Pass The Passport

Places / North & Central America / United States

Los Angeles

Visited in August 2014

At a glance

Region
Los Angeles County
Population
3.9 million
Best time to go
March to May, September to November
Main airport
Los Angeles International (LAX)
Coordinates
34.05°N, 118.24°W

Country visited City visited Still to go Click a pin or country to read more. Zoom with + and −, a double-click or a pinch.

Overview

Los Angeles is less a city than a sprawl of very different neighbourhoods strung between the mountains and the Pacific. Beach towns, hillside canyons, film studios and a revived downtown each feel like their own place.

Plan around geography rather than trying to see it all: pick a couple of areas a day and you'll spend more time eating tacos and watching the sunset than sitting in traffic. The weather is reliably kind for most of the year.

Things to see

  • Getty Center
    Photo: Jelson25, Public domain

    Getty Center

    Hilltop galleries of European art, travertine architecture and gardens, with views from the ocean to downtown.

  • Griffith Observatory
    Photo: Matthew Field, CC BY 2.5

    Griffith Observatory

    Free telescopes, a planetarium and the classic view of the Hollywood Sign, best at sunset.

  • Santa Monica Pier
    Photo: web4camguy, CC BY-SA 2.0

    Santa Monica Pier

    The century-old pier with its funfair and Ferris wheel marks the end of Route 66.

  • Hollywood Walk of Fame
    Photo: Fabio Achilli from Milano, Italy, CC BY 2.0

    Hollywood Walk of Fame

    Thousands of brass stars along Hollywood Boulevard, outside the TCL Chinese Theatre's handprints.

  • LACMA
    Photo: Gunnar Klack, CC BY-SA 4.0

    LACMA

    The largest art museum in the western US, with Chris Burden's forest of streetlamps outside.

    Tickets and tours
  • The Broad
    Photo: Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0

    The Broad

    A honeycomb-clad downtown museum of contemporary art, next to the gleaming Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Things to do

Where to stay

Getting around

A car makes life easiest, but ride-hailing apps work well and the Metro rail network links downtown, Hollywood, Santa Monica and Pasadena. Allow plenty of time for traffic.

LAX is around 30 to 60 minutes from downtown or Santa Monica by car, depending heavily on traffic. The FlyAway bus runs to Union Station downtown.

When to go

Spring and autumn are warm and clear, and less crowded than summer. June often brings grey coastal mornings, while late summer and autumn are the hottest. Winters are mild with occasional rain.

Plan your trip to Los Angeles

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Guide last checked October 2026. Opening times and prices change, so check before you go.

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