Luxury dog-friendly hotels in Venice Beach, United States

Don’t expect gondolas or much Renaissance art in this version of Venice: here, it’s all about surfboards, swaying palms and hippy-punk style. A seaside stretch of LA famous for its bustling Boardwalk, Venice Beach has earned an anything-goes reputation for its vibrant social scene and clutch of out-there shops; you’ll come across marijuana dispensaries next to tie-dye fashion boutiques, and heavily tattooed street artists rubbing shoulders with glossy Hollywood-types. Check out Muscle Beach (the 1930s birthplace of the pumped-up workout generation), test your credit limit at the mad-as-a-hatter stores on Abbot Kinney Boulevard, and take a stroll along the canals – this eccentric neighbourhood’s one nod to its Italian namesake.

And if it's in-depth exploring you're after, see our Los Angeles SideStory experiences.