Los Angeles
Beaches, film studios, hillside views and some of America's best food, spread across a basin between the mountains and the Pacific.
Quick decisions
How many days?
3 days: Hollywood and Griffith, Downtown, and Santa Monica with Venice. 4 to 5 days: add the Getty, Malibu and a studio tour. 6 days or more: add Disneyland, Catalina or a night in Joshua Tree.
Where should I stay?
Santa Monica: beach, walkable, on the Metro. West Hollywood: central for most sights and nightlife. Downtown: the best transit hub. More in our where to stay guide.
Do I need a car?
Probably, for part of the trip. Metro rail now links Downtown, Hollywood, Santa Monica and the airport area, but Malibu, the Getty and the canyons are much easier by car. Many visitors rent for two or three days and use rideshare for the rest.
Best for
Food lovers: tacos, Koreatown, Thai Town and farmers' markets. Film fans: studio tours and old movie palaces. Art: the Getty, LACMA and The Broad. Families: beaches, theme parks and museums.
Before you go
Entry: check whether you need an ESTA or a visa. Book ahead: the Getty's free timed tickets, The Broad and studio tours. Plan: group each day by area, because traffic decides everything.
Getting around
From LAX: the FlyAway bus to Union Station, rideshare from the LAX-it lot, or the free shuttle to the Metro. In the city: Metro rail, rideshare or a rental car. Details in our getting there guide.
Continue your trip
San Diego is about two hours south, Las Vegas four to five hours north-east on the I-15, and the Pacific Coast Highway leads north towards Santa Barbara, Big Sur and San Francisco.
Overview
Los Angeles isn't one city so much as a basin of them, joined by freeways. Hollywood, Downtown, Santa Monica, Pasadena and Long Beach each have their own centre, and the drive between two of them can take twenty minutes or an hour and a half depending on the time of day. That's the first thing to plan around. The second is how varied it is: surf beaches, a mountain range with hiking trails inside the city limits, grand old movie palaces, and immigrant neighbourhoods that make it one of the best places to eat in the country.
First-time visitors often feel it lacks a heart. It does, in a sense; the fun is in picking a few areas and getting to know them. Give it four days, take one part of the basin at a time, and eat everywhere. Start with our Los Angeles travel guide.
Getting there
Most visitors fly into LAX, near the coast in the south-west of the city. The FlyAway bus runs to Union Station, rideshare and taxis leave from the LAX-it lot, and a free shuttle reaches the Metro. Burbank and Long Beach airports are easier for some areas. Our getting there guide covers the options.
Where to stay
Where you stay shapes your whole trip. Santa Monica suits beach lovers, West Hollywood sits between most sights, Downtown has the best transit links, and Hollywood is central but rough around the edges. We compare them, with Venice and Beverly Hills, in our where to stay guide.
Things to do
Most first trips cover Hollywood and Griffith Observatory, covered in our Hollywood guide, and the coast, in our Santa Monica and Venice guide. For Downtown, the Getty and LACMA, see our things to do list.
Food and drink
LA's best food is often its cheapest. Look for taco trucks and stands, especially for al pastor (spit-roasted pork) in the evening. Koreatown has barbecue restaurants open late, Thai Town is the place for Thai food, and Grand Central Market Downtown gathers many cuisines under one roof. Book ahead for the famous sit-down restaurants.
Culture
Spanish settlers founded El Pueblo de Los Ángeles in 1781, near today's Union Station. The railways and oil brought the first boom, and the film studios moved to Hollywood in the 1910s for the light and the space. The freeways followed after the war, and with them the sprawl. Today almost half of Angelenos are Latino, and the city hosts the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Weather by month
Los Angeles is warmest in August, with average highs around 32°C, and coldest in January, when nights drop to about 8°C. January is the wettest month, with rain on about 6 days. For mild weather with fewer rainy days, aim for November.
| Month | Low | Range | High | Rain | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8°C | 19°C | 90 mm | 6 d | |
| Feb | 8°C | 20°C | 74 mm | 5 d | |
| Mar | 10°C | 21°C | 74 mm | 8 d | |
| Apr | 11°C | 24°C | 16 mm | 3 d | |
| May | 13°C | 24°C | 11 mm | 3 d | |
| Jun | 16°C | 28°C | 5 mm | 1 d | |
| Jul | 18°C | 31°C | 3 mm | 1 d | |
| Aug | 18°C | 32°C | 9 mm | 1 d | |
| Sep | 18°C | 31°C | 11 mm | 1 d | |
| Oct | 15°C | 28°C | 10 mm | 2 d | |
| Nov | 11°C | 24°C | 21 mm | 2 d | |
| Dec | 8°C | 19°C | 78 mm | 5 d |
Averages of daily values from 2015 to 2024. Rainy days are days with at least 1 mm of rain. Source: Open-Meteo · Compare destinations by month.
Los Angeles on the map
Every place we cover in Los Angeles. Tap a category or pin to explore.
In-depth Los Angeles guides
Browse the guides grouped by topic: sights, neighbourhoods, food, transport, day trips and trip planning.
Sights, Landmarks & Parks
Key monuments, viewpoints, museums and nature trails.
Neighbourhoods & Where to Stay
Districts, historic quarters and the best bases for your stay.
- Hollywood Guide: Griffith Observatory, the Sign and the Walk of FameThe sign, the observatory and the boulevard, and how to see them without the tourist traps.
- Santa Monica and Venice GuideA beach day that walks you from the pier to the canals.
- Where to Stay in Los Angeles: A Neighbourhood GuideSanta Monica, West Hollywood or Downtown: which base fits your trip.
Getting Around & Arrival
Airport transfers, public transit, passes and driving rules.
Day Trips & Excursions
Easy half-day and full-day trips from the city.
Trip Planning & Itineraries
When to visit, what to pack and day-by-day routes.
- Los Angeles: What to Know Before You GoHow LA is laid out, how to beat the traffic and what surprises first-time visitors.
- Best Time to Visit Los AngelesAutumn for sun, spring for green hills, and the fog nobody warns you about.
- What to Wear in Los AngelesLayers for the coast, sun for inland, and casual almost everywhere.
- Los Angeles 3-Day ItineraryThree days, one side of the basin at a time.
Need your embassy or consulate in United States? See embassies and consulates in United States.
Reviews
Log in to write a review.
No reviews yet.
