Los Angeles
A city of cities, and where you base yourself changes the whole trip.
Los Angeles is not really one city, it is dozens of smaller cities stitched together, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Santa Monica and Downtown all have their own identity, and the attractions you want to see are spread out across all of them. Where you choose to stay shapes your whole trip more than almost anywhere else we have visited, which is why we cover it in depth below.
We have stayed in Anaheim, Santa Monica and Glendale across multiple visits to Los Angeles, and have viewed the most amazing sunset from the pier, toured three film studios, driven parts of the Pacific Coast Highway and worked out the hard way which neighbourhoods are worth sleeping in and which are only worth a day trip. Here is everything we would tell a friend before they go.
We cover all of this and more on our YouTube channel. And if you would rather skip the planning altogether, we can build you a bespoke Los Angeles itinerary.
How to Get Around Los Angeles
LA is not an easy city to get around without a car, and even with your own car, almost everything takes longer than you would expect. There is a large amount of traffic throughout LA, so build in extra time for your journeys.
We would hire a car for the whole trip. Between the spread-out neighbourhoods and the traffic, having your own transport made a genuine difference to how much we saw and how relaxed the trip felt.
Petrol is cheapest at Costco, and in LA the savings are significant, on average 40¢ to 50¢ a gallon cheaper than nearby stations. We would recommend a Costco membership for the fuel alone. It is also great for stocking up on water and snacks for the car, and the food court is a brilliant budget option, from pizza slices to hot dogs.
Where to Stay in Los Angeles
Getting across Los Angeles is not always convenient. If you picked the wrong side of the city to Universal Studios, for example, that alone could take a good 45 minutes to an hour. Where you choose to stay will shape how much of that you deal with day to day.
Anaheim
Budget-friendly, and the obvious choice if Disneyland and Disney California Adventure are the priority. We have stayed here twice. It is great if you want to leave the car behind and walk to restaurants and shops in the afternoon, there is plenty in the local area. It is not entirely walkable though, Anaheim stretches out, and some areas, around the convention centre for example, do need a car.
Best for:
- Families
- Disney fans
- First-time visitors on a budget
Where to stay:
- Anaheim Marriott, our recommendation, walkable to restaurants and shops in the afternoon. It also has a pool and good amenities, and the best part, it's around a 15 minute walk to Disney entrance gates
- Hilton Anaheim, another good option next door to the Marriott, both are budget-friendly and good value for the types of hotel they are, and for the area.
There are plenty more places to stay in Anaheim beyond these two, we simply have not stayed at the others ourselves.
Travelling into central LA from Anaheim is not always convenient, over an hour each way to central LA attractions is normal, not the exception.
Santa Monica
Premium beachfront, and the easiest base for downtown LA, Beverly Hills and Burbank. Right by the beach, with some of the best sunsets in LA. We stayed at the Shore Hotel, directly opposite the pier, and it is one of the best sunset spots in the whole of LA.
Best for:
- Couples
- First-time visitors
- Beach lovers
Where to stay:
- Shore Hotel, directly opposite Santa Monica Pier, swimming pool on site, reasonably priced valet parking on site. The hotel is right on the beach front, saves on driving and paying for additional parking.
Head to the end of the pier for sunset, it is one of the best spots in the whole of LA, and it is also the point most people mistake for the official end of Route 66, the real "End of the Trail" sign is a few blocks away near Mel's Drive-In.
Pasadena
Around twenty minutes from most of the north side of LA and close to Griffith Observatory, Pasadena is one of our favourite areas, upmarket, peaceful and with its own distinct movie history through Back to the Future and Route 66 heritage.
Best for:
- Couples
- History and movie location fans
- Travellers who want a quieter base
We have not stayed in Pasadena ourselves, so we will not recommend a specific hotel here, but it is worth researching closer to your dates.
Burbank
Right by the movie lots, well placed if you are working on one of the studio productions or just want to be close to them, and around fifteen minutes from West Hollywood. Accommodation can be quite limited in the area itself.
Best for:
- Movie and studio tour fans
- Travellers wanting a central north-side base
Where to stay:
- Sheraton Universal, around a 10 minute walk to Universal Studios and City walk. Offers a pool and club lounge option, you can park up and walk straight in.
