Things to do
Ranked by what's actually worth your time.
A sprawling 4,210-acre urban park featuring the Griffith Observatory, LA Zoo, Autry Museum, Greek Theatre, and 53 miles of hiking trails through chaparral-covered hills. The Observatory offers free entry on clear nights with unbeaten city views.
World-class art museum featuring masterpieces by Van Gogh, Monet, and Cezanne displayed in a stunning postmodern complex. Free admission (parking fee required) with timed-entry reservations and beautifully manicured gardens to explore.
Hilltop art museum featuring world-class collections and sweeping views of Los Angeles and the Pacific. Free admission with timed-entry reservation; travertine architecture and sunset views make it essential.
Iconic hilltop landmark offering unparalleled views of the city and night sky from Griffith Park. Free admission with Samuel Oschin Planetarium and Tesla coil demonstrations inside, making it one of America's finest science museums.
The world's only active, urban Ice Age excavation site. The Page Museum displays mammoths, saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, and other fossils discovered here, with the Ice Age Encounters show bringing the prehistoric world to life.
Watch the sunset from this iconic pier featuring amusement park rides, arcade games, and the Pacific Park roller coaster. Beach access is free with direct ocean views and the classic Santa Monica experience.
The quintessential LA beach with a 3.5-mile stretch, the iconic solar-powered Ferris wheel at Pacific Park, the Pier Aquarium, Muscle Beach, and volleyball courts. Walkable to Third Street Promenade shopping.
Contemporary art museum in Downtown LA with a staggering collection including works by Jeff Koons, Yayoi Kusama, and Andy Warhol. Free admission (advance booking required) housed in an innovative honeycomb-veiled building with natural light dancing across gallery spaces.
Houses one of the most significant collections of contemporary art in the world, with works by Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Takashi Murakami. Free general admission with timed entry.
The largest art museum in the western United States featuring diverse collections from pre-Columbian to contemporary. The iconic 'Urban Light' street lamp installation is especially stunning at night.
Popular 3.5-mile moderate hiking trail with 900 feet of elevation gain offering great views of the Hollywood Hills and sight lines to the Hollywood sign. Free entry with street parking available, though it fills before 9am on weekends.
Quintessential urban hiking in Hollywood with panoramic vistas of downtown Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean. Popular among celebrities; trails offer moderate difficulty with 900 ft elevation gain over 3.5 miles.
Family-friendly stretch of white sandy shoreline with a historic pier accessible by Metro E Line. Three and a half miles of paved path for biking, rollerblading, or walking along the coast with sunset views.
The city's newest big-ticket museum in a Renzo Piano building, dedicated entirely to the art and history of movies. Current shows include Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon, running through Feb 2027.
Six-mile moderate hike through Griffith Park delivering hikers to the back of the iconic Hollywood Sign with downtown Los Angeles spread below. This is the photo most visitors seek and worth the effort.
Active Ice Age excavation site in the middle of a city park where thousands of fossils are still being actively unearthed from natural asphalt deposits. A unique window into prehistoric life preserved in one of the world's richest fossil sites.
Houses more than 35 million artefacts, including the Dinosaur Hall with a T-Rex trio and Triceratops fossil, plus the Age of Mammals with giant fossilized mammoths. Opened in 1913.
LA's most popular 160-acre hike at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains with trails ranging from 0.85 to 3.3 miles. Features the city's only legal off-leash dog area on trails and fantastic summit views over the city and ocean on clear days.
New Oscar-focused museum in the Miracle Mile neighborhood dedicated to the art and history of motion pictures. Showcases cinema artifacts, costumes, and memorabilia from Academy Award winners.
Hands-on exhibits and giant IMAX theater with periodic displays of the space shuttle Endeavour. Admission is free; IMAX tickets are separate. Located in Exposition Park near the Natural History Museum.
Smaller Getty location dedicated to Greek, Etruscan, and Roman antiquities, housed in a replica of a Roman villa overlooking the Pacific. Free admission with advance reservation required.
Three and a half miles of white sandy shoreline anchored by the iconic Santa Monica Pier with its solar-powered Ferris wheel and Pacific Park amusement rides. Ample parking, well-kept restrooms, and excellent swimming make this the quintessential Southern California beach experience.
Iconic boardwalk landmark featuring Pacific Park amusement park with a solar-powered Ferris wheel, roller coaster, arcade games, and fairground attractions. Quintessential LA beach experience with sunset photo ops.
The classic Pacific-edge combo: the pier's Ferris wheel and arcade, then a walk south along the boardwalk to Venice's skate park, canals, and Muscle Beach.
A 2.6-mile loop (expandable to 4+ miles) situated off Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades offering spectacular ocean coastline and canyon views. More secluded and nature-focused than Runyon Canyon with 860 feet of elevation gain.
