjoy this place in spring or fall.
It is really worth to spend a whole day on this tour. You can bike all the way on a very good bicycle path like the one you see on a few photos above. This path leads you to the stops listed in this post and most of the way you will bike on the beach which is so much fun.