2 days in Los Angeles

Day by day

1. Day 1: Griffith Observatory and Hollywood Sign trails

   Griffith Observatory, Hollywood Sign trails, Hollywood Walk of Fame and TCL Chinese Theatre and Getty Center, then Santa Monica Pier in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Griffith Observatory

      On clear evenings the public telescopes are free to use.

   2. Late morning

      Hollywood Sign trails

      You cannot reach the letters themselves, but trails such as the Mount Hollywood Trail from the observatory and the Brush Canyon Trail give close views of the sign and panoramas across the basin.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Tacos al pastor

      Taco trucks across East LA, Boyle Heights and South LA, many parked in the same spot every evening.

   4. Afternoon

      Hollywood Walk of Fame and TCL Chinese Theatre

      Outside the TCL Chinese Theatre, opened in 1927, the forecourt holds celebrity handprints and footprints set in cement, and the Dolby Theatre, home of the Oscars, is next door.

   5. Late afternoon

      Getty Center

      A driverless tram climbs from the car park at the foot of the hill, and the terraces look out over the city to the Pacific. Admission is free; parking is charged.

   6. Evening

      Santa Monica Pier

      Rent a bike near the pier and ride the beach path south to Venice, about 3 km along the sand.

2. Day 2: Venice Beach Boardwalk and canals and Los Angeles County Museum of Art

   Venice Beach Boardwalk and canals, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Walt Disney Concert Hall and Universal Studios Hollywood, then Hollywood Bowl in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Venice Beach Boardwalk and canals

      A few blocks inland, the Venice Canals are a quiet grid of footbridges and gardens, all that remains of Abbot Kinney's 1905 plan to recreate Venice in California.

   2. Late morning

      Los Angeles County Museum of Art

      Two outdoor pieces are free to see: Chris Burden's Urban Light, a grid of 202 restored street lamps, and Michael Heizer's Levitated Mass, a giant granite boulder suspended over a walkway.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: French dip sandwich

      Philippe the Original, near Union Station and Olvera Street.

   4. Afternoon

      Walt Disney Concert Hall

      Even without a ticket you can climb the exterior stairs to the public rooftop garden, and free self-guided audio tours of the lobby are offered on many days.

   5. Late afternoon

      Universal Studios Hollywood

      It sits in the hills above the Universal City/Studio City Metro station, with a free shuttle up from the station.

   6. Evening

      Hollywood Bowl

      Bring a picnic and arrive early to eat in the grounds; park-and-ride shuttles avoid the slow exit from the stacked parking.

Before you go

• Universal Studios Hollywood: Buy dated tickets online in advance; express passes are worth considering on summer and holiday weekends.
• Hollywood Bowl: Popular summer concerts sell out; book on the official site soon after the season is announced.

If it rains

• Swap in La Brea Tar Pits (Miracle Mile): Walk the park first: the Lake Pit and the outdoor excavation areas are free to see before you decide on a museum ticket.
• Swap in The Broad (Downtown LA): Afterwards, cross Grand Avenue to the Walt Disney Concert Hall and climb to its public rooftop garden.
• Swap in Grand Central Market (Downtown LA): Ride Angels Flight up to Bunker Hill afterwards; from the top it is a short walk to The Broad and the Concert Hall.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 25–35 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9.9 hours in December to 14.4 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Metro. Metro rail's B Line links Downtown with Hollywood and Universal City, the E Line runs from Downtown to Santa Monica via Exposition Park, the A Line reaches Pasadena and Long Beach, and the D Line serves Koreatown.

More or fewer days

• One day in Los Angeles
• 3 days in Los Angeles
• 4 days in Los Angeles
• 5 days in Los Angeles
• 7 days in Los Angeles

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