What to See in Los Angeles: 10 Sights Worth Planning Around

The short answer to what to see in Los Angeles is to pick sights that give you something no other city can, and that are worth the drive to reach. Griffith Observatory suits first-timers who want views and a free museum. The Hollywood Sign and Walk of Fame suit film fans. The Getty Center and the Miracle Mile museums suit art lovers. Santa Monica, Venice and Zuma Beach suit anyone who wants the coast. Rodeo Drive and the Broad round out a longer stay.

The problem is that Los Angeles has no single center. Sights sit anywhere from a mile to more than 30 miles apart, traffic decides how much you get done, and most lists treat a free viewpoint and a half-day museum as if they take the same effort. This article gives you ten sights, what each one involves, current costs and closures, and a way to group them so you spend your time looking instead of driving.

We have run guided tours across Hollywood, Beverly Hills and the coast since 2007. Prices, hours and closures change, so confirm them with each venue before you go.

1. Griffith Observatory and Griffith Park

Griffith Observatory is the best first stop in Los Angeles. It combines a free science museum, one of the widest views of the city and a gateway into a 4,210-acre park.

What you will see

The view runs from the downtown towers to the Pacific Ocean on a clear day, and the Hollywood Sign is visible from the grounds. Inside, the exhibits are free and include a Foucault pendulum and a Tesla coil. On the roof sits the 12-inch Zeiss refracting telescope, installed in 1935, which millions of people have looked through.

Outside the dome, Griffith Park holds nearly 70 trails, a zoo, the Greek Theatre and the Autry Museum. A short walk gets you away from the crowds, and the Fern Dell trail is an easy, shady stroll that feels far from the city.

Go before sunset rather than for it, because the last hour of daylight is when parking and patience run out.

Planning your visit

Parking is the main headache, at about $10 per hour in a congested lot. The DASH bus up the hill costs 35 cents with a TAP card and removes the problem. In May and June, morning "May Grey" and "June Gloom" can hide the skyline, so aim for noon to 3 p.m. in those months.

• Cost: free entry and exhibits, with planetarium shows about $12
• Time needed: 2 hours to half a day
• Best time: midday in May and June, any clear afternoon otherwise
• Skip the crowd: arrive early and hike before the dome fills up

2. The Hollywood Sign and its best viewpoints

The Hollywood Sign is worth seeing, but where you stand decides whether the visit is easy or frustrating. You can photograph it from public viewpoints or hike toward it with a guide.

What you will see

The sign went up in 1923 as an advertisement reading "Hollywoodland" and was meant to stay for about a year and a half. More than a century later it is the city’s best-known landmark. Getting close is harder than it looks, because the access roads run through residential streets and homeowners have long objected to the crowds.

For a straight-on view, try Beachwood Drive or Lake Hollywood Park. For height, hike the dirt Mt. Lee Drive route, which ends above the letters with a 360-degree view of the city. Runyon Canyon’s main loop also frames the sign, but its West Trail has been closed since the 2025 fires, so check the park’s website first.

Photograph the sign from a viewpoint or earn the close-up on foot, and do not try to drive up to it.

Planning your visit

Our Beyond the Billboards: Hollywood Sign Hike is a private guided hike that starts from the Lake Hollywood Reservoir trail and takes about 2 hours, with panoramic views over Los Angeles. It costs $149 per guest for a minimum of two guests, and parties of three or more save $20 per guest. On any route, wear real shoes, carry water and park legally, because neighbors watch these streets closely.

• Cost: free from the viewpoints, $149 per guest for our guided hike
• Time needed: about 1 hour at a viewpoint, about 2 hours on a hike
• Best time: early on a clear day, and after the haze lifts in May and June
• Pair with: Griffith Observatory, which is a short drive away

3. Hollywood Walk of Fame and TCL Chinese Theatre

The Walk of Fame and TCL Chinese Theatre deserve 1 to 2 hours, mostly as film history. Go in knowing the strip is crowded and rough around the edges.

