Los Angeles sprawls across 500 square miles of coastline, mountains, and concrete, and figuring out where to start can feel overwhelming. Whether you’re here for a long weekend or a full week, narrowing down the best Los Angeles attractions is the difference between a trip you’ll remember and one spent stuck in traffic between forgettable tourist traps.
We built Another Side Tours around one idea: LA is better when someone who actually knows the city shows you around. After guiding over a million tours through Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and dozens of neighborhoods in between, we’ve watched first-timers light up at the same spots again and again, and we’ve seen which overhyped locations leave people disappointed.
This list pulls from that experience. Below, you’ll find 15 attractions worth your limited vacation time, organized to help you plan a real itinerary. Some are iconic landmarks you’d expect. Others are spots most visitors walk right past. All of them earn their place because they deliver something you can’t get anywhere else, not just a photo op, but an actual memory.
1. Another Side Of Los Angeles Tours
Most first-time visitors to LA spend their trip reacting to traffic, crowds, and confusing logistics. Another Side Of Los Angeles Tours fixes that by putting a local expert in the driver’s seat, literally and figuratively, so you spend your time actually experiencing the city instead of figuring it out.
Why it belongs on your first LA trip
Los Angeles without context is just a collection of signs and boulevards. Another Side Tours gives you the stories behind the landmarks, the history behind the neighborhoods, and the insider knowledge that transforms a sightseeing checklist into something you’ll actually want to talk about when you get home. With over one million completed tours and consistent 5-star reviews on platforms like TripAdvisor and Viator, this ranks among the best Los Angeles attractions experiences you can book before you even land.
A guided tour compresses what would take days of self-guided exploration into a single, focused experience that covers far more ground with far less frustration.
What to do and see
Tours cover Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Venice Beach, and dozens of neighborhoods in between. You can choose from private vehicle tours, Segway tours, e-bike tours, or limousine experiences depending on your group size and preferences. Thematic options include celebrity homes tours, haunted Hollywood tours, Instagram photo tours, and studio lot combinations, so there’s a format that fits nearly any travel style.
How long to budget
Tour durations range from 90 minutes to 7 hours, which means you can fit a tour into a single morning or make it the centerpiece of your entire day. Shorter options work well if you’re trying to stack multiple activities in one visit. Longer tours, especially the full-day private experiences, handle the heavy lifting of your LA itinerary in one structured block.
Tips for an easier visit
Book your tour before you arrive in LA, not after you check into your hotel. Popular time slots fill up quickly, especially on weekends and during summer months. Traveling with three or more people opens up group pricing discounts that bring the per-person cost down considerably. Pickup and transportation are included on applicable tours, so you won’t need to stress about parking or navigation on the day itself.
2. Griffith Observatory and Griffith Park
Griffith Observatory sits on the southern slope of Mount Hollywood and ranks among the most visited and most rewarding spots in all of Southern California. It’s free to enter, publicly accessible, and combines science exhibits, working telescopes, and sweeping city panoramas in a way that works for nearly any type of visitor.
Why it belongs on your first LA trip
The observatory gives you the single best aerial view of Los Angeles without requiring a helicopter or a rooftop reservation. From the front lawn, you can see the Hollywood Sign, the downtown skyline, and on clear days, the Pacific Ocean. It stands out among the best Los Angeles attractions because it rewards you with real perspective the moment you step outside.
Few spots in LA let you take in the full scale of the city in one glance the way Griffith Observatory does.
What to do and see
Inside, the Samuel Oschin Planetarium runs regular shows on astronomy and space exploration. The surrounding Griffith Park covers over 4,200 acres and gives you plenty to explore beyond the main building:
- Free public telescopes available on clear evenings
- Hiking trails with direct views of the Hollywood Sign
- The Los Angeles Zoo
- Travel Town Museum
How long to budget
Plan for two to three hours at the observatory itself. If you add hiking or a stop at the zoo, budget a half day minimum for the full Griffith Park experience.
