Los Angeles City Guide #1
Day 1
Arrive in Los Angeles to start your Southern Californian break.
First stop as soon as you leave the airport:
⭐ In-N-Out S Sepulveda Blvd - Iconic west coast burger place with plane spotting opportunities
Head to your hotel or Airbnb to settle in for the night after a long day of travelling.
Its recommended to stop at a grocery store on the way to your accommodation or shortly after checking in to stock up on essentials (water, snacks). LA is different to European cities or even east coast American cities where you'll easily be able to find a grocery store within walking distance wherever you are. In LA, things are more spread out and vast.
Activities on this itinerary that you might need your own snacks for include hiking, sitting at the beach/ parks, and long drives.
LA is a scenic city to drive around so if you're in your own rental car, take the non-highway roads to your accommodation and stop at some of the photo spots/ view points along the way.
To respect local residents, any unofficial viewpoints (e.g. a residential street with a good view) have not been marked on the map or disclosed. You can, however, find official viewpoints marked.
Arrive in Los Angeles to start your Southern Californian break.
First stop as soon as you leave the airport:
⭐ In-N-Out S Sepulveda Blvd - Iconic west coast burger place with plane spotting opportunities
Head to your hotel or Airbnb to settle in for the night after a long day of travelling.
Its recommended to stop at a grocery store on the way to your accommodation or shortly after checking in to stock up on essentials (water, snacks). LA is different to European cities or even east coast American cities where you'll easily be able to find a grocery store within walking distance wherever you are. In LA, things are more spread out and vast.
Activities on this itinerary that you might need your own snacks for include hiking, sitting at the beach/ parks, and long drives.
LA is a scenic city to drive around so if you're in your own rental car, take the non-highway roads to your accommodation and stop at some of the photo spots/ view points along the way.
To respect local residents, any unofficial viewpoints (e.g. a residential street with a good view) have not been marked on the map or disclosed. You can, however, find official viewpoints marked.
Day 2
Day 2 - wake up in LA!
Start your morning with one of LA's famous hikes - Hollywood Sign.
⚠️ Pack your light snacks/ fruit bought at yesterdays grocery story visit. Don't forget water! LA heat can be intense and trails in the hills are largely unshaded.⚠️
You can make a pit stop at one of the following coffee shops, which aren't too far from the trailhead, before your hike:
☕ Intelligentsia Coffee Hollywood
🚶🏿♀️➡️Park up or get dropped off on Canyon Lake Drive close to the Innsdale Trailhead. Take the Innsdale Trail, Mullholland Hwy, then Mt Lee Drive all the way up to behind the Hollywood Sign. You can also use AllTrails. A spectacular way to start your morning.
After your hike, re-fuel with some food!
Lunch:
🍴 The Butcher, The Baker, The Cappuccino Maker
Since you're in the Hollywood area, why not walk off lunch at Melrose Avenue (between Fairfax and La Brea) for pretty street art, vintage stores, and trendy boutiques.
Or if you fancy a break, head back to your accommodation for an afternoon rest.
🔭 This evening you'll visit Griffith Observatory for sunset so decide how long you want to spend at the beach.
🚶🏿♀️➡️If you want another hike, park up at Fern Dell Drive/ West Canyon Rd (free but busy at weekends) and enter Griffith Park. Follow the West Observatory Trail to the observatory. Again, its steep and there's little shade so take plenty of water/ a hat.
🚗 If you'd rather skip the hike, head straight up to the observatory where you can park for $10 an hour.
Try to arrive at least an hour - 30 mins before sunset to see the city turn from day to dusk, and stay after sunset to see the city turn to night with LA twinkling below.
Grab some dinner at one of our featured restaurants or a drink at one of the bars in our list.
Day 3
Day 3 - Beach day!
On Day 3, start your day with coffee:
☕ Little Lunch Coffee + Snacks
After coffee and breakfast, try some horse riding or surfing:
🏇🏽 Horse riding - Malibu Riders
🏇🏽 Beach horse riding - Santa Barbara beach rides
🏇🏽 Horse riding - Sunset Ranch Hollywood
🏄🏽♀️ Surfing - Kapowui Surf
🏄🏽♀️ Surfing - Malibu Surfing School
Or do both!
Note: the locations of these activities are spread along the coast - Santa Barbara, Malibu and Santa Monica/ Venice. If you choose Santa Barbara (furthest away) you could have lunch there, or start making your way back down the coast and spend some time in Malibu, before going to Santa Monica/ Venice. Or spend all your time in one location - your choice!
Refuel with some lunch at one of the restaurants on our list.
This after, take some time to relax at the beach and watch the pro surfers or simply soak up the Californian sunshine.
If you need an afternoon pick-me-up, go back and try one of the coffee shops on the list above.
If you want to do a quintessentially Californian activity this afternoon and ride bikes/ skate/ roller blade along the beach boardwalk, here are some good options:
🚲 Joyride Bike Rentals - beach chairs also available
🚲 Venice Boardwalk Bike Rental
This evening, watch the sunset at the beach. There's nothing like watching a sunset on the west coast and at the beach you'll have unobstructed views as the sun sets under the horizon. You can even sit on one of the lifeguard towers and have yourself a real OC moment. Why not grab some food and a drink and have yourself a sunset picnic on the beach.
After sunset, a lovely activity to do is to watch a rooftop/ outdoor movie, and LA provides the perfect backdrop for this. Here are some great outdoor cinemas:
🎬 Cinespia
After the movie, try some of the bars on our list, or simply head back to your accommodation.
Optional pit stop:
As this itinerary focuses on staying in the Hollywood/ West Hollywood/ Hills area, you may have great views from your hotel/ Airbnb. So why not crack open a bottle of wine once you're home and enjoy the night view before heading to bed.
Final Day
On your final day, start the morning with a sunrise hike up Runyon Canyon.
Today, go back and do something you may have missed or visit somewhere you really enjoyed again.
