Is Los Angeles worth visiting? The city is so famous and you hear so much about it that the question remains: is it really as we see it in the TV series and films?

Los Angeles is probably one of the most famous cities in the United States. Much of its fame has to do with the big presence of the film and television industry in the city. Many of the films and series we watch regularly are shot in Los Angeles.

For these reasons, visiting Los Angeles is part of many people’s bucket list destinations. Will everything be as we watch on TV? Will it be one of those reality vs expectations moments?

Los Angeles is an interesting city with many different things to see. You can stroll through the streets of Downtown LA, go to an amusement park on Santa Monica Pier or go for a walk while looking at the Hollywood sign.

The city is also quite big, so many of LA’s attractions are far apart. What’s more, LA is home to almost 4 million people, making it difficult to get around the city most days.

Throughout this article, in addition to the best things to do in Los Angeles, you’ll also find other tips for planning your trip to the City of Angels:

• How long to spend in Los Angeles?
• Best time to visit Los Angeles
• How to get from the airport to the centre of Los Angeles?
• Accommodation in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is known as a city where it never gets too cold. In any case, the warmest months are May to September. However, in the hottest months (July and August), temperatures sometimes are too high, making a visit at this time less pleasant.

Regardless of the usual temperature in Los Angeles, this is a city where it doesn’t rain much. The wettest month is February when it rains an average of 5 days. The rest of the winter months (December, January and March) are also when it rains most often.

So I’d say that the best months to visit Los Angeles are April, May, September and October. In these months, the temperatures are milder and it rarely rains. For example, I visited at the beginning of April and the days were quite warm (highs of 28 °C/82 °F), but the nights were cooler, calling for warm clothes.

Los Angeles is a very large city. What’s more, the things to visit in Los Angeles are often located far from each other and traffic is often chaotic. This is an important point to consider when organising your trip to Los Angeles.

In any case, I’d say that 2 days in Los Angeles is an interesting trip length for first-time visitors. In 2 days, you can visit some of the city’s main points of interest, such as Downtown LA and Hollywood. If you want to include Universal Studios in your itinerary, then I suggest 3 days in the city.

However, as you can imagine, this is a very dynamic city, so you can spend a whole week in the city and you’ll hardly get bored.

You see and hear so much about Los Angeles that it’s inevitable to create expectations about the city. My idea to visit Los Angeles came about when I decided to go on a road trip through the Southwest region of the United States.

Despite its many flaws (we’ll get to that in a moment!), the city surprised me on the positive side! It was exactly as I imagined it: roads with palm trees on the sides or the suburbs with houses next to each other as you see in the films.

I was worried about how safe I would feel in the city, as I had read a lot of negative feedback. However, I felt safe at all times. If you want to know more about how safe Los Angeles is, take a look at the following chapter.

But is it worth taking an almost 12-hour flight to visit only Los Angeles? To be honest, I don’t think it is. Although I enjoyed my time in the city, I wouldn’t recommend going to Los Angeles on purpose, especially if you’re travelling from far away.

But there is so much to see and do around Los Angeles that I see no reason not to combine a trip to this city with other incredible places nearby. Have you ever heard of Death Valley or Joshua Tree National Park.

So my answer is: yes, it’s worth visiting LA. If you can quickly reach LA, then it’s totally worth it to go there. If you have a long travel journey ahead, then I’d say to visit LA and combine it with other places in the area.

Just by doing a little research on places to visit in Los Angeles, you’ll quickly start to see warnings about safety on the streets of Los Angeles.

Unfortunately, Los Angeles is home to a huge number of homeless people (more than 75,000 in 2024). During my time in the city, I got to witness many tents in the streets with people living there.

This was the thing that shocked me the most in the city, even though I tried to be prepared for it. In addition, many of these homeless people use drugs and, as a result, I witnessed some sad situations while strolling the city.

Knowing this, it’s important to be careful about the areas you visit in Los Angeles and also about the location of your accommodation. Although this is a reality that affects many parts of the city, some areas should really be avoided, such as Skid Row. In general, the Downtown LA area is more problematic, but some parts are worse than others.

That said, although some of the things I witnessed made me feel sad, I didn’t feel unsafe, even walking the streets at night. So I’d say that, although this is a serious problem that the city should try solving, there’s no reason not to visit the city for this reason.

Although there are some airports in the Los Angeles area, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is the most popular and the one with the most connections to destinations outside the United States.

