Visiting Los Angeles
Where we film most. Watch the streets first, then here's how we'd plan a visit: pick a base, decide how you'll get around and book the few things that sell out. Every area links to our full guide and a full drive.
See the streets before you go
Every part of town on film, at the speed we drove, with no talking. Start with our most-watched LA drives, then browse every drive by neighborhood.
No. 01135:18Mulholland Drive: Hollywood Hills to The Getty
No. 00612:21Sunset Boulevard to Dodger Stadium
No. 01021:48Silver Lake at Sunset
No. 00817:48The Real Hollywood: Sunset, Runyon Canyon and the Hollywood Dell
No. 01815:36Laurel Canyon to Studio City on a Saturday Morning
No. 01216:03East Hollywood to Echo Park
No. 00936:18Iconic LA Sights: Hollywood to Inglewood
No. 01313:48Griffith Park at Sunset: Los Feliz to Burbank
No. 02629:27Sunset Boulevard to the Pacific Ocean
No. 01533:03A Rainy Saturday: Glendale, the Rose Bowl and Pasadena
No. 0078:36Hollywood Boulevard on a Quiet Sunday Morning
No. 01739:50Koreatown to Melrose on a Foggy Morning
No. 01628:28Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive and Century City
No. 01418:37Downtown LA at Sunset
No. 00116:31To the Hollywood Sign via Beachwood Canyon
No. 02313:21Hollywood at Sunset
LA is huge, and where you stay shapes the whole trip.
1. Pick a base
Most visitors split their time between the beach and the Hollywood side of town. Staying near one cuts a lot of driving.
Beach, the pier and an easy bike path, with the Metro E Line to Downtown.
The boardwalk, the canals and Abbot Kinney, a short walk or ride from Santa Monica.
Central for sightseeing, with the Walk of Fame and the Metro B Line on the doorstep.
Walkable, central, and close to the Sunset Strip, Melrose and Beverly Hills.
Classic LA hotels and Rodeo Drive, between the beach and Hollywood.
Neighborhood cafes and hills, close to Griffith Park and Downtown.
2. Getting around
Renting a car
LA is spread out, and a car is the simplest way to see more than one area a day, especially the hills, Mulholland Drive and the coast. Weekday rush hours are slow, so plan longer drives for mid-morning, midday or weekends.
Compare rental carsPicking up at LAX? Watch our drive past every terminal so you know the loop before you land.
Without a car
You can do a lot by Metro, rideshare and bike if you stay in one area. The Metro B Line links Downtown and Hollywood, the E Line runs from Downtown to Santa Monica, and the beach path connects Santa Monica and Venice.
Getting around Hollywood3. Book the few things that sell out
- Hollywood Sign tours and hikesGetYourGuideViator
Guided routes to the best views.
- Warner Bros. Studio TourGetYourGuideViator
Backlot sets and soundstages in Burbank.
- Universal Studios HollywoodGetYourGuideViator
Theme park plus the studio tram tour.
- Santa Monica and Venice bike toursGetYourGuideViator
The beach path between the two.
- Hop-on hop-off busGetYourGuideViator
One pass across the big sights.
- Getty Center toursGetYourGuideViator
The hilltop museum and gardens.
More picks in each guide: Hollywood, Hollywood Hills, Santa Monica, Venice, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood.
4. Before you fly
Good to know
- Sales tax isn't included in shelf prices. It's added at the register.
- Tipping at sit-down restaurants is customary, commonly around 18 to 20 percent.
- Late spring and early summer mornings are often gray at the coast and clear up by afternoon.
- Parking is often metered or paid. Read street signs carefully, since rules change by block and time of day.
Visiting the US from abroad?
A travel eSIM is a phone data plan you install before you fly, so maps and rideshare work the moment you land, without roaming charges. Check that your phone supports eSIM first.
US travel eSIMsMore travel destinations
From the Orange County coast to the mountains of Bosnia, every place we've filmed or explored has its own page, with our photos, the drive and our notes.
Beach towns about an hour south of LA, depending on traffic: the narrow Balboa Peninsula between the harbor and the ocean, and the coves and cliffs of Laguna along Pacific Coast Highway.
2 drives
About two hours south of LA without traffic.
2 drives
Roughly four hours from LA by car across the Mojave, or a short flight.
1 drive
Red rock country in south-central Utah, from the small town of Torrey into the park.
1 drive · story
Downtown, the Space Needle and historic Pioneer Square, in a city of hills and water.
1 drive · story
Our longest drive ever: a round trip from Sarajevo to Mostar through the mountains, along Lake Jablanica and the Neretva River.
1 drive · trip notes · story
Over the mountains of southern Crete, through small villages and Kotsifou Canyon, down to the coast at Plakias.
1 drive · trip notes
Thirteen islands over several trips, from Aegina near Athens to Symi and Rhodes near Turkey: the island-hopping routes we've done and how we got to each one.
Photos · trip notes
A medieval upper town behind 16th-century Venetian walls, on a hill above a modern lower town, about 50 km from Milan.
Photos · trip notes · story
A port city that climbs straight up from the sea, with Renzo Piano's Old Port, a maze of medieval lanes and a street of UNESCO-listed palaces.
Photos · trip notes · story
A small city on the Rönne River in Skåne, southern Sweden, a short walk from the beaches of Skälderviken bay.
Photos · trip notes · storyAll destinationsOur travel map
Some links on this page are affiliate links: if you book through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only include things that fit the places we film. Prices, hours and rules change, so check before you go.
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