Things to do in Los Angeles
Sunset Strip and the Hollywood Walk of Fame are the places for star spotting in Hollywood. Soak up the sunny weather on a Paramount Pictures tour. Convertibles cruise down Sunset Boulevard to Santa Monica Pier and onto The Getty Center Los Angeles to see a real van Gough. Kids have fun in Beverly Hills with rollercoaster rides at Universal Studios Hollywood. Most attractions are open daily, 10am-6pm.
The Hollywood Museum
The history of Hollywood
The Hollywood Museum in the heart of Hollywood features four floors of famous
and rare props, costumes, scripts and vintage photos from the television,
stage and recording industries. Displays are arranged chronologically, from
the Silent Era to current productions.
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Cost
US$15; concessions US$12
Opening Hours
Thu-Sun 10am-5pm
Address
1660, North Highland Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles CA 90028
Telephone
+1 323 464 7776
Universal Studios Hollywood
Movie and amusement park
Universal Studios Hollywood amusement park combines popular television
programmes and movies with high-tech thrill rides such as The
Simpsons roller coaster. The main attraction is the Studio Tour, a
guided tram ride around the company's 170 hectares within Universal
City.
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Cost
US$67; children under 1.2m tall US$57; under-2s free
Opening Hours
Winter daily 10am-6pm; summer daily 9am-7pm
Address
100, Universal City Plaza, Universal City, Hollywood, Los Angeles CA 91608
Telephone
+1 818 622 3801
The Paley Center for Media
Favourite TV shows
Roughly 140,000 television and radio programmes such as The Twilight
Zone and I Love Lucy can be viewed in private consoles at The
Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills. Nearly a century of television and
radio history is represented.
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Cost
Suggested contribution US$10; under 14s US$5
Opening Hours
Wed-Sun 12pm-5pm
Address
465, North Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles CA 90210
Telephone
+1 310 786 1091
The Getty Center Los Angeles
Massive art museum
The Getty Center Los Angeles is a billion-dollar postmodernist complex,
located atop the Santa Monica mountains. It houses an enormous collection of
Impressionist paintings - including van Gogh's Irises - priceless
decorative arts, fine manuscripts, contemporary photography and much
more.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Tue-Sun 10am-5.30pm (until 9pm Fri)
Address
1200, Getty Center Drive, Brentwood, Los Angeles CA 90049
Telephone
+1 310 440 7300
California Science Center
Science made fun
Located in South Los Angeles' Exposition Park, the California Science Center
is one of the city's top family attractions. Hands-on displays explore
invention and cutting-edge technology, while The Fun Lab offers interactive
gadgets for kids to push, pull and prod.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily 10am-5pm
Address
700, Exposition Park, Los Angeles CA 90037
Telephone
+1 323 724 3623
Petersen Automotive Museum
Car-lovers' heaven
The four-storey, 27,871m² Petersen Automotive Museum on Miracle Mile displays
more than 200 cars and motorcycles. The collection includes vintage
classics, racing cars, and famous movie vehicles. An interactive learning
centre teaches the scientific principles of how a car works.
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Cost
US$10; 5-12s US$3; under-5s free
Opening Hours
Tue-Sun 10am-6pm
Address
6060, Wilshire Boulevard (at Fairfax), Los Angeles CA 90036
Telephone
+1 323 930 2277
La Brea Tar Pits
Primordial pools
Located on L.A.'s Miracle Mile, the La Brea Tar Pits is a large pool of tar
that's been bubbling up from the earth for more than 40,000 years. It's one
of the world's richest excavation sites for Ice Age fossils.
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Cost
US$7; 5-12s US$2; under-5s free
Opening Hours
Daily 9.30am-5pm
Address
5801, Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90036
Telephone
+1 323 934 7243
Walt Disney Concert Hall
An architectural masterpiece
Opened in 2003, the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown
Los Angeles is one of the most acoustically sophisticated concert halls in
the world. The dramatic stainless-steel exterior consists of wildly
undulating curved surfaces.
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Cost
Various
Opening Hours
Various; audio tours daily 10am-2pm
Address
151, South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90012
Telephone
+1 323 850 2000
L.A. Zoo
Hundreds of exotic animals
L A Zoo in Griffith Park contains nearly 1100 animals spread over 46
hectares. The highlight is the Red Ape Rain Forest, home to the zoo's unique
orangutan population. Kids can pet cuddlier creatures at the Winnick Family
Children's Zoo.
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Cost
US$13; seniors US$10; 2-12s US$8; under-2s free
Opening Hours
Daily 10am-5pm
Address
5333, Zoo Drive, Los Angeles CA 90027
Telephone
+1 323 644 4200
Griffith Observatory
Hollywood's other stars
Made famous in the James Dean film Rebel Without a Cause, Griffith
Observatory's bronze domes have been a Hollywood Hills landmark since 1935.
The central dome houses the 300-seat Samuel Oschin Planetarium, where hourly
screenings reveal the stars and planets.
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Cost
Free admission to observatory & grounds; nominal charge for Samuel Oschin Planetarium
Opening Hours
Tue-Fri 12pm-10pm; Sat & Sun 10am-10pm
Address
2800, East Observatory Road, Los Angeles CA 90027
Telephone
+1 213 473 0800
Hollywood Walk of Fame
World-famous sidewalk
Since 1960 over 2,200 celebrities, including Elvis Presley and Greta Garbo,
have been honoured along the world's most famous sidewalk. Each bronze
medallion on the Hollywood Walk of Fame honours a famous television, film,
radio, theatre, or recording personality.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily all day
Address
Hollywood Boulevard (between Gower Street and La Brea Avenue), Hollywood, Los Angeles CA 90028
Telephone
+1 323 469 8311
Venice Beach
A community of canals
Venice Beach is renowned for its buzzing beach and wide boardwalk popular
with rollerbladers and sunseekers, but inland lies a canal network that gave
the area its name. Look out for 1920s European-designed buildings that
formed the original development here.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily all day
Address
1800, Ocean Front Walk, Venice, Los Angeles CA 90291
Santa Monica Pier
Seaside amusement park
The Santa Monica Pier is a classic American wooden wharf where seafood
restaurants, souvenir shops and thrill rides are perched above the Pacific
Ocean. Highlights include an old-fashioned wooden carousel, a roller
coaster, a shooting gallery and a large aquarium.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily all day
Address
Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, Los Angeles CA 90401
Telephone
+1 310 458 8900
Paramount Pictures
How movies are made
Paramount Pictures is the only major studio still located in Hollywood. The
two-hour studio tour offers a historical lesson on filmmaking and a
real-life, behind-the-scenes look at a working movie and television
facilities in day-to-day operation. Look out for celebrities.
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Cost
US$35 (advance reservation only)
Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 10am-2pm
Address
5555, Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90038
Telephone
+1 323 956 1777
The Sunset Strip
Boulevard of dreams
The Sunset Strip in West Hollywood is a 2.8km stretch of Sunset Boulevard
where some of the world's most famous - and infamous - bars, clubs and
hotels reside. The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, and Bob Marley got their start on
this street.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily all day
Address
8000-9000, Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles CA 90046
Transport
Car or taxi
