Visiting Los Angeles: what are the best things to see and do in the City of Angels?
Who hasn’t dreamed of hopping on a plane and flying to the USA to visit Los Angeles? From the famous Ray-Ban sunglasses, to the blonde rollerbladers, to the perfectly cut surfers with their ravishing smiles, to the Hollywood sign shining from the freeway, to the stars and their homes, Los Angeles never ceases to fascinate. After New York, it’s quite simply the biggest city in the USA, and the tourist industry is highly developed.
But the gigantism of the « City of Angels » can be hard to navigate. So what’s there to do in Los Angeles? What are the city’s must-sees? To help you plan your stay in advance, we’ve listed a wide range of possibilities for you if you come to visit Los Angeles:
1. Hollywood Boulevard and the Walk of Fame
Photo credit: Flickr – Ken Lund
Of course, Los Angeles is the city of allHollywood stars: between the villas and the swimming pools, it’s impossible not to take an interest in this world of glitz and glamour. With its famous stars on the Walk of Fame, its museums (Guinness World Records, Madame Tussauds Hollywood, etc.), its cinemas, its gigantic shopping malls and even Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Hollywood Boulevard is a must-see in Los Angeles! With your nose glued to the ground, you’ll be delighted to discover which star is hiding behind each one.
Located at the end of the famous Hollywood Boulevard, the Dolby Theatre (formerly the Kodak Theatre) is renowned for hosting the prestigious Oscars ceremony every year. Walk the red carpet yourself, and imagine the onlookers crowding in to play paparazzi for the day.
2. Venice Beach
Photo credit: Flickr – Chris Goldberg
All along the ocean, on the promenade, you’ll be able to admire artists, body-building athletes or women in bikinis rollerblading and putting on a show. Even with its « m’as-tu vu » side, Venice Beach is a spot to discover for its warmth, its conviviality, and for falling for the cliché up to your neck.
3. Universal Studios Hollywood
Photo credit: Flickr – Mathieu Marquer
Located in the San Fernando Valley, Universal Studios Hollywood is a movie studio with a theme park and unsuspected treasures for all movie fans, with sets from world-famous films such as Back to the Future and Jurassic Park. More than a theme park, don’t forget that this is a working film studio where you can take a guided tour of the studios and explore behind-the-scenes footage of some of Universal’s most popular films. You can easily spend a day or two here, especially if the park is full and waiting times are long. When you’re tired of the rides, you can head to CityWalk, an entertainment hub three blocks away, with stores, restaurants and cinemas.
Are you a movie fan? You can also visit Paramount Pictures Studios, which has been around since the 1910s, or Warner Bros. Studio, close to Universal Studios.
4. Disneyland Park
Photo credit: Flickr – Joe Penniston
Whether you’re on vacation with family, friends or loved ones, you should take a day trip to Anaheim, home of Disneyland Park. It’s the only Disney theme park conceived and designed by Walt Disney himself. Even if you’ve visited other Disney parks, nothing beats the original.
5. The Hollywood Panel
Photo credit: Flickr – Gnaphron
Intended in 1923 to market a new real estate development, the letters of the Hollywood sign were destined to disappear. But the Chamber of Commerce saved them in 1949, and the Hollywood sign became a Los Angeles cultural-historical monument in 1973. The sign, located on the south side of Mount Lee in Griffith Park, is now a registered trademark. The best way to see the Hollywood sign is from the Griffith Observatory. A hike allows you to see the sign from every angle(see route).
6. The Getty Center
Photo credit: Flickr – Rictor Norton & David Allen
Perched on a hillside in Brentwood, the Getty Center is a vast complex designed by Richard Meier. The uniquely designed building and its beautiful gardens provide an ideal setting for this impressive museum. Collections include European paintings, drawings, sculpture and decorative arts, as well as 19th and 20th century photography. The Getty Center houses part of the J. Paul Getty Museum (whose other site is the Getty Villa), created by oil magnate J. Paul Getty.
7. Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
Photo credit: Flickr – Fido
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art boasts the largest art collection in the western United States, with nearly 130,000 works ranging from antiquity to modern times. The museum, also known as « LACMA », is home to the Japanese Art Pavilion, with works coming directly from Japan. Another wing of the building is dedicated to the American and Mexican collections, with paintings by Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and José Orozco, as well as some pre-Columbian works. A new wing, designed by architect Renzo Piano, was inaugurated in 2008 as the Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM).
8. Rodeo Drive
Photo credit: Flickr – Prayitno
Do you remember the film « Pretty Woman », where Julia Roberts raided all the luxury boutiques with Richard Gere? This is the ultimate high-end shopping destination in the heart of Beverly Hills: between Chanel, Cartier, Gucci, Christian Dior, Armani, Tiffany&Co and Burberry, you’re sure to find the right store for you. It’s a great opportunity to window-shop, rub shoulders with the rich for a few minutes, dream away and warm up your credit card.