Bohemian coastal destination famed for eclectic street performers, bustling boardwalk, and Muscle Beach. Free to explore with street art, sunset views from the pier, and the vibrant energy that defines LA's beach culture.
San Marino institution featuring extensive gardens, fine art collections, and rare books and manuscripts. Combines botanical beauty with cultural and literary heritage in a serene setting.
Located in Exposition Park, this museum houses over 35 million artifacts including T. rex skeletons, an insect zoo, and diverse exhibits on animals, ecosystems, fossils, and gems. The Becoming Los Angeles exhibition explores the city's growth over five centuries.
Rated 4.8 stars by over 14,000 visitors. Extensive dinosaur halls, ancient Egyptian mummies, gems, and natural wonders spanning millions of years of Earth's history.
Rated the world's #1 automotive museum featuring hundreds of rare and famous vehicles from movie cars to futuristic concepts. High-octane exploration of the automobile's impact on global culture displayed in a sleek, modern setting.
Bohemian beachfront with muscle heads, street performers, vendors, and artists defining LA's eclectic character. The nearby Venice Canals Walkway offers a sharp contrast—tree-lined, peaceful, and residential.
Los Angeles's only major museum dedicated to film history and the Academy Awards. Located in the Miracle Mile neighborhood, offering insight into Hollywood's most prestigious institution.
Widely considered Malibu's most beautiful beach featuring dramatic sea stacks, natural arches, and sea caves at the base of sandstone cliffs. Accessible via steep staircase descent with spectacular photogenic qualities, especially at sunset and low tide.
Unique geological and paleontological site with active tar seeps located on the Miracle Mile. Experience natural tar pits that have preserved fossils for millennia.
A 4.1-mile loop in the Santa Monica Mountains offering steady ascent, ridge views from downtown to the ocean on clear days, and fewer crowds than Runyon Canyon. More challenging hike with better payoff.
A 22-mile paved path from Santa Monica toward Venice Beach, bikeable and free. The single best way to understand why people pay a premium to live on the LA coast.
A 7.5-mile coastal walk transitioning from the eclectic energy of Venice Beach with street performers and the Venice Skatepark to the classic amusement park charm of Santa Monica Pier. Continuous sea breezes and dynamic beach life throughout.
Simon Rodia's folk-art masterpiece anchors the Watts Towers Arts Center Campus, which hosts free festivals including the Day of the Drum and the Simon Rodia Watts Towers Jazz Festival. Admission and parking are free.
Dramatic sea caves, golden cliffs, and tide pools make this one of LA's most photogenic beaches. State beach lot fills by 10 AM on weekends—arrive before 9 AM or visit midweek.
Family-friendly 2.6-mile loop starting in shaded, fern-lined Ferndell creek area and climbing to Griffith Observatory for postcard views of the Hollywood Sign and city. Parts are stroller-accessible.
Historic LA landmark opened in 1917 featuring over 40 food vendors representing the city's cuisines and cultures. Mix of old-school tenants (China Cafe, Tacos Tumbras A Tomas) and new culinary stars (Madcapra, Ramenhood, Eggslut) in a walkable, atmospheric setting.
The iconic outdoor amphitheater and summer home of the LA Phil, whose 'Forever Summer' season includes the beloved Tchaikovsky Spectacular with Fireworks, closing on the 1812 Overture backed by the USC marching band and full pyrotechnics.
More intimate than Santa Monica with stunning coastal views and beach dining. Open sunrise to sunset year-round, this is where locals escape tourists while enjoying some of Southern California's most dramatic coastline.
27-mile coastline offering dramatic cliffs, tide pools, and whale watching (December–April). Point Dume and El Matador State Beach feature stunning sea stacks and rock formations with fewer crowds than other LA beaches.
Easy coastal walk featuring a striking rock formation at the northwest end of Santa Monica Bay with unbelievable views spanning Santa Monica Bay, Malibu coast, the Santa Monica Mountains, and Catalina Island on clear days.
A 1.4-mile Malibu hike with sweeping Pacific Ocean views and frequent dolphin or migrating whale sightings. A dramatic coastal walk with abundant marine life.
Bluff-top headland trail climbing to a viewing platform ideal for whale watching during gray whale migration December through mid-April. Offers some of the best coastal views in LA.
An exceptional 3-mile loop trail shaded most of the way with several natural stopping points. Halfway through you'll find Tropical Terrace, the fun-to-explore ruins of a mansion—only in LA can you hike through mansion ruins where history and nature converge.
Merges exhilarating rides with behind-the-scenes glimpses into filmmaking magic. A major Hollywood attraction combining theme park thrills with entertainment industry immersion.
Century-old canals recreating the landscape of Venice, Italy with dreamy waterside walkways and picture-perfect bridges. A peaceful self-guided stroll through one of LA's most charming areas.