Neighborhood 48H guide
Malibu: Where to Stay & What to Do in 48 Hours
El Matador’s sea stacks, Malibu Pier and an inn on Carbon Beach.
Malibu stretches along the Pacific Coast Highway west of Santa Monica. It has Malibu Pier and Surfrider Beach, the cove beaches like El Matador farther west, and the Getty Villa at its eastern edge. You need a car.
Photo gallery
Photo: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Levi Clancy · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Why stay here
Beaches and ocean views, far from the city bustle.
Who it's for: Couples and beach lovers who want a quiet coastal escape.
Pros
- Dramatic beaches
- Quiet and scenic
- Getty Villa nearby
Cons
- Car required
- Very expensive
- PCH traffic; check road conditions
48H in Malibu
Antiquities, a pier lunch, cove beach at sunset.
10:00 – Getty Villa
Free, but timed reservations are required; closed Tuesdays.
13:00 – Malibu Farm Restaurant
Lunch at the end of Malibu Pier; breakfast and lunch are walk-in.
17:00 – El Matador State Beach
Sea stacks and coves; the stairs down are steep.
Named recommendations
Real places with links to their official site or a Maps place page. We do not invent hours, prices, or ratings.
Eat
See / do
See / do
Getty Villa
17985 Pacific Coast Hwy, Pacific Palisades
Greek and Roman antiquities in a recreated Roman villa.
Official site / map →See / do
Malibu Pier
23000 Pacific Coast Hwy
Wooden pier next to Surfrider Beach.
Photo: Levi Clancy · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →
Outdoors
Outdoors
El Matador State Beach
32215 Pacific Coast Hwy
Cove beach with sea stacks and tide pools.
Photo: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →
Where to stay
Specific named properties—not vague city-wide searches. Expedia stays use tracked Creator links; others open the hotel's official site.
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Hotel · Expedia
Malibu Beach Inn
22878 Pacific Coast Hwy
Small oceanfront hotel on Carbon Beach.
Check rates on Expedia →
Vacation rentals
Prefer an apartment or whole home in this neighborhood? Browse Vrbo listings for Malibu.
Los Angeles and most nearby cities (Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Culver City, Malibu) limit short-term rentals, usually to registered hosts in their own homes. Look for a city registration or permit number on the listing before you book.
Browse vacation rentals in Malibu on Vrbo →Other ways to spend 48 hours in Los Angeles
- Santa Monica — The pier’s Ferris wheel, the beach bike path and beachfront hotels on the sand.
- Venice — The boardwalk’s skatepark and Muscle Beach, the quiet canals and Abbot Kinney’s shops.
- Hollywood — The TCL Chinese Theatre, the Walk of Fame, Musso & Frank and Griffith Observatory above it all.
- West Hollywood — The Sunset Strip’s clubs, the Comedy Store and cocktails at the Art Deco Sunset Tower.
- Beverly Hills — Rodeo Drive, the Pink Palace’s Polo Lounge and Wolfgang Puck’s Spago.
- Downtown LA — The Broad, Disney Concert Hall, Grand Central Market and the Angels Flight funicular.
- Silver Lake / Echo Park — The reservoir loop, Intelligentsia at Sunset Junction and Echo Park Lake’s paddle boats.
- Culver City — Sony Pictures’ studio tour, the Culver City Stairs and a 1924 hotel downtown.
- Pasadena — The Huntington’s gardens, Old Pasadena, the domed City Hall and the Colorado Street Bridge.