Attraction
Getty Center
The Getty Center is a hilltop art museum in Brentwood with European paintings, photography, sculpture gardens and wide views over Los Angeles, free with a timed…
There are so many things to do in Los Angeles that the hardest part of a visit is choosing where to start. The city sprawls from the beaches of Santa Monica and Venice to the hills of Griffith Park and the towers of Downtown, and each area has its own character. Hollywood offers film history and the Walk of Fame, the Miracle Mile has LACMA and the Academy Museum, and the Westside is home to the Getty Center, with free entry and views across the basin.
Food is one of the best reasons to come. Los Angeles has some of the most varied eating in the United States, from French dip sandwiches and pastrami at historic delis to Oaxacan moles, Sonoran tacos, Korean barbecue and Michelin-starred seafood. Distances are large and traffic is slow, so plan each day around one or two neighbourhoods rather than criss-crossing the city. Four to five days is enough for the main sights, with a week allowing time for the beaches, studio tours and day trips.
Attraction
The Getty Center is a hilltop art museum in Brentwood with European paintings, photography, sculpture gardens and wide views over Los Angeles, free with a timed…
Attraction
Free-to-enter public observatory on the slopes of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park, known for its astronomy exhibits, planetarium and views over Los Angeles and the Hollywood…
Attraction
More than 2,800 brass and terrazzo stars line Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, honouring figures from film, television, music, radio and live performance.
Attraction
Built in 1909 and now a National Historic Landmark, Santa Monica Pier stretches into the Pacific with Pacific Park's rides, food stands, street performers and ocean…
Attraction
LACMA is Los Angeles County's encyclopaedic art museum on Wilshire Boulevard, with collections spanning ancient to contemporary art and outdoor works across its Miracle Mile campus.
Attraction
Free contemporary art museum on Grand Avenue in Downtown LA, home to Eli and Edythe Broad's collection of postwar and contemporary art, including a Yayoi Kusama…
Café
Bakery, café and restaurant in a historic building on La Brea Avenue, where James Beard award-winning pastry chef Margarita Manzke's breads and pastries anchor the daytime…
Café
Los Angeles specialty coffee company with a café on Larchmont Boulevard, one of several Go Get Em Tiger shops across Los Angeles, known for carefully made…
Café
Daytime café on Virgil Avenue known for its house-made jams and preserves from local produce, seasonal breakfast and lunch plates and pastries, open daily from 8am…
Café
Intelligentsia's Silver Lake coffee bar at Sunset Junction, with a sunny patio and carefully prepared espresso, filter coffee and tea from the specialty roaster.
Café
Calm, minimal coffee shop on Santa Fe Avenue in the Arts District, serving coffee roasted at Maru's own Glassell Park roastery.
Café
Venice bakery, deli and grocer from the team behind Gjelina, with breads, pastries, deli plates and coffee a short walk from the beach.
Hotel
A Dorchester Collection hotel set in twelve acres of gardens in Bel Air, opened in 1946 and reached across a footbridge over its famous Swan Lake.
Hotel
The pink Sunset Boulevard landmark opened in 1912, before Beverly Hills became a city, and is known for its bungalows, banana-leaf wallpaper and the Polo Lounge.
Hotel
Beachfront luxury hotel at the foot of Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica, with direct beach access, ONE Spa and dining at 1 Pico, Coast and the…
Hotel
Opened in 1927 on Hollywood Boulevard, the Roosevelt hosted the first Academy Awards in 1929 and is known for its Tropicana Pool painted by David Hockney.
Hotel
Built in 1926 by the YWCA as a hotel for professional women travelling alone, Hotel Figueroa is a restored Spanish Colonial landmark near Crypto.com Arena in…
Hotel
Design-led hotel on Broadway in a historic building that was once the headquarters of the Los Angeles Railway, with a rooftop pool and bar and a…
Bar
French-inspired rooftop bar and restaurant high above Pershing Square, with outdoor patios, skyline views, cocktails and small plates, plus weekend brunch.
