What is Downtown Santa Cruz like?

Downtown Santa Cruz is a welcoming neighborhood that travelers like for its restaurants and biking. Are you looking for Downtown Santa Cruz travel tips? Be sure to check out Pacific Avenue and Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History while you're in the neighborhood.

Where is the best place to stay in Downtown Santa Cruz?

Based on Expedia customer reviews, Pacific Blue Inn is the highest ranked property in Downtown Santa Cruz. This guesthouse is a short 11-minute walk from Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and it offers in-room fireplaces and free WiFi.

If I need to cancel my hotel reservation in Downtown Santa Cruz, will I receive a refund?

Yes, the majority of hotel bookings are fully refundable as long as you cancel before the accommodation's cancellation deadline, which is often 24 or 48 hours before your scheduled arrival. If your reservation is non-refundable, you might be able to still cancel and get a refund within a 24-hour period of your booking. Enter dates in and click on "Search", then use the "fully refundable" filter to get the top deals on offer in Downtown Santa Cruz.

Where can I learn more about changing or cancelling my trip to Downtown Santa Cruz?

To access more information about rescheduling or cancelling your trip to Downtown Santa Cruz, click here .

What is there to do around this Santa Cruz neighborhood?

If you're looking forward to a day of shopping in Downtown Santa Cruz, consider Pacific Garden Mall or Pacific Avenue, and pick out the perfect souvenir. A visit to Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History is also worth the trip while you're discovering the neighborhood. A few places to visit in the area around Downtown Santa Cruz include Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Williams-Reynolds House, and Town Clock. Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park and Mission Santa Cruz are also worth a visit when you're out sightseeing in Santa Cruz.

Top Downtown Santa Cruz Hotels

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Our top choices for Downtown Santa Cruz hotels

Pacific Blue Inn

Downtown Santa Cruz

Melissa

￥16,441 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 12 - Feb 13

Ocean Pacific Lodge

Downtown, 0.8 km from Downtown Santa Cruz

Sandra

Two Double Room | Individually furnished, desk, iron/ironing board, free WiFi

Beachview Inn

Westside Santa Cruz, 1 km from Downtown Santa Cruz

Maria

￥13,988 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 12 - Feb 13

Surf City Inn and Suites

Lower Ocean, 0.6 km from Downtown Santa Cruz

Thomas

￥9,967 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 19 - Feb 20

Seacliff Inn Aptos, Tapestry Collection by Hilton

10.2 km from Downtown Santa Cruz

Listya

￥18,978 total

includes taxes & fees

Mar 1 - Mar 2

Hilton Santa Cruz/Scotts Valley

7 km from Downtown Santa Cruz

Miguel

￥18,815 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 18 - Feb 19

Marea Sol Hotel

Westside Santa Cruz, 1.1 km from Downtown Santa Cruz

Julie

￥20,768 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 12 - Feb 13

Deluxe Cottage, 1 Bedroom, Fireplace, Garden Area (Cottage 11B) | Individually decorated, individually furnished, blackout drapes

Fern River Resort

8.3 km from Downtown Santa Cruz

Echo

￥18,845 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 19 - Feb 20

Hyatt Place Santa Cruz

Westside Santa Cruz, 0.5 km from Downtown Santa Cruz

Wallace

￥21,270 total

includes taxes & fees

Mar 1 - Mar 2

Hampton Inn Santa Cruz West, CA

Westside Santa Cruz, 2.5 km from Downtown Santa Cruz

Alexandra

￥19,121 total

includes taxes & fees

Mar 1 - Mar 2

Continental Inn

Westside Santa Cruz, 0.7 km from Downtown Santa Cruz

Lalitkumar

Signature Room | Premium bedding, pillowtop beds, desk, blackout drapes

Torch Lite Inn

Lower Ocean, 0.7 km from Downtown Santa Cruz

Hector

￥12,122 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 24 - Feb 25

Newly Remodeled 2 Queen Bed + Sofa Bed | Desk, blackout drapes, iron/ironing board, free WiFi

Seaside Inn & Suites

Westside Santa Cruz, 0.6 km from Downtown Santa Cruz

Athena

Casablanca On The Beach

Westside Santa Cruz, 1.1 km from Downtown Santa Cruz

Francesca

￥21,202 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 17 - Feb 18

Quality Inn & Suites Capitola By the Sea

6.4 km from Downtown Santa Cruz

Heather

￥15,857 total

includes taxes & fees

Mar 1 - Mar 2

La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Santa Cruz

Beach Hill - Beach Flats, 1 km from Downtown Santa Cruz

Zachary

￥24,070 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 24 - Feb 25

Four Points by Sheraton Santa Cruz Scotts Valley

9.1 km from Downtown Santa Cruz

Margaret

￥18,550 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 16 - Feb 17

Courtyard by Marriott Santa Cruz

Beach Hill - Beach Flats, 0.9 km from Downtown Santa Cruz

Christopher

￥21,271 total

includes taxes & fees

Mar 1 - Mar 2

Best Western Plus Capitola By-the-sea Inn & Suites

5.4 km from Downtown Santa Cruz

Therese

￥19,330 total

includes taxes & fees

Feb 18 - Feb 19

Hampton Inn & Suites Watsonville

23.6 km from Downtown Santa Cruz

mariebeth

￥21,822 total

includes taxes & fees

Mar 6 - Mar 7

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Where to stay in Downtown Santa Cruz

Find the best Downtown Santa Cruz areas and neighborhoods for the activities you enjoy most. Learn more about Downtown Santa Cruz

This is a small state park at the northern end of Santa Cruz' scenic West Cliff Drive and a little over a mile from the Boardwalk, wharf and Main Beach. A couple of times a year you can see Monarch butterflies during their migration. They are not in the numbers of years past, but you'll still see some.

If you walk north towards the rocks during low tide you will find some amazing tidepools full of sea anenomes, sea urchins, starfish, crabs, hermit crabs, and all sorts of marine life. The tidepools are on a ledge, so the tide needs to be quite high (>4 ft?) to reach them.

The beach is absolutely stunning at sunset.

#localsecrets

Westside Santa Cruz

Westside Santa Cruz is known for its stunning beaches, and with sights like Monterey Bay and Pacific Avenue, you won't get bored spending a day wandering around this part of Santa Cruz.

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Eastside Santa Cruz

Eastside Santa Cruz is known for its beaches, and you can plan a trip to Monterey Bay and Twin Lakes State Beach while you're in town.

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Nice place to have coffee and watch the waves. Great surf spot. NO bathrooms! #beach #ocean #surf #shops #view

Pleasure Point

World-renowned surf spot with a strong surf culture, Pleasure Point offers picturesque ocean views along East Cliff Drive and a walkable path with separate bike lanes. Enjoy amenities at Pleasure Point Park and nearby 41st Ave commercial district.

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CWFJJA USA California CA Santa Cruz clock tower and trolley on Pacific Avenue

Beach Hill - Beach Flats

Beach Hill - Beach Flats might not have many top sights, but Main Beach and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center are two attractions nearby that you can check out.

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