Things to do · Los Angeles · United States
19 best things to do in Los Angeles
19 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
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Quick answer
The essential sights in Los Angeles are Griffith Observatory, Hollywood Walk of Fame and TCL Chinese Theatre and Getty Center. Of the 19 picks below, 10 are free, 9 work on a rainy day and 7 suit children. Allow about 6 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Griffith Observatory
- Free sights
- 10
- Good on a rainy day
- Getty Center
- Time to see the highlights
- 6 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Griffith Observatory | Griffith Park | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Hollywood Walk of Fame and TCL Chinese Theatre | Hollywood | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Getty Center | Brentwood | 3–4 hours | Free |
| Santa Monica Pier | Santa Monica | 2 hours | Free |
| Venice Beach Boardwalk and canals | Venice | Half a day | Free |
| Los Angeles County Museum of Art | Miracle Mile | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Walt Disney Concert Hall | Downtown LA | 1 hour | Free |
| Universal Studios Hollywood | Universal City | Full day | Expensive |
| Hollywood Sign trails | Griffith Park | 2–4 hours | Free |
| Hollywood Bowl | Hollywood | 3–4 hours | Mid-priced |
| La Brea Tar Pits | Miracle Mile | 2 hours | Low cost |
| The Broad | Downtown LA | 1.5–2 hours | Free |
| Grand Central Market | Downtown LA | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Olvera Street and El Pueblo | Downtown LA | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County | Exposition Park | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
| Little Tokyo | Downtown LA | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Petersen Automotive Museum | Miracle Mile | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens | San Marino | 3–4 hours | Mid-priced |
| Aquarium of the Pacific | Long Beach | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
The 19 best things to do
Landmark · Griffith Park
1.Griffith Observatory
On the southern slope of Mount Hollywood since 1935, Griffith Observatory has free exhibits, a planetarium with paid shows, and terraces looking over the LA basin to the ocean and up to the Hollywood Sign. On clear evenings the public telescopes are free to use.
Parking near the building fills quickly around sunset; the LADOT DASH bus from Los Feliz runs up the hill.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Views
- After dark
- Kids
- Couples
Street · Hollywood
2.Hollywood Walk of Fame and TCL Chinese Theatre
More than 2,700 brass-and-terrazzo stars line Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street. 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.
Look up a favourite star's location in the Walk of Fame's online directory first; the stars stretch for more than 2 km.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- After dark
Museum · Brentwood
3.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. 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.
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
Waterfront · Santa Monica
4.Santa Monica Pier
The 1909 pier holds Pacific Park's solar-panelled Ferris wheel and roller coaster, a carousel in the 1916 Looff Hippodrome, a small aquarium under the pier and the sign marking the end of Route 66. Wide beaches stretch away on both sides, with a bike path running south to Venice.
Rent a bike near the pier and ride the beach path south to Venice, about 3 km along the sand.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Kids
- Views
- After dark
- Free
Neighbourhood · Venice
5.Venice Beach Boardwalk and canals
Ocean Front Walk is LA at its most theatrical: street performers, murals, the outdoor gym at Muscle Beach and a skate park on the sand. 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.
Walk the boardwalk in the late morning, then cut inland to the canals and Abbot Kinney Boulevard for lunch.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
- Food
Museum · Miracle Mile
6.Los Angeles County Museum of Art
LACMA's encyclopaedic collection runs from ancient and Islamic art to Latin American and contemporary work on Wilshire Boulevard's Museum Row. 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.
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
Architecture · Downtown LA
7.Walt Disney Concert Hall
Frank Gehry's curving stainless-steel concert hall, opened in 2003, is home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic. 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.
Book an LA Phil concert to hear the hall's acoustics; in summer the orchestra moves outdoors to the Hollywood Bowl.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Architecture
- Free
- Iconic
- After dark
Theme park · Universal City
8.Universal Studios Hollywood
The working film studio's theme park combines the Studio Tour tram ride through real backlots with rides in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Super Nintendo World. It sits in the hills above the Universal City/Studio City Metro station, with a free shuttle up from the station.
Arrive before opening and head straight for the most popular rides, then take the Studio Tour later when its queue eases.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Buy dated tickets online in advance; express passes are worth considering on summer and holiday weekends.
- Kids
- Iconic
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Nature · Griffith Park
1.Hollywood Sign trails
The Hollywood Sign stands on Mount Lee in Griffith Park, one of the largest urban parks in the United States. 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.
Hike early in the morning, carry plenty of water and stay on marked trails; there is little shade and rattlesnakes live in the park.
- Time needed
- 2–4 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Outdoors
- Active
- Views
- Free
- Iconic
Experience · Hollywood
2.Hollywood Bowl
The open-air amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills, with its concentric band-shell arches, hosts the LA Philharmonic's summer season, film-with-orchestra nights and pop concerts. Picnics are part of the tradition, and many events allow you to bring wine.
Bring a picnic and arrive early to eat in the grounds; park-and-ride shuttles avoid the slow exit from the stacked parking.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Popular summer concerts sell out; book on the official site soon after the season is announced.