Tips for an easier visit
Arrive before 10 a.m. on weekdays to avoid the worst of the parking congestion. The DASH Observatory bus runs from Los Feliz and eliminates the parking problem entirely on busy weekend days.
3. Hollywood Walk of Fame and TCL Chinese Theatre
The Hollywood Walk of Fame runs more than 1.3 miles along Hollywood Boulevard and puts you face-to-face with over 2,700 brass stars honoring performers, directors, and musicians who shaped American entertainment. Paired with the TCL Chinese Theatre sitting directly on the boulevard, this stretch delivers the kind of recognizable imagery that most people associate with Los Angeles before they ever visit.
Why it belongs on your first LA trip
This area ranks among the best Los Angeles attractions because it connects you to over a century of film and television history in a way that no museum can replicate. You’re not looking at a screen or reading a plaque. You’re standing where Hollywood’s most recognizable names have walked for decades, and that physical presence carries real weight.
The TCL Chinese Theatre forecourt holds the handprints and footprints of over 200 celebrities, and matching your hands to a favorite actor’s impression in the concrete is a genuinely memorable moment.
What to do and see
Hollywood Boulevard offers more than just sidewalk stars. Spend time in the TCL Chinese Theatre forecourt, then walk toward Hollywood & Highland for shopping and views of the Hollywood Sign from the Dolby Theatre terrace. Look up as you walk. The architecture and signage along the boulevard tell their own story about the history of the neighborhood.
How long to budget
Budget 90 minutes to two hours to walk the main stretch and visit the TCL Chinese Theatre forecourt comfortably. Adding a stop at Hollywood & Highland extends the visit by another 30 to 45 minutes.
Tips for an easier visit
Arrive before 9 a.m. to avoid the midday congestion. Keep your belongings close, as the boulevard gets crowded with street performers and vendors by late morning, especially on weekends.
4. Hollywood Sign Hike
The Hollywood Sign is one of the most recognized landmarks on earth, but most visitors settle for photographing it from a distance. Hiking up to Mount Lee puts you close enough to read the letters clearly and look back over the entire Los Angeles basin from a vantage point very few tourists actually reach.
Why it belongs on your first LA trip
Standing near the sign rather than below it changes the experience entirely. Among the best Los Angeles attractions, the Hollywood Sign hike stands out because it combines physical activity with genuine payoff: a close-up view of an iconic landmark and a panoramic look at the city spread out beneath you.
The view from the ridgeline above the sign on a clear morning ranks among the best in all of Southern California.
What to do and see
The most popular routes run through Griffith Park via the Brush Canyon Trail or the Mt. Hollywood Trail. Both are well-marked and moderately challenging. From the top, you can see:
- The Hollywood Sign up close from the ridge above
- Downtown Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Mountains
- The San Fernando Valley stretching out on the opposite side
How long to budget
Plan for two to three hours round trip depending on your fitness level and which trailhead you use. Add extra time for photos and rest stops at the top.
Longer routes from the Brush Canyon trailhead run close to 6 miles round trip, while shorter approaches from within Griffith Park cut that distance roughly in half.
Tips for an easier visit
Start your hike before 8 a.m. to avoid heat and crowds, especially from May through September. Bring more water than you think you need and wear sun protection on any exposed sections of the trail.
Confirm your trailhead using a reliable navigation app before you set out, because the area has multiple access points. Parking fills quickly at popular trailheads on weekends and holidays, so arriving early also solves that problem.
5. Universal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood sits in the hills above Burbank and gives you direct access to a working film studio alongside one of the most popular theme parks in Southern California. It earns its spot on any list of the best Los Angeles attractions because it delivers something no other venue in the city can match: a functioning studio lot combined with full-scale rides and immersive entertainment built around real film and television franchises.
