Question 1

Los Angeles on Your Own

Accepted Answer

Los Angeles is a home port, so a day on your own here is usually the day before or after your cruise, and the San Pedro waterfront around the cruise berths is the easiest place to spend it. A battleship and the maritime museum are on the waterfront, and San Pedro also has a beach, an aquarium and a lighthouse. Battleship IOWA: The World War II battleship carried more than 2,700 sailors, and in November 1943 it carried President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was open Thursday to Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., in 2026, with last entry at 4 p.m. The Maritime Museum: The Los Angeles Maritime Museum, in the old San Pedro ferry terminal building at the foot of 6th Street, tells the story of the port. Adult tickets were $5 in 2026. Check before you go. Point Fermin and Angels Gate: Point Fermin Park has a lighthouse from 1874, and Angels Gate Park holds the Korean Bell of Friendship. By bus: The Metro J Line bus runs between San Pedro and downtown Los Angeles, though not every bus goes all the way to San Pedro, and the DASH San Pedro bus runs up and down Western Avenue. Boarding day: Arrive at the check-in time on your cruise documents. If your ship calls here: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own.

Question 2

Getting to the Port

Accepted Answer

The World Cruise Center sits at the southern end of the Harbor Freeway, Interstate 110, about 20 miles from downtown Los Angeles. From Long Beach, the Vincent Thomas Bridge, State Route 47, crosses into San Pedro. The Vincent Thomas Bridge, a 1,500-foot suspension bridge that opened in 1963, links San Pedro with Terminal Island and Long Beach beyond. Public transit to San Pedro is limited. The Metro J Line bus from downtown ends in San Pedro, but not every bus runs the full route, so check the schedule.

Question 3

Where to Eat

Accepted Answer

San Pedro drew immigrants from across Europe, and its restaurants still show it, with Croatian, Portuguese, Italian, Irish and Greek kitchens alongside Mexican ones. The district is home to the largest Italian-American community in Southern California. The Italian community is centered on South Cabrillo Avenue, known as Via Italia. The San Pedro Farmers Market, at 396 W. 6th St., opens on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with produce, baked goods, lunches and crafts. Check before you go.

Question 4

Tipping and Currency

Accepted Answer

Tips are a normal part of paying in the United States. In a full-service restaurant, roughly 15 to 20 percent of the bill before tax is usual, and many people tip more for good service. Prices are in US dollars. Some restaurants add an automatic gratuity or service charge, often for large groups, so read the bill first. Taxi drivers usually get 10 to 20 percent of the fare. Bartenders, porters and hotel housekeeping are usually tipped too. Foreign currencies are almost never accepted.

Question 5

Los Angeles with an Extra Day

Accepted Answer

An extra day in San Pedro can go to the harbor's museums, monuments and lookouts, several of them free to visit. San Pedro was a city of its own until it joined Los Angeles in 1909. The Korean Bell of Friendship, a large bronze bell given by South Korea to the people of Los Angeles in 1976, hangs in a pavilion in Angels Gate Park at Gaffey and 37th Streets. It is rung four times a year, including on the Fourth of July and on New Year's Eve. The Los Angeles Maritime Museum has exhibits on the port's history, a research library and a ham radio station. The Angels Gate Cultural Center, on part of a former military post, holds exhibitions, events and classes and gives studio space to artists and musicians. The American Merchant Marine Veterans Memorial, at Harbor Boulevard and 6th Street, honors the merchant mariners who carried supplies in World War II. The SS Lane Victory, a World War II cargo ship and a National Historic Landmark, is moored at Berth 49 and open as a museum.

Question 6

A Brief History

Accepted Answer

San Pedro grew from a Tongva coastline into the port of Los Angeles once the city won its fight for a free harbor here in the 1890s. The Navy's battle fleet made the bay its home between the world wars. The Tongva: The peninsula was the homeland of the Tongva, whose villages included Chowigna and Suangna, and who traveled the coast and out to the Channel Islands in plank canoes. A saint's name, 1542: Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo reached San Pedro Bay on November 24, 1542, the feast of St. Peter of Alexandria, and the bay took the saint's name. Rancho San Pedro, 1784: The Spanish Crown granted more than 75,000 acres here to Juan José Domínguez, the first land grant in Alta California. Banning's port: Phineas Banning built Southern California's first railroad in 1868 to carry goods between the bay and Los Angeles, and dredged a channel to Wilmington in 1871. The Free Harbor Fight: A federal commission chose San Pedro over Santa Monica for the region's port in 1897. Breakwater work began in 1899, and San Pedro joined Los Angeles in 1909. The battle fleet, 1919 to 1940: The Navy's battleships anchored in San Pedro Bay from August 9, 1919, and the bay stayed the fleet's home port until 1940. A busy port: In the 1920s the port overtook San Francisco as the busiest on the West Coast, and in World War II local shipyards built Liberty and Victory ships, among them the SS Lane Victory. The bridge and the battleship: The Vincent Thomas Bridge opened in 1963, and Battleship IOWA arrived at Berth 87 as a museum ship in 2012. To learn more ashore: The Los Angeles Maritime Museum, at Berth 84 at the foot of 6th Street, covers the history of the harbor in the former ferry terminal building.

Question 7

Traveling with Family

Accepted Answer

San Pedro suits a family day before or after a cruise, with a battleship to explore, a small aquarium by the beach, and a lighthouse with a tower to climb. Younger children: The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, at 3720 Stephen M. White Drive by Cabrillo Beach, shows the sea life of Southern California. In 2026 it opened Tuesday to Friday from noon to 5 p.m. and at weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Check before you go. School age: Aboard Battleship IOWA, a self-guided scavenger hunt has children follow Vicky the Dog through the ship. The lighthouse: Point Fermin Lighthouse gives tours. Children under 18 must be with an adult, and children under 40 inches tall cannot go up the tower. Teenagers: From March to June, grunion, small silvery fish, come ashore late at night to spawn on the beach, and the aquarium runs Meet the Grunion programs.

Question 8

Beaches

Accepted Answer

Cabrillo Beach is San Pedro's historic public beach, with two separate beach areas. The outer beach was created in the 1920s and opened in 1928. Before 1927 the sea reached the cliffs here. Sand dredged from the harbor was laid down after the breakwater was built, creating the outer beach. The old Bath House on the beach was the first home of what became the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. Angel's Gate Lighthouse has stood at the end of the breakwater, the main entrance to the port, since 1913. The nearest viewpoint on land is the fishing pier at the end of Oliver Vickery Circle Way.

Los Angeles

Good to know

What to Expect

Los Angeles on Your Own

Getting to the Port

Where to Eat

Tipping and Currency

Los Angeles with an Extra Day

A Brief History

Traveling with Family

Beaches

Rental cars near Los Angeles

Port crowds

Photos from travelers

Traveler reviews