By air
Los Angeles International (LAX), ~25 km
North America · United States
Los Angeles, United States
Beaches, Hollywood and canyons
Getting there
Best time to visit
March to May and September to November — warm and sunny
Don't miss
The Getty Center
Griffith Observatory
The Hollywood Walk of Fame
Santa Monica Pier
Things to do
Santa Monica Pier
The hike towards the Hollywood sign
The Getty Center
Venice Beach
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Alek Leckszas · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Sunglasses, layers
A quieter corner
The Venice canals
Questions travellers ask
When should I plan a Los Angeles trip?
March to May or September to November, when it's warm and sunny. Pack sunglasses and layers.
Which airport do I use for Los Angeles?
Los Angeles International (LAX), about 25 km away.
What are the top sights in Los Angeles?
The Getty Center, Griffith Observatory, the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Santa Monica Pier. Hike towards the Hollywood sign, then wander Venice Beach and the Venice canals.
Where should a food lover start in Los Angeles?
Tacos, Koreatown barbecue, and whatever's fresh at the farmers' markets.
About Los Angeles
- Coastal
- Hills
Where it is
Los Angeles, the largest city in California, spreads across a wide basin in the south of the state, in the western United States, between the Pacific Ocean and the San Gabriel Mountains, with the Santa Monica Mountains and the Hollywood Hills running through it.
History
The Tongva lived in the basin when Spanish settlers founded the pueblo of Los Angeles in 1781. It passed to Mexico and then, after the Mexican–American War, to the United States in 1848, and railways, oil and, from the 1910s, the film studios of Hollywood turned it into one of the largest cities in the country.
People
Angelenos speak English and Spanish above all, and the region is home to large Mexican, Central American, Korean, Chinese, Filipino, Armenian and Iranian communities. Neighbourhoods such as Olvera Street, Koreatown, Little Tokyo, Little Armenia and Thai Town reflect the city's many origins, and the Tongva remain the basin's first people.
Known for
- Hollywood and the film industry
- Beaches from Santa Monica to Venice
- The Getty Center and Griffith Observatory
- Tacos, food trucks and Koreatown
- The Hollywood Sign in the hills
Did you know?
The Hollywood Sign was put up in 1923 to advertise a housing development and originally read Hollywoodland; the last four letters were removed in 1949.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.