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Los Angeles

No reviews yetCity California, United States
Los Angeles, California, United StatesGriffith Observatory overlooks the Los Angeles basin from the southern slope of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park, CaliforniaThe Hollywood Sign stands on Mount Lee in the Santa Monica Mountains above Hollywood, Los Angeles, CaliforniaThe TCL Chinese Theatre, opened in 1927, is known for the handprints and footprints in its forecourt, Los Angeles, CaliforniaFrank Gehry designed the Walt Disney Concert Hall, home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, on Grand Avenue, California

About Los Angeles

Los Angeles is a sprawling metropolis spread across a coastal basin in Southern California, bounded by mountains and the Pacific. Founded as a Spanish pueblo in 1781, it grew into the center of the American film and television industry and one of the most culturally diverse cities in the country. Its many neighborhoods feel like separate towns, each with its own character and food scene.

Griffith Observatory, on the slopes of Griffith Park, offers free exhibits and one of the best views of the city and the Hollywood Sign. Below, the Hollywood Walk of Fame runs past the TCL Chinese Theatre and its celebrity handprints. Downtown, the Walt Disney Concert Hall and The Broad museum stand side by side, while El Pueblo and Olvera Street mark the city's founding site and Grand Central Market draws crowds on Broadway. On the west side, the Getty Center pairs art with gardens and views, and LACMA sits beside the La Brea Tar Pits, where Ice Age fossils are still being recovered. At the coast, Santa Monica Pier and the Third Street Promenade neighbor the boardwalk at Venice Beach and the quiet Venice Canals.

The city suits travelers comfortable with driving, as distances are large and traffic is heavy, though Metro lines help in some areas. Grouping sights by area saves time. The climate is mild year-round, with spring sometimes bringing overcast mornings.

Best seasonSpring and fall offer warm, dry weather; the climate is mild enough for year-round visits.
Ideal stayFour to five days allows time in Hollywood, downtown, the west side and the beaches.
ArrivingLos Angeles International Airport is the main gateway; Burbank, Long Beach and Ontario airports are alternatives.
Los Angeles California Griffith Observatory and Santa MonicaWiserMap travel guideLos Angeles California Griffith Observatory and Santa MonicaPlan a Los Angeles trip: Griffith Observatory, Hollywood, the Getty, Santa Monica and Venice, downtown museums, taco culture, transit tips and a full itinerary.Read the guide

Top 12 Experiences in Los Angeles

Landmarks 3

Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, California, United States

Griffith Observatory

Perched on the southern slope of Mount Hollywood since 1935, this Art Deco observatory gives the city's best free view, with the b...
The Hollywood Sign, Los Angeles, California, United States

The Hollywood Sign

Erected in 1923 as a real estate advertisement reading HOLLYWOODLAND, the sign lost its last four letters in 1949 and became the w...
Hollywood Walk of Fame and TCL Chinese Theatre, Los Angeles, California, United States

Hollywood Walk of Fame and TCL Chinese Theatre

More than 2,700 brass-and-terrazzo stars line Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, honoring names from film, television, music, ra...

Museums 4

Getty Center, Los Angeles, California, United States

Getty Center

Richard Meier's travertine-clad hilltop campus in Brentwood is reached by a driverless tram from the parking area, and its views o...
Getty Villa, Los Angeles, California, United States

Getty Villa

Above the Pacific Coast Highway, the Getty Villa is modeled on the Villa dei Papiri, a Roman country house buried by the eruption...
LACMA and the La Brea Tar Pits, Los Angeles, California, United States

LACMA and the La Brea Tar Pits

Side by side on Wilshire Boulevard's Miracle Mile, these two make an excellent day out. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is th...
Walt Disney Concert Hall and The Broad, Los Angeles, California, United States

Walt Disney Concert Hall and The Broad

On Grand Avenue downtown, Frank Gehry's billowing stainless-steel hall opened in 2003 as home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, adm...

History 1

El Pueblo and Olvera Street, Los Angeles, California, United States

El Pueblo and Olvera Street

The historic heart of Los Angeles lies around the plaza near where Spanish settlers founded the city in 1781. Olvera Street, a bri...

Food and Drink 1

Grand Central Market and Broadway, Los Angeles, California, United States

Grand Central Market and Broadway

Open since 1917 on the ground floor of the Homer Laughlin Building, Grand Central Market is downtown's beloved food hall, mixing l...

Beaches 2

Santa Monica Pier and Third Street Promenade, Los Angeles, California, United States

Santa Monica Pier and Third Street Promenade

The Santa Monica Pier has stretched over the Pacific since 1909, and its Pacific Park amusement area, with a Ferris wheel and roll...
Venice Beach and the Venice Canals, Los Angeles, California, United States

Venice Beach and the Venice Canals

Abbot Kinney founded Venice in 1905 as a seaside resort inspired by its Italian namesake, and today its boardwalk buzzes with stre...

Entertainment 1

Universal Studios Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States

Universal Studios Hollywood

Still a working film and television studio, Universal Studios Hollywood mixes theme park rides with a look at moviemaking. The Stu...

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