Los Angeles: A Travel Guide

If you caught my last post, you got a pretty detailed rundown of all of the things Jeremy and I did during our trip to Los Angeles in September.

Today, I wanted to share a cleaned-up post with some suggestions for places to visit and things to do, and some of our best tips for a first-time visit to this bustling city!

The list of locations below are a mix of what we experienced as well as what was recommended to us by family and friends who have been to (or live in) Los Angeles that we had on our bucket list but were unable to make it to. Those that we can personally attest to are marked with an asterisk (*) – should you have questions or want to know more!

Things to Do in Los Angeles

Sightseeing + Experiences

Chinese Theatre* – Set in the middle of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, several beloved Hollywood stars leave their handprints, footprints, and signatures in the cement in front of the building.
Disneyland* – Only the most magical place on earth! Get there early, stay there late, and make sure you download the app for a map, wait times, and to use your fast pass if you’ve got one!
Dodger Stadium – This stadium is so massive, it has its own zip code! We passed by it several times and could tell it’d be an incredible place to watch a baseball game.
Elysian Park* – Not too far from Dodger Stadium, this national park overlooks the 110 freeway and has stunning views at every turn. If you’re feeling adventures, put on your walking shoes and make the hike up to the Elysian Park Swing for an even more surreal experience.
Griffith Park Observatory* – The grounds of the observatory are a great spot to get a clear view of the Hollywood sign (but be warned, it’s still pretty far away). If you’ve got some time and energy to burn, you can also hike right up to the sign. You can also stop into the observatory itself and check out the exhibits for free!
Guided Tours – We didn’t get around to going on any guided tours, but we usually love to take one on our trips to get a better lay of the land and learn some of its history. There are several tours offered in Los Angeles – from celebrity homes to haunted hotels and more. You can also save some money by doing a self-guided walking tour.
Hollywood Walk of Fame* – If you’re in Hollywood, you can’t not make a stop to the walk of fame. A simple Google search can help you locate the address of a specific star, if you’re on the hunt for a favorite celebrity!
Museum of Jurassic Technology – We were really hoping to make it to this museum, which is filled with “a mixture of artistic, scientific, ethnographic, and historic items, as well as some unclassifiable exhibits.” (Read more here.) Sounds so fun!
Olvera Street* — Known as the “birthplace of Los Angeles” this street is just a few blocks of shops and stands full of Mexican art, food, and music. There are some restaurants and historic stops, too, including the oldest house in Los Angeles.
OUE Skyspace* – Set atop the OUE Skyspace on the top of the U.S. Bank Tower, this open-air rooftop offers 360° views of the city from behind glass windows.
Santa Monica Pier* – A short drive from Los Angeles, this pier is bustling with shops, restaurants, small rides, and street performers. You can take in views of the pacific ocean from the pier, or walk the stretch of beautiful beach.
Sunset Strip* – This stretch of Sunset Boulevard is brimming with some of LA’s most well-known establishments – including Whisky A Go Go, The Comedy Store, Johnny Depp’s Viper Room, Mel’s Drive-In, The Roxy, Rainbow Bar, and more. It’s only 1.5 miles long, but expect to spend a whole afternoon or evening here, as there are so many places to stop into as you go.
The Broad Art Museum* – This is far and away one of the best art museums we’ve ever stopped into (and we’ve visited a lot in our travels). It’s brimming with pieces from well-known artists, the building itself is a work of art, and you even get to peek into their storage room at art that’s not currently on display as you’re leaving.
The Comedy Store – This comedy club has hosted some of the most well-known comedians in the world, and we’d love to attend a show there next time!
Universal Studios Hollywood* – Definitely plan a whole day here, and prepare to have a ton of fun. We loved every minute at Universal!

Food + Drinks

Here’s a list of the restaurants and breweries we most wanted to visit! I’m amazed in looking at this now, how many we were able to try. Note that all of the restaurants listed are vegan-friendly!

Shopping

There’s no shortage of places to shop – whether you find yourself at a mall, on a stretch of street full of local boutiques, or at a pop-up farmers market. But here are some of the “hot spots” to shop around the city that we heard of or visited.

Public Art

Much like with shopping, you’ll see public art around every corner while in Los Angeles. Here’s some of the art that visitors will purposely seek out, though, for those Instagram-perfect shots!

Check out this article for more of LA’s most photo-worthy spots.

Flights + Hotels

Here’s what we can attest to when it comes to getting to, and staying in, Los Angeles.

