Recommendations for things to do in Los Angeles, California 

Information about Los Angeles

Los Angeles is considered the entertainment capital of the world and is a paradise of idyllic weather. It is an international center for business, commerce, entertainment, culture, media, fashion, science, technology and education. It is a very fascinating city with plenty of things to do.

How do I get there?

We arrived on a United Airlines flight with a stop in San Francisco. The first flight was 15 hours to San Francisco and then another 2-hour flight to Los Angeles. It was a long journey but well worth the effort.

Disneyland

Well, it’s no secret that one of the most famous attractions in the city is Disneyland. When I was a child, I visited Disney World in Orlando, so I was really excited to go back to another version in Los Angeles. This is an attraction suitable for both children and adults. We were a couple without children and we really enjoyed ourselves. There are many types of facilities there, and if you buy a ticket with the option to skip queues, in some facilities you can go straight on without waiting in line. There are facilities for children, for the whole family and extreme ones. This is an attraction for a whole-day trip or even for two days in order to have time to do all the facilities.

Tip: There is a check at the entrance and you are not allowed to bring in selfie sticks or GoPro sticks, so if you planned to do so, keep in mind that they’re not allowed.

In addition, from the parking lot there is a train that takes you to the entrance of the park itself. It is recommended to come with comfortable walking shoes since it is a large park and you have to walk a lot from facility to facility and also time spent waiting in lines (standing). It is recommended to arrive as early as possible in order to have time to make installations without much waiting time, and it’s best to go on days that are not too hot.

Book tickets to Disneyland

Universal Studios

Another place that is an attraction where you can spend the whole day and, like Disneyland, it is a place that makes you feel like you are in a movie. There are fewer facilities than Disneyland, but there are also all kinds of shows that we really, really liked. In addition, the setting is very impressive. My impression was that Universal Studios is more suitable for youths and adults and less for small children, if compared to Disneyland, where there are many facilities that are also suitable for babies and small children. At Universal Studios, most of the facilities are more challenging, involving lots of roller coasters.

Book tickets to Universal studios

A tour of the homes of the famous

This was one of the tours I was most excited about. There are tours from the Star of the Stars that depart every day several times a day, which are for 10 people, in a large, open vehicle. The driver is also the guide and with the help of headphones you can hear his explanations throughout the trip. Our driver/guide was super funny and told us lots of stories about the celebrities and their homes. You don’t see too much of the houses themselves, except for Leonardo DiCaprio’s Doge’s house, where we only saw a gate because there are guards who don’t allow you to go any further, but I really liked hearing the stories about them. In addition, the guide put on music according to the movies he was talking about, which created a fun and light atmosphere for the tour.

The tour was about two hours and we did it through the Starline company.

Buy Tickets to Hollywood Sightseeing and Celebrity Homes Tour by Open Bus tours

Farmers Market and Grove

This is a very nice area that has both a shopping complex and a market with many food stalls with cuisines from all around the world. The shopping complex itself is very beautiful and includes a movie theatre . This is an area that is not too busy and has a pleasant atmosphere, so you can also just walk around without even doing any shopping. Directions.

Beaches in Malibu

One day it was decided that we would go to El Matador beach in Malibu. The trip was about an hour long and was really fun because it is along the sea, so you see both that and vacation homes with interesting architectures all along the way. From the right side there were views of mountains and blossoms, so we also stopped on the way to enjoy the view.

There are several beaches in Malibu but our host, Christian, recommended El Matador, which is considered one of the most beautiful and special in the area. To get to the beach you have to park on the side of the road and walk a few minutes on a marked path, and from there you go down to the beach. The descent is not difficult, but it is not very recommended for people with disabilities.

The beach itself is full of rocks and cliffs and even small caves and it is undoubtedly a really beautiful beach that is worth going to if you are a beach lover.

