Battleship USS Iowa Museum
The "Battleship of Presidents" — a mighty World War II-era battleship now a museum ship at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, where you can walk the decks, tour the gun turrets, and stand on the bridge.
California
Los Angeles
Los Angeles is a sprawling, sun-soaked city of distinct worlds — Hollywood and the studios, the museums of the Miracle Mile, the beaches from Santa Monica to Venice, the hilltop Getty, and the observatory above it all.
It rewards visitors who pick a few areas rather than chasing the whole map, who build in driving time between them, and who lean into the indoor-outdoor, anything-goes culture. The weather is famously mild and sunny nearly year-round, making almost any season a good time to visit.
Don't miss
Battleship USS Iowa Museum
The "Battleship of Presidents" — a mighty World War II-era battleship now a museum ship at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, where you can walk the decks, tour the gun turrets, and stand on the bridge.
The Queen Mary
The legendary Art Deco ocean liner, permanently moored in Long Beach since 1967 — once the grandest ship afloat, now a floating museum and hotel, famous for its history, its design, and its ghost stories.
Universal Studios Hollywood
A movie-themed amusement park and working studio in one — the famous backlot Studio Tour tram, plus immersive lands and rides built around major film and TV franchises. A full-day LA highlight for families.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood
A behind-the-scenes tour of a real working Hollywood studio in Burbank — soundstages, backlot streets, iconic sets, props, and costumes from a century of beloved films and TV shows. For real movie fans.
Things to do in Los Angeles
Hand-picked: every experience here has strong traveler reviews and a verified booking link.
The Queen Mary
The legendary Art Deco ocean liner, permanently moored in Long Beach since 1967 — once the grandest ship afloat, now a floating museum and hotel, famous for its history, its design, and its ghost stories.
Universal Studios Hollywood
A movie-themed amusement park and working studio in one — the famous backlot Studio Tour tram, plus immersive lands and rides built around major film and TV franchises. A full-day LA highlight for families.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood
A behind-the-scenes tour of a real working Hollywood studio in Burbank — soundstages, backlot streets, iconic sets, props, and costumes from a century of beloved films and TV shows. For real movie fans.
FreeThe Getty Center
A spectacular hilltop art museum above Brentwood — European paintings (including Van Gogh's "Irises"), gardens, and Richard Meier's gleaming travertine architecture, reached by a tram with sweeping city views. Free admission.
3-4 hoursDetails →
FreeGriffith Observatory
The Art Deco observatory on the slopes of Mount Hollywood — free to enter, with planetarium shows, telescopes, science exhibits, and the city's most famous views of the LA basin and the Hollywood Sign.
2-3 hoursDetails →
FreeSanta Monica Pier
The iconic 1909 pier reaching into the Pacific — home to Pacific Park's solar-powered Ferris wheel, the historic carousel, the aquarium below, and the end of Route 66. Free to walk, steps from the beach.
1.5-3 hoursDetails →
FreeHollywood Walk of Fame & Boulevard
The terrazzo stars of Hollywood Boulevard, honoring entertainment legends — alongside the TCL Chinese Theatre's celebrity handprints, the Dolby Theatre (home of the Oscars), and the heart of touristy Hollywood. Free to stroll.
1-2 hoursDetails →
FreeThe Hollywood Sign
The world-famous letters on Mount Lee, standing since 1923 — best seen and photographed from a string of free viewpoints around Griffith Park, or reached on foot via the park's hiking trails.
1-3 hoursDetails →
FreeVenice Beach & Boardwalk
LA's wild, free-spirited boardwalk — street performers, artists, the original Muscle Beach outdoor gym, the skate park, and the canals nearby. A free, only-in-LA scene right on the sand.
1.5-3 hoursDetails →
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The largest art museum in the western US — a sprawling encyclopedic collection on the Miracle Mile, fronted by the Instagram-famous "Urban Light" lampposts and the giant boulder of "Levitated Mass."
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
The film world's flagship museum, from the people behind the Oscars — immersive exhibits on the art and history of moviemaking, original props and costumes, and a striking spherical building on the Miracle Mile.
Where to stay
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
$$$$The Beverly Hills Hotel
Beverly Hills
The legendary "Pink Palace" — a 1912 Beverly Hills landmark set in lush gardens, with private bungalows, the storied Polo Lounge, and a century of Hollywood glamour. The definitive Old Hollywood hotel.
Check rates →
$$$$The Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel
Beverly Hills
A grand 1928 landmark at the foot of Rodeo Drive — the "Pretty Woman" hotel — blending classic elegance with Four Seasons service, in the most central, walkable spot in Beverly Hills.
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$$$$Shutters on the Beach
Santa Monica
A beloved Cape Cod-style luxury hotel directly on the sand in Santa Monica — breezy beach-house elegance, an oceanfront pool and spa, and the rare LA hotel where you step straight onto the beach.
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$$$The Hollywood Roosevelt
Hollywood
A historic 1927 hotel on Hollywood Boulevard, host of the very first Academy Awards — Spanish Colonial glamour, the iconic Tropicana pool, and a lively scene right on the Walk of Fame.
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$$$$Sunset Tower Hotel
West Hollywood
An Art Deco icon on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood — a beautifully restored 1929 landmark with timeless glamour, a discreet celebrity following, sweeping city views, and the legendary Tower Bar.
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$$$The Hoxton, Downtown LA
Downtown LA
A stylish, design-forward hotel in a 1920s building in downtown LA — well-priced for its quality, with a buzzy rooftop pool and restaurant, and a central base for DTLA's arts, food, and nightlife revival.