Airbnb* – We stayed at a small guesthouse Airbnb in the Los Feliz/Silver Lake area, and highly, highly recommend this part of the city if you’re looking for a central location. Keep in mind that, if you’re looking to save money and focus on experiences, you can likely go with a smaller and more affordable place to leave your bags and catch some Zzz’s, since you’ll probably rarely be there!
Hotel Pepper Tree* – This is where we stayed in Anaheim while we were visiting Disneyland. This hotel was really cute, clean, and only about ten minutes away from the park. It had a small pool and giant rooms (including balconies and kitchens)!
Hyatt Regency Long Beach* – This was an ideal hotel for our time in Long Beach, as it was practically connected to the building where my conference was held and very close to the pier and shopping, too. The exterior, lobby, pool, and grounds were gorgeous, but the room was a bit outdated. They did have signage posted that they were in the midst of renovations, so it’ll probably feel way more up to par in 2020!
Southwest Airlines* – This is forever our favorite airline and we can’t recommend them enough! We’ve had nothing but good experiences with Southwest and go out of our way to book with them if we’re able. We flew this airline there and back out of Chicago Midway.

Our Top 10 Tips for Making the Most
of Your Visit to Los Angeles

Plan well in advance.

I had several Airbnb and flight options bookmarked many months ahead of our trip, but waited until the last minute to purchase. This caused prices to double or triple by the time I got around to booking. Book as far in advance as you’re able (at least 2-3 months, if possible) to ensure you get your top picks at the best prices! We were able to save a significant amount of money on our tickets to Universal Studios and Disneyland by booking them online in advance.

Do your research and prioritize.

There is SO much to do in and around Los Angeles, and unless you’ll be there for a few months, there’s no way you can experience it all. Take some time to really investigate what your “can’t miss” experiences are as you’re creating your bucket list, then go through and prioritize. I was told that we’d likely only get to about 25% of what we wanted to do (due to drive times, wait times, crowds, and so on), and that turned out to be pretty accurate.

Save up!

From eating, to Ubering, to purchasing necessities you forgot to pack, LA is one of the more expensive places we’ve ever travelled. You can still find plenty of deals and ways to save along the way (split meals, plan to walk or take public transport, etc.), but you may consider adding an additional 10-20% to whatever budget you have in mind for your trip.

Take advantage of free experiences.

Keep in mind, too, that there are plenty of experiences you can have for free in LA. Many of the museums, pop-ups, beaches, small festivals, historic sites, and more don’t cost a dime to explore!

Map out your days.

What a lot of online travel guides don’t tell you (or at least the ones I came across didn’t) is just how spread out everything in Los Angeles is. There are over 100 neighborhoods within the city, spread across over 500 square miles. It’s big. You may have only three things you want to accomplish in a day that are spaced just a few miles apart, but there could be several hours of drive-time in between those three things. To make things efficient, it’s so crucial to break up your plans into neighborhoods – explore the Silver Lake area one day, Hollywood the next, Beverly Hills the next, and so on. Jot down your list then start plugging locations into Google maps to get an idea of what plans you should group together. And don’t be afraid to ask your hotel concierge or Airbnb host how long they recommend you give yourself to get to the airport when it’s time to leave – depending on the day and the time of day, it could tack on an extra hour or two to your trip, especially if you’re flying out of LAX.

Plan on driving and/or riding just as much as walking.

We definitely didn’t plan to spend as much time in vehicles as we did! We’re used to being able to walk for the majority of our trips, but didn’t do nearly as much of it here. We weren’t comfortable renting a car and driving in the city on our first visit, so we used Uber and Lyft when we needed wheels. I’d say we averaged five or more Uber trips per day, easily.

Dress for the weather.

I’m not sure how so many people were able to flaunt the cute fall clothes – hats, boots, and sweaters included – while we were there, but we certainly couldn’t! Keep a close eye on the weather ahead of your trip, and pack accordingly. The days were incredibly hot while we were there, but the evenings felt a bit like fall in the Midwest, so we ended up taking mostly summer clothes with a couple of light jackets to break out at night.

Plan to be out all day long, and pack accordingly.

If you’re as on-the-go as us, you won’t be stopping back at your hotel or Airbnb to rest or grab something you forgot throughout the day. If we had to pick just a few things to take that were proven lifesavers for us, as we were out and about from the time we woke up until the time we crashed for the night, they’d be: a portable phone charger, sunglasses, sunscreen, comfortable walking shoes, and reusable water bottles.

Visit a beach.

It may seem a little out of the way to do so, but definitely consider taking even a couple of hours to visit one of LA’s nearby beaches (like the one in Santa Monica) – preferably toward the middle or end of your trip. You’ll be grateful for the breath of fresh air and a break from the bustling city. Plus, if you haven’t seen the Pacific Ocean before, it’s a must!

Go with the flow.

You never know what you’re going to get in Los Angeles. If you don’t make it to every attraction you’d hoped to see, can’t get in at a restaurant that was on your bucket-list, or get caught up in traffic for longer than you’d anticipated, it’s really important to take it all in stride. Trust us, for everything you miss or that doesn’t work out, there’s something else waiting for you just around the corner!

We hope this helps as you plan your upcoming trip to Los Angeles! If you have questions we might be able to help with, let us know. And for those who have visited (or live in) Los Angeles, feel free to add your suggestions with our readers in the comments!

xo, Aly