LAX has regular direct connections to the following countries in Europe:

• Spain (Madrid, Barcelona)
• France (Paris)
• United Kingdom (London)
• Germany (Frankfurt, Munich)
• Finland (Helsinki)
• Denmark (Copenhagen)
• Italy (Rome)
• Netherlands (Amsterdam)
• Poland (Warsaw)
• Ireland (Dublin)
• Switzerland (Zurich)
• Turkey (Istanbul)

In my case, for example, I flew Porto-Madrid-San Francisco-Los Angeles and on the way back Las Vegas-San Francisco-Madrid-Porto, although there were direct options from Spain to Los Angeles. The international flights were with Iberia and the domestic flights were with Alaska Airlines.

One of the most practical options for getting to the city centre after landing in Los Angeles is by taxi or Uber/Lyft (Lyft is similar to Uber and is widely used in the United States).

When I arrived in Los Angeles, after more than 26 hours of travelling, this was the option I chose. Firstly, because by that time, I just wanted to rest. Secondly, I arrived late at night and my accommodation was not that close.

The airport is well organised and there is an area for picking up passengers from these services. You need to take a shuttle (it’s clearly marked outside the airport) to get to the area where the Uber and Lyft services operate.

My Uber trip cost around 55€ (61 USD) and the distance travelled was around 30 km (19 mi).

Another convenient option is to hire a private transfer in advance. I recommend taking a look at the options available on the Welcome Pickups website.

The most practical bus option for travelling between LAX airport and Downtown LA is the LAX FlyAway Bus. These buses leave the LAX City Bus Center every 30 minutes from 5.40 am to 1.10 am, ending their journey at Union Station in the city centre, where you can catch other buses and also the metro. The journey takes a total of 30 minutes without traffic. A one-way ticket costs 9.75 USD.

To get from the airport to the LAX City Bus Centre, you’ll also need to use the C shuttle that takes passengers between the Arrivals and the bus pick-up point.

There are other (cheaper!) buses, but they are much more confusing to use and therefore take longer, so I won’t mention them in this post. Anyway, if this is an option that interests you, you can check out this website for more information.

This is not at all the most practical option, as there is no metro station at Los Angeles airport. The only option is to take the G shuttle to Aviation/LAX station, where you can catch the C metro line. However, this line has no direct connection to Downtown LA, so you’ll need to change to line A at Willowbrook/Rosa Parks station if your final destination is Downtown LA.

💡 EXTRA TIP: As the options available can change frequently, I suggest checking the most up-to-date information on the official Los Angeles airport website. Also, this tip can be particularly useful if your final destination in Los Angeles is not Downtown LA, as the transport options available may be different.

As a Portuguese citizen, I only needed a passport with 6 months’ validity and also an ESTA to enter the country. ESTA is a form that you fill in online and which is then subject to approval by the country. It is valid for 2 years and costs 21 USD.

However, ESTA is only a valid option for a reduced list of countries that do not require a visa to enter the US. Many European Union countries are on this list.

The form takes some time to fill out and it can take a few days/weeks to be approved, so it’s best to take care of this in advance.

For other nationalities, I recommend reading about the requirements for entering the United States.

The official currency in the United States is the dollar (USD). In August 2024, 1 USD = 0.9€. Most places accept cards, so it’s unlikely you’ll need to withdraw cash.

To make purchases with a currency other than the one I usually use (Euro), I always use the Revolut card, which has many advantages. One of the biggest advantages of the Revolut card while travelling is the fact it does not charge additional fees for using a different currency.

If you do not yet know the advantages of having a Revolut Card, you can find out more here.

Let’s face it: Internet is very useful and it comes in handy when travelling. It’s convenient when you need to order an Uber/Lyft or use Google Maps, for example.

In my case, since I needed internet at all times during my trip, I bought an e-SIM from GigSky, which can be purchased directly from their App. The option of an e-SIM has several advantages, as you don’t have to waste time buying a SIM card on arrival and you can also get internet as soon as you land.

This is a huge city and often the things to see in Los Angeles are far apart. What’s more, some areas of the city are easier to visit by public transport than others, such as Downtown LA.

So I think the best way to get around Los Angeles depends on what you want to visit. For example, for Downtown LA, you can use the metro and local buses, since there are stops near the main places of interest in this part of the city.

📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: To use Los Angeles’ public transport network, you need to have a TAP Card. This card costs 2 USD and it can be topped up with journeys. You can top up with one journey (1.75 USD) and then use it throughout the day, as the card costs a maximum of 5 USD per day. Find out where to buy these cards and other useful information about the TAP Card here.

