Location: Los Angeles
Top Things to do in Los Angeles
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What to do and see in Los Angeles, California (CA): The Best Free Things to do
Hollywood beckons to tourists who long for a brush with Tinseltown glamor. Tour movie studios, slip your hands into the famous prints at the TCL Chinese Theatre, or indulge in a celeb sighting at one of LA’s white-hot nightspots. Spot your favorite star while shopping at The Grove, or forget all about the famous eye candy as you take in the iconic artwork at The Getty Center. For a different type of star-gazing, peek through the telescopes at the Griffith Observatory.
Restaurants in Los Angeles
1. The Getty Center
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 14,503 reviews
Spectacular museum boasts a most impressive collection by such luminaries as Van Gogh, Monet and Cezanne, along with the architectural triumph of its six buildings and gardens.
Reviewed By msmyka - Boca Raton, United States
This is an excellent museum that is easily conquered you can see a great variety self touring in 2 hrs or spend the whole day if you like - great art, views, sculptures and Louis XIV collection you feel transported to Versailles! Must do!!!!!!
2. The Nethercutt Collection
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 846 reviews
The Grand Salon showcases cars of the 1910s to 1930s. There are also collections of furniture, dolls, timepieces and one of the world's finest collections of mechanical musical instruments.
Reviewed By Epic2022 - Los Angeles, United States
An absolute hidden gem in southern Los Angeles! Be sure to take your family (sons/daughters, grandkids), and friends (in town or out of town) visit this museum! We did it yesterday and enjoyed both self-guided and guided tours tremendously. You should allow 4 hours for fun! It has a huge parking lot next to the museum. All cars are exquisitely restored to their original form and functionally drivable automobiles. Every year each car will be taken out of the museum for a joy ride in town, onto the highway, and drive through! 1) Go online to reserve your tickets for the free 2-hour guided tour on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday at 10 am or 1:30 pm. 2) Be sure to spend an extra two hours before or after and visit the other building (free to roam around) and the train. 3) In the last part of the guided tour, go to the 4th floor - music room, grab a sofa, just sit back and enjoy the music while relaxing your legs and toes. It was just heavenly enjoyable! The organ music was just amazing! 4) Bonus: it is FREE! 5) You can also check out other events on the website for silent movies and organ music! 6) The gentleman who is the curator of the museum is an absolutely awesome and very knowledgeable tour guide. He gave a very informative history of every car and every piece of musical instrument in the museum! He is the one who makes every piece of musical instrument functionally working in the museum! This place just has an awesome and incredible collection of treasures!
3. Griffith Observatory
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 20,276 reviews
A public observatory owned and operated by the City of Los Angeles for the benefit of all. Located in on Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park, the Observatory offers a planetarium, exhibits, public telescopes, cafe, bookstore, and the best views of the Los Angeles basin. Admission is free, and visitors may drive directly to the Observatory and park in its lots and roads.
Reviewed By Sanaahyd - Houston, United States
Griffith Observatory - Los Angeles Best place to see and fall in love with LA! Go here to witness a breathtakingly beautiful sunset, along with the Hollywood sign & the fantastic skyline of LA! Please note the traffic is a mess up there, so take a shuttle/Uber. You wont get strong phone signals up at the observatory so plan your itinerary beforehand! There are shuttles that take you back to the city, so hop on when youre done! DONT MISS THIS IF YOURE VISITING LA - PLEASE! Definitely a 10/10 for me!⭐️
4. Union Station
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,826 reviews
Los Angeles Union Station is the main railroad station in Los Angeles, California, and the largest railroad passenger terminal in the Western US. Union Station is a major transportation hub for Southern California, serving almost 110,000 passengers a day. The station is the hub of the Amtrak's California regional routes, Amtrak's long distance trains, Metrolink commuter trains, several Metro Rail subway and light rail lines, buses and coach services. History: Established in 1939. Built in 1939, Union Station combines Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, Mission Revival and Streamline Moderne styles. The architecture team included John and Donald Parkinson who also designed Los Angeles City Hall and other city landmarks. Originally intended as a transcontinental terminus station for the Union Pacific, Santa Fe and Southern Pacific Railways, the station was a major hub for troop movement during World War II. The station's historic 161,000 square foot terminal was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and the station was restored in 1992. Beginning in the 1970s, growing use of Amtrak and expansion of local and regional rail revitalized the station as a major transportation hub of Southern California. Metro acquired the station in 2011, managing the property that currently serves as a transportation hub for Metro, Metrolink, Amtrak and other transportation services as well an urban mixed-use development site.