Why it belongs on your first LA trip
Universal Studios pulls together movie history and theme park thrills in a way that’s genuinely unique to Los Angeles. The Studio Tour tram ride takes you through active backlot sets where major productions have filmed for over a century, including the Bates Motel from Psycho and the courthouse square from Back to the Future.
Riding through a working film studio is something you can only do in LA, and Universal delivers that experience alongside world-class attractions in a single visit.
What to do and see
The park splits across two levels connected by a massive escalator, with the Studio Tour departing from the upper lot. Key attractions include the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the Jurassic World ride, and the Minion Land area. The lower lot houses some of the most intense rides on the property.
How long to budget
Plan for a full day of at least eight hours to cover both lots without rushing. Arrival at park opening gives you the best shot at shorter lines before crowds build.
Tips for an easier visit
Book your tickets online in advance to skip the entry lines and lock in better pricing. Front of Line passes are worth considering on peak days, particularly during summer and school holidays.
6. The Getty Center
The Getty Center sits on a hilltop in Brentwood and delivers one of the most complete cultural experiences in Southern California. Admission is free, which makes it one of the few world-class art institutions where cost never has to factor into your decision.
Why it belongs on your first LA trip
The Getty ranks among the best Los Angeles attractions because it pairs genuinely exceptional art with architecture and city views that would justify the trip on their own. The hilltop campus, designed by Richard Meier, draws as much attention as the collection housed inside its pavilions.
Standing on the Getty’s open terraces with Los Angeles stretching toward the Pacific below you is one of the most visually striking moments the city offers.
What to do and see
The collection covers European paintings, sculptures, drawings, and decorative arts spanning several centuries, with particular depth in Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works. Beyond the galleries, two outdoor features are worth your time:
- The Central Garden, designed by Robert Irwin, changes through the seasons and rewards a slow, unhurried walk
- The terrace views facing south and west give you a clear look at the LA basin and the coastline on clear days
The free tram ride from the parking structure up to the hilltop campus also serves as a pleasant introduction to the visit.
How long to budget
Plan for two to three hours to move through the main galleries and explore the garden without feeling rushed. Art-focused visitors will want three to four hours to give the full collection proper attention.
Tips for an easier visit
Parking requires an advance reservation, so book your spot online before your visit day. The Getty closes on Mondays, which catches many first-time visitors off guard, so confirm the operating schedule before you plan the rest of your itinerary around it.
7. Santa Monica Pier and Santa Monica Beach
Santa Monica Pier stretches over the Pacific Ocean and anchors one of the most recognizable stretches of coastline in the United States. It’s a place that manages to feel both iconic and genuinely enjoyable at the same time, which is rarer than you’d think among the best Los Angeles attractions.
Why it belongs on your first LA trip
Santa Monica gives you something most of Los Angeles doesn’t: the actual Pacific Ocean, right in front of you. The pier marks the western end of Historic Route 66, which alone makes it worth a stop for anyone interested in American road history. Beyond that, the combination of ocean air, a working amusement park, and a wide sandy beach creates an atmosphere that’s hard to replicate anywhere else in the city.
Few experiences reset the pace of a busy LA trip faster than standing at the end of the pier watching the water.
What to do and see
The pier holds the Pacific Park amusement park, including a solar-powered Ferris wheel with views up and down the coastline. Below the pier, Santa Monica Beach stretches for miles in both directions and connects to the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium underneath the deck. Walking or cycling the Marvin Braude Bike Trail north toward Malibu or south toward Venice extends your visit considerably.
How long to budget
Budget two to three hours for the pier and a walk along the beach. Add another hour if you plan to rent a bike and explore the coastal path.
Tips for an easier visit
Arrive before 11 a.m. on weekends to find parking without a long wait. The Big Blue Bus connects downtown Santa Monica directly to the pier and eliminates the parking problem entirely.