West Hollywood
Upmarket, walkable and full of designer boutique shopping, West Hollywood is where we would recommend staying if you want to be close to Hollywood's attractions without the sketchier edges of Hollywood itself. We have not stayed in West Hollywood ourselves, so we will not recommend a specific hotel, but it is a good area to check out.
Best for:
- Couples
- Nightlife lovers
- Shopping lovers
Beverly Hills
If budget is no object, Beverly Hills is the splash-out option. The Beverly Hills Hotel, where Pretty Woman was filmed, starts from around $1,000 a night. A short walk from Rodeo Drive is the Beverly Hills City Hall, the building is beautiful and featured in the Beverly Hills Cop movies. Outside of Rodeo Drive and the surrounding streets, there is not a huge amount to do, this is really a shopping and see and be seen district.
Best for:
- Couples
- Luxury shopping lovers
- A special occasion splash-out
Where to stay:
- The Beverly Hills Hotel, the famous pink icon, famous for being linked with famous movie stars and filming location for films like Pretty Woman and Saving Mr Banks, from around $1,000 a night.
Parking in Beverly Hills pleasantly surprised us, metered street parking runs around $1 to $2 an hour, reasonable considering the location.
Glendale
Not somewhere we had heard of before a recent trip, and one of the best discoveries. Glendale is a quiet, residential city with its own boutique shopping and restaurant scene, more affordable parking than most of LA, and within around thirty minutes of Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, downtown and Griffith Observatory.
Best for:
- Budget-conscious travellers
- Couples wanting a quieter base
- Anyone prioritising easy, affordable parking
Where to stay:
- Holiday Inn Express & Suites - Glendale Downtown, our base for this trip. Rooms are comfortable and well equipped (fridge, coffee machine, desk) and free breakfast plus and outdoor pool make it a solid, no fuss base for exploring LA, Burbank or Pasadena.
Newport Beach & Huntington Beach
Both are absolutely fantastic if you want a beach vibe with more upmarket, boutique surroundings and a cleaner, more relaxed feel than central LA. It can also be quite pricey around this area. The trade-off is distance, expect to travel for up to an hour to get into central LA due to traffic. We have not stayed in either area ourselves, so we will not recommend a specific hotel.
Best for:
- Couples
- Beach lovers wanting a quieter pace
- Travellers happy to trade convenience for coastline
Downtown LA: great for movie locations, Angels Flight and City Hall, but you can be a couple of blocks from Skid Row and it feels sketchy day and night. Parking runs around $40 a night. We would visit for the day rather than sleep here.
Hollywood: a brilliant day trip for the Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Museum, but there is a real homelessness presence and it gets sketchy after dark, we would stay in West Hollywood instead and visit Hollywood by day.
Things You Cannot Miss in Los Angeles
Los Angeles rewards planning your days by area rather than trying to see everything at once. These are the highlights that earned their place across all of our visits.
- Griffith Observatory, free to enter and one of the best observation decks we have visited anywhere, especially given the price. We booked a guided astronomy tour through our Go City Pass, which was excellent, we got to see the moon up close through the telescopes, along with different planets as they moved them into view. Parking fills fast, you may end up parked at the bottom of the park with a twenty minute walk up, and sunset is the best time to go.
- The Hollywood Sign viewpoint, the Hollywood Lookout on Canyon Lake Drive is one of the closest points you can drive to, with free parking limited to fifteen minutes, arrive before 8am for an easier space. The Innsdale Trail leads you closer, but you will need to walk it.
- Universal Studios Hollywood, different to other Universal Studios parks in that the pull is not ride count, it is the hour-long movie-set Studio Tour, prop stores, Fast & Furious sets, the backlot, the green screen used for water scenes and the War of the Worlds crash site. This is still a working film studio, and movies are regularly filmed here. Universal regularly run a promotion where you can get two days for the price of one, worth checking before you book.
- Disneyland, the original Disney park, sitting alongside Disney California Adventure as the resort's second theme park, with Downtown Disney next door for restaurants and shopping. A handful of rides are exclusive to this location, including parts of Cars Land. Walt Disney's actual house on Carolwood Drive is private, but his old train barn, the Carolwood Barn, was relocated to Griffith Park and is open to the public free on the third Sunday of each month.
- Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood, a golf cart tour of the backlot and soundstages, with recreated Friends sets including Central Perk and Monica's apartment, Big Bang Theory sets, a Foley artist experience and a DC Universe exhibit with the Batmobile. You also get real Harry Potter sets to walk around, and you can jump off the golf cart at points to go inside actual soundstages and buildings rather than just driving past them.
- Sony Pictures Studio Tour, our favourite of the three studio lot tours we did in LA, more personal and interactive than Warner Bros. You walk through real, working sound studios rather than just seeing them from a cart, including the sets for Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. You get to see filming locations properly set out, including where Spider-Man filmed a lot of his stunts, and we also got to go inside a real Foley studio, which was one of the highlights of the whole trip.
- TCL Chinese Theatre, celebrity handprints and footprints outside, plus one of the largest IMAX screens in the US inside, arrive before midday if you are using a city pass for guaranteed entry.
- Dolby Theatre, home of the Oscars, with a behind-the-scenes tour that takes you into the seats and backstage.
- Hollywood Walk of Fame and Hollywood Museum, the Museum sits inside the original Max Factor building, with a Monsters and Horror exhibit in the basement worth the detour.
- Madame Tussauds Hollywood, also included in the Go City Pass, a fun couple of hours around the wax figures of Hollywood and music legends.
- Celebrity Homes and Beverly Hills Tour, an open-top bus tour past Elvis Presley's former home and other celebrity residences, departing from Hollywood Boulevard.
- Rodeo Drive and Via Rodeo, the famous shopping street plus its cobblestone side street, worth a walk even if you are not buying.
- Fair Oaks Pharmacy & Soda Fountain and Old Pasadena, a classic slice of old-school Americana from the soda fountain era, plus the Gamble House nearby. You can still walk into part of the original ice cream parlour, complete with the original soda machines, a large sweet shop with Pharmacy, and it is also a stop on Route 66.
- Route 66 sights, Santa Monica marks one end of the route, the official 66 to Cali store sits near the pier, Mel's Diner is close by, and the real "End of the Trail" sign is a few blocks from the pier itself, all worth seeking out without needing the full desert road trip.
- Downtown LA, Angels Flight, City Hall and The Last Bookstore, worth a day visit for the movie locations, historic architecture and one of the best bookstores in the city.
- Dodger Stadium, one of the oldest ballparks in the country, home to the LA Dodgers since 1962.
- Crypto.com Arena, Downtown LA, home to the iconic Basketball and Ice Hockey Teams the The LA Lakers and LA Kings.
- Hollywood Bowl, an outdoor concert venue and one of the coolest places to catch a show in LA if the timing works out.
- The Greek Theatre, another outdoor venue, sitting near Griffith Observatory in Griffith Park.
Check the bag policy before any game or concert, most US sporting arenas only allow clear bags or very small bags, and you either be asked to check your bag or you will be turned away otherwise. Food inside is a decent range but pricier, budget $15 to $20. Pick up a souvenir cup if you can, you receive unlimited refills for the entire game and they make a great collectible reminder of each stadium.
Los Angeles Movie Locations
Between the studio tours and the amount of LA we have covered on camera, movie locations kept turning up everywhere. Here are the ones worth building into your route.
- Warner Bros. Studio Tour backlot, Gilmore Girls streets, Friends sets, Big Bang Theory sets, and DC Universe props including the Batmobile.
- Beverly Hills City Hall, Spanish architecture, seen in Beverly Hills Cop.
- The Beverly Hills Hotel, Pretty Woman.
- Hollywood United Methodist Church, Sister Act, School of Rock and Back to the Future.
- Pasadena's Back to the Future locations, the George McFly and Marty McFly house, plus the Gamble House.
- Santa Monica Pier, Forrest Gump and Iron Man.
- Neptune's Net, Iron Man, Fast & Furious and Point Break.
- Leo Carrillo State Beach, the opening scenes of Grease and The Karate Kid.
- Venice High School, filmed as Rydell High in Grease.
