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Offered languages
- English
No trip to sunny Los Angeles is complete without a visit to the Santa Monica Pier, and no visit to the Pier is complete without this self-guided audio walking tour! As you stroll along this bustling pier, you’ll dig deep into its history, from its humble origins to devastating storms and ambitious amusement parks. Spot the historic Santa Monica Pier Carousel and Pacific Park before making your way to the very end of the pier, offering unbeatable views of the ocean and Santa Monica Beach.
After booking, check your email/text to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action while connected to WiFi or mobile data. Enter the password, download the tour, and enjoy it offline. Follow the audio instructions and route from the designated starting point.
Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
Begin from Santa Monica Pier Arch, 81-99 Colorado Ave, Santa Monica. After booking the tour, search your emails and texts for "audio tour". Your tour is VALID FOR ONE YEAR so follow these instructions NOW to finish setting up the tour while you have Wi-Fi/data. Do NOT wait until you are onsite.
Itinerary
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1Santa Monica Pier
Our tour begins at the Santa Monica Pier Arch. You can’t miss it! This historic structure has been standing tall for over 80 years, adding a little touch of drama to the pier’s entrance. The tour is over 0.38 miles long, with more than 14 audio stories, and takes about 1-2 hours to complete. Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
2Santa Monica Looff Hippodrome
Now let’s get to know Charles Looff, Danish immigrant, furniture carver, and the pier’s hero. By day, he carved away in a factory, but at night, he created life-size animal sculptures full of imagination, whimsy, and magic. Can you guess what he was building?
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
Santa Monica Pier Carousel (Pass by)
To our left stands Santa Monica’s iconic carousel. While this one only dates back to the 1940s, the original was built by none other than Charles Looff. He built it as part of a hugely ambitious project in 1916. His goal was nothing less than turning this sewage site into a tourist attraction!
Admission ticket free -
Pacific Park (Pass by)
For decades, the pier sat mostly empty and unused. By the 70s, Santa Monica’s City Council was looking for excuses to tear down the old eyesore. They put forth a plan to destroy the pier and build an artificial island instead. During a meeting, a resident asks the City Manager whether the public should have a say. His response?
Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- How To Access: After booking, you’ll get an email and text with setup instructions and password (search “audio tour” in emails and texts). • Download the separate tour app by Action • Enter the password sent by email and text. • MUST download the tour while in strong wifi/cellular. • Works offline after download.
- How to start touring: Open Action’s separate audio tour guide app once onsite. • If there is just one tour, launch it. • If multiple tour versions exist, launch the one with your planned starting point and direction.
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Additional info
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- How To Access: After booking, you’ll get an email and text with setup instructions and password (search “audio tour” in emails and texts). • Download the separate tour app by Action • Enter the password sent by email and text. • MUST download the tour while in strong wifi/cellular. • Works offline after download.
- How to start touring: Open Action’s separate audio tour guide app once onsite. • If there is just one tour, launch it. • If multiple tour versions exist, launch the one with your planned starting point and direction.
- Go to the starting point No one will meet you at the start. This tour is self-guided Enter the first story’s point and the audio will begin automatically Follow the audio cues to the next story, which will also play automatically. Enjoy hands-free exploring. If you face audio issues, contact support. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience.
- Travel worry-free: Use the tour app anytime, on any day, and over multiple days. Start and pause the tour whenever you like, taking breaks and exploring side excursions at your own pace. Skip anything you don’t care about or explore bonus content for everything that interests you
- Savings tips: Walking tours: couples can share one tour by splitting headphones
- Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.
- For the best experience, bring headphones/earbuds for your walking tour.
- For the best experience, please use an iPhone running iOS 15 or later, an Android device running version 9 or later, or an iPad/tablet with GPS and cellular connectivity, as these are recommended for navigation.
- Your password can be used on the same number of devices as travelers booked. Enter the same password on each device.
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Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
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Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Rating
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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