8. Venice Beach Boardwalk and Venice Canals
Venice Beach packs two completely different experiences into a single neighborhood. The Boardwalk runs along the ocean with street performers, muscle beach, and a constant parade of activity, while the Venice Canals sit just a few blocks inland in near-total quiet. That contrast is what makes this one of the best Los Angeles attractions for first-time visitors who want to see the full range of what the city offers.
Why it belongs on your first LA trip
Venice gives you a version of Los Angeles that Hollywood Boulevard doesn’t. The Boardwalk scene is loud, colorful, and completely unlike anything else in the city, while the canal district feels closer to an Amsterdam side street than a major American metropolis. Together, they show you two sides of the same neighborhood within a 10-minute walk of each other.
Walking from the Boardwalk to the canals in one visit is one of the most dramatic neighborhood transitions you’ll find anywhere in Los Angeles.
What to do and see
Spend time watching the performers and vendors along Ocean Front Walk, then head east to the Venice Canal Historic District to walk the footbridges over the original waterways built in 1905. Abbot Kinney Boulevard, one block north of the canals, lines up independent restaurants and shops worth a browse on your way back.
How long to budget
Plan for two to three hours to cover the Boardwalk, the canals, and Abbot Kinney without rushing.
Tips for an easier visit
Arrive before 10 a.m. on weekends to walk the Boardwalk before peak crowds arrive. Wear comfortable walking shoes, as the route between stops involves uneven pavement near the canal bridges.
9. The Broad
The Broad opened in downtown Los Angeles in 2015 and quickly became one of the most visited contemporary art destinations in the country. Its distinctive honeycomb exterior on Grand Avenue announces an experience that breaks from traditional museum formats, and the collection housed inside lives up to that visual promise every time.
Why it belongs on your first LA trip
This museum holds over 2,000 works of contemporary art drawn from one of the most significant private collections in the United States. For first-timers mapping out the best Los Angeles attractions beyond Hollywood landmarks, The Broad consistently surprises people who assumed they weren’t the type to spend two hours inside an art museum.
Walking through the building’s "veil and vault" architecture into the main gallery floor reorients your sense of scale in a way very few buildings manage.
What to do and see
The collection features major works by Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Kara Walker, along with dozens of other defining names in contemporary art. Prioritize the Infinity Mirrored Room by Yayoi Kusama early in your visit, as lines for that single installation build quickly and unpredictably throughout the day. The ground-floor walkway beneath the vaulted storage area also gives you an unusual look at how the museum physically stores and manages its collection.
How long to budget
Plan for 90 minutes to two hours to move through the main galleries at a comfortable pace. If the Kusama room is a priority, build in extra buffer time since wait lengths vary considerably depending on the day and season.
Tips for an easier visit
Reserve timed entry tickets in advance through The Broad’s official website, as same-day availability disappears fast on weekends and holidays. General admission is free, but special exhibitions carry separate ticket prices, so check the calendar before you build the rest of your day around this stop.
10. Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, known as LACMA, is the largest art museum in the western United States and holds a collection spanning over 6,000 years of human history across every continent. Situated on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile district, it stands as one of the most complete and accessible cultural institutions among the best Los Angeles attractions.
Why it belongs on your first LA trip
LACMA gives you breadth and depth that few museums anywhere in the world can match. The campus stretches across multiple buildings, and the famous Urban Light installation by Chris Burden, 202 cast-iron street lamps arranged in a grid at the entrance, has become one of the most photographed public art pieces in the city.
Arriving at LACMA after dark to see Urban Light fully lit is one of those LA moments that genuinely stops people in their tracks.
What to do and see
The permanent collection covers an exceptional range of cultures and periods. Key areas worth your time include:
- Ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman galleries
- Asian and Islamic art pavilions
- Latin American and pre-Columbian works
- The Resnick Pavilion for rotating special exhibitions
How long to budget
Plan for two to three hours to walk through the main permanent galleries at a comfortable pace. If a special exhibition is running during your visit, budget closer to four hours to give both the rotating and permanent collections proper attention.
