Things To Do In Los Angeles |City Guide

Are you visiting California soon and thinking about things to do in Los Angeles? Well then, you have come to the right place, my recent visit fulfilled my childhood dream of visiting a place I only saw in movies. I will focus on all the top-rated things to do in Los Angeles and a few others not well known. Los Angeles, city of angles or L.A is the second most populous city in American and is considered a global city of the film industry. This is all in part, thanks to Hollywood, universal studios, paramount pictures and much more.

Los Angeles is also an important economic powerhouse in the USA thanks to its diversified economy. If you’re planning a trip soon to the home of Hollywood, then I would recommend hiring a car. Whilst public transport works well especially Uber and such, I would highly recommend a car to explore more places. A few of the places I visited were possible thanks to the city tour buses that I took and others because we hired a car.

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City Guide: Things To Do In Los Angeles

When I was about 7 years old, I saw the movie Beverly Hills Cop starring Eddie Murphy and from then on, LA has been on my radar specifically Beverly Hills. Then many years later, I watched Pulp Fiction, I think it was then that I decided I have to visit LA one day. I am finally able to say, I visited the city of my childhood dreams and fantacies.

Los Angeles is an incredible place but like most places, there are areas that are not shown in the media. LA has a ghetto area I wouldn’t recommend and even driving through, I would have your doors locked and shut. Another thing about LA that I truly did not know about was just how crazy the traffic is, in some places you’re better off walking.

Even with these little issues, we had such an amazing time and below I have shared all the things to do in Los Angeles, again, this is only top-rated tourist places. The Local Adventurer has such an impressive itinerary of 101 things to do in Los Angeles, they are my go-to people.

Top-Rated Things To Do In Los Angeles

Griffith Observatory

The Griffith Observatory is this beautiful facility that allows you a glimpse of the Hollywood sign and even as far back as downtown LA. Though many recommend visiting in the evening to watch the sunset, I recommend visiting in the morning for less crowds and to find parking.

The Hollywood Sign |Hike

When you visit LA, you have to hike 5 miles to/from the Griffith Observatory to be up close and personal to the Hollywood sign. Whilst it is not a difficult hike, I do recommend wearing confortable shoes as it has some peaks and troves.

Beverly Hills Sign

The Beverly Hills sign was one of my highlights of visiting this part of California, it is located in the Beverly Gardens Park and is 40-metres tall. I had such high expectations and though the traffic almost ruined it, I loved every minute of it.

Santa Monica Pier

I have visited a lot of piers in my life but the Santa Monica pier holds its own, its a beautiful place to be. We enjoyed great views of the sea, managed to jump on a few rides and watched the sunset in this craziness of the funfair.

Venice Beach

Whilst we struggled with finding parking, Venice beach has to be one of my most favourite places ever. It is such a fun and vibrant places, our favourite location was Marina Del Ray. We saw a lot of street performers who had amassed an impressive crowd.

Dolby Theater

This  live-performance auditorium was such a treat for me when I visited Hollywood Boulevard. I had not planned on visiting it until the tour bus stopped there and the atmosphere outside was electrifying, I just had to be a part of it.

El Capitan Theater

The El Capitan Theater is a landmark movie palace that I only learnt about the minute our tour bus arrived there. It wasn’t a place I was initial going to visit but definitely glad I did.

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Rodeo Drive

The two-mile long street was such a beautiful place to drive in but the shops looked a little too expensive for some of us. We enjoyed just walking in the area and seeing the other tourists.

Hollywood Boulevard / Walk of Fame

Now, you can not visit Hollywood and not walk the walk of fame, what would be the point. Even though it an extremely popular destination and always busy and bustling, it is still worth a visit.

Little Tokyo

Our guide mentioned that Little Tokyo a district in LA that is home to many Japenese Americans it a must visit. I personally did not get of the tour bus because I was limited n time but it is one place I want to visit again.

CityHunt

Scavenger hunts have become a go-to teambuilding activity for several companies. What makes a CityHunt scavenger huntextra special is that it allows you to create camaraderie while exploring some of LA’s top locations.  You can set up hunts in Manhattan Beach, Universal City Walk, Downtown Burbank, and the Getty Museum among others.  We definitely had a lot of fun exploring Downtown LA by holding our scavenger hunt there.

Union Station

Though it is not really an attraction, it is a destination worth knowing as its the railway and bus station. If you’re looking to take a bus from LA to LAX then you’re better off getting one from Union Station.

I had such an amazing time in early, I did not initially have an itinerary to follow but I knew I wanted to see the Hollywood sign and hike there if possible. There is so much more to do in LA but with limited time, these are the major things that I managed to enjoy during my 3-short days in LA.

For those looking to spend a few days in LA, I would recommend staying at Freehand Los Angeles, it is both a hotel and hostel. It is relatively inexpensive considering LA prices and is in a central location for most attractions.