Beach
Santa Monica Pier & Beach
A wooden pier since 1909, with Pacific Park's small Ferris wheel and roller coaster over the water, and the Route 66 end-of-the-line sign. Walk the beach south before the boardwalk crowds arrive.
A hundred miles of freeway strung between surf breaks and studio backlots, where Spanish-revival bungalows sit under palm trees and the marine layer burns off by noon. Come for the beaches and the movies, stay for the tacos.
Where you'll base yourself
Santa MonicaBeverly HillsWest HollywoodDowntown
Things to do
Mornings
Walk
Venice Canals Morning Walk
A 1905 developer's Venetian fantasy, drained and nearly forgotten, then rebuilt in the 1990s. Narrow footbridges cross real canals lined with bungalows and small private gardens.
Museum
Getty Center
Richard Meier's white travertine hilltop campus, reached by a free electric tram from Brentwood. Admission is free with a timed-entry reservation; parking runs about $25.
Hike
Runyon Canyon Morning Hike
A steep, well-used trail above Hollywood and West Hollywood, popular with off-leash dog walkers. The summit clears the haze early, with sweeping city views and the Hollywood Sign visible to the east.
Market
Grand Central Market Breakfast
A downtown food hall open since 1917, its original neon signage over independent stalls like Tacos Tumbras a Tomas and Ramen Hood. Go before eleven to beat the lunch rush.
Studio Tour
Warner Bros Studio Tour
A working Burbank backlot tour by tram and on foot, past soundstages, the Friends set and New York street. Tours run on a timed schedule and sell out on weekends — book ahead.
Beach
El Matador State Beach, Malibu
A small, dramatic cove below sandstone cliffs with sea caves and offshore rocks, reached by a steep staircase. A short drive up the Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Monica; the lot fills early.
Afternoons
Shopping
Rodeo Drive & Beverly Hills Walk
Three palm-lined blocks of flagship boutiques between Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards, plus the pink-and-green Beverly Hills Hotel a mile north. Window-shopping is free and half the point.
Museum
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
The Academy's own museum on Wilshire's Miracle Mile, anchored by Renzo Piano's spherical Dolby Family Terrace. Rotating exhibits sit beside a permanent history of filmmaking.
Museum
LACMA & the David Geffen Galleries
The county museum's collection now sits in Peter Zumthor's curving David Geffen Galleries, a single concrete-and-glass level straddling Wilshire Boulevard next to the La Brea Tar Pits.
Museum
The Broad
Eli and Edythe Broad's contemporary collection, general admission always free. A timed reservation online is recommended; same-day walk-up entry is available but can mean a wait.
Shopping
Melrose Avenue Wander
A mile of streetwear boutiques, vintage shops and mural walls between Fairfax and La Brea. Come for the people-watching as much as the racks.
Boardwalk
Venice Beach Boardwalk
Skaters, bodybuilders at the outdoor Muscle Beach gym, tarot readers and drum circles along a strip that has drawn onlookers since the 1950s. Chain your bike if you rent one.
Hike
Griffith Park Trail to the Hollywood Sign
Fences keep hikers away from the Sign itself, but the Mount Lee Drive and Canyon trails climb to close, unobstructed viewpoints above Griffith Park's dry chaparral hills.
Evenings
Nightlife
Sunset Strip Evening Walk
A mile and a half of rock-and-roll history — the Whisky a Go Go and the Roxy Theatre among the still-running venues — past billboards lit up after dark. Cap the night with a drink at a Strip hotel bar.
Concert
Hollywood Bowl Summer Concert
The concentric-arch bandshell in a natural hillside amphitheater, home to the LA Philharmonic's summer season and touring acts. The season runs roughly June through September — check the schedule before booking.
Sport
Dodgers Game at Dodger Stadium
Baseball's third-oldest ballpark, terraced into Chavez Ravine hills with a downtown skyline view from the upper deck. The MLB season runs late March/April to September, into October for playoff teams.
Cinema
El Capitan Theatre Classic Screening
A restored 1926 movie palace on Hollywood Boulevard, Disney-owned, with a Wurlitzer organ and ornate plasterwork. Programming mixes new and classic Disney titles, often with a live stage prelude — check what's showing.
Culture
Olvera Street Evening Walk & Dinner
A lantern-strung marketplace alley at the city's 1781 founding site, lined with Mexican restaurants and stalls selling leather goods and candles. Quieter and more atmospheric after the day-trippers leave.
Views
Griffith Observatory at Sunset
Free admission to the 1935 domes and public telescopes, with a terrace looking over the entire LA basin. Arrive before sunset for a seat on the lawn as the city lights come up.
Views
Santa Monica Pier at Sunset
The Pacific side of the pier faces due west, so sunset lines up straight down the pilings. Ride the solar-powered Pacific Wheel after dark for its full light show over the water.