Tips for an easier visit
Check the LACMA website for free admission days and discounted evening hours before you arrive. Weekday mornings move at a noticeably quieter pace than weekend afternoons, making the experience more relaxed overall.
11. The Original Farmers Market and The Grove
The Original Farmers Market on Fairfax Avenue has operated continuously since 1934, making it one of the longest-running gathering spots in Los Angeles. Right next to it sits The Grove, an open-air shopping and dining complex that connects directly to the market. Together, they form one of the most pleasant and practical stops among the best Los Angeles attractions, especially if you want a break from landmark-to-landmark sightseeing.
Why it belongs on your first LA trip
This combination gives you authentic local character alongside modern convenience in the same city block. The Farmers Market draws everyone from neighborhood regulars to visitors who’ve been coming back for decades, and that mix creates an energy that feels genuinely rooted in Los Angeles rather than built for tourists.
Few places in the city let you eat your way through a dozen different cuisines within a single open-air space the way the Farmers Market does.
What to do and see
Spend time browsing the original market stalls, which cover everything from fresh produce and spices to prepared food counters serving dishes from around the world. From there, walk directly into The Grove for its outdoor shopping promenade, fountains, and the historic Gilmore Adobe on the grounds. The Metro E Line stops nearby, which makes this an easy anchor point for a longer day out.
How long to budget
Plan for 90 minutes to two hours to eat at the market and walk The Grove at a relaxed pace.
Tips for an easier visit
Visit on a weekday morning to avoid the weekend lunch crowds that pack the most popular food stalls. Arrive hungry, because the variety of food options rewards visitors who skip breakfast.
12. La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
The La Brea Tar Pits sit in the middle of Hancock Park, just steps from Wilshire Boulevard, and they are exactly what they sound like: active, bubbling pools of natural asphalt that have been trapping and preserving Ice Age animals for over 50,000 years. This is one of the few active fossil excavation sites in the world located inside a major city, which makes it genuinely unlike anything else on this list of the best Los Angeles attractions.
Why it belongs on your first LA trip
Most visitors walk past the tar pits without stopping, which is a mistake. The outdoor fossil pits are free to observe, and watching methane bubble up through the thick black tar while standing on a busy LA sidewalk creates a disorienting, fascinating moment that sticks with you long after the visit.
Few places on earth let you watch an active prehistoric fossil site from street level while the rest of the city moves around you at full speed.
What to do and see
The La Brea Tar Pits Museum holds over three million recovered fossils, including full skeletal reconstructions of mammoths, saber-toothed cats, and dire wolves. The outdoor grounds feature several open tar pits you can walk around, including Pit 91, where active excavation continues during summer months.
How long to budget
Plan for 90 minutes to two hours to walk the outdoor grounds and move through the main museum exhibits at a comfortable pace.
Tips for an easier visit
Book museum tickets online before your visit to avoid entry delays. Weekday mornings offer noticeably smaller crowds than weekend afternoons, giving you more room to move through the exhibits without waiting.
13. Walt Disney Concert Hall
Walt Disney Concert Hall rises from Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles as one of the most striking pieces of architecture in the United States. Frank Gehry’s signature stainless steel exterior draws attention from blocks away, and the building’s role as the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic gives it a cultural weight that earns it a place among the best Los Angeles attractions for first-time visitors.
Why it belongs on your first LA trip
The concert hall gives you world-class architecture and live performance in the same building, which makes it a legitimate destination whether or not you attend a show. The exterior alone rewards a visit during daylight hours, when the curved steel panels reflect shifting light in a way that changes the building’s appearance completely depending on the time of day and weather.
Few structures in Los Angeles announce themselves the way Walt Disney Concert Hall does when you first see it from street level.