What you will see

Terrazzo and brass stars run along Hollywood Boulevard from Hollywood and La Brea to Gower Street, and along Vine from the Capitol Records Building down to Sunset. Walk it with a goal, such as finding the stars of your favorite actors. Otherwise the gift shops and costumed characters take over the experience.

At TCL Chinese Theatre, the forecourt holds the hand and foot imprints of around 200 stars, including John Wayne and Judy Garland. Seeing a film inside is worth it if you have an evening free, because the ornate main auditorium and its IMAX screen are the real draw. Across the street, the El Capitan is the place for a Disney movie.

Treat it as a 90-minute history lesson, not a polished attraction.

Planning your visit

Costumed Spider-Man and Marilyn Monroe lookalikes expect a tip for photos, so carry small bills if you want one. The area feels grittier than glamorous, and the stretch near the theatre gets extremely busy in summer. Go early on a weekday and keep your belongings secure.

• Cost: free to walk the stars and see the forecourt
• Time needed: 1 to 2 hours
• Best time: weekday mornings, before the tour buses arrive
• Pair with: Hollywood Sign viewpoints and a drive along Sunset Boulevard

4. The Getty Center

The Getty Center is the best pick for art, architecture and a view in a single visit. Admission is free, and parking is what you pay for.

What you will see

The complex opened in Brentwood in 1997 as a set of travertine and white metal pavilions on a hilltop, reached by a tram. Inside, you will find ornate French furniture, Impressionist paintings and Vincent van Gogh’s 1889 "Irises", along with rotating exhibitions.

Outside is the real reason many locals return. The terraces look across the hills and ocean to the west and all the way to downtown in the east, and the Central Garden is a good spot to claim a patch of lawn. Bring a picnic, leave the alcohol at home and stay for sunset over the Pacific.

Planning your visit

The Getty sits about 11.5 miles from downtown, and parking is paid. The center is scheduled to close for improvements from March 2027 until 2028, so it belongs on this year’s itinerary if you can manage it.

Put the Getty in your trip now, because a closure is scheduled from March 2027 until 2028.

• Cost: free admission, paid parking
• Time needed: 2 hours to half a day
• Best for: art lovers, photographers and picnickers
• Sister site: the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, which focuses on ancient art

5. LACMA, La Brea Tar Pits and the Academy Museum

The Miracle Mile on Wilshire Boulevard packs three major museums within walking distance. Choose two and you have a full day.

What you will see

Start at LACMA’s outdoor Urban Light, Chris Burden’s installation of 202 restored cast-iron street lamps collected from around the city. Inside, the David Geffen Galleries are now open in a Peter Zumthor building that crosses Wilshire Boulevard like a bridge, and the collections range from Islamic artifacts to modern art.

Next door, the La Brea Tar Pits are an Ice Age fossil site. The black liquid bubbling in the pits is asphalt, not tar, and dire wolves and saber-toothed cats were trapped in it as far back as 50,000 years ago. The indoor museum is closed for renovation through 2028, but the outdoor pits stay open and free. Film fans should add the Academy Museum, where you can see Dorothy’s ruby slippers and the surviving shark from "Jaws", and hold an Oscar statuette.

On the Miracle Mile, choose two museums rather than three, and walk between them.

Planning your visit

LACMA tickets run about $25 to $30 and are free on weekday afternoons for Los Angeles residents, while the Academy Museum is about $25. Weekday mornings are quietest at LACMA. The Original Farmers Market is a walk of less than a mile north, so you can leave the car parked and have lunch there.

• Cost: LACMA $25 to $30, Academy Museum about $25, outdoor tar pits free
• Time needed: 2 hours to half a day per museum
• Best time: weekday mornings
• Lunch: the Original Farmers Market, with more than 100 stalls and restaurants

6. The Broad, Disney Hall and Grand Central Market

Downtown Los Angeles rewards a half day on foot. The Broad covers contemporary art, Walt Disney Concert Hall covers architecture, and Grand Central Market covers lunch.

