Santa Monica or Venice Beach? Which is better for LA/Hollywood tour?

[~ButterflyKisses~]

We're planning on doing a LA/Hollywood tour with Grayline and we get a choice of visiting either Santa Monica or Venice beach. Which do you think is better? It will be just me and my fiance so we'll be travelling without kids. We're going in September if that helps.

Also has anyone done a LA/Hollywood tor with Grayline and what did you think? It says the tour includes: Los Angeles, Olvera Street, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Sunset Strip, Farmers Market, The GROVE, Rodeo Drive and Melrose Avenue. Stops include: Mann’s Chinese Theatre, Hollywood Boulevard, Farmers Market, The GROVE, and a choice of Venice Beach or Santa Monica.

 

[eduk8r26]

Venice Beach has bunches of funky shops and strange characters. Santa Monica has the rides on the pier. Just depends what you want to see. The Grove is an outdoor mall with shops and restaurants. Farmer's Market is right across the street with tons of little shops and butcher shops and restaurants. It's kind of a neat place if you've never been there. Rodeo Dr. is high class shops. Mann's has the handprints and footprints in cement. It's also close to the Disney Ice Cream Shop across the street.

 

[VegasMike21]

I like Santa Monica, just because there's not only the pier there with the rides, restaurants like Bubba Gumps, etc...but you can walk a few blocks and visit their mall and also the many shops they have to choose from just a short walk from the beach. Plus it always seems it's not as crowded as Venice.

 

[woody73]

We're planning on doing a LA/Hollywood tour with Grayline and we get a choice of visiting either Santa Monica or Venice beach. Which do you think is better? It will be just me and my fiance so we'll be travelling without kids. We're going in September if that helps.

We took some adult Aussie friends on a tour of a few beaches in the area, and the one they found most intriguing was Venice Beach.

It's a funky place, great for people watching. Muscle Beach (body builders), street performers (juggler with a chainsaw, a bowling ball and a hatchet), and sidewalk vendors. Just don't expect a wholesome family experience.

Woody