However, some areas of the city are still a bit remote and difficult to reach by public transport. This is the case with Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Venice Beach, Santa Monica or the Griffith Observatory area. For these cases, I really suggest having a car (even though traffic is often chaotic in the city).

The Los Angeles itinerary I’m going to present below has the days divided as follows: day 1 using only public transport and a second day that involves using a car.

💡 EXTRA TIP: I rented a car from Avis for my second day in the city and this was also the car I used for my road trip through the Southwest region. I really liked their service 😉.

Los Angeles is an expensive city, as are many places in the United States. While some things are cheaper than in Portugal (e.g. petrol), others are stupidly expensive.

For example, cheap accommodation is almost non-existent or when it’s cheap, it’s rarely located in good areas of the city. In terms of meals, it’s kind of a mission to eat cheap. Going to an average restaurant is usually expensive.

Even so, although Los Angeles is an expensive destination, it’s mostly the meals and accommodation that will make a trip to LA expensive, as most of the city’s attractions are free. Well, at least most of the ones I’m suggesting in this post!

In the case of LA, you cannot save much when it comes to accommodation! So, in order to travel on a budget, you’ll have to save on meals. You can try to do so by eating in places like Grand Central Market, street food vendors or even opting to buy food at the supermarket.

Before I tell you more about accommodation, you have to know that LA is one of those cities where it’s very important to understand the area you’re staying in and also to read reviews from previous guests.

With the large number of homeless people in the city, some areas are less recommended than others. For example, I’ve read in several places that Downtown LA and Hollywood aren’t good neighbourhoods to stay in. In addition to these two well-known places, the list of the most dangerous neighbourhoods to stay in Los Angeles also includes Lincoln Heights, Leimert Park, West Adams, Skid Row, South Los Angeles, Compton, Watts, Koreatown, Fashion District and North Hollywood.

Nevertheless, it’s also important to note that not all parts of these neighbourhoods are unsafe. For example, I ended up staying in Koreatown because the reviews were good, the accommodation was affordable and the location was good for those who wanted to explore Los Angeles by public transport on one of the days. And I’m glad I stayed where I did!

The truth is that, for those who don’t plan on having a car to visit Los Angeles, it’s very tempting to stay in a more central location, such as Downtown LA. So my advice, above all, when looking for accommodation in Los Angeles, is to read several comments from previous guests to understand what the area around the hotel is like.

In addition, knowing in which neighbourhood you’ll be staying is also relevant as some accommodations are located quite far from the city’s main attractions. Even if you have a car, travelling between the various places in the city can take some time.

I stayed at Hometel Suites in Koreatown. The hotel was located in a quiet neighbourhood and the rooms, although very simple, were comfortable. There is also a small café on the ground floor where you can have breakfast. The coffee was delicious and there were some ready-made options such as muffins, but they also had other things on the menu. In April, I paid 58€/night per person.

📌HOW TO USE THE MAP: Click on the top left corner to access the various layers of the map. You can select the layers you’re interested in and also find out more about each point of interest by clicking on it in the left-hand sidebar or on the pin on the map. Add the map to your Google Maps by clicking on the star next to the title. To access the map, simply go to Google Maps ‘Saved’ and click on ‘Maps’!

This Los Angeles itinerary assumes the use of public transport on day one and a car on day two. If you don’t rent a car for the second day, you can always use Uber and Lyft to get around.

If you have more days available in the city, I would also suggest a visit to Universal Studios, which is one of the most popular activities in Los Angeles. Another option is a tour of the Warner Bros studios, although this visit is shorter.

This Los Angeles itinerary begins in Downtown LA. I suggest you start on Olvera Street. This is a street where there is a small Mexican market, which has existed since 1930.

This street is located on a site known as El Pueblo de Los Ángeles, one of the most important historical sites in Los Angeles. The town was founded at the end of the 19th century by Spanish colonisers and was called El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles.

In the vicinity of this street, we can find several emblematic buildings, such as the Avila Adobe, Sepulveda House, Pelanconi House, and the Eugene Biscailuz building, among others.

💡 EXTRA TIP: The shops on this street don’t open until mid-morning. For example, I visited at around 10.30 am and many were still closed.

Unique things to do in Los Angeles? I’ve got you covered! Head to Angel’s Flight Railway – a funicular railway with over 100 years of history.

Operating since 1901, this is one of the experiences you don’t want to miss in the city. The journey is quite short and doing it is more fun than useful 😝.

📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: The funicular runs every day from 6.45 am to 10 pm. The one-way journey costs just 1 USD and there is a 50% discount for those with a TAP card. More information here.

