Hermosa Beach

Hermosa Beach is a friendly town in the South Bay of Los Angeles. If you're looking for the "typical" Southern California beach town experience, you'll enjoy the laid back attitude, athleticism, and festive nightlife of the Beach Cities: Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Redondo Beach. Each provides a unique cultural experience, but they're connected by the strand paved path that runs along the beach.

By day, locals can be found playing volleyball on the beach, running/cycling/rollerblading along the Strand, or congregating around the Pier Avenue shopping area. By night, the bars and restaurants along Pier Avenue become crowded with young people, while the patios and decks of the tightly packed residences buzz with the chatter and bustle of private parties.

Get in

From downtown or Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) take terminal shuttle or Green line to LAX/Green Line Station. Then take Beach Cities Transit (BCT) 109.

The Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) is the main north-south route through Hermosa Beach.

Get around

On foot, bicycle, car, bus, or ferry. Use beach cities transit.

See
  • Hermosa Beach. The main thing to see in Hermosa Beach is the beach itself along with the bicycle and pedestrian walkway called The Strand. The sand and sun, combined with the tanned, fit beachgoers strolling down The Strand exemplify the stereotype of California beach culture. 
  • 🌍 Hermosa Beach Pier. This pier has a statue dedicated to a pioneer in surfing. On a summer weekend, go to the Strand at the Hermosa Beach Pier, and see how many wheeled devices will pass you in 10 minutes. Bicycles, tricycles, roller skates, scooters, roller blades, etc. 

Do
  • Grab a towel and soak up the sun on the beach.
  • Rent a bicycle or rollerblades and travel along The Strand from Redondo Beach up to Santa Monica. Shops near Pier Avenue will rent bicycles or rollerblades.
  • Play in the water. Although the water along California comes down from an Alaskan current and can be chilly, when the weather's warm, it can be very enjoyable. Shops around Pier Avenue will rent surfboards or you can buy a boogie board.
  • Go fishing off the Hermosa Beach Pier.
  • Fiesta Hermosa. Memorial Day and Labor Day. Since 1970, the "largest arts & crafts fair in Southern California". Over 400 artists and crafters are featured, including painters, photographers, ceramicists, jewelers, sculptors, and handicrafters. People flock to Fiesta Hermosa each year for not only the art fair, but for the Music which is always of the highest caliber. Fairgoers rave about the Food Court, which offers 18 different kinds of ethnic food choices. The festival offers something for everyone, there is a Kiddie Carnival that features a 30 foot slide, mechanical rides, rock climbing wall and bungee jump, and games for kids from 3 to 10 years old. Pony rides, a Petting Zoo, and facepainters are sure to delight the little ones. The festival takes place every Memorial Day and Labor Day Weekend (Saturday, Sunday and Monday) in downtown Hermosa Beach, along Pier and Hermosa Avenue. With the ocean as a backdrop, Hermosa Beach is an ideal place for a summer festival with temperatures of 80 °F (27 °C) and balmy sea breezes. (updated Aug 2020)
  • Hermosa Beach Firefighters Association Annual All-You-Can-Eat Pancake Breakfast. The HBFA Pancake breakfast is a fundraising event held on Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend and is a unique opportunity to join over 900 members of the community for a breakfast cooked and served buffet-style by your firefighters. Eat breakfast inside the firehouse, meet the firefighters, and bid on many of the exciting auction items all to benefit your community. Kids can sit in the fire trucks and ambulances, get their photos taken with the firefighters and Sparky the Fire Dog, and see the inside of the firehouse. 

Eat
  • Good Stuff, 1286 The Strand (at 13th Street), ☏ +1 310 374-2334. A South Bay landmark, Good Stuff has good lunch/brunch food at affordable prices. There's a large outdoor patio facing the beach with great opportunities for people watching as they bike or skate down The Strand. Fills up fast on weekend mornings. $10-15. 
  • Proudly Serving, 110 Second St, ☏ +1 310-374-2296. Burgers. The restaurant is off of the Strand and as with most beach cities parking is strictly enforced, read the signs. 

Drink

Nightlife is largely centered along Pier Ave, a hot spot for singles and the young.

  • 🌍 Lighthouse Cafe, 30 Pier Ave, ☏ +1 310 376-9833. M-Th 6PM-2AM, F 4PM-2AM, Sa Su 11AM-2AM. A venerable jazz institution in Los Angeles County, the Lighthouse has also seen the best of the LA area's rock music get its first start. 
  • Patrick Malloy's. Irish pub with suburbanites letting off steam for the weekend. 
  • Sharkeez. Young party crowd, always crowded. Good food. 

Sleep

Go next

Routes through Hermosa Beach
Santa Monica ← Manhattan Beach ←  N  S  → Redondo Beach → Long Beach


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