Reviewed By ShermanOaks2019 - Los Angeles, United States
Enjoy beautiful architecture - great dining in the station or less than a block away famous Philippes French Dip Sandwich - or great Mexican Food at Olvera Street. If you have time take a quick trip to Santa Monica or to Hollywood & Vine and dine at Musso & Franks, or Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel by the pool.
5. Bradbury Building
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 623 reviews
Famous 19th-century Italian Renaissance building in downtown Los Angeles.
Reviewed By overeasy
I did a very quick visit here years ago, but was thrilled to come back again. This is a truly special building, which is why it has appeared in many movies and TV shows. My fav was "Demon With A Glass Hand," an original Outer Limits episode with Robert Culp. I saw that show over 50 years ago and even then was enthralled by the location. You can only go on the ground floor and up the stairs to the first level, but that is enough to let you understand how beautiful this place is. Read the history, which is fascinating as well. It's open on the weekends and you'll have more of a chance to nab a parking spot on the street then, too.
6. Griffith Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,172 reviews
Covering more than 4,107 acres of natural terrain, this is the largest municipal park and urban wilderness area in the United States, which offers numerous family attractions and activities.
Reviewed By Jordi-cr7 - London, United Kingdom
What a beautiful place to explore. The place is massive and so much to see. From the Griffith observatory, Old zoo, the LA zoo, Travel Town , etc.. beautiful place during the day, magical views during the night .
7. Runyon Canyon Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,219 reviews
Located off Mulholland Drive in the Hollywood Hills, this park is especially loved by dog-lovers since they can hike with their dogs without a leash.
Reviewed By PeccatorImpius - Hawthorne, United States
Runyon Canyon is convenient to get to and offers great views of the city. It is quite popular, so you will not be alone on this hike. You can start at the top of the canyon off of Mulholland Drive, but I like to start from the bottom at the Vista Gate, because there is a steep hill up to the gate before you even enter the park. I also like to do the Hero's Trail, which is the most difficult and steep of the hikes available in the park. If you enter through the Vista Gate, as you go up the road past the water fountain, take the first left after the interior gate and you will be on the Hero's Trail. You can also just follow the road up and back to stay on pavement the whole time. If you go on a day after it rains, you can see beautiful views of Catalina Island and the Pacific Ocean, as well as of the whole city. It is a beautiful spot and a place to get some great exercise hiking some steep hills. (photos taken on various hikes over the years)
8. Los Angeles Central Library
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 422 reviews
Restored, historic library with Egyptian influenced architecture.
Reviewed By 615kimberlyc - Toledo, United States
I wandered into the Central Library after a friend told me about the gift store! I spent over an hour trying to decide what to buy. There are funny cards , paper fans, pencils, erasers, books, socks, jewelry - too many to list! Unique gifts that are representative of Los Angeles.
9. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 678 reviews
Reviewed By ideamanmsk
It's an unassuming border to the main campus, but Westwood if chock full of wonderful shops, restaurants, and coffee stops in the shadow of a big city urban scape. As you traverse the streets and pathways of Westwood, you start to discover a beautiful campus setting with all the trappings of a "Southern California" environment. Student pedestrian and cycling traffic reflect the academic dedication that is required for success on this campus. The diversions of play spaces, grassy quadrants, party establishments and suburban style entertainment options color the campus with a unique blend of academia, suburbia, and college frivolity. Once you've walked a mile through the streets and college spaces that characterize Westwood, you may find yourself chanting the iconic: "U -- C -- L -- A -- UCLA fight, fight fight" (or "enjoy, enjoy, enjoy")
10. City Hall
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 345 reviews
After an impressive seismic rehabilitation, completed in 2001, the beloved 28-story landmark can withstand an earthquake up to magnitude 8.
Reviewed By TPAT75 - Oulu, Finland
Beautiful building that offers great views over the city for free! So take some time to visit here if you're in downtown.