A few minutes’ walk away, you can also take the opportunity to look inside the Bradbury Building. This building dates back to 1893 and is on some Los Angeles itineraries, as it has appeared in several films, one of the best known being Blade Runner.

Inside, the iron staircases and the natural lighting that comes from a skylight stand out. This will be a relatively short visit as you can only visit the lower floor.

💡 EXTRA TIP: Another interesting way to explore Downtown LA is on a walking tour. There are several options, but I recommend this 2-hour tour of the centre of Los Angeles. The tour starts at The Last Bookstore and passes by some of the most emblematic places in this part of the city.

Also relatively close by, I recommend a visit to the quirkiest bookshop in Los Angeles. It’s called The Last Bookstore and it has been gaining fame recently due to social media.

The bookshop is quite large and has various decorations that make the place Instagrammable! I know it may not be the typical touristy place, but I thought it was worth it!

Depending on what time you start this day, it might already be the right time to grab a bite to eat. And Grand Central Market is the perfect place for that! This is a closed market with several food stalls.

It opened in 1918 as Wonder Market and has evolved over the years into the market it is today. It has 40 stalls with food from all over the world.

I found the market to be one of the cool places to eat in Los Angeles and the only reason I didn’t eat here more times was because it was far from the other places I decided to visit 🤩. I tried some tacos from the Ana Maria Mexican food stall and the famous doughnuts from Bastion Bakery. Not only was the food tasty, but the prices were quite affordable as well.

Continue towards The Broad – a contemporary art museum and probably one of the best-known museums in Los Angeles.

The overall exhibitions are interesting, but what made me want to visit this museum was the Mirror and Lights Room by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. There are two works by the artist on display in the museum, but this is the especially worthwhile one – Infinity Mirrored Room-The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away.

Entry to The Broad is free, however, to visit this particular room, you need to book a time slot on the museum’s official website. Tickets for the following month are released every month, so I recommend checking the website to see when the tickets are released.

📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: The Broad is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 am to 5 pm, Thursdays from 11 am to 6 pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 6 pm. More information is available here.

Right in front of The Broad, you’ll see a silver-coloured building that looks quite funny. It’s the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

This building was designed by architect Frank Gehry and has been in operation since 2003. If you’ve ever visited Bilbao, you’ll probably find this building very similar to the Guggenheim Museum. Actually, that’s not surprising since both were designed by the same architect.

This itinerary assumes that you’ll only visit the Walt Disney Concert Hall from outside. However, there are guided tours available. Discover the options available here.

Los Angeles is a city we’ve heard about hundreds of times. We know about many of the places to visit in the city, even before we look up what to visit in LA.

And that’s exactly why I decided to include The Grove and the Farmer’s Market on the list of places to visit in Los Angeles! I remember watching it on TV shows.

The Grove is an open-air shopping centre and the Farmer’s Market is a market where you can find speciality shops, restaurants and some services. The latter has existed since 1934 and is, in my opinion, much more interesting than The Grove. It’s open every day of the week and there are over 90 shops available.

💡 EXTRA TIP: While the points of interest mentioned so far can be visited on foot, to get to The Grove and Farmer’s Market, you’ll have to use public transport, with the bus being the best option.

The day is almost over, but there is probably still some time to check out LACMA. This is a modern art museum with exhibitions of American and European art from 1900 to 1960.

However, since entry to the museum is expensive and you probably don’t have much time left on this first day, I suggest only visiting the lamp installation located outside the museum. This is one of the most famous works of art in the city and the best part is that you can visit it for free.

📝USEFUL INFORMATION: Tickets to visit LACMA’s exhibitions cost 28 USD and can be bought online.

To end the day, I suggest watching an NBA game at the Crypto.com Arena. This is a worthwhile experience, especially if you’re visiting the United States for the first time. Here you’ll have the chance to watch a game of the LA Clippers or the Los Angeles Lakers.

Even though I know very little about the rules of basketball, I found the experience quite amusing. I bought the tickets directly on the website and each ticket cost 65€ (73 USD). However, there are other experiences for attending sporting events in Los Angeles. For example, you can also choose to watch an American football match.

For this second day in Los Angeles, you’ll need a car, if you want to visit all the places listed below. If you don’t have a car, you can always use Uber/Lyft to get around throughout the day. However, given the price of this option, I believe that renting a car is more affordable 😉.

Los Angeles is inevitably associated with Hollywood! And the giant Hollywood letters are one of the city’s trademark images.