What to do and see
Free self-guided audio tours of the interior run on most days when no performance is scheduled, giving you access to the main auditorium, backstage areas, and the rooftop garden. The interior’s warm Douglas fir paneling contrasts sharply with the industrial exterior and surprises most visitors who expect cold modernism throughout.
How long to budget
Plan for one to two hours for a self-guided tour of the building. If you attend a Los Angeles Philharmonic performance, budget the full evening.
Tips for an easier visit
Check the Los Angeles Philharmonic website for the current tour schedule before you visit, as interior access varies based on rehearsals and performance bookings.
14. Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills
Rodeo Drive runs for three blocks through the heart of Beverly Hills and concentrates more name-brand luxury retail per square foot than almost anywhere else in the world. You don’t need to spend a dollar to get something out of a visit here. The street itself, the architecture, and the surrounding neighborhood deliver an experience that earns its place among the best Los Angeles attractions for anyone visiting the city for the first time.
Why it belongs on your first LA trip
Beverly Hills gives you a version of Los Angeles wealth and glamour that exists nowhere else in the city. Walking Rodeo Drive connects you directly to a neighborhood that has shaped the international image of Southern California for decades, and the contrast between this area and the rest of LA is striking enough to justify the trip on its own.
Few streets in the world announce themselves quite the way Rodeo Drive does when you turn the corner from Wilshire Boulevard.
What to do and see
Walk the full three-block stretch of Rodeo Drive from Wilshire to Santa Monica Boulevard, then explore the surrounding streets in the Beverly Hills Golden Triangle neighborhood. The two-story open-air shopping passage called Via Rodeo replicates a European cobblestone street and offers a quieter alternative to the main sidewalk.
How long to budget
Plan for one to two hours to walk the main stretch and explore the surrounding blocks at a comfortable pace.
Tips for an easier visit
Street parking on the side streets around Rodeo Drive is metered and fills quickly on weekends, so arriving before 10 a.m. gives you the best chance of finding a spot without circling. Dress comfortably for walking, as the neighborhood rewards unhurried exploration on foot rather than rushing between stops.
15. Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood
Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood takes you behind the scenes of one of the most productive film and television studios in the world. Unlike Universal Studios, this is a working production facility, which means the sets, props, and soundstages you walk through are actively used for current projects filming on the lot.
Why it belongs on your first LA trip
This tour earns its spot among the best Los Angeles attractions because it pulls back the curtain on how major film and television productions actually work. You’re not walking through a theme park recreation. You’re moving through real soundstages and backlot streets where productions like Succession, The Batman, and dozens of other titles have filmed within the past year.
Few experiences in Los Angeles close the gap between what you see on screen and how it actually gets made the way a Warner Bros. lot visit does.
What to do and see
The tour covers soundstages, outdoor backlot streets, prop warehouses, and the DC Universe exhibit, which holds costumes and vehicles from major superhero productions. You’ll also walk through the Friends Central Perk set and the Warner Bros. Museum, which traces the studio’s full history back to its founding.
How long to budget
Plan for two to three hours for the standard tour. Extended and specialty tours run longer, so check the current offerings when you book.
Tips for an easier visit
Book your tickets online well in advance, as popular tour times sell out quickly on weekends. Wear comfortable walking shoes, since the tour covers significant ground across the outdoor lot.
Wrap Up and Plan Your Itinerary
Los Angeles rewards visitors who show up with a plan. This list covers the best Los Angeles attractions across the full range of what the city offers, from working film studios and prehistoric fossil sites to world-class art museums and open ocean. Every entry here delivers a specific, distinct experience that justifies the time you spend getting there.
The most efficient way to cover multiple stops in a single visit is to let someone who knows the city handle the logistics for you. A guided tour compresses days of self-guided exploration into one well-organized experience, with local expert knowledge built into every stop along the way. Whether you want a private vehicle tour, an e-bike ride along the coast, or a full-day itinerary through Hollywood and Beverly Hills, explore Los Angeles tours with Another Side and book your experience before you arrive.
