United States · Region
Los Angeles
Photo: Foursquare user content (Los Angeles County Museum of Art)
Los Angeles sprawls across nearly 500 square miles of Southern California, stitching together Hollywood glamour, Pacific beaches, and a staggering mix of cultures into one endlessly diffuse metropolis. It's a city built for cars and dreamers alike, where studio backlots, taco stands, and hiking trails in the hills can all feel like part of the same afternoon.
Top attractions
attraction Griffith Observatory: Los Angeles Travel Guide
Griffith Observatory, perched on the southern slope of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park, is free to enter and open Tuesday–Sunday afternoons into the evening (closed Mondays); the planetarium show and parking are the only things you pay for.
attraction Hollyhock House: Los Angeles Travel Guide (4.5★)
Hollyhock House, Frank Lloyd Wright's 1921 residence for oilwoman Aline Barnsdall, sits atop Barnsdall Art Park in East Hollywood and is only open Thursday through Saturday, 11am–4pm. 4.5★ (663 reviews) — what visitors say, hours, and tips.
attraction Hollywood Walk of Fame: Los Angeles Travel Guide
Walk Hollywood Boulevard between La Brea and Vine (with a detour down Vine to Sunset) any time — it's open 24/7 — but go between 7am and 10am on weekdays or 7–9am on weekends to see the terrazzo stars without wading through crowds.
attraction Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden: Travel Guide
The LA County Arboretum in Arcadia is a 127-acre botanic garden with peacocks roaming free, a historic Queen Anne cottage, and a lagoon that doubled as the "Fantasy Island" lagoon. 4.8★ (5,635 reviews) — what visitors say, hours, and tips.
attraction Los Angeles County Museum of Art: Travel Guide (4.6★)
LACMA sprawls across 20 acres on Wilshire Boulevard, anchored by the Broad Contemporary Art Museum and the iconic Urban Light lamppost installation out. 4.6★ (21,123 reviews) — what visitors say, hours, and tips.
attraction Santa Monica Pier: Los Angeles Travel Guide
Santa Monica Pier is the wooden landmark at the western end of Route 66, home to Pacific Park's Ferris wheel, an arcade, a small aquarium, and a strip of sea-facing snack stands.
attraction The Getty: Los Angeles Travel Guide (4.8★)
The Getty Center in Brentwood is free to enter (you only pay for parking), open Tuesday–Sunday, and best tackled in a half to full day. 4.8★ (37,386 reviews) — what visitors say, hours, and tips.
attraction Wilmington Waterfront Park: Los Angeles Travel Guide (4.4★)
Wilmington Waterfront Park is a 30-acre green space along the Wilmington waterfront, open daily 5am–11pm, best visited in the early morning or late afternoon when the light softens the industrial skyline and the playgrounds are quieter. 4.4★ (1,577 reviews) — what visitors say, hours, and tips.
Trendy & cafés
trendy Bad Roman in Los Angeles
Bad Roman is a maximalist, see-and-be-seen Italian restaurant from Quality Branded Hospitality (the team behind Don Angie and Zou Zou's) in Beverly Hills, instantly recognizable by its glowing neon-orange snake motif and theatrical, over-the-top dining room.
trendy Broken Mouth: Los Angeles Travel Guide
Broken Mouth in Los Angeles, United States — a new/trending spot: what it is, where it is, and how to visit.
trendy Jacaranda: Los Angeles Travel Guide
Jacaranda in Los Angeles, United States — a new/trending spot: what it is, where it is, and how to visit.
trendy Mish Delicatessen: Los Angeles Travel Guide
Mish Delicatessen in Los Angeles, United States — a new/trending spot: what it is, where it is, and how to visit.
trendy Régalade: Los Angeles Travel Guide
Régalade in Los Angeles, United States — a new/trending spot: what it is, where it is, and how to visit.
trendy SushiSamba: Los Angeles Travel Guide
SushiSamba in Los Angeles, United States — a new/trending spot: what it is, where it is, and how to visit.
trendy Urth Caffe: Los Angeles Travel Guide
This location of Urth Caffè sits in the Arts District at 459 S Hewitt St, a bright, plant-draped café known for organic coffee, oversized pastry cases, and a patio that's usually packed.
