Shrieking gulls and excited children animate this aging shopping district filled with trinket stores (which you can safely skip) en route to copious meals of fresh fish and shrimp at the raucous San Pedro Fish Market & Restaurant. Come here to catch a port cruise or join a whale-watching trip (January to March).

Note: the village is slated for redevelopment and will likely be torn down and replaced by about 2020.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Los Angeles Maritime Museum

0.42 MILES

Galleries in LA's historic ferry building (on the National Register of Historic Places) tell the story of the city's relationship with the sea and display…

2. Fort MacArthur Military Museum

0.65 MILES

Just north of Point Fermin and west of the Korean Friendship Bell, this rambling, 20-acre facility was an LA harbor defensive post until 1945, as well as…

3. Battleship Iowa

0.66 MILES

This WWII to Cold War–era battleship is now permanently moored in San Pedro Bay and open to visitors as a museum. It's massive – 887ft long (that's 5ft…

4. SS Lane Victory

1.06 MILES

If you enjoy clambering around old ships, visit this museum vessel that sailed the seven seas from 1945 to 1971. Self-guided tours take in the engine room…

5. Cabrillo Marine Aquarium

1.52 MILES

This city-owned aquarium is the smaller, older, low-tech cousin of Long Beach’s Aquarium of the Pacific. It’s also a lot lighter on your wallet and less…

6. Korean Friendship Bell

1.84 MILES

A gift from South Korea for the US bicentennial in 1976, this nearly 12ft-tall, 18.75 ton bronze chime dominates the hillside and makes for a fantastic…

7. Point Fermin Park & Around

2.06 MILES

Locals come to this grassy community park on the bluffs to jog, picnic, watch wind- and kitesurfers, cool off in the shade of spreading magnolias, gaze at…

8. Point Fermin Lighthouse

2.07 MILES

Ostensibly the main visitor attraction in Point Fermin Park is this restored 1874 lighthouse, which looks like a Victorian home and is one of the oldest…