City guide · USA
Los Angeles
Studio lots, taco trucks, and golden-hour canyon views
March–May & September–November
US Dollar (USD)
English
North America
The guides
The best of Los Angeles, by category
Los Angeles sprawls across beaches, canyons, and freeway interchanges, hiding world-class art collections, America's best street tacos, and working film backlots in plain sight. Treat it as a collection of villages — Venice, Silver Lake, Hollywood, Downtown — rather than one city, and it clicks.
The shortlist
If you only have time for the best
The single highest-rated picks across every category in Los Angeles.
Hotels
See all 6- 1
The Beverly Hills Hotel
Beverly Hills
4.7★5,000+ reviews
- 2
Hotel Bel-Air
Bel-Air
4.7★3,000+ reviews - 3
Chateau Marmont
West Hollywood
4.5★2,000+ reviews
Restaurants
See all 6- 1
Providence
Hollywood
4.7★1,500+ reviews - 2
Bestia
Arts District
4.6★5,000+ reviews - 3
République
Hancock Park (La Brea)
4.6★5,000+ reviews
Bars
See all 6- 1
Death & Co
Arts District
4.6★1,500+ reviews - 2
EP & LP
West Hollywood
4.5★3,000+ reviews - 3
Tiki-Ti
Los Feliz
4.7★1,000+ reviews
Attractions
See all 6- 1
Griffith Observatory
Griffith Park (Los Feliz)
4.7★50,000+ reviews
- 2
The Getty Center
Brentwood
4.8★25,000+ reviews
- 3
Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica
4.6★100,000+ reviews
Where to base yourself
Los Angeles neighborhoods, decoded
Pick your area first — it shapes everything else about the trip.
Venice
Canals, skaters, Abbot KinneyAbbot Kinney Boulevard's boutiques and cafés sit minutes from the carnival boardwalk and the quiet 1905 canals the neighborhood is named for. GQ once called it America's coolest block, and the brunch lines agree.
Silver Lake
Eastside indie creative hubJoggers loop the reservoir while vintage shops and natural-wine bars cluster around Sunset Junction. Its coffee culture rivals anywhere in America, and the hillside streets hide modernist Neutra houses.
West Hollywood
Design, nightlife, Sunset StripThe Sunset Strip's rock-history venues and comedy clubs border the rainbow-flagged bars of Santa Monica Boulevard and the Pacific Design Center's showrooms. It's LA's most walkable nightlife district.
Arts District
Murals, breweries, warehouse galleriesFormer Downtown factories now hold Hauser & Wirth's gallery campus, third-wave roasters, and several of the city's best restaurants. Mural-covered blocks make it LA's best walking neighborhood.
Beyond the city
Day trips worth the ride
Santa Catalina Island
1 hr by ferry from Long BeachAvalon's Mediterranean-style harbor, the Art Deco Catalina Casino, and snorkeling at Lover's Cove sit 22 miles offshore — golf carts stand in for cars.
Santa Barbara
2 hr by car or Amtrak SurflinerThe 'American Riviera' pairs its 1786 Spanish mission and red-tile-roofed downtown with Urban Wine Trail tasting rooms and a walkable harbor.
Joshua Tree National Park
2.5 hr by carSeussian yucca forests, giant boulder piles, and some of California's darkest night skies — pair the park with Pioneertown and the high-desert shops of Yucca Valley.
Eat like a local
What to order in Los Angeles
French dip sandwich
Roast beef on a roll dunked in jus — invented in LA in 1908 and best ordered 'double-dipped' with the fierce house mustard.
Try it at: Philippe the Original, Chinatown
The #19 pastrami
Hot hand-sliced pastrami stacked with coleslaw, Swiss, and Russian dressing on double-baked rye.
Try it at: Langer's Delicatessen, Westlake
Al pastor tacos
Marinated pork shaved from a spinning trompo onto fresh tortillas — LA's defining late-night meal.
Try it at: Leo's Tacos Truck, multiple locations
Korean BBQ
Tabletop-grilled galbi and brisket with a constellation of banchan, the heart of America's largest Koreatown.
Try it at: Park's BBQ, Koreatown
Good to know
Los Angeles essentials, answered
Mostly yes — the sights spread across 40-plus miles, so a rental car or heavy rideshare use is the practical default. The Metro rail does reach Downtown, Hollywood, Universal Studios, and Santa Monica (E Line), so a car-free trip works if you base yourself near a line and cluster your days by area.
