Destination Guide · LAX · California, USA
Los Angeles
Film sets, hillside views, art-filled museums and a coastline that stretches for miles. Here's where to stay, what to see, and where to eat in the City of Angels.
Home / Destinations / Los Angeles
Best for
Film, beaches, culture
Fly into
Los Angeles · LAX
Currency
US Dollar
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Why go
Los Angeles is less a single city than a collection of neighbourhoods strung between the mountains and the Pacific: the glass towers and concert halls of downtown, the neon of Hollywood Boulevard, the canals of Venice, the palm-lined hotel drives of Beverly Hills. A car, rideshare or Metro ticket is part of every itinerary, so it pays to group your days by area.
This guide covers the landmarks travelers plan a trip around, the museums and viewpoints that are worth the drive, a short list of hotels people actually book, and a place to eat. Every photo here is a real place, not stock imagery.
Things to see & do
Landmarks, museums and city views
From Frank Gehry's steel-clad concert hall to a battleship berthed in the harbour — the stops that anchor a first visit, spread across the whole of LA.
Downtown
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Home of the LA Philharmonic, wrapped in curving stainless steel by Frank Gehry. The exterior is the draw even if you are not attending a concert.
Brentwood
The Getty Center
A hilltop campus of travertine pavilions and gardens above the 405, with a collection that runs from European paintings to photography — and some of the best views in town. General admission is free; parking is charged.
Miracle Mile
Petersen Automotive Museum
Race cars, concept cars and film-famous vehicles on Wilshire Boulevard. Even if you are not a car person, the galleries are staged like a design museum.
Exposition Park
California Science Center
A family favourite in Exposition Park, with hands-on exhibits across science and space. Check current opening hours and any timed-entry requirements before you go.
Downtown
Crypto.com Arena
The downtown arena that hosts the Lakers, Clippers, Kings and Sparks, plus major concerts. The glass front lights up blue on event nights.
Fairfax
The Grove
An open-air shopping and dining centre built around a fountain and footbridge, next door to the historic Original Farmers Market.
San Pedro
USS Iowa Museum
The battleship Iowa (BB-61) is berthed at the Port of Los Angeles as a floating museum. Walk the decks and see the big guns up close.
Venice
Venice Canals
Walk the quiet footpaths beside the canals that Abbot Kinney dug in the early 1900s — a calm, photogenic contrast to the boardwalk nearby.
Venice
Venice Beach
Ocean Front Walk, the open-air skate park and a wide sandy beach, with a pier stretching out in the distance. Go around golden hour.
The movie capital
Hollywood and the studio lots
The Hollywood Sign, the neon of the Boulevard and a full day on the Universal Studios Hollywood backlot. For the clearest view of the sign, head up to Griffith Observatory, where general admission is free and sunset draws a crowd.
Where to Stay — Los Angeles
From a pink-and-green Beverly Hills icon to a downtown tower with a rooftop pool — we track rates across the names that come up again and again.
Where to eat
A short, honest list
Los Angeles dining is enormous. We are starting with two downtown favourites and will keep adding to this list.
Downtown LA
Maccheroni Republic
An Italian pasta restaurant with a leafy, string-lit patio — a relaxed lunch or dinner stop between downtown sights.
Downtown LA
Bottega Louie
A grand, marble-floored Italian restaurant and patisserie on Grand Avenue, with gilded furniture, pizzas and pastas, and a counter of macarons and pastries.
Getting there
Landing at LAX
Most international and domestic flights arrive at Los Angeles International (LAX), on the coast roughly 20km from downtown. Burbank, Long Beach, Orange County and Ontario handle the rest, depending on the carrier. We compare fares across the airlines that actually fly the route, so you are not stuck with one option.
Airport
Los Angeles · LAX
To center
~30–60 min (traffic)
Currency
USD
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