Los Angeles travel guide

Plan your trip, step by step

• Where to stay
  Choose which side of the region to base on, and a hotel vs a rental.
• Things to do
  Decide which studio tour, theme park and museum tickets to pre-book.
• Los Angeles in 3 days
  Follow a plan grouped by geography — beach, Hollywood/Griffith, Downtown — so traffic doesn’t eat the trip.
• Estimate your trip cost
  See what an LA trip costs and set your style.
• First-timer mistakes to avoid
  Sidestep the errors that trip up first-time LA visitors.
• Los Angeles on a budget
  See what a lean, comfortable or generous day really costs.

The neighborhoods at a glance

Santa Monica

Known for the pier and Ferris wheel, a genuinely walkable beach downtown, and the western end of the Metro E Line into the rest of the city.

Venice

Known for the boardwalk and skate park, the quiet canals a few blocks behind them, and Abbot Kinney Boulevard’s shops and restaurants.

West Hollywood

Known for the Sunset Strip, design-forward hotels, LGBTQ+ nightlife along Santa Monica Boulevard, and a compact, walkable street grid.

Hollywood

Known for the Walk of Fame and TCL Chinese Theatre, the B Line subway, and quick access to Universal Studios and Griffith Park.

Downtown LA (DTLA)

Known for The Broad and Walt Disney Concert Hall, Grand Central Market, Little Tokyo and Olvera Street — plus the region’s main transit hub at Union Station.

Silver Lake & Los Feliz

Known for the Eastside’s café-and-vintage-shop life, Griffith Observatory on the hill above, and where a lot of young LA actually hangs out.

Deciding where to base yourself? The where-to-stay guide turns these areas into a lodging decision.

When to go — month by month

Average daytime high (bars) and rainy days per month, from 5-year climate normals. Greener months are the most comfortable to visit.

Best months to visit: Jan–May

Destinations with a similar climate

Like Los Angeles’s weather? These places have the closest year-round climate in our data — tap through for each one’s best time to visit.

• Tel Aviv →
• Malaga →
• Fes →
• Petra →
• Casablanca →
• Rhodes →

Know before you go

Currency

US dollar ($). Cards and phone payments work everywhere; tipping 18–20% at sit-down restaurants is expected, and sales tax and hotel taxes are always added at checkout, never shown in the listed price.

From the airport

LAX sits ~15–18 miles southwest of Hollywood and Downtown. The LAX/Metro Transit Center connects the C and K rail lines to every terminal via a free shuttle; the FlyAway bus runs nonstop to Union Station for $12.75; taxis charge a flat rate (around $46.50 plus surcharge) to Downtown; rideshares pick up at the LAX-it lot and typically run $35–70 depending on surge.

Getting around

More of LA is transit-doable than its reputation suggests: the B Line subway links Downtown, Hollywood and Universal, and the E Line runs Santa Monica to Downtown. A $1.75 TAP fare caps at $5/day and $18/week. But Malibu, the canyons and Disneyland want a car — many visitors mix a car-free city day or two with a rental-car day.

Best time

March–May and September–November are the sweet spots. May–June mornings bring the overcast marine layer locals call “June Gloom” — gray beach mornings that usually burn off by afternoon. September–October is the hottest stretch inland; December–February is mild with occasional rain. The ocean is cold year-round.

Museum closed days

The gotcha that ruins itineraries: the Getty Center, The Broad and Griffith Observatory close Mondays, the Academy Museum closes Tuesdays, and LACMA closes Wednesdays. Build museum days around the pattern, not the other way around.

Driving & parking

Traffic peaks roughly 7–10am and 3–7pm; schedule cross-town moves outside those windows. Hotel parking is rarely free — valet or self-park commonly adds $40–70/night on the Westside — and metered street parking rules are strictly enforced. Read every sign.

For the best months to visit and a day-by-day plan, see Los Angeles in 3 days.