Formally named the Marvin Braude Bike Trail (after a long-serving L.A. City Council member who championed the preservation of open space in the Santa Monica Mountains), but most locals call this epic ribbon of seaside concrete the Santa Monica Bike Path or The Strand. This skating-, jogging-, biking- and pedestrian-friendly thoroughfare stretches 26 miles alongside the Pacific Ocean from Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades to the far end of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, in Torrance.

The journey is almost entirely flat and passes by numerous public restrooms and eateries, especially at Venice Beach and Manhattan Beach. By any means, traveling the path is an ideal activity for families and couples, or anyone who wants to find a bit of quiet time and fresh air while visiting this enormous city renowned for its traffic.

The Santa Monica Pier makes an excellent starting point for a bike-path journey, and offers several places to rent bicycles.