What you will see

The Broad is free, and its collection of roughly 2,000 post-war works includes Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Ed Ruscha and Jeff Koons. The headline act is Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms. The most popular one needs an advance reservation, with a limited number of tickets released once a month, so book before you travel. The free MOCA Grand Avenue sits across the street.

Walt Disney Concert Hall, designed by Frank Gehry and opened in 2003, is worth seeing even without a concert ticket. Walk around the exterior and up to the rooftop garden for a quiet hour. Then head to Grand Central Market, a food hall operating since 1917, for pupusas, carnitas tacos and a strawberry-stuffed donut from The Donut Man.

Book the Infinity Mirror Room slot first, then build the rest of your downtown day around it.

Planning your visit

Downtown is the easiest part of Los Angeles to cover without a car, since the three stops are a short walk apart along Grand Avenue and Broadway. General admission at the Broad is free, but special exhibitions need paid tickets. Weekdays are calmer at the market and the museum.

• Cost: The Broad free, Disney Hall grounds free, market food from a few dollars
• Time needed: a half day for all three
• Best time: weekday morning, with the Infinity Room reserved ahead
• Distance: about 1.5 miles from the city center

7. Santa Monica Pier and Third Street Promenade

Santa Monica Pier and the Third Street Promenade make the easiest beach outing in Los Angeles. You get rides, shopping and a sunset within a few blocks.

What you will see

At the end of the pier, Pacific Park has a solar-powered Ferris wheel, a roller coaster, fairground games and an arcade. You will also find a historic carousel and, downstairs, the Heal the Bay Aquarium. South of the pier, the original Muscle Beach draws outdoor workouts on warm weekends.

The Promenade is three pedestrian blocks of shops running from Wilshire Boulevard to Colorado Avenue. Many storefronts are familiar chains, so the best moment to visit is Wednesday morning, when the farmers’ market draws local chefs. Try a funnel cake on the pier, since they are big enough to share.

Half a day covers the pier and the Promenade, and the sunset is the free finale.

Planning your visit

The pier is about 13 miles from downtown, so allow extra time by car on weekends. From September to May, Locals’ Night on the third Thursday fills the boardwalk with a free car show, live music and art exhibits. Summer weekends are the most crowded time of year.

• Cost: free to walk the pier and Promenade, rides cost extra
• Time needed: 2 hours to half a day
• Best time: weekday afternoons, or Locals’ Night off-season
• Pair with: Venice Beach, a short ride south

8. Venice Beach Boardwalk and the canals

Venice Beach is the place for people-watching, and it pairs well with a quieter walk through the Venice Canals.

What you will see

The boardwalk is a show in itself, with street performers, skateboarders at the skatepark and bodybuilders at Muscle Beach. The beach is wide and soft with mountain-lined coast views, while the boardwalk is a little grimy, so go for the energy. On weekends, a drum circle gathers around sunset.

For a different side of the neighborhood, walk the Venice Canals. Abbot Kinney founded them in 1905, inspired by Italy’s Venice, and six of his original 13 canals remain. Abbot Kinney Boulevard nearby offers some of the better shopping and dining in the city.

See the boardwalk for the crowd and the canals for the calm.

Planning your visit

Street parking is usually jammed, though several beachside lots exist. A smarter option is to ride. Our guided Segway tours and e-bike tours cover both Venice and Santa Monica, so you see the coast without parking twice. Keep your belongings close on the busy boardwalk.

• Cost: free to visit
• Time needed: 1 to 3 hours
• Best time: weekend sunset for the drum circle, weekday for calm
• Pair with: Santa Monica Pier to the north

9. Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills

Rodeo Drive is a free, 1 to 2 hour stop that is really about window-shopping and the atmosphere of Beverly Hills.

What you will see

Expect what the movies promised: designer storefronts, palm-lined sidewalks and expensive cars. Two Rodeo, the faux-cobbled walkway that cost $200 million, is the most photogenic stretch. A short walk away, Anderton Court is the only shopping center designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and it now houses Givenchy’s West Coast flagship.