Where to eat
restaurant Crossroads Kitchen: Where to Eat in Los Angeles (4.6★)
Crossroads Kitchen is a chef-driven vegan restaurant on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood, known for Italian-leaning plant-based dishes, craft cocktails, and a dining room that feels more like an upscale Italian bistro than a health-food café. 4.6★ (2,302 reviews) — what visitors say, hours, and tips.
restaurant Eggslut: Where to Eat in Los Angeles (4.4★)
Eggslut is the egg-sandwich stall inside Grand Central Market at 317 S Broadway in Downtown LA, open daily 8am–2pm only — this is breakfast/brunch, not an all-day option. 4.4★ (4,748 reviews) — what visitors say, hours, and tips.
restaurant Firstborn: Where to Eat in Los Angeles
Firstborn is a seasonal Chinese-American tasting-menu restaurant in Los Angeles's Chinatown from chef-owner Anthony Wang, and it came in at #2 on Yelp's 2026 Best New Restaurants list.
restaurant Lielle: Where to Eat in Los Angeles
Lielle in Los Angeles, United States — a new/trending spot: what it is, where it is, and how to visit.
Hidden gems
hidden gem Broken Mouth: Lee's Homestyle: Los Angeles Travel Guide
Broken Mouth: Lee's Homestyle in Los Angeles, United States — a new/trending spot: what it is, where it is, and how to visit.
hidden gem El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument: Los Angeles Travel Guide
El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument is the 44-acre birthplace of the city, anchored by Olvera Street's market stalls, just steps from Union Station in downtown LA. 4.5★ (1,529 reviews) — what visitors say, hours, and tips.
hidden gem Grand Central Market: Los Angeles Travel Guide (4.5★)
Grand Central Market is a 1917 food hall on Broadway in Downtown LA, packed with dozens of vendors from tacos to ramen to fresh oysters. 4.5★ (37,031 reviews) — what visitors say, hours, and tips.
hidden gem Old Los Angeles Zoo: Travel Guide (4.6★)
The Old Los Angeles Zoo is a free, open-air ruin site inside Griffith Park where you can walk right into the cracked, graffiti-layered concrete grottoes that housed animals from 1912 until the zoo closed in 1966. 4.6★ (1,513 reviews) — what visitors say, hours, and tips.
hidden gem The Last Bookstore: Los Angeles Travel Guide (4.7★)
The Last Bookstore sits inside a converted 1914 bank building at 453 S Spring St in Downtown LA's Historic Core — come for the spiral book tunnel, the vault-turned-horror-room, and floors of used and new titles. 4.7★ (12,885 reviews) — what visitors say, hours, and tips.
Top-rated things to do in Los Angeles
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Where to stay in Los Angeles
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Plan your trip to Los Angeles
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Frequently asked questions about Los Angeles
How do I get to Los Angeles?
Most travellers fly into Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), the region's main gateway; from there, the LAX/Metro Transit Center connects to the Metro Rail's C and K Lines via a free shuttle, while the FlyAway bus service links directly to Union Station downtown. Ride-hailing and rental cars remain the most common way to reach specific neighborhoods once you've landed, given the city's spread-out layout.
How many days should I spend in Los Angeles?
Plan on at least ~4-5 days to sample a handful of distinct neighborhoods (like Downtown, Hollywood, and the Westside beaches) without spending all your time in transit.
What is Los Angeles known for?
Los Angeles sprawls across nearly 500 square miles of Southern California, stitching together Hollywood glamour, Pacific beaches, and a staggering mix of cultures into one endlessly diffuse metropolis. It's a city built for cars and dreamers alike, where studio backlots, taco stands, and hiking trails in the hills can all feel like part of the same afternoon.