Los Angeles, CABy ArrivLast checked
Plan a trip to Los Angeles
A collection of neighborhoods forty minutes apart in good traffic. One region a day. Plan by geography and the city gets much easier to like, because the version people complain about is mostly the one where they crossed town four times before dinner.
- Weekend getaways
- Beaches
- Food trips
- Road trips
Free to run, and you keep editing after. Add who's coming or a pace like “slow mornings” to shape the result.
Los Angeles at a glance
Skip this if you have already been. What follows is a first trip to Los Angeles: Griffith Observatory and three more stops that hold up, Silver Lake / Los Feliz or Santa Monica for a base, and the months that are worth the airfare. 4 to 6 days is the usual answer on length.
- How long
- 4–6 days
- When to go
- March to May, then September to November. Late spring mornings often start overcast and burn off by noon. Summer is hot inland while the coast stays mild, which is exactly why locals drive west in August.
- Getting around
- Rent a car and plan around traffic, or base yourself on the Metro E and B lines, which now reach Santa Monica, downtown, and Hollywood. Rideshare across town gets expensive fast.
What to build the plan around
- 1
Griffith Observatory
Free entry, city-wide views, and the Hollywood Sign from the lawn, though you should park below and walk up, or take the DASH bus.
- 2
The Getty Center
Free admission with paid parking, a tram to the top, and gardens that are worth as long as the galleries, which catches people out.
- 3
Santa Monica and Venice
The pier, the beach path, and Abbot Kinney's shops in one three-mile stretch, which is a day on foot.
- 4
Grand Central Market
A downtown food hall since 1917, and the best single lunch stop in the city if you are downtown anyway.
Where to stay in Los Angeles
Arriv may earn a commission if you book through this link.
- Silver Lake / Los Feliz
- A walkable east-side base near Griffith Park, with the best coffee and casual food once you are settled. Browse stays in Silver Lake / Los Feliz
- Santa Monica
- A beach base with a real downtown, and the Expo Line into the city when you need it. Browse stays in Santa Monica
- West Hollywood
- Central for nightlife and dining, and roughly equidistant from the beach and downtown, which on a bad traffic day means equally far from both. Browse stays in West Hollywood
Arriv may earn a commission if you book through this link.
Itineraries close to Los Angeles
Los Angeles has no itinerary of its own yet. These are the nearest ones, and every stop is already mapped.
- San Diego Weekend Getaway: 3-Day ItineraryNearby, and built for the same kind of trip · 9 mapped places
- Moab Adventure Trip: 3-Day ItinerarySame kind of trip, planned in Moab · 10 mapped places
- Banff National Park Adventure Trip: 3-Day ItinerarySame kind of trip, planned in Banff National Park · 11 mapped places
Los Angeles planning questions
- How many days do you need in Los Angeles?
- 4 to 6 days is the usual answer, and the low end works only if you skip one of the four stops. Four days lets you give the beach, the east side, and downtown one day each without living in the car. Six adds Malibu or Disneyland, though Disneyland is a whole day, gate to gate.
- What is the best time to visit Los Angeles?
- March to May, then September to November. Late spring mornings often start overcast and burn off by noon. Summer is hot inland while the coast stays mild, which is exactly why locals drive west in August.
- Where should I stay in Los Angeles?
- Three areas cover most trips in Los Angeles, since where you sleep decides how much of the day you spend in transit. Silver Lake / Los Feliz: A walkable east-side base near Griffith Park, with the best coffee and casual food once you are settled. Santa Monica: A beach base with a real downtown, and the Expo Line into the city when you need it. West Hollywood: Central for nightlife and dining, and roughly equidistant from the beach and downtown, which on a bad traffic day means equally far from both. If you want one answer without weighing it up, book Silver Lake / Los Feliz and stop reading.
- How do you get around Los Angeles?
- Rent a car and plan around traffic, or base yourself on the Metro E and B lines, which now reach Santa Monica, downtown, and Hollywood. Rideshare across town gets expensive fast.
- What should I see first in Los Angeles?
- Go to Griffith Observatory early in the trip, before the days start filling up with things you booked later. Free entry, city-wide views, and the Hollywood Sign from the lawn, though you should park below and walk up, or take the DASH bus. The other three stops can go in whatever order the map makes easy, since none of them depends on the others.
- Can I build a Los Angeles itinerary automatically?
- Yes. Tell Arriv the length, the pace, and who is coming, and it builds a Los Angeles itinerary from real mapped venues you can reorder or replace. Running it is free, and you sign in only once you want to save the trip or share it.