Los Angeles
Best things to do in Los Angeles, including free and rainy-day options
Base yourself in one area per day — Hollywood, Downtown, Santa Monica or the Westside — because LA traffic eats two-hour chunks. Do the Griffith Observatory and a studio tour on a clear weekday, the beach in the afternoon, and keep one museum day spare for rain. Free options: Griffith Park trails, the Getty, Venice Boardwalk, Santa Monica Pier.
- Source checked
- A source and a date are on record: we read it from an official or published page. Not yet confirmed on the ground.
- Field checked
- Someone checked it on the ground, with the date shown.
- Plan calculated
- Worked out by Voykit from its own data (times, distances, budgets). A calculation, not a measurement.
Unknown times stay unknown. How we verify
GuideLos Angeles
Key facts
- Best first-time pick
- Griffith Observatory + Hollywood sign viewpoint, then a studio tour (Warner Bros or Paramount)
- Free and near-free
- Griffith Park and Observatory grounds, the Getty, Venice Boardwalk, Santa Monica Pier, Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Rainy day
- Getty Center, LACMA, Natural History Museum, Academy Museum, a studio tour
- Car needed
- Yes for most sights; Metro works for Downtown–Hollywood–Santa Monica
- Studio tour price
- About US$70–80 per adult, 2026 estimate
- Traffic window
- Avoid 07:00–10:00 and 15:00–19:00 on freeways
- Best months
- Apr–Nov; May–June can bring morning marine layer at the coast
Quick answer
If you have three days, give one to Hollywood and Griffith Park, one to the coast (Santa Monica and Venice), and one to a museum plus Downtown. That covers the icons without spending the trip in the car.
If you have one day only, pick one cluster and stay in it. Driving from Santa Monica to Downtown to Hollywood in a single day is possible but leaves little time at any of them.
Choices by time, cost and weather
Use this table to pick by how much time you have, what it costs and whether it works in rain. Prices are 2026 estimates; confirm on the official site before you go.
| Option | Time needed | Cost (2026 estimate) | Works in rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Griffith Observatory and park | 2–4 h | Free; planetarium show small fee | Partly — indoor exhibits |
| Hollywood Walk of Fame and sign viewpoint | 1–2 h | Free | No |
| Studio tour (Warner Bros or Paramount) | 2–3 h | About US$70–80 per adult | Yes |
| Getty Center | 3–4 h | Free entry; parking fee | Yes |
| LACMA and Academy Museum | 2–3 h each | Ticketed | Yes |
| Santa Monica Pier and beach | 2–4 h | Free to walk; rides ticketed | No |
| Venice Boardwalk | 1–2 h | Free | No |
| Downtown LA: Grand Central Market, The Broad | 3–4 h | Market free; The Broad free with timed booking | Yes |
| Universal Studios Hollywood | Full day | Ticketed, higher on weekends | Partly |
Opening hours, timed-entry rules and prices change; check each official site the week you travel.
The detail
Griffith Observatory sits on a hill above Los Angeles with the sign on the opposite ridge and the city grid below. Go on a clear weekday, arrive before sunset, and stay for the lights coming on. Parking fills early; the DASH Observatory shuttle from the Vermont/Sunset Metro station is the easy alternative.
A studio tour is the closest most visitors get to working film and TV sets. Warner Bros in Burbank and Paramount in Hollywood are the two long-running options; both run guided groups and need booking ahead in summer. Universal Studios Hollywood is a theme park with a tram tour, not a working-studio visit, and takes a full day.
The Getty Center, off the 405 in Brentwood, is free to enter and holds European paintings, sculpture and gardens with a wide city view. Parking is paid. The Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades is a separate site with its own free timed ticket.
Downtown has changed: Grand Central Market for food, The Broad for contemporary art, Angels Flight for the short funicular ride, and Olvera Street for the oldest part of the city. All are within a few blocks, which makes Downtown the best car-free day in LA.
The coast is its own trip. Santa Monica Pier, the beach path and Palisades Park are walkable from the Expo Line terminus; Venice Boardwalk is about 30 minutes further on foot or a short bike ride along the sand.
What it costs
Los Angeles can be done cheaply if you skip the theme parks. Free: Griffith Observatory grounds, the Getty, Venice Boardwalk, Santa Monica Pier, the Hollywood sign viewpoints, and The Broad with a timed booking.
Paid: studio tours around US$70–80 per adult, Universal Studios Hollywood a full-day ticket, LACMA and the Academy Museum ticketed, parking at most attractions US$15–25. Metro fares are low and capped per day.
| Item | 2026 estimate |
|---|---|
| Studio tour, adult | US$70–80 |
| Universal Studios Hollywood, adult | Ticketed; higher at weekends |
| Getty Center parking | Paid |
| LACMA / Academy Museum | Ticketed |
| Metro single ride / day cap | Low; capped |
| Attraction parking | US$15–25 |
Tips that change the day
- Group sights by area: Hollywood + Griffith; Santa Monica + Venice; Downtown; the museum mile along Wilshire.
- Start early. The first two hours of the day are the only ones without traffic.
- Book studio tours and The Broad timed entry before you fly in summer.
- Coastal mornings in May and June are often grey; the sun usually arrives by midday.
- Park once and walk or ride-share inside a district rather than moving the car.
- Keep a museum day in reserve — rain in LA is rare but real between December and March.
FAQ
Sources
Questions people ask
What are the best things to do in Los Angeles?
For a first trip: Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood sign viewpoint, one studio tour, Santa Monica Pier and Venice Boardwalk, and a Downtown day at Grand Central Market and The Broad. Pick one area per day; LA traffic makes cross-city hops expensive in time.
What are free things to do in Los Angeles?
Griffith Park trails and the Observatory grounds, the Getty Center (free entry, paid parking), Venice Boardwalk, Santa Monica Pier, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and The Broad with a free timed booking. Most need only transport and parking money.
What can I do in Los Angeles when it rains?
Museums and indoor tours: the Getty Center, LACMA, the Academy Museum, the Natural History Museum, and a Warner Bros or Paramount studio tour. Downtown works too — Grand Central Market and The Broad are a short walk apart.
Do I need a car in Los Angeles?
For most sights, yes — the city is spread out and many attractions sit away from rail lines. Metro covers Downtown, Hollywood and Santa Monica reasonably well, so a car-free trip is possible if you stay near those lines.
How many days do you need in Los Angeles?
Three to four nights covers the icons without rushing: one Hollywood and Griffith day, one coast day, one museum and Downtown day. Add a day for a theme park or a second museum.
Deep dive
Every source; changeable facts are marked check
Sources
- officialDiscover Los Angeles (official tourism)
- officialGriffith Observatory
- officialThe Getty
- officialWarner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood
- officialLA Metro
- secondaryWikivoyage – Los Angeles