Bar
Doug Weston's Troubadour has hosted live music on Santa Monica Boulevard since 1957, and it was where Elton John played his first American show in 1970.
Bar
Rock club on the Sunset Strip since January 1964, where The Doors were once the house band, still staging live music most nights.
Bar
Tiny family-run tiki bar on Sunset Boulevard, opened by Ray Buhen in 1961 and still run by his son and grandson, with a long menu of…
Bar
Echo Park music venue with two rooms, The Echo and the larger Echoplex, hosting independent and emerging artists and club nights on Sunset Boulevard.
Bar
A bowling alley and bar on Figueroa Street established in 1927, restored by the 1933 Group with vintage lanes, cocktails and food in Highland Park.
Restaurant
Family-run Jewish deli opposite MacArthur Park since 1947, famous for the No. 19, hand-cut pastrami on double-baked rye with coleslaw and Swiss cheese.
Restaurant
Opened in 1908 and on North Alameda Street since 1951, Philippe's serves French dip sandwiches on rolls dipped in the roast's own gravy at long communal…
Restaurant
Family-run Oaxacan restaurant on Olympic Boulevard since 1994, known for its moles, and a James Beard America's Classics award winner in 2015.
Restaurant
Arts District Italian restaurant serving dinner every night in a converted industrial building, and one of Downtown's hardest tables to book.
Restaurant
Chef Michael Cimarusti's seafood-focused fine dining restaurant on Melrose Avenue, open since 2005 and awarded three Michelin stars in 2025.
Restaurant
A La Brea Avenue hot dog stand since 1939, when Betty and Paul Pink started with a cart, now known for chilli dogs and late opening…
Thing to do
Downtown's public market has traded on Broadway since 1917, and today more than 40 vendors serve food from across Los Angeles under one roof, seven days…
Thing to do
Two miles of beachfront promenade in Venice, lined with street performers, stalls, the Venice Beach Skatepark, Muscle Beach and the public art walls.
Thing to do
Open since 1934 at Third and Fairfax, the Original Farmers Market is an open-air warren of grocers, food stalls and shops next to The Grove.
Thing to do
The Hollywood Bowl is a 17,500-seat amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills, open since 1922 and the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Thing to do
A working film studio and theme park in Universal City, pairing the backlot Studio Tour with Super Nintendo World and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Tour operator
Two-hour guided cart tours of Paramount's working lot on Melrose Avenue, the last major film studio still based in Hollywood, passing the Bronson Gate and New…
Tour operator
Hollywood-based sightseeing company operating since 1935, known for its celebrity homes tour from Hollywood to Beverly Hills and its hop-on hop-off buses.
Tour operator
The Los Angeles Conservancy's volunteer-led walking tours explore Downtown's historic buildings, Broadway theatres, Art Deco landmarks and Union Station, mainly on Saturday mornings.
Tour operator
Guided hiking and e-bike tours based on Santa Monica Boulevard, including a hike behind the Hollywood Sign and a full-day ride from Hollywood to Santa Monica.
Tour operator
Family-owned Los Angeles food tour company offering guided tasting walks in neighbourhoods such as Downtown, Little Tokyo, Koreatown, Thai Town and Sawtelle Japantown.
Four to five days covers the main sights, such as Hollywood, the Getty Center, Griffith Observatory and a beach day; a week gives time for theme parks, studio tours and more neighbourhoods.
Santa Monica and Venice suit beach lovers, Hollywood is central for sightseeing and nightlife, Downtown is best for museums, food halls and public transport, and Beverly Hills and Bel Air offer luxury stays.
From LAX you can take the FlyAway bus to Union Station, connect to Metro Rail via the LAX/Metro Transit Center, or use a taxi or ride-share; journey times depend heavily on traffic.
It can be, especially for hotels, parking and dining in popular areas, but free sights such as the Getty Center, Griffith Observatory, The Broad and the beaches help keep costs down.
Most visitor areas are safe with normal precautions: keep valuables out of sight in cars, stay aware in crowded places such as Hollywood Boulevard and Venice Beach, and use ride-shares late at night.