Rainy day · Los Angeles · United States
8 things to do in Los Angeles when it rains
Indoor sights that make a wet day feel planned rather than lost.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Start with Getty Center, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and La Brea Tar Pits. Together the 8 picks below take roughly 16–20 hours across 4 areas; 3 are free. January is usually the wettest month, with about 6 rainy days.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 8
- Free entry
- 3
- Time to see them all
- 16–20 hours
- Areas
- Brentwood, Miracle Mile and Downtown LA
Los Angeles on a rainy day
Museum · Brentwood
1.Getty Center
Visit on a clear afternoon and stay for sunset from the west-facing terraces and the cactus garden.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Views
- Architecture
- Iconic
- Rainy day
Museum · Miracle Mile
2.Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Come at dusk to see Urban Light switch on, then walk next door to the La Brea Tar Pits.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- After dark
- Iconic
- Rainy day
Museum · Miracle Mile
3.La Brea Tar Pits
Walk the park first: the Lake Pit and the outdoor excavation areas are free to see before you decide on a museum ticket.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- History
- Nature
- Rainy day
Gallery · Downtown LA
4.The Broad
Afterwards, cross Grand Avenue to the Walt Disney Concert Hall and climb to its public rooftop garden.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Market · Downtown LA
5.Grand Central Market
Ride Angels Flight up to Bunker Hill afterwards; from the top it is a short walk to The Broad and the Concert Hall.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Food
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · Exposition Park
6.Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Pair it with the California Science Center and the rose garden between them; the Metro E Line stops right outside.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
- Nature
Neighbourhood · Downtown LA
7.Little Tokyo
Visit the Japanese American National Museum first, then queue for ramen at one of the shops nearby.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Food
- History
- Shopping
- Rainy day
Museum · Miracle Mile
8.Petersen Automotive Museum
Car fans should book the guided Vault tour, which shows rarely displayed vehicles from the collection.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Rainy day
- Kids
- History
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Brentwood | Getty Center | 3–4 hours |
| Miracle Mile | Los Angeles County Museum of Art, La Brea Tar Pits and Petersen Automotive Museum | 2–3 hours + 2 hours + 2 hours |
| Downtown LA | The Broad, Grand Central Market and Little Tokyo | 1.5–2 hours + 1 hour + 2–3 hours |
| Exposition Park | Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County | 2–3 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 8, 3 free, 3 low cost, 2 mid-priced. Book ahead for The Broad. The longest visit is Getty Center; group the rest by area to save travel time.
- The Broad: Free timed-entry reservations are released in advance and go fast for weekends; a standby line is available but can be long.
How to fit them into 5 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Brentwood): Getty Center, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Miracle Mile): Los Angeles County Museum of Art → La Brea Tar Pits, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Miracle Mile and Downtown LA): Petersen Automotive Museum → The Broad, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 4 (Downtown LA): Grand Central Market → Little Tokyo, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 5 (Exposition Park): Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, at least 2 hours.
The wettest months
- January: highs of 20°C (68°F), about 6 rainy days, moderate crowds. Mild, sunny days and cool nights, with the year's wettest spells; occasional storms bring heavy rain and snow on the San Gabriel Mountains.
- February: highs of 21°C (70°F), about 6 rainy days, moderate crowds. Similar to January, with green hills after rain and some of the clearest days for views from Griffith Observatory.
- March: highs of 22°C (72°F), about 5 rainy days, moderate crowds. Warming days, wildflowers on the hillsides and fewer visitors than in summer; a good month for hiking.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Downtown LA — Grand Avenue museums, historic movie palaces and the Arts District's warehouses
- Beverly Hills — Rodeo Drive, grand old hotels and palm-lined residential streets
More of Los Angeles
All things to do in Los Angeles · Where to stay · When to go.
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Los Angeles?
Getty Center. Richard Meier's travertine-clad hilltop campus holds European paintings including Van Gogh's Irises, plus photography, sculpture and decorative arts, and Robert Irwin's Central Garden.
+Which of these are free in Los Angeles?
Getty Center, The Broad and Little Tokyo.