- The Majestic Downtown, the bank scene in The Mask and Spider-Man.
- Bob's Market and the Torretto House, Fast & Furious.
Beaches & Coastal Drives
If you want to leave the city behind for a day, the drive up the Pacific Coast Highway through the Santa Monica Mountains and out towards Malibu is one of the best in California.
Neptune's Net
Neptune's Net, an old-fashioned wooden seafood shack right on the ocean, known for its fish and chips and seafood combos. It can get very busy, we would recommend going earlier or later than prime lunchtime to avoid the queue.
Leo Carrillo Beach
Leo Carrillo Beach, just past Malibu, with caves, rugged rocks and coastline that make it one of the most beautiful beaches in the area, and a genuine movie location in its own right.
Venice Beach
Venice Beach, a completely different vibe to the rest of LA, street performers, skate parks, outdoor gyms and colourful murals.
Santa Monica Pier at sunset
Santa Monica Pier, the best sunset spot we found anywhere in LA, and worth timing your day around.
Whale watching from Newport Beach or Huntington Beach is one of our favourite afternoon activities in the wider LA area, a beautiful walk along the coast, though it does sit around 45 minutes further out.
Our Favourite Places to Eat in Los Angeles
Los Angeles has an enormous food scene, these are the spots that earned a place in our own trips, from a Hollywood institution to a beachfront seafood shack.
Langer's Delicatessen
Langer's Delicatessen, serving pastrami since 1947, an old-fashioned deli experience one of the more unique recommendations on this blog.
Villa's Tacos
Villa's Tacos, a genuine local favourite that has won loads of awards, a three-time L.A. Taco Madness champion and a Michelin Bib Gourmand pick. Fresh, exactly what you want, and quick and easy. There is a little seating outside, but it is really more of a takeout place.
Grand Central Market
Grand Central Market, a historic food hall in Downtown LA with dozens of vendors under one roof, a good option if you want to try a few different things in one stop.
Neptune's Net
Neptune's Net, fish and chips with an ocean view on the Pacific Coast Highway, go early or late to skip the crowds.
Cheesecake Factory, Anaheim
Cheesecake Factory, Anaheim and across LA, one of the largest cheesecake selections you will find anywhere, and they taste incredible, a favourite of ours whenever we travel in the US. A slice will set you back around $10 to $15, up to $20 depending on the flavour, but the slices are massive, easily enough to feed two people.
Mel's Diner
Mel's Diner, with locations in both Hollywood and Santa Monica, classic American diner food and a nostalgic feel wherever you catch it.
Hard Rock Cafe, Hollywood
Hard Rock Cafe, right by the Dolby Theatre and TCL Chinese Theatre, worth timing a visit around their happy hour for discounted appetisers and cocktails, check current times before you go.
Oakberry, Hollywood
Oakberry, inside Ovation Hollywood, build your own acai bowls with unlimited toppings, mixed in fresh in front of you, ready in a couple of minutes and one of our favourite quick stops between attractions.
Cold Stone Creamery is our favourite ice cream stop in LA, pick any flavour, choose your mix-ins, and they blend it all together right in front of you, so you get a personalised bowl of ice cream rather than a scoop with toppings on top.
Save Money & Travel Tips
Los Angeles can get expensive fast, especially on parking and attraction tickets, these are the things that made the biggest difference for us.
We used the Go City Los Angeles Pass across two days and it covered Warner Bros. Studio Tour, the Hollywood Museum, TCL Chinese Theatre, Dolby Theatre, Madame Tussauds and the Celebrity Homes and Beverly Hills Tour. It cost around £70 to £75 (roughly $100) and saved us hundreds of dollars against buying tickets individually.
Pick up your Go City Pass →Ovation Hollywood offers 2 hours of parking for $3 with validation from participating shops and restaurants, or 4 hours for $3 with validation from the TCL Chinese Theatre, which is what our Go City Pass covered on both our Hollywood day and our Celebrity Homes tour day. Without validation, expect around $2 per 20 minutes, up to a $20 daily maximum.
Pick your base around what you actually want to do, not just budget. We stayed in Anaheim once and had a Dodger Stadium game over an hour away, the wrong base can eat hours of your trip in traffic alone.
