Downtown Walking Tour

The 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month at 10 am
Free for members / $10 general public
1436 Second Street, Santa Monica

NEW: Tours are free for guests at Hostelling International!

Click here to register!

Discover downtown Santa Monica’s architecture, history and culture with our team of highly-rated docents. From Art Deco to Victorian and Romanesque Revival, you’ll explore the various styles that fill the streets of our city.

A Downtown walking tour docent faces talks to a small tour group while standing in front of an exterior brick wall covered with faded advertisements.

Photo: Stephanie Plomarity for SMTT

Learn about the start of the modern movie industry, visit a lavish Art Deco hotel that attracted Hollywood celebrities with its speakeasy and see where Jim Morrison played his first show. The walking tour covers about 6 blocks in 2 hours and is open to all ages. The tours are limited to 10 people.

There’s so much story to tell. It just fills me with enthusiasm and a kind of a joy when I’m telling that story and I think all the other docents feels the same way. –Kay Pattison, former docent

Two views of the turquoise Georgian Hotel are side by side; to the left, the front elevation of the eight-story art deco building and to the right a closeup of the top story with yellow-gold ornamental detailing near the roofline.

Built in 1931, the Georgian Hotel quickly attracted a stylish clientele and Hollywood celebrities with its lavish design and speakeasy. Photo: The Georgian Hotel

We thank our sponsor Downtown Santa Monica Inc., a private 501c(3) non-profit that that promotes economic stability, growth and community life within Downtown Santa Monica and the Third Street Promenade.Downtown Santa Monica Third Street Promenade logo.

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More Details

Docents lead guided tours on the first and third Saturdays of the month at 10 am. Meet at 9:45 am at Hostelling International, 1436 Second Street (between Broadway and Santa Monica Boulevard). Reservations are suggested. Convenient paid parking is available directly across the street in Garage #6 at 1433 Second Street. Approach the parking structure from Broadway as only right turns are allowed into Garage #6.

Walking shoes, a hat, sunscreen and water are recommended.

Group or private tours may be booked by leaving a message at 310-496-3146 or sending an email to dwt@smconservancy.org at least two weeks in advance.

Self-guided Tours

Self-guided Tour booklets with maps and information about 24 historic sites are available for $3 at the following Santa Monica Travel and Tourism sites: Main Visitors Center (2427 Main Street), Visitor Information Cart (1300 block of Third Street Promenade), and the Palisades Park Kiosk (1400 Ocean Avenue). Click here for information on these centers.