Venice Beach

There is never a dull moment on the Venice Beach Boardwalk, packed with a mix of artists, musicians, poets, skateboarders and jugglers. Visitors will find themselves enthralled by the entertainment provided by this vibrant human carnival parade along the boardwalk. Feast your eyes on some of the world’s most audacious entertainers, from chain-sawing acrobats to fire-breathing cyclists. This is Los Angeles at its ostentatious best.

Make you way along the 2.4-kilometre stretch and weave among the diverse range of stalls, shops and stands offering visitors all manner of tempting souvenirs and trinkets, cheap sunglasses and t-shirts.

Wander up to the outdoor gym at Muscle Beach, situated just a little further along the main boardwalk. This area lives up to its name and is best known as the place where Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno, of Incredible Hulk fame, once flexed their pecs. Today you will find the toned and the tanned as well as the flexible and the bizarre strutting their stuff. Buy a day pass for $10 at Venice Beach Recreations and take your place among the contortionists and the muscle bound out in front of the passing crowds.

Head back to the beach to relax or enjoy the fantastic surf. The beach itself is a stunning spectacle, a 5-kilometre stretch of well-maintained open sand, as carefully manicured as the visitors at Muscle Beach. Surf and body boards are available for hire from nearby vendors and the water is patrolled regularly by life guards during daylight hours.

The sultry Mediterranean climate makes Venice Beach a great place to be all year round. It can however get rather overcrowded during the summer, so visitors should bear this in mind, especially when going into the water. Venice Beach is situated approximately 30 kilometres) from downtown LA between Santa Monica and Marina Del Rey. Plenty of parking spaces are available in nearby lots.