The Hollywood sign is visible from various points in the city, but one of the best places to observe and photograph it is Lake Hollywood Park. The park is quite easy to access, it’s relatively small, but it’s worth a visit.

And better than looking at the symbol of Hollywood is to walk around Hollywood itself. This part of town is peculiar, to say the least! I have to confess that I went with low expectations and, quite honestly, they stayed that way. You’re approached on the streets way too many times (to buy things, to book a tour and another tour), you see people dressed up as film characters, a bit of everything…

But the truth is that Hollywood is Hollywood and deserves to be visited once in a lifetime 😄. Although I don’t recommend spending more than 2-3 hours here, I think it’s worth at least going there for a while just to feel its vibe.

Note: I believe that if you’re a cinema fan, you might want to spend more time in this part of the city visiting more emblematic places in the history of world cinema, such as the Dolby Theatre or the TCL Chinese Theatre. However, I have to confess that I’m not a big fan (strange, I know!) and for that reason, I wasn’t very keen to visit these two places.

Some of Hollywood’s most iconic sites include the Hollywood Walk of Fame – the famous promenade where you can find the names of Hollywood stars. It’s more than 2 km long and you can search for the name of your favourite artist on the floor of Hollywood Boulevard.

Another particularly important place for cinema lovers is the Dolby Theatre, where the Oscars ceremony is held every year. It is possible to visit the inside of this iconic venue, but you must book a guided tour to do so.

Relatively close by, don’t miss the TCL Chinese Theatre (also known as Grauman’s Chinese Theatre). This cinema has been in operation since 1927 and several well-known films have premiered here.

At the door, you may find some signatures, footprints or hands carved into the concrete. If you’re curious, you can watch a film or even take a guided tour of another one of Hollywood’s most iconic buildings.

💡 EXTRA TIP: Parking in this part of Los Angeles can be challenging. I suggest parking at Ovation Hollywood, where each hour of parking costs 6 USD, totalling a maximum of 20 USD per day. If you visit the TCL Chinese Theatre, you can use the car park for up to 4 hours for 3 USD.

Are you visiting Los Angeles for the first time? Then you have to try the city’s most famous burgers! The fast food chain is called In-N-Out Burger and has existed since 1948, having been founded in California.

The options available on the menu are simple and the prices are affordable. The burger was good (not sure if worth all the hype) and I’d eat it again 😆. I’d just say to lower your expectations.

💡 EXTRA TIP: There are several restaurants in the city, but there is one relatively close to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This is the one I went to and you can find the exact location here.

Another must-visit in Los Angeles is the Griffith Observatory. Located high up, this is one of the best viewpoints over the city of Los Angeles. It’s worth a visit at any time of day, but it’s especially magical around sunset.

This is also one of the places where you can see the Hollywood sign. However, you won’t see the sign as close as you do in Lake Hollywood Park.

Although my main reason for visiting was neither the Observatory nor the Planetarium, the views are really beautiful and it’s well worth adding this point to your itinerary. If you have more time available, you could also take the opportunity to explore Griffith Park, which is nearby.

📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: You don’t have to pay to visit the Observatory building and its exterior. However, you do have to pay for the car park (if you go by car, there aren’t many other options besides this). You also have to pay to visit the Samuel Oschin Planetarium. More information here.

The day may be ending, but there are still a few iconic Los Angeles locations left to visit. The first is Venice Beach, which is also famous for its relaxed atmosphere and has appeared in many films and series.

This is an area quite unlike anything you’ve seen so far in Los Angeles and the best way to enjoy it is to take a stroll along the Venice Beach Boardwalk by the beach. Generally, this is a great place to watch the sunset and, weather permitting, to go to the beach.

However, when I visited, it was cold and foggy, which meant I couldn’t enjoy Venice Beach as much. Even so, a stroll along the seafront is always pleasant, not least because there are several small shops along the way.

Finally, head for Santa Monica Pier. Also located by the sea, at Santa Monica Pier you’ll find a colourful amusement park called Pacific Park! Built in 1922, the park was closed for several years until it reopened at the end of the 90s.

This place is also known for marking the end of Route 66. In fact, there’s even a sign informing you of the end of this emblematic road in the United States.

Entry to the site is free, but there is a fee for the attractions. There are also a few restaurants and cafés scattered around Santa Monica Pier.

This is also a favourite spot for watching the sunset in Los Angeles.

Although Los Angeles isn’t one of those cities that most people fall in love with, it’s still worth a visit 🥰! Discover the glamour of Hollywood, the relaxed vibe of Venice Beach or the most iconic places in Downtown LA.

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