LA is a city that’s quite spread out and rather difficult to navigate through, if you don’t have a car. Make sure you pick carefully the sights you would like to see, especially if your time is limited. The most popular places to visit are, without a doubt, the beaches and the Hollywood movie glamour sites.
Malibu is where it’s all happening in LA. This is the best spot for watching surfers challenge the waves, “stargazing” (spotting celebrities), shopping beach fashion and eat at posh restaurants. Malibu’s best kept secret though, are the natural wonders that surround it. We recommend heading to Zuma beach, Leo Carrillo State Beach, Surfrider beach, Malibu Creek State Park, Malibu Lagoon and Escondido Falls.
Santa Monica is another famous beach location. It’s a separate smaller city with very vibrant, urban atmosphere, and swelling crowds in summer weekends. It’s very bicycle friendly, if you don’t feel like driving. There is a lovely pier at the beach, the Tongva park and the recently refurbished City Hall gardens are also worth seeing.
Other famous sights, obviously are Hollywood related – the Universal studios Hollywood need no introduction, as well as the Hollywood sign – the number one location for pictures. The Hollywood walk of fame at the Chinese theatre is a great and unique attraction – opened in 1927 it now displays 2624 stars, each named after a celebrity – Dwayne Johnson being the latest to receive one.
Disneyland Anaheim is the only theme park, built under the direct supervision of Walt Disney himself, opened in 1955. This is a happy place where all your favourite Disney movies come to life and where you can feel like a kid again.
There are a lot more attractions to see in Los Angeles, for example there is an impressive collection of interactive museums – the Getty centre would be the most famous on. It displays a collection of pre-20th-century European paintings, manuscripts, sculptures, decorative arts and photographs. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) holds the largest collection of art in the Western states and it aims to inspire creativity and dialogue. The Broad is a contemporary art museum, founded by philanthropist Eli Broad. It rotates temporary exhibitions and offers innovative audience engagement. Smaller museums are the Peterson Automotive Museum, the Craft and Folk Art Museum, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the Museum of Jurassic Technologies and the Japanese American National Museum.
There are a few locations where you can enjoy magnificent views of the city – the free observation deck on the 27th floor of the City Hall is the city’s best kept secret. The OUE Skyscape is the most popular and newest one. Here you can not only enjoy the vistas from California’s tallest open space observation deck at 305 metres, but also experience the glass slide at 300 metres above ground! The Griffith Observatory offers a planetarium, public telescopes and splendid views of LA from the Pacific Ocean do Downtown LA.
The beaches around LA deserve special attention too. Apart from the aforementioned most popular ones, there are many more to explore, offering different experiences. At County line beach you can find yourself swimming alongside dolphins and small reef sharks. If you happen to be in LA in winter, go to Point Dume State beach for whale watching. Other beaches to explore and relax at are the El Matador State Beach, El Porto Beach, Dockweiler State Beach, Will Rogers State Beach, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Cabrillo Beach.