9. Beverly Hills
Photo credit: Flickr – Vincent Lammin
Beverly Hills is surely the richest and most protected neighborhood in the whole city. Home to many stars, it’s not a very interesting spot if you don’t pay much attention to movie celebrities. Each villa is protected by huge hedges or palisades that conceal and protect the privacy of the celebrities. However, don’t hesitate to ask for a map from the tourist office to make a little pilgrimage, and who knows, you might come face to face with your favorite actress!
10. Santa Monica
Photo credit: Flickr – Marie
The area around Santa Monica Pier is bustling with small cafés, restaurants and street activities. Santa Monica’s beaches are friendlier than those of Venice Beach, and you’ll have the opportunity to take part in fairground attractions such as the famous Ferris wheel. The best thing to do here is rent a bike and take a stroll along the Third Street Promenade, where street performers put on their shows.
11. The Broad
Photo credit: Flickr – Peiling Yu
One of the newest cultural attractions to visit in Los Angeles, The Broad opened in late 2015 and was an instant hit. Tickets are free, but usually require booking a month in advance, and queues for back-up tickets, which are issued on the day of entry, can last for hours, especially on weekends. The museum focuses on contemporary and post-war art, with large and spectacular installations. Over 2,000 works are exhibited in this unique building, which is based on two major components, « the veil and the vault », where exhibition space and collection storage are merged.
12. Food: Farmers’ Market
Photo credit: Flickr – Prayitno
If you’re feeling peckish, head to the original Farmer’s Market at Third Street and Fairfax: a City of Angels tradition since 1934, it’s a must-stop for everything you could possibly want, including a dog bakery. The Farmer’s Market is open every day.
Close to the Walt Disney Concert Hall is the Grand Central Market, another favorite spot for food lovers.
13. Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
Photo credit: Flickr – Alejandro Cortes
The Museum of Contemporary Art consists of three separate facilities and is dedicated to works from the 1940s to the present day. The first is the MOCA Grand, on Grand Avenue. This is the museum’s main facility, with the main galleries as well as the museum’s largest store and a café. The second, MOCA Geffen, is located in Little Tokyo, in what was once a police car warehouse. Finally, the MOCA Pacific Design Center is located in West Hollywood and offers temporary exhibitions.
14. Griffith Park and its observatory
Photo credit: Flickr – Gregg Jaden
This unique site is located on the southern slope of Mount Lee, where the Hollywood sign is also found, and offers an amazing view of the city of Los Angeles. This popular tourist attraction attracts many star-lovers for its gigantic planetarium and exhibition hall, a success not least due to its free admission. The main attraction is the Zeiss telescope, used to observe the moon and planets. You can use the telescopes free of charge every evening (the park is open until 10pm). There are also telescopes on site for viewing the sun.
Griffith Park is California’s largest state park, featuring a theater, an equestrian center created for the 1984 Olympics, golf courses, tennis courts, hiking trails(see layout) and other attractions.
15. Watch an NBA game
Photo credit: Flickr – Miguel Discart
If you’re a sports fan, and a basketball fan in particular, visiting Los Angeles without seeing a Lakers NBA game is sacrilege. Lakers games are played at the Staples Center, the venue that also hosts the Los Angeles Clippers, LA’s other NBA team. So, if you’re in Los Angeles during the regular season, or even better, during the playoffs, a game is bound to be played at the Staples Center.
16. Forest Lawn Memorial Park
Photo credit: Flickr – waltarrrrr
Located in the Hollywood Hills, there’s a fascinating place to discover: Forest Lawn Cemetery and Park. Most of the great movie stars are buried here, including David Carradine, Ricky Nelson, Stan Laurel, Buster Keaton, Bette Davis, Liberace and Humphrey Bogart. Some say Michael Jackson is also buried here… An interesting place for those who want to take a celebrity tour as if they were in the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris…
17. The Angel Flight experience
Photo credit: Flickr – John Liu
The Angel Flight is an old funicular railway, surely one of the shortest in the world since for 50 ct $, you’ll travel 90 meters aboard a strange orange and black wagon on an impressive slope. The site reopened in 2017 following renovations.
How do I get to Los Angeles?
Los Angeles International Airport is one of the busiest in the world, and you’ll have no trouble finding direct flights from Paris and Europe. To book your plane tickets to Los Angeles at the best price, we recommend you use the Ulysse flight comparator.
Where to stay in Los Angeles?
Los Angeles is a gigantic city, so it’s important to choose the right neighborhood to stay in. The best areas to stay in Los Angeles are West Hollywood (very trendy) and the entire Los Angeles coast, starting with Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Marina Del Rey, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach. To find a cheap hotel in Los Angeles, search on this hotel comparator.
Map of hotels and accommodations – Los Angeles,us