Santa Monica Pier

The Santa Monica Pier is considered one of the most famous places in the city and has been a filming location for many scenes in movies and series. At the pier you will find street performances, several stalls, an amusement park with a giant wheel, an aquarium, and a video arcade. There is also a beach there and it is very nice to come and watch the sunset from there. Directions.

Griffith Park viewpoint

Griffith Park is one of the largest urban parks in North America. It has many hiking trails and you can go for a picnic, a walk or just to enjoy nature. Unfortunately we didn’t get to roam around in it since we had a lot of other activities, but we did get to watch the sunset from its observatory. This is a very popular place to come to watch the sunset and take photographs since it offers a view of the entire park and the city of Los Angeles. In addition, it is one of the best vantage points to view the Hollywood sign.

From the parking lot to the observatory there is an uphill walk of a few minutes but it is worth it. There are many lawns and you can come with a sheet or a mat and sit there for a nice picnic and watch the sunset and the beautiful view. Directions.

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens

It is a collection-based educational and research institution founded by Henry A. Huntington (1850-1927). This is one of the most magical and relaxing places we got to visit during our stay in Los Angeles. It is a huge place! I recommend arriving at opening hours, at 10 in the morning because the place closes at 5 and even so, it is most likely that you won’t be able to see everything there, anyway. 

The thing I liked the most was the wide variety of botanical gardens: Japanese, Chinese, rose gardens and more. You can walk there for hours and just enjoy the special beauty of each and every garden. The place is very well thought out and clean, and it is not crowded with people, either. The museums were also particularly interesting. In the museum about the works in Europe, you also get audio and so you can learn about the different paintings displayed there. We were very surprised by the place and did not expect something so beautiful and special. I highly recommend it for garden and art lovers.

Tip: This is a very photogenic place for Instagram so it’s worth investing in nice clothes and accessories 🙂 But of course come with comfortable shoes since the place is very big and you’ll have a lot to walk there. In addition, there are various restaurants scattered among the gardens and at the entrance. The Japanese restaurant in the Japanese gardens is recommended as well as the main restaurant at the entrance, which has a delightful Mexican stand. official website.

Rodeo Drive

One of the most famous streets in the world and also one of the most expensive in the world, with more than 100 world-renowned shops and luxury hotels. Chances are you’ll get there and you won’t even be able to buy a pen, but still the street itself is beautiful and it’s easy to get lost in its charm and splendor. It is recommended to visit the Four Seasons Hotel there. This is a very famous hotel that has been home to many iconic personalities, including Warren Beatty, John Lennon and Elvis Presley. Today, it is affectionately known as the “Pretty Woman Hotel” because it provided the backdrop for some of the scenes from the classic film “Pretty Woman”. In addition, it is recommended to visit the shopping center located right in front of the hotel, where you will find luxury stores such as Versace, Jimmy Choo, Lanvin and Tiffany & Co. as well as the Urasawa sushi restaurant, which is considered one of the most expensive sushi restaurants in the United States.

Hollywood Star Walk

Apart from doing the tour of the houses of the celebrities in Hollywood, of course, before that, you have to go through the Hollywood Walk of Fame and see the stars of your favorite celebrities. You will also find all kinds of people dressed as movie characters who will offer you to take a picture with them in exchange for a tip. There is no doubt that this is a super touristic attraction and it is a must for anyone visiting Los Angeles for the first time.

Since we only had 6 days to be in the city and 2 of them were in Disneyland and Universal Studios, we only got to see a small part of the city, but for a first time there, I felt that we saw a lot of the famous places that are generally recommended for a first experience. Los Angeles is huge and you need much more than a few days to explore it, and it left us with a desire for more. The advantage of being with Christian, the host on the trip, was that he knew where to go, where to park and recommended the things we should see the most.

Recommendations for things worth doing in Los Angeles for those visiting there for the first time. We were in the city for 6 days as part of a private trip through an American company. Every day we did a different activity and we got to do familiar tourist attractions like Disneyland and Universal Studios and visit special places like El Matador Beach in Malibu and an observation point in the city of Los Angeles.