Whole Foods locations across LA, including a large one downtown, run hot bar and salad bar options priced by weight, roughly $9 to $14 a pound. Walmart locations also carry similar pay by weight hot food and salad bar setups where available, a useful way to eat well without a sit-down restaurant bill.
Citadel Outlets is the only true outlet mall within LA city limits, a short drive south of downtown, with a wide range of brands under one roof if shopping is on your list.
Get an eSIM before you land so you have data the second you arrive, without roaming charges. We use Ubigi every time and it has never let us down.
We've shortlisted our favourite things to do in Los Angeles, including the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, Griffith Observatory and a Beverly Hills celebrity homes tour.
Los Angeles: Frequently Asked Questions
Is Los Angeles safe?
Yes, we have visited many times and never had a problem. There is a large homeless population in parts of the city, but in our experience they keep to themselves. We would avoid Skid Row in Downtown LA, and we would not walk onto Santa Monica beach itself at night, that is where people sleep. Stick to the main tourist areas, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Pasadena and Glendale, and it felt safe throughout, day and night.
Which areas should you avoid in Los Angeles?
Skid Row in Downtown LA is the one to really avoid, you can be a couple of blocks away from it without realising. Compton, Watts and parts of South LA see higher crime rates too, though they sit outside the areas most visitors need to go anyway. We would also skip Santa Monica beach itself after dark, that is where people sleep overnight, the pier and promenade are fine.
What do we wish we had known before visiting Los Angeles?
How much traffic actually shapes your trip. We once stayed in Anaheim for a Lakers game in Downtown L.A and in Santa Monica for a Anaheim Ducks game, on both occasions we spent over an hour travelling to the games when we could have stayed so much closer. Now we carefully consider and plan our base around what we wanted to do, not just budget.
What is worth adding to a Los Angeles itinerary if you have more time?
Pasadena deserves more than a drive-through. We would spend a full afternoon in Old Pasadena, Fair Oaks Pharmacy and the Gamble House. If you have a spare day, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach or Dana Point are a relaxing change of pace from the city, just budget the extra hour each way in traffic.
How many days do you need in Los Angeles?
We would do a minimum of five days, more if you are adding Disneyland. LA is really several cities stitched together, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Downtown can each easily fill a day on their own once you factor in the driving between them.
Do you need a car in Los Angeles?
We would say yes. LA is not a walkable city in the way London or New York are, distances between neighbourhoods are large and public transport does not cover everywhere you will want to go. We hired a car for the whole trip and it made a genuine difference to how much we saw.
Where should first-time visitors stay in Los Angeles?
It depends what you are prioritising. We would stay in Santa Monica for beach access and sunsets, or Glendale if you want an affordable base close to Griffith Observatory, Beverly Hills and downtown. We would not recommend Downtown LA or Hollywood itself for sleeping, both are better as day visits.
Is the Hollywood Sign worth seeing up close?
Yes, and you do not need to hike to enjoy it. The Hollywood Lookout on Canyon Lake Drive is one of the closest points you can drive to, with free parking limited to fifteen minutes, we would arrive before 8am to actually get a space. If you want to get closer still, the Innsdale Trail leads towards the sign on foot.
Is Griffith Observatory free?
Yes, entry is free, which is part of why we love it. We booked a guided astronomy tour through our Go City Pass, which was a great add-on. Parking fills up fast, so you may end up parked at the bottom of the park with a twenty minute walk up, and sunset is the best time to go.
Is it worth staying in Downtown LA?
We would not recommend it. Downtown has cool movie locations and the Angels Flight funicular is worth a visit, but you can be a couple of blocks from Skid Row and the area feels sketchy even in daylight. Parking runs around $40 a night, which is more than you would pay staying somewhere else in LA entirely.
Which Universal Studios is better, Hollywood or elsewhere?
Universal Studios Hollywood is not about ride count the way other Universal parks are. The main draw is the hour-long Studio Tour itself, where you see prop stores, Fast & Furious sets, the backlot and the War of the Worlds crash site. It is also still a working film studio, movies are still filmed here. They regularly run a promotion where you can get two days for the price of one, worth checking before you book.
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