US
Los Angeles
The City of Angels
The City of Angels
The Hollywood Sign (1923, originally HOLLYWOODLAND, shortened 1949) on Mount Lee is visible from much of the Los Angeles basin. The closest legal viewpoint is the Griffith Observatory (free entry, small charge for the telescopes and planetarium), where the sign appears behind you and the downtown LA skyline appears in front. The observatory (1935) is also one of the best free experiences in the city at night — the view of the lit basin below is extraordinary. To hike to the sign: the Mount Hollywood Trail from the Greek Theatre parking lot is the least strenuous route (5km return). No trespassing on the sign itself.
💡 The Griffith Observatory ($10 parking; dome and telescope viewing free on clear evenings; griffithobservatory.org) gives the finest close-up view of the Hollywood Sign and the best panorama of the LA Basin. The park trails (free) reach the Sign; the Mount Hollywood Trail (5 miles return) is the most rewarding.
Santa Monica Pier (1909) is the western end of Route 66 and contains a small amusement park, a Ferris wheel with Pacific views, and a restaurant strip. The beach extends 5km south to Venice Beach, where the Venice Boardwalk has been a performance space, outdoor gym, skate park and counterculture landmark for 50 years. Rent a bicycle at the pier and cycle south to Venice and back (10km round trip); the bike path runs directly along the beach, separated from pedestrians. Muscle Beach (outdoor gym) and the Skate Park are the most characterful stops on the boardwalk.
💡 Santa Monica Pier (free) has the end-of-Route 66 marker at the entrance. The Venice Canals (south of the boardwalk; always free; quiet residential streets) show the other Venice — the original Abbot Kinney canal district from 1905. Walk Abbot Kinney Boulevard for independent cafes and shops.
The Getty Center (1997, Richard Meier) sits on a hilltop in Brentwood at 270 metres above sea level, reached by a tram from the car park. Admission free; parking $20 (or take Metro and walk). The building itself — white travertine and aluminium, a series of interlocking pavilions with gardens designed by Robert Irwin — is one of the finest pieces of American architecture of the 20th century. The collection: Rembrandt, Monet, Cézanne, Van Gogh and the most significant medieval and Renaissance illuminated manuscripts in the USA. The view of Los Angeles from the garden terrace, from Santa Monica to Downtown, is unbeatable.
💡 The Getty Center (free; $22 parking; reserve timed parking at getty.edu) is the finest museum campus in California: Van Gogh’s Irises, Rembrandt, Monet, and the 360° views over Santa Monica and the Pacific. Go on a clear winter day for the mountain views.
The Venice Canals (the remaining 3km of the original 16km canal network built by developer Abbot Kinney in 1905 to evoke Venice, Italy) are a residential neighbourhood of houses with boats at their back doors, walkable via a public towpath and genuinely beautiful in a way that the adjacent tourist boardwalk is not. Downtown’s Arts District (2km east of Little Tokyo by Metro or Uber) is the densest concentration of independent galleries, design studios, street art and destination restaurants in the city: Bestia and Bavel are the most celebrated restaurants; the murals along Traction Avenue are the best street art.
💡 The Arts District (east of downtown; walk from Little Tokyo) has the finest street art concentration in LA and excellent independent restaurants. The Broad Museum (free with reservation; thebroad.org) and MOCA ($18; moca.org) are 5 minutes’ walk apart in downtown.
Los Angeles has the best Mexican food in the United States (which means some of the best in the world), a taco truck culture that operates 24 hours, and a farmers market network (the Hollywood Farmers Market on Sundays, the original Farmers Market on 3rd and Fairfax) that has been feeding the city since the 1930s. The Grand Central Market in Downtown (1917, open daily 8am–10pm) is the most diverse food hall in the city: Egg Slut (scrambled eggs in a jar, always a queue), Eggslut aside, also Sticky Rice, Ramen Hood, Monsieur Marcel. Tacos: the trucks on Whittier Boulevard in East LA, Guisados (Boyle Heights and Echo Park) and Leo’s Tacos Truck (24 hours, multiple locations) define the style. Sushi: Los Angeles has the finest Japanese food in the USA outside of New York; Nobu Malibu, n/naka (omakase, reservation required months ahead) and Asanebo (Studio City) are the most serious addresses.
The coffee culture is exceptional: Intelligentsia (Silver Lake, Venice), Go Get Em Tiger (Larchmont), Alfred Coffee (West Hollywood) and Blue Bottle (multiple locations) represent different styles of the third-wave coffee movement that LA helped define. The natural wine bar scene in Silver Lake and Los Feliz (Vinovore, Bar Bandini) is the best on the West Coast.
LA without a car is possible but requires planning. The Metro Rail system connects Downtown to Hollywood (Red Line), to Santa Monica (Expo Line, now K Line extension), to Long Beach (Blue Line) and to Culver City and Inglewood (K Line). A day pass is $5. Rideshare (Uber, Lyft) is the practical solution for point-to-point journeys: most rides within the central neighbourhoods cost $12–22. Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus covers the Westside comprehensively and is $1.25/ride. Cycling is excellent in the beach corridor (Santa Monica to Redondo Beach) and in the flat streets of Silver Lake and Echo Park; rentals from Duck Bike or Citi Bike.
