The Santa Monica Pier opened on 9 September 1909, and it is one of the most-searched places in the United States. Almost half a million people a month look it up.

Most of them are not deciding whether to go. They have decided, and they want to know where to park, what it costs, what is actually on it and whether the Ferris wheel is worth it. This page answers those.

Admission to the Pier is free

Start here, because it is the thing people most often get wrong.

Walking onto the Santa Monica Pier costs nothing. Pacific Park, the amusement park on it, is described as LA’s only admission-free amusement park — you pay per ride or buy a wristband, but you do not pay to walk in.

So a Pier visit can cost you exactly the price of parking. A lot of people budget for a ticket that does not exist.

Parking: the actual answer

The most-searched practical question about this place, so here it is plainly.

Do not use the Pier deck. The deck on the Pier itself is small, it fills first, and the queue to get onto it backs up onto Ocean Avenue. On a summer weekend you can lose half an hour in that queue.

Use a beach lot instead. The numbered lots along the sand — including Lot 1 North — are a short walk, far larger, and far less stressful.

Or park downtown and walk. The numbered city structures around Third Street Promenade are about ten minutes away on foot and often cheaper.

Or do not drive at all. Metro rail reaches downtown Santa Monica, and the Big Blue Bus covers the city densely. Full detail in the parking guide.

Arrive before 10am in summer. That single decision solves most of this section.

The solar-powered Ferris wheel

Genuinely unusual, and worth knowing about before you decide whether to ride it.

The Pacific Wheel at Pacific Park is the world’s first and only solar-powered Ferris wheel. It carries more than 174,000 LED lights and runs animated lighting displays over the Pacific after dark.

Two practical points. The ride itself is short and the view is the reason to do it — go at sunset or after dark, when both the view and the wheel’s own lighting are at their best. And the wheel is more impressive from the beach than from inside it, so if you are choosing between riding it and photographing it, the photograph is the better use of the money.

Pacific Park opened on the Pier in 1996 and runs 12 amusement rides and 14 midway games.

The carousel is the real historic object

The most significant thing on the Pier, and most visitors walk past it.

In 1916, Charles Looff — of Coney Island fame — saw the Pier’s potential and added a second pier with a bowling and billiards hall, a ballroom and a carousel. The Looff Hippodrome stands on the south end of the Pier today, housing 44 hand-carved horses.

The Hippodrome building and its carousel were designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1975. That is a considerably higher designation than most people realise they are walking past on the way to buy a churro.

Ride it. It costs very little, it is over a century old, and it is the reason this Pier is historically important rather than merely famous.

The end of Route 66

In 2009, the Santa Monica Pier was dedicated as the official western terminus of Route 66, marked by a sign on the Pier.

For anyone who has driven the Mother Road from Chicago, this is the finish line, and the sign is the photograph. For everyone else it is a two-minute stop and a good piece of context: the Pier is the point where the most famous road in America runs out of continent.

What else is on it

Food. Pier food is pier food — expect seaside prices and seaside quality. The good eating in Santa Monica is a short walk inland; see the restaurants guide.

Fishing. The Pier began as a fishing and boating destination in 1909 and people still fish from the end of it.

The aquarium beneath the Pier, which is small, cheap and much better with children than the rides.

The beach on either side, which is free and is what most locals actually come for.

When to go

Weekday mornings — the calmest the Pier ever is, and the best time for photographs without crowds.

Sunset — the reason to be here. The wheel lights up, the light goes gold, and it is genuinely one of the better free experiences in Los Angeles.

Summer weekends — the busiest by a wide margin. Arrive before 10am or accept the crowd.

Winter — underrated. The Pier is open, the light is excellent, and you can walk it without weaving.

Is the Pier worth it?

An honest answer, because plenty of famous places are not and this one splits opinion sharply.

What it is: a working amusement pier that has been operating since 1909, with a National Historic Landmark carousel from 1916, a genuinely novel solar-powered Ferris wheel, the end of Route 66, and a free walk out over the Pacific with one of the best sunset views in Los Angeles.

What it is not: a quiet or sophisticated experience. It is crowded, the food is seaside food at seaside prices, and there are buskers, souvenir stalls and queues.

The people who are disappointed by the Santa Monica Pier are usually the ones who expected the second thing. Approached as what it is — a hundred-and-fifteen-year-old amusement pier that happens to be free to walk onto — it is very good indeed, particularly at sunset and particularly if you ride the carousel rather than only the wheel.

And it costs nothing. In Los Angeles, that is not a small thing.

Doing the Pier properly, in order

Park in a beach lot before 10am, or take the train.

Walk the length of it first, out to the end where people are fishing, before the crowds thicken.

Ride the 1916 carousel. Cheap, historic, and the thing most visitors miss.

Look at the Route 66 sign, which takes two minutes and is a better story than it looks.

Go down onto the beach, which is free and is where the Pier actually looks its best.

Come back at sunset for the wheel lighting up over the water.

That sequence costs the price of parking and one carousel ticket, and it is a considerably better day than a wristband and three hours of queueing.

The Pier and the beach are different things

Worth separating, because visitors conflate them and locals never do.

The Pier is the attraction: rides, games, food stalls, crowds, and the photograph.

The beach is what people who live here actually use — miles of sand either side, the bike path running the length of it, volleyball courts, and the original Muscle Beach just south of the Pier, where the outdoor gymnastics equipment still stands.

If you have a whole day, spend an hour on the Pier and the rest on the sand. That is the local ratio, and it is the right one.

Santa Monica Pier: common questions, answered

Is the Santa Monica Pier free?

Yes. Walking onto the Pier costs nothing, and Pacific Park on it is described as LA’s only admission-free amusement park — you pay per ride or for a wristband rather than for entry.

When did the Santa Monica Pier open?

9 September 1909. It began as a fishing and boating destination before becoming an entertainment pier.

Where should I park for the Santa Monica Pier?

Use a beach lot along the sand rather than the deck on the Pier itself, which is small and whose queue backs up onto Ocean Avenue. Downtown city structures are about ten minutes’ walk and often cheaper.

What is the Pacific Wheel?

The Ferris wheel at Pacific Park — the world’s first and only solar-powered Ferris wheel, carrying more than 174,000 LED lights and running animated displays after dark.

Is the Ferris wheel worth riding?

The ride is short and the view is the point, so go at sunset or after dark. It is arguably more impressive photographed from the beach than experienced from inside.

What is the Looff Hippodrome?

The carousel building on the south end of the Pier, added by Charles Looff in 1916 and housing 44 hand-carved horses. It was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1975 and is the most historically significant thing on the Pier.

Is the Santa Monica Pier the end of Route 66?

Yes. In 2009 it was dedicated as the official western terminus of Route 66, marked by a sign on the Pier.

How many rides are there?

Pacific Park, which opened on the Pier in 1996, runs 12 amusement rides and 14 midway games.

When is the best time to visit?

Weekday mornings for calm and photographs, and sunset for the experience. Summer weekends are by far the busiest — arrive before 10am.

Is there anything to do besides the rides?

Yes — the historic carousel, fishing from the Pier as people have since 1909, the small aquarium underneath, the Route 66 sign, and the free beach on either side.