Tips for visiting Santa Monica Pier during Cirque Du Soleil

Published on October 29, 2024

Here are some tips for visiting the Santa Monica Pier during Cirque Du Soleil. We’ll help make your visit as enjoyable as possible!

Tips for visiting the Santa Monica Pier during Cirque du Soleil

Tip 1: Due to the popularity of Kooza by Cirque Du Soleil, expect some altered travel patterns as people flock to the Pier to experience it. However, this is still a great time to visit even if you’re not attending the show.

Tip 2: Parking may be limited. Download the ParkMe App before you arrive to find all available parking spaces in Downtown Santa Monica. Parking in the Main Library is cheaper than anywhere else in the city—just $5 on weekends!

Tip 3: Avoid arriving at the pier within an hour of the show starting. Kooza generally runs at 8pm on Thursday and Friday nights; at 1pm, 4pm and 8pm on Saturdays; and 2pm and 5.30pm on Sundays. Please do check the Kooza schedule before leaving to ensure accuracy as extra shows are sometimes added.

Tip 4: Avoid leaving within 30 minutes after the shows end. Kooza runs for 125 minutes.

Tip 5: Take the Metro or ride share! More details and transport tips for visiting the Santa Monica Pier during Cirque du Soleil are below.

Ride Share

Ride sharing is easy and convenient. Most ride-share services can pick you up and drop you off at Downtown Santa Monica. Our hot tip to avoid the congestion of Ocean Avenue and the Pier Bridge is to set your destination to 1550 Appian Way. This way you’ll be dropped off by the beach and from there you can take the stairs or ramps onto the Pier deck.

Some ride share options are:

Circuit

Go electric! Circuit is an all-EV shared vehicle service that offers rides to and from the Santa Monica Pier. Circuit operates every day from 11:30 am till 9 pm. For more info visit Ridecircuit.com

Uber

Did you know you can request an Uber ride up to 90 days in advance? Uber offers different ride options, including UberX, Uber Black, Uber Green, and UberXL.

Lyft

Lyft offers Standard, Wait & Save, Priority Pickup and Green ride options. You’ll only be able to choose Green when there are EVs or hybrids nearby.

Public Transport

Public transportation is one of the most cost-effective (and often fun) ways to get to the Pier.

Train

The Metro Expo Line runs from 7th/Metro Center in Downtown Los Angeles to the Downtown Santa Monica Station, located at 4th and Colorado Ave. The total trip takes approximately 46 minutes, which makes it a fast, economical, and environmentally-friendly alternative to the I-10 Santa Monica Freeway!

Regular adult fare on the Metro is $1.75 and includes two hours of free transfers. Trains run every 10 minutes at peak times, 12 minutes off peak, and 20 minutes early mornings and late nights. For more information, visit metro.net.

To walk to the Santa Monica Pier from the Downtown Santa Monica Expo Station, head west on Colorado Avenue, cross over Ocean Ave, and walk down the Pier bridge. It’s approximately a 10 minute walk from the station to the Park.

Bus

Big Blue Bus
Take Santa Monica’s own bus service to the Pier on Bus 8 Downtown Santa Monica/UCLA. The stop is at Ocean and Colorado. Local trips are $1.25 each way. For up-to-date times and schedules visit bigbluebus.com.

Metro Bus
The Los Angeles metropolitan transportation system encompasses over 2,000 buses and 100 miles of light rail lines spanning a 1,500 square mile service area. Metro Bus 534 Downtown Santa Monica / Trancas Canyon stops at Colorado and Ocean. To get to Downtown LA from Santa Monica, catch the Metro Rapid 720 from 4th St.

Metro Buses are $1.75 one way or $7 to ride all day. See schedules, other bus routes servicing Santa Monica and a handy trip planner at metro.net.

Cycling

The Santa Monica Pier is within easy cycling distance from anywhere along the southern California coast!

Take the Marvin Braude Bike Trail—also known as The Strand—which is a paved path that runs 22 miles
(35 kilometers) along the shore from Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades all the way south to Torrance County Beach. Bikes are allowed on the Santa Monica Pier.

Driving

For those who really can’t leave the car at home, we recommend coming early and parking at 3^rd street to ensure you get a spot. Use the spare hour to wander the iconic Santa Monica Pier before the show.

From I-10 West
Exit 1-A to 4th & 5th streets, stay in the right lane to make a right on 4th Street at the light. Make the first left on Colorado Boulevard and drive straight until you hit Ocean Ave. Turn left onto Ocean Ave. Make a right on Seaside Terrace–this is a small side street after the traffic light onto Pacific Coast Highway. Take the next right on Appian Way; this will take you to Lot 1 North on the other side of the Pier.

From Pacific Coast Highway South
If you are driving to Santa Monica on the Pacific Coast Highway, you can enter Lot 1 North by the beach directly from PCH. When approaching the Pier, stay right after passing the California Incline; as traffic moves left into the McClure Tunnel, stay in the right-most lane. This will take you directly into Lot 1 North. If you need to access the Pier deck from PCH, exit left to the California Incline which will take you up to Ocean Avenue. Turn right on Ocean; the Pier bridge will be on your right in three blocks at Colorado.