- After dark
- Couples
- Iconic
Museum · Miracle Mile
3.La Brea Tar Pits
In Hancock Park, natural asphalt seeps have trapped animals for tens of thousands of years, and scientists still recover mammoth, sabre-toothed cat and dire wolf fossils. The museum shows reconstructed skeletons and a glass-walled fossil lab, while the Lake Pit with its life-size mammoth models can be seen free from the park.
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
Eli and Edythe Broad's contemporary art museum on Grand Avenue, opened in 2015 behind a honeycomb-like concrete veil, shows works by Warhol, Lichtenstein, Basquiat, Koons and Kusama. General admission is free, and Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room is a short timed experience inside.
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
- Book ahead
- Free timed-entry reservations are released in advance and go fast for weekends; a standby line is available but can be long.
- Free
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Market · Downtown LA
5.Grand Central Market
Open since 1917 on Broadway, Grand Central Market's food hall mixes long-running Mexican stalls selling carnitas and pupusas with newer counters for egg sandwiches, ramen and falafel. Across Hill Street, the little Angels Flight funicular climbs to Bunker Hill.
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
Historic site · Downtown LA
6.Olvera Street and El Pueblo
Olvera Street, in El Pueblo de Los Ángeles near the city's 1781 founding site, is a brick lane of Mexican market stalls, taquito stands and historic buildings including the Avila Adobe, the oldest surviving house in Los Angeles. Union Station's Mission Revival concourse is across the street.
Eat taquitos with avocado sauce at one of the long-running stands, then walk through Union Station's grand waiting room.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Food
- Shopping
Museum · Exposition Park
7.Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
In Exposition Park south of Downtown, the Natural History Museum has a dinosaur hall with a growth series of T. rex skeletons, the Becoming Los Angeles gallery on the city's history, and seasonal butterfly and spider pavilions. The California Science Center, with free general admission, is next door.
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
8.Little Tokyo
One of the few remaining historic Japantowns in the United States, Little Tokyo has ramen and sushi counters, mochi shops in Japanese Village Plaza and the Japanese American National Museum, which tells the story of Japanese American incarceration during the Second World War.
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
9.Petersen Automotive Museum
Wrapped in a red-and-steel ribbon facade on Wilshire Boulevard, the Petersen tells the story of car culture in a city built around the automobile, with Hollywood film cars, hot rods and supercars across three floors.
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
Garden · San Marino
10.The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens
The Huntington's themed gardens — Japanese, Chinese, desert and rose — spread over about 50 hectares next to Pasadena, alongside an art collection that includes Gainsborough's The Blue Boy and a library holding a Gutenberg Bible.
Plan a full morning; the Desert Garden and the Chinese Garden of Flowing Fragrance are the highlights for most visitors.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Weekend visits may need an advance timed ticket; check the official site before going.
- Art
- Couples
- Outdoors
- Off the beaten path
- Nature
Aquarium · Long Beach
11.Aquarium of the Pacific
On the Long Beach waterfront, about 40 km south of Downtown, the Aquarium of the Pacific covers Pacific habitats from Southern California kelp forests to tropical reefs, with sea otters, a shark lagoon with touch pools and a lorikeet aviary.
Take the Metro A Line from Downtown LA to its southern end in Long Beach, then walk about 15 minutes to the waterfront.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Getty Center, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, La Brea Tar Pits and The Broad |
| History | Hollywood Walk of Fame and TCL Chinese Theatre, La Brea Tar Pits, Grand Central Market and Olvera Street and El Pueblo |
| Views | Griffith Observatory, Getty Center, Santa Monica Pier and Hollywood Sign trails |
| Outdoors and nature | Venice Beach Boardwalk and canals, Hollywood Sign trails, La Brea Tar Pits and Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County |
| Food and markets | Venice Beach Boardwalk and canals, Grand Central Market, Olvera Street and El Pueblo and Little Tokyo |
| After dark | Griffith Observatory, Hollywood Walk of Fame and TCL Chinese Theatre, Santa Monica Pier and Los Angeles County Museum of Art |
| With children | Griffith Observatory, Santa Monica Pier, La Brea Tar Pits and Universal Studios Hollywood |
| On a rainy day | Getty Center, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, La Brea Tar Pits and The Broad |
What to book ahead
- 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.
- The Broad: Free timed-entry reservations are released in advance and go fast for weekends; a standby line is available but can be long.
- The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens: Weekend visits may need an advance timed ticket; check the official site before going.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Los Angeles?
Griffith Observatory. On the southern slope of Mount Hollywood since 1935, Griffith Observatory has free exhibits, a planetarium with paid shows, and terraces looking over the LA basin to the ocean and up to the Hollywood Sign.
+What can you do for free in Los Angeles?
Griffith Observatory, Hollywood Walk of Fame and TCL Chinese Theatre, Getty Center, Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach Boardwalk and canals. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Los Angeles when it rains?
Head indoors to Getty Center, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, La Brea Tar Pits and The Broad.
+What is there to do in Los Angeles at night?
Griffith Observatory, Hollywood Walk of Fame and TCL Chinese Theatre, Santa Monica Pier and Los Angeles County Museum of Art are best after dark.