Tacky and wacky by turns, this sun-drenched strip of sand is a favourite playground for city-weary Angelenos.
If you’re looking for unspoilt views and tranquil ocean walks, Venice Beach is not the place for you. If, on the other hand, you crave some zany company and don’t mind being dazzled by outrageous outfits and flamboyant attention seekers, there’s no place on earth you’ll love more!The boardwalk along Venice Beach, 2.4 kilometres of beachfront hedonism, is a constant parade of muscle men, drag queens and botoxed starlets. Skateboarders narrowly miss head-on collisions with jugglers and fire-eaters, musicians and poets perform self-penned masterpieces to anyone that will stand still long enough to listen, and street entertainers try to catch the eye of passers-by in the hope of earning a tip.The human traffic competes for space on the boardwalk with stalls and shops selling a colourful cornucopia of trinkets, souvenirs, clothes and leather goods. Buy some quirky shades or a hand-printed t-shirt, get your hair braided or your body inked with a temporary tattoo, then check out the glistening bodies on Muscle Beach, where Arnie and “Incredible Hulk” Lou Ferrigno used to flex their pecs. If you fancy joining in with the acrobats and iron-pumpers, you can buy a day pass for around $10 (approximately €7.50) from the Venice Beach Recreations and Parks Office on Ocean Front Walk. Don’t forget you’ll be working out in full view of passers-by, so make sure you feel comfortable with this idea before parting with your cash.Swimming might seem like the last thing people come to Venice Beach for, but the stretch of sandy beach is well maintained and the water is patrolled during daylight hours. You can rent a surfboard or a bodyboard to ride the waves, but even the ocean gets crowded here, so keep a watchful eye out for other riders at all times.Summer is the busiest time at Venice Beach, but at other times of the year the Mediterranean climate makes it a popular place to shake off the city dust. It’s around 30 kilometres from central LA between Santa Monica and Marina Del Ray, and there is plenty of parking available all along the beach.