Los Angeles has the best weather of any major US city: year-round sunshine, temperatures between 18°C and 28°C, and roughly 329 sunny days per year. June Gloom (a marine layer that keeps mornings cool and grey from May to early July) is the main weather caveat. Sep–Nov is the finest season: warm, clear, lower tourist numbers than summer.
Los Angeles is expensive for accommodation (particularly in Santa Monica and West Hollywood) but cheaper for food than New York if you eat at the trucks and markets. A car or rideshare budget is essential. Per person per day.
The Getty Center and Griffith Observatory are both free. The beaches (Santa Monica, Venice, Malibu) are free. A full day of LA at zero admission cost is entirely possible.
Parking in Santa Monica and West Hollywood adds $20–40/day to driving costs. The Metro Rail + rideshare combination is cheaper and avoids parking stress.
n/naka (Niku Steakhouse sister restaurant) requires reservations released months ahead. Nobu Malibu for lunch is the most scenic restaurant in LA.
Three days covers the Westside beach culture, the Getty, the Hollywood hills and Downtown — with time for the food trucks of East LA.
Santa Monica Pier at 9am (walk the pier, ride the Ferris wheel, get coffee). Cycle south to Venice Beach (rent at the pier, $15/hour): the boardwalk, Muscle Beach, the skate park and the Venice Canals (lock the bike and walk the canal towpath). Lunch at Gjusta bakery (Rose Avenue) — arrive early, queue. Uber to Silver Lake for dinner: Sqirl (brunch legend) or Botanica.
💡 Santa Monica Farmers Market (Wed and Sat; 8am–2pm; Arizona Ave) is the finest in California. The Marvin Braude Bike Trail (22 miles south; rental bikes at the pier) connects Santa Monica to Venice to Manhattan Beach — the finest coastal cycling route in the US.
Griffith Observatory at 10am (free; drive or take the DASH bus from Los Feliz). Walk to the Hollywood Sign viewpoint (30 min hike from the observatory). Drive or Uber to the Getty Center (free; 45 min from Griffith via Mulholland Drive). Dinner in West Hollywood: Craig’s (celebrity-spotting), Osteria Mozza (Nancy Silverton, book ahead) or the rooftop bar at the Mondrian Hotel.
💡 Mulholland Drive at sunset (from the 101 interchange west) gives the most famous LA view: the city grid lit under the Hollywood Hills. The Getty Villa in Malibu (free; book ahead; getty.edu/villa) is the better-value alternative to the Getty Center for antiquities.
Grand Central Market at 8am (breakfast: Egg Slut or Sticky Rice). The Broad (contemporary art, free on the first Thursday of each month, $18 otherwise) and MOCA across the street. Walk the Arts District murals on Traction Avenue. Uber to Boyle Heights for tacos at Guisados (cash only). The Line Hotel rooftop for a sunset drink over Koreatown.
💡 Grand Central Market (317 S Broadway; free; daily) is the finest covered food hall in LA — 36 stalls including Egg Slut, Belcampo, and the best horchata in the city. The Broad Museum (free; reserve ahead) is 5 min walk north.
The Getty Center (Brentwood, free admission, parking $20) is the finest free art museum in California. Take the tram from the parking structure to the hilltop complex.
The taco trucks of East Los Angeles (Whittier Boulevard, Olympic Boulevard) operate around the clock and represent the finest Mexican street food in the USA.
The Griffith Observatory (free, open until 10pm Tuesday–Sunday) is the best free evening activity in Los Angeles: the city lights below, the Hollywood Sign illuminated behind, and on clear nights the telescope is open for public viewing.
Hollywood Boulevard and the Walk of Fame is a 1km stretch of tourist commerce that is less glamorous in person than its global reputation suggests.
Joshua Tree National Park (2.5h by car from LA) is one of the finest desert landscapes in the USA &mdash.
The 405 freeway (connecting the Valley to LAX and the Westside) is one of the most heavily congested roads in the USA.
Official Los Angeles Metro app: rail and bus lines, day pass purchase, TAP card management and real-time arrivals. Covers the Expo Line to Santa Monica, Red Line to Hollywood and all regional connections.
Free
Real-time navigation essential for LA freeway driving. Crowdsourced incident reports, police presence notifications and dynamic rerouting around the 405, 101 and 10 freeways during rush hour.
Free
Essential for finding the best taquerias, food trucks and neighbourhood restaurants in LA. The “Open Now” filter and distance sorting are the most-used features for taco truck discovery.
Free
Official Getty app: audio guides for the collection, tram timetable, parking reservation and garden tour information. The Irwin garden audio guide is particularly good.
Free
Official LA tourism app from Los Angeles Tourism: neighbourhood guides, event listings, film location maps and the Hollywood Walk of Fame directory.
Free
Download Los Angeles offline — particularly useful for the beach corridor (Santa Monica to Redondo) and the Arts District street murals where data signal can be weak.
Free
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