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$$$Hotel Erwin
Venice
A funky, colorful boutique hotel right on the Venice Beach boardwalk — playful design, an easygoing beach vibe, and the High Rooftop Lounge with some of the best sunset ocean views in LA.
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$$$$Terranea Resort
Palos Verdes Peninsula
LA's only true oceanfront resort — 102 acres on the Palos Verdes bluffs where Catalina fills the horizon: four pools and a cliff-edge spa, the 9-hole clifftop golf links, tidepool coves below, and whales breaching past breakfast.
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$$$$The Maybourne Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills
London's Claridge family does Beverly Hills — the polished palazzo steps from Rodeo with the city's prettiest rooftop pool terrace, the Maybourne service gospel, Dante's riverside-of-the-pool aperitivos, and canyon views over the flats.
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$$$$Pendry West Hollywood
Sunset Strip / West Hollywood
The Sunset Strip's modern flag — music-box glamour on the boulevard with a rooftop pool over the city grid, Wolfgang Puck's Merois up top, a bowling-and-screening-room playground below, and the Strip's history at the curb.
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$$$$The Georgian Santa Monica
Santa Monica / Ocean Avenue
Ocean Avenue's turquoise deco jewel — the 1933 "First Lady" of Santa Monica restored to supper-club glamour: the veranda's cocktail hour over the pier and Palisades, speakeasy lore in the Sunset Bar, and the beach a crosswalk below.
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$$$The Garland
North Hollywood / Universal
The families' Universal answer — Beverly Garland's mid-century ranch-resort in North Hollywood: seven garden acres, retro-cool rooms, a free Universal trolley, pool-and-firepit evenings, and theme-park logistics without theme-park pricing.
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$$$Magic Castle Hotel
Hollywood / Franklin Village
The internet's favorite hotel — the cheerful yellow Hollywood apartment-hotel famous for the poolside Popsicle Hotline, bottomless free snacks, suite-sized rooms, and the golden ticket: guest access to the private Magic Castle club up the hill.
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$$$Hotel Figueroa
Downtown / South Park
Downtown's Spanish-Gothic survivor — the 1926 YWCA-built landmark (founded, funded, and run by women) restored with its coffin-shaped pool, mural-filled bones, Moroccan-deco salons, and the arena-and-theater district at the door.
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$$$$Santa Monica Proper
Santa Monica
Kelly Wearstler's beach-town masterwork — the 1920s landmark fused to a modern wing in sculptural plaster, travertine, and wicker, with the rooftop pool's coastline sweep, Calabra's sunset tables, and wellness-grade everything.
Check rates →The Peninsula Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills
The Beverly Hills grande dame of the modern era — a villa-style five-star hotel with a rooftop garden pool, a fleet of Rolls-Royces, an exceptional spa and service that anticipates what you want.
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$$$$Hotel Bel-Air
Bel-Air
The hidden pink hideaway in the Bel-Air canyon — twelve acres of gardens, a swan lake, a stone bridge and a quiet that feels a world away from the city.
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$$$$Casa del Mar
Santa Monica Beachfront
A 1926 Mediterranean-style beach club turned luxury hotel, steps from the sand in Santa Monica, with ocean views, a grand lobby and the Pier a short stroll away.
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$$$$The Langham Huntington Pasadena
Pasadena
A grand 1907 resort in the San Gabriel foothills — 23 acres of gardens, the Picture Bridge, a famous spa and Pasadena's Old Town and Rose Bowl a short drive away.
Check rates →Grand Californian Hotel and Spa
Disneyland Resort, Anaheim
Disneyland Resort's grand Craftsman lodge, with a private entrance to California Adventure, a soaring lobby with a fireplace, and the easiest mornings in Anaheim.
Check rates →Fairmont Miramar Hotel and Bungalows
Santa Monica
Santa Monica's historic bluff-top hotel, shaded by a giant Moreton Bay fig tree and steps from Palisades Park, the beach and Ocean Avenue.
Check rates →Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills
A sleek Art Deco-inspired tower on Wilshire, with a rooftop pool, a Jean-Georges restaurant and rooms with views across the city, a short walk from Rodeo Drive.
Check rates →Loews Hollywood Hotel
Hollywood
The Hollywood Boulevard base for first-timers — connected to Hollywood and Highland, steps from the TCL Chinese Theatre and the Walk of Fame, with a rooftop pool and city views.
Check rates →Los Angeles guides
A First-Timer's Guide to Los Angeles
Everything you need for a first trip to LA — when to come, where to stay, how to handle the distances and traffic, the essential sights, and how to plan a trip across a sprawling city.
Hollywood & the Studios: A Complete Guide
How to experience movie-land LA — the Walk of Fame, the Hollywood Sign, Griffith Observatory, studio tours, Universal Studios, and the film museums that tell the story of the movies.
LA Beaches & the Coast: A Complete Guide
A guide to Los Angeles's beaches — Santa Monica and its pier, free-spirited Venice, glamorous Malibu, the South Bay, and how to plan the perfect SoCal beach day.
Theme Parks from Los Angeles: Universal, Disneyland & More
A guide to the theme parks in and around LA — Universal Studios Hollywood, the Disneyland Resort day trip to Anaheim, Knott's Berry Farm, Six Flags, and how to plan a park day.
Los Angeles for Foodies: A Complete Guide
A guide to eating in LA — tacos and the city's legendary Mexican and Latin food, the diverse immigrant cuisines, food halls, fine dining, and the dishes every visitor should seek out.
Los Angeles with Kids: A Family Guide
The best of family LA — theme parks, the beaches and piers, science and natural history museums, the observatory, the harbor ships, and how to plan a trip that works for all ages.
