Redondo Beach is a working-class beach town, the largest in the South Bay and the most ethnically diverse. As it wanders inland it bleeds into neighboring Torrance, where there's a huge Japanese influence, especially from car manufacturers' US headquarters. Redondo's heart is at King Harbor, where the dated pier is still an excursion-worthy detour on your way south to an absurdly beautiful coastline. Around Redondo's southern end, framed by the Palos Verdes Peninsula, is the Riviera neighborhood.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Veterans Park

0.35 MILES

Come here for the weekly farmers market, Thursdays 8am to 1pm.

2. Redondo Beach Pier

0.55 MILES

Arching from the bottom of Torrance Blvd all the way to King Harbor, this classic 1960s multilevel beast is the Redondo hub, with plenty of pierside…

3. Hermosa Beach

2.18 MILES

Strolling down Hermosa Beach’s Pier Ave on a summer weekend, you’re immediately struck by two things: everybody’s wearing flip-flops, tiny tees and a tan,…

5. Manhattan Beach

4.02 MILES

If Manhattan Beach had its own magazine, it would surely be called Gorgeous Living. Classy beachside cottages, bougainvillea-lined walk streets, bustling…

6. South Coast Botanic Garden

4.26 MILES

It’s hard to believe that this 87-acre, flowering and fruiting, sprouting and sprawling blast of life (we’re talking around 2000 species) was reclaimed…

7. Point Vicente Interpretive Center

6.1 MILES

Binocular-toting whale watchers gather north of the adjacent lighthouse between December and April when Pacific gray whales embark on their fascinating…

8. Wayfarers Chapel

6.12 MILES

The most stunning non-natural attraction on Palos Verdes was built by Lloyd Wright (son of Frank) in 1951, and no matter where you stand among the great…