Celebrity-home tours start from this area too, but keep your expectations realistic. Many homes sit behind hedges or at the end of long driveways, so you will see gates and rooflines more than residents. A guide who knows the streets and the stories is what makes the drive worth doing. For lunch, The Hideaway is a Mexican steakhouse on the subterranean level of the Rodeo Collection.

Window-shopping is the whole point here, and it costs nothing.

Planning your visit

Our Ultimate Hollywood Tour is a private four-hour trip that pairs Rodeo Drive with the Hollywood Sign and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. It also covers West Hollywood and Sunset Boulevard, and costs $299 per guest with a two-guest minimum. Beverly Hills sits about 7 miles from downtown, so it fits easily between Hollywood and the Westside.

• Cost: free to walk
• Time needed: 1 to 2 hours
• Best time: weekday morning, when the shops open and crowds are thinner
• Pair with: the Getty Center, on the same side of town

10. Zuma Beach and the Malibu coast

Zuma Beach is the pick if you want a wide, clean beach and a break from the city. It is worth the extra drive to Malibu.

What you will see

Zuma sits about 32 miles from downtown, with wide sand, lifeguards and room for big crowds. The waves tend to close out, so it suits boogie boarders and bodysurfers more than surfers. You can show up with only a towel and sunscreen.

Nearby, Point Dume offers hiking and a rock face, with wildflowers in spring. El Matador State Beach has sea caves, rock formations and tide pools, and golden hour gives the best light. It is not an accessible beach, because you reach the sand by a steep path and a flight of stairs.

Zuma is the beach to choose when you want space, and the drive is part of the price.

Planning your visit

Pay at the Zuma lot or park free along Pacific Coast Highway. El Matador’s paid lot is small and fills quickly. Weekends and holidays get busy. Our Ultimate Coastal Tour links Santa Monica, Venice Beach and Malibu in a private four-hour trip at $299 per guest, which takes care of the driving and parking.

• Cost: free beach, parking varies by lot
• Time needed: 2 hours to half a day, plus the drive
• Best time: weekdays, since summer weekends are crowded
• Bring: towel, sunscreen and good shoes for El Matador

How to fit these sights into a few days

Group the ten sights by area, give each area a half day or more, and you can see them all in four days without crossing the city twice in one afternoon.

Group the sights by area

Most of the drive time in Los Angeles comes from zigzagging. Keep each day inside one part of town, and use the time ranges below, which add up the typical visit lengths for the sights in each area.

With only two days, do day 1 and day 4. Those two give you the film history of Hollywood and the beach culture that most people picture when they think of the city.

Pick the right month and hour

Coastal haze in May and June can hide views in the morning, so save viewpoints and beaches for the hours between noon and 3 p.m. then. Weekdays beat weekends at nearly every sight on this list. If you can choose your dates, avoid May and June mornings along the coast.

Budget for traffic as well. Sights range from about 1.5 miles to 32 miles from downtown, and congestion can double a drive. Getty, Santa Monica and Zuma add the most driving, so put them first in the day and leave closer stops for late afternoon.

Add a guide when time is short

A guide helps most when you have one day, or when you would rather not drive and park. The table compares our current tours by length, price per guest and the sights they cover.

A worked example shows how group pricing applies. A party of four on The LA Highlights Tour pays $249 minus the $15 group discount, which is $234 per guest and $936 in total. Add pick-up and drop-off at $20 per guest within 5 miles of our office and the total becomes $1,016. That tour requires at least three guests.

Choosing your Los Angeles sights

The best Los Angeles itinerary is a short list matched to your interests. Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood Sign cover the views, the Getty and the Miracle Mile cover art, and Santa Monica, Venice and Zuma cover the coast. Group them by area, check the closures that affect the Getty Center and the La Brea Tar Pits museum, and save the beaches for midday when the haze is likely to lift.

If you would rather see several of these places in one day with a local guide handling the driving and the stories, compare our small-group Los Angeles sightseeing tours and choose the route that fits your time.