No. 01 · Landmark
Griffith Observatory
Free planetarium with the city's best skyline view
A 1935 art-deco observatory perched on Mount Hollywood with free telescopes, exhibits, and a sweeping view from the Hollywood Sign to the Pacific.
Read more →United States
Los Angeles
Sunshine, studios, and 75 miles of coast
Explore California →Equal parts beach town, movie set, and sprawling suburb. LA rewards travelers who pick two or three neighborhoods and skip the rest.
When to go
March–May and September–November have warm days, cool nights, and the lightest crowds.
Getting around
You'll want a car. The Metro covers Hollywood, downtown, and Santa Monica, but neighborhoods are spread out.
Los Angeles highlights
Don't miss
The top places to start with if you only have a day or two — the essentials before you go deeper.
No. 02 · Attraction
Santa Monica Pier
Route 66 ends at a Ferris wheel over the Pacific
The original 1909 pleasure pier with a solar-powered Ferris wheel, an aquarium, and three miles of beach in either direction.
Read more →No. 03 · Museum
The Getty Center
A hilltop museum with free admission and a tram ride up
Richard Meier's travertine campus holds European paintings, photography, and gardens — all reached by a driverless tram from the parking garage.
Read more →Things to do in Los Angeles
4 hand-picked
A curated mix of landmarks, neighborhoods, and museums worth your time in Los Angeles, United States — grouped by type below.
Landmark
1 place
Attraction
1 place
Museum
1 place
Where to stay
1 place
Where to stay in Los Angeles
4 neighborhoods
LA is spread out — base yourself on the Westside or in Hollywood and accept the drives.
Santa Monica
Beach, pier, walkable downtown
Best for: A first LA trip with the ocean at your door
West Hollywood
Design hotels, nightlife, Sunset Strip
Best for: Foodies and night owls
Venice
Canals, Abbot Kinney boutiques, boardwalk
Best for: Creative travelers
Silver Lake
Indie coffee, vintage shops, reservoir walks
Best for: Repeat visitors after the Eastside
A 3-day itinerary, your way
If you only have a long weekend in Los Angeles.
Day 1
Beach & Boardwalk
Breakfast in Santa Monica, bike the path to Venice, lunch on Abbot Kinney, sunset from Santa Monica Pier.
Day 2
Hollywood Heights
Getty Center at opening, lunch in WeHo, Griffith Observatory for sunset and stargazing.
Day 3
Eastside & Downtown
Brunch in Silver Lake, Grand Central Market downtown, afternoon at the Broad museum, dinner on Sunset.