Santa Monica Pier Parking Information

Being a 100 years old landmark in Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Pier consists of various attractions including an aquarium, an amusement park, Pacific Park and a number of restaurants, etc. it's a great destination for visitors to enjoy fun and exciting rides and other family activities. Plus, it is also considered as a paradise for anglers.

Maybe the most amazing thing is that the temperature of this Pier is always much lower than inland areas. Especially if you pay a visit to the Santa Monica Pier in hot summer weather, you will find that the cool breeze in the mornings and evenings is really awesome.

Santa Monica Pier on Wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Monica_Pier

Visitors can have a great time at the Santa Monica Pier even without paying for any rides or other activities. Just enjoy a nice and relaxing weekend by laying on the sand, scrolling along the beach or watching interesting street performances.

Homepage of Santa Monica Pier

http://www.santamonicapier.org/

Situated at the foot of Colorado Avenue, the Santa Monica Pier is easy to be located. Visitors can easily get to the Pier by public transportation or driving their own cars. However, parking is somewhat annoying in this area, especially for those who prefer free parking.

Free parking is almost unavailable unless you don't' mind a long distance walk. The Santa Monica Place mall, which is about three or four blocks away from the Pier, would offer you a free parking space for two hours. No validation is required.

Besides, there is a parking garage placed at the intersection of Colorado and 4th Street. It's easily accessible and you can walk to the Pier within about 2 minutes. The first two hours of parking is free.

Or, if you like, just skip all these overpriced parking lots or garages offered by the Pier and park on the street.

If you just want to get out of your car and begin your experience on the Pier as quickly as you can, there are a couple of great options for you. Charged parking lots and garages can be found on the Pier Deck as well as nearby Beachfront.

Pier Deck Parking Lot: This parking lot is located at the west end of Colorado Avenue. And it is capable of accommodating about 277 vehicles. Vans are welcomed as well. It's available every day all the years around. On weekdays, its opening hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 12 a.m. However, it would not close until 1 a.m. on weekends while still opening at 7:30 a.m.

From October to the Thursday prior to Memorial Day, parking on weekdays would be charged 1 dollar for every half an hour. And the maximum daily parking rate is only 6 dollars. However, when it comes to weekends, parking fee is unified. Parkers would be charged 7 dollars per car.

For the rest of the year, flat rate for parking in this lot is 7 dollars on weekdays and 8 dollars on weekends.

Parking Options on Beachfront: In total, there are five parking lots located on both the north and south side of the Pier. All of them are available for driving visitors to the Santa Monica Pier, but their rates vary a lot.

1) 1N - You can find this parking facility at 1550/1440 Pacific Coast Highway. It provides 1129 parking spaces among which 26 spaces are accessible for people with impairments. Spaces for vans are also available in this lot. Its operation hours are from 7:30 a.m. until 1 a.m. on weekends and from 7:30 a.m. to 12 a.m. on weekdays.

From May through September, it would take 12 dollars for parking on weekends and holidays. On weekdays, however, parking rate is only 8 dollars per car. As for April and October, parking rate is much cheaper. It only costs you 6 dollars to park in this lot on weekdays and 7 dollars for weekend and holiday parking. From November to March, the parking rate is still 6 dollars for weekdays, but you will be charged 8 dollars for parking on weekends or holidays.

2) 3N - Situated at 1150 Pacific Coast Highway, this parking lot offers 460 parking spaces including 4 spaces for disabled persons. It's accessible for vans as well. This lot would open at 7 a.m. every day. In summer, it would not close until 7 p.m. But it closes as early as 4 p.m. in winter.

Parkers would be charged 12 dollars for parking on weekends as well as holidays from May to September, while parking rate for weekdays is 8 dollars. From November to March, cheaper parking rate is available. It would only cost you 8 dollars for parking on weekends and holidays. On weekdays, parking rate is 6 dollars. As to April and October, flat parking rate is 8 dollars.

3) 1S - This parking lot sits at 1640 Appian Way and there are 66 parking spaces available. It's very close to the Pier. In summer, it would open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. while its operation hours in winter are from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Visitors can park in this lot free of charge, but they will not be allowed to stay for more than two hours. It's only available for short term parking and not accessible for vans drivers and disabled persons.

4) 2S - Erected at 1670 Appian Way, it's also within walking distance of the Pier. However, parking spaces are limited there. Only 63 spaces are available and there is no room for any vans. Its summer hours are from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. while it only opens from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. in winter.

From April through October, parking rate is 12 dollars on weekends and holidays. 8 dollars would be charged for parking on weekdays. For the rest of the year, it would take 7 dollars for you to park in this lot on weekends & holidays but only 5 dollars for weekday parking.

5) 3S - Offering 120 parking spaces, this parking lot is placed at 1750 Appian Way, a little bit far away from the Pier. It also provides spaces for vans and disabled persons. For related information regarding operation hours and parking rates, you can refer to 2S parking lot.

Detailed Information Regarding Parking Options around the Santa Monica Pier

http://parking.smgov.net/det_beachcentral.html

Parking Lots for Shuttle Buses and Monthly Parking

http://parking.smgov.net/shuttles.html

NOTE: Parking is a little tough around the Pier, especially on busy days. Therefore, you are strongly recommended to have in mind an alternative parking location. Otherwise, you might have to spend an hour or more to find a space for your vehicle.

How could you get to these parking lots? As all these nearby parking lots are located already, the next step is to figure out the driving directions to a suitable parking lot. After you turn onto Interstate 10 Santa Monica freeway, remember to take 4th or 5th Street. Then exit and bear to the right. When you see Colorado Avenue, turn onto it and head west to change to Ocean Avenue.

To park in the Pier Deck Parking Lot, just proceed straight ahead. If you choose to bear right onto Seaside Terrace when proceeding on Ocean Avenue, you can find a number of parking lots located along Appian Way. Either turn right or left onto Appian Way, lots of parking spaces are available.