3rd Street Promenade

The Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica's pedestrian street

The Santa Monica audio-guided tour takes you onto the Third Street Promenade, one of the best-known streets in the city and one of the few historic pedestrian centres still active in Southern California. About three blocks long, this shopping avenue has existed since the end of the nineteenth century.

A street given back to pedestrians

In the 1960s, facing competition from suburban shopping centres, the city decided to close the street to cars to make it a space entirely dedicated to pedestrians. Redeveloped several times, the promenade became a lively commercial heart, where shops, restaurants and street performances mix. It is one of the symbols of Santa Monica urban life.

What there is to see

The promenade lines up shops, department stores, cafés and restaurants, enlivened by musicians and street performers. Its dinosaur-shaped fountains, now emblematic, add a playful touch. A few steps from the beach and Palisades Park, it is the ideal place to shop and enjoy the Californian atmosphere.

Practical information

The Third Street Promenade is in central Santa Monica, a few steps from the beach and Palisades Park. The pedestrian street can be walked freely at all hours and on the level; the shops and restaurants keep their own hours. The atmosphere is particularly lively in the evening.

How long has the street been pedestrian?

The city closed the street to cars in the 1960s to make it a space dedicated to pedestrians, one of the few historic pedestrian centres in Southern California.

What is there on the Third Street Promenade?

There are shops, department stores, cafés, restaurants, street performers and dinosaur-shaped fountains, a few steps from the beach.