One of the best Los Angeles sightseeing attractions is Venice Beach and the Canal Walkways. Venice Beach stretches about 1.5 miles along the beach south of Santa Monica. This beach has been featured in many TV shows and movies.
Venice Beach
The center of the boardwalk and beach is around the LA Recreation Center, which is also near Muscle Beach, the basketball court, and the skate park. On the boardwalk, you’ll find hundreds of vendors that sell food, souvenirs, and sunglasses. Bike and skate rentals are also available or you can just hang at the beach and top up your sun tan. You can also look for the Mural tour near Navy and Rose Avenue. Many famous and not-so-famous muralists have work that resides here. There is always a good street show performance, just make sure to tip if you like them!
Venice Canals
Another tourist spot in Los Angeles is the Venice Canals built in 1905. This is a historic district, noteworthy because of its man-made canals. There are six canals called the Caroll, Linnie, Howland, Sherman, Eastern, and Grand Canal. The Grand Canal area covers Pacific Boulevard, South Venice, Ocean Avenue, and Washington Boulevard.
Fun things to do
There’s live music, comedy and plenty of restaurants, and you can’t beat the free concerts too. Vintage clothes, unique trinkets, designer furniture and stylish fashion are some of the amazing things to expect in Venice Beach.
How to get there
By car, take the 10 West freeway and exit at Lincoln Boulevard. The Venice Beach area and canals can be found in the intersections of Venice Boulevard, Pacific Avenue, and Venice Way. Alternatively, take a Metro bus to Santa Monica/Westwood Boulevard and transfer to route 1 of the Big Blue Bus. City parking lots can be found near the beach. Current rates range from $4 to $15 depending on the time of year. City parking lots are cheaper than the private lots which have daily rates of $25 currently.
This is a great place to take a stroll amongst the old and renovated homes for a picturesque walk, or you can even catch a gondola ride.
