Southern California's sprawling coastal city of film studios, beaches, museums and neighbourhoods shaped by communities from around the world
Los Angeles covers about 469 square miles, from the beaches of the Westside to the San Fernando Valley, and is less a single centre than a patchwork of neighbourhoods. Downtown holds the historic Plaza and Olvera Street, Grand Central Market, the Walt Disney Concert Hall and The Broad; Hollywood has the Walk of Fame and the view of the Hollywood Sign; and Wilshire Boulevard's Museum Row is home to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the La Brea Tar Pits, which Visit California notes are closed for renovation until July 2028.
The city's character comes as much from its communities as from its sights. Koreatown, Little Tokyo, Chinatown and many other neighbourhoods reflect the people who have settled here, and Visit California describes a food scene that runs from taco trucks to Michelin-starred restaurants. Up on Mount Hollywood, Griffith Observatory looks over the whole basin, while the Getty Center sits on a hilltop above the Westside.
The area was home to the Tongva people, and the Spanish pueblo of El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles was founded on 4 September 1781 by 44 settlers on the site of the village of Yaanga. Los Angeles passed from Spanish to Mexican rule and then, after the Mexican–American War, to the United States, and was incorporated as a city in 1850. The completion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913 secured water for rapid growth, and after Hollywood merged into the city in 1910 the film studios helped make it the capital of the movie industry.
The population passed one million by 1930, and the city hosted the Summer Olympics in 1932 and again in 1984; it is due to host them for a third time in 2028. Post-war growth brought defence and aerospace industries and sprawling suburbs. In January 2025 wildfires driven by severe winds caused widespread destruction in Pacific Palisades and elsewhere in the region.
Los Angeles is one of the most diverse cities in the United States, with a large Hispanic population and long-established Mexican, Central American, Korean, Filipino, Armenian and Japanese communities. Food is a way into these neighbourhoods: tacos from street stalls and trucks, karaoke rooms and spas in Koreatown, mochi from Little Tokyo shops, and stalls at Grand Central Market and the Sunday Smorgasburg market downtown. Olvera Street keeps alive the city's Mexican roots with shops and restaurants around the historic Plaza.
A first visit usually combines a few anchors: an evening at Griffith Observatory for the planetarium shows and the view, a day among the art and gardens of the Getty Center, and a walk through downtown from El Pueblo and Olvera Street to Grand Central Market and the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Film fans head to Hollywood and to Universal Studios Hollywood, with its studio tour and themed rides, while the Los Angeles Conservancy runs walking tours of historic buildings such as the Bradbury Building and Angels Flight. Distances are long, so most visitors plan by area and spend at least one afternoon on the beach.
Los Angeles is mild all year. Most rain falls between November and March, while summer is dry, with coastal areas much cooler than the inland valleys. Spring and autumn generally bring comfortable weather for sightseeing, though the city can be visited in any season. Griffith Observatory is busiest at weekends, in summer and at sunset.
Checked against the sources on 29 October 2026. Opening times and fees can change — confirm before you go.
General guidance from our specialists, not official information.
The beach cities of Santa Monica and Venice lie on the coast west of downtown, with the Santa Monica Mountains rising behind them. Heading north along the Pacific Coast leads eventually to Hearst Castle, Cambria and the Big Sur coast.
The rugged coast between Carmel in the north and San Simeon in the south, where the Santa Lucia Mountains drop straight into the Pacific. Highway 1, completed in 1937, is the only road along it, linking state parks, redwood groves, viewpoints such as Bixby Bridge and McWay Falls, and a scattering of lodges and restaurants.
ExploreA suspension bridge across the Golden Gate, the strait linking San Francisco Bay with the Pacific Ocean, carrying US Highway 101 between San Francisco and Marin County. Opened in 1937, it was then the longest and tallest suspension bridge in the world, and its colour, towers and frequent wreaths of fog have made it the emblem of the city.
ExploreThe largest city in Nevada, founded as a railroad town in 1905 and now known worldwide for the casino resorts, shows and restaurants of the Las Vegas Strip. Downtown's Fremont Street keeps the city's older neon heart alive, and desert landscapes such as Red Rock Canyon lie within half an hour.
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United States · 9 nights4★ HotelUnited States · 8 nights3★ LodgeThis guide was researched from the sources below and reviewed by our team on 29 October 2026. Facts under “Verified information” link to the page they were checked on; travel tips are general guidance. Photos are credited on each image. The ambient recording’s author and licence are shown in the sound player.
