This trip to the City of Angels is part of the 10 Days West Coast Trip I discussed in some of the previous articles.
Los Angeles was our last destination (if I don’t consider having to go back to the LV McCarran International Airport to take off).
We spent almost three days in Los Angeles. Although we arrived in the city on 18th October, we didn’t plan any activity.
We just wanted to stay at the hotel and rest because we were already very late and exhausted anyway.
Where to stay in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is a vast metropolis, so choosing the best area to stay would not be easy.
It all depends on what you plan to visit and how long you will spend in the city.
However, you might want to consider one of these areas when choosing accommodation: Venice, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Los Feliz and Downtown.
- low-budget: American Hotel – downtown, clean, free wifi
- mid-budget: Best Western Plus Hollywood Hills Hotel – great location, pool
- luxury: Dream Hollywood – great area, pool, bar, fitness center, private parking
Best options for a last-minute trip to Los Angeles
If you are on the last hundred meters with planning a vacation in Los Angeles, then this list is your main help to do it quickly and efficiently:
Best experiences and tours in Los Angeles:
♦ Hollywood Sign Walking and Pictures Tour
♦ California Coastline Helicopter Tour
♦ Natural History Museum of LA Entry Ticket
♦ Universal Studios Hollywood Ticket
Best hotels to stay in Los Angeles:
♦ The Maybourne Beverly Hills – amazing design and rooftop pool
♦ Shutters On The Beach – one of the best beachfront hotels in LA
♦ The Beverly Hills Hotel – Dorchester Collection – perfect location, beautiful gardens
3 days in Los Angeles – top things to do in LA
Day 1 in Los Angeles
Griffith Park Observatory
I couldn’t let the first day pass without having a panoramic view of the city of Los Angeles.
Where could I make this possible, if not on the southern slope of Hollywood Mountain, where Griffith Park is located and the free admission Observatory?
We got there by car, and we had the pleasant surprise of finding free parking with limited places.
Griffith Observatory has had a free entrance since 1995. Many movies were filmed there, including famous ones such as Transformers, Terminator, Charlie’s Angels, San Andreas, etc.
Hollywood Sign
The next destination was actually in the same place as the previous one, just because we couldn’t find any access to see the sign closer.
Unfortunately, we had to be satisfied with the view from Griffith Observatory.
Even if it doesn’t offer the best panorama, Griffith Observatory is still a viable option. However, this is an excellent opportunity to add a future hike to the Hollywood Sign to my bucket list.
READ ALSO: 10 must-see places in California
Beverly Hills
Have you seen the TV series 90210? If the answer is yes, then you must know that the title it actually represents the zip code of Beverly Hills.
Hold on, that’s not all! 90210 is the most expensive zip code in the United States.
This is your chance to meet the most significant number of celebrities per square kilometer, but also to lay eyes on their extravagant mansions. We did a complete tour of the streets.
And I have to admit that I was deeply impressed by their opulence and luxury. It is a very charming area that deserves at least a little of your time.
⇒ Find here the best hotels in Beverly Hills.
Rodeo Drive
This street is so luxurious that you will need to make an appointment to do some shopping.
Considering the exorbitant prices, it didn’t even cross my mind to buy something. But I was pleased enough with the window shopping and lunch at Chipotle.
For those of you who are hoping to take a picture with the famous yellow Buggati parked in front of the House of Bijan boutique, you should know that a yellow Rolls Royce replaced it.
What impressed me about Rodeo Drive is that surprisingly, free underground parking was 2 hours limited.
If you are a Gucci, Prada, r any other expensive brand fan, you can consider yourself lucky…Rodeo Drive is the Mecca of luxury shopping.
And if you enjoy walking among palm trees on a two miles long street, I strongly recommend you visit this place.
It is a great place to walk around.
⇒ Also read: 10 things to consider before road tripping the Pacific Coast Highway, USA
Universal Studios
I have been to the one in Orlando and I liked it, so I’ve decided to turn into a kid once again and to visit the one in Los Angeles also.
I have to admit I regretted the decision just a little bit when we had to go back and had to experience the heavy traffic on the northwest part of the Los Angeles highway, especially after the sunset.
You must go to Universal Studios if you are a hardcore fan of theme parks or if you want to see some live scenes of famous Hollywood action movies.
Universal Studios’ main attractions include Jurrasic Park, Water World, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, etc.
⇒ Get you tickets here
Walk of Fame
I said earlier that we had to experience terrible traffic when returning from Universal Studios.
This has affected us even more because we wanted to get to the Walk of Fame while it was still natural light out.
We failed, obviously, but it was ok after sunset because it wasn’t crowded that much as it was during the day.
Walk of Fame stretches over 3 km, and is engraved on both sides of the street with the names of celebrities. The distance between the stars is about 1.8 m.
Right now, there are over 2 500 stars. If you want to find your favorite celebrity’s star quickly, you can download the Official Hollywood Walk of Fame app.
READ ALSO: USA West Coast itinerary 2 weeks
Day 2 in Los Angeles
Sunset Beach
In the first part of the day, I wanted to fulfill my childhood dream. When I was 7 years old (1997), there was an extremely popular American soap opera in Romania.
It was called Sunset Beach, and I knew it was filmed in California, near Los Angeles.
So I’ve done my homework, and I researched a lot on the internet to find the exact filming locations.
I discovered that the series was filmed in Seal Beach, Sunset Beach’s neighboring town.
To my happiness, the houses are in perfect condition even today. So I managed to photograph them with ease, being located right on the beach. I felt like I was back in my childhood.
Even if you haven’t seen the series, it is worth it to get here. For example, the beach is enormous and much quieter than the one in Santa Monica.
It’s a lovely neighborhood where you can relax and lay on the sand for a few hours.
⇒ Also read Sunset Beach soap opera – I went to see the houses
Queen Marry
Now, a floating hotel and a place for events and weddings, the old ship arrived in Long Beach on its last cruise back in 1967. Why should you pay a visit to Queen Mary?
Because it is bigger than Titanic and has a double weight; because it’s the first boat after Titanic’s failure that managed to cross the Atlantic no less than 1001 times.
Are these enough reasons for you?
⇒ Get your tickets here
Santa Monica
If I were to give a name to a truly epic afternoon, it would probably be named Santa Monica. How was supposed to look like this kind of afternoon?
Well, first you need to park your car somewhere nearby, walk into a supermarket (Vons) and buy the best éclair you’ve ever eaten (I regret so much that I haven’t taken a picture of them), walk the pier till the end of the historic route 66, ride the roller coaster at the amusement park, buy a nice souvenir, then sit nicely on the beach, waiting for one of the most beautiful sunsets of your life. If it sounds appealing, then it’s a must to spend an afternoon in Santa Monica.
Wait. The fun does not end here. Once you have finished enjoying the surreal sunset, you must go to the promenade on 3rd street, where you can find various restaurants, shops, and street performers.
Day 3 in Los Angeles
On the third day, I decided that I already checked the most beautiful places in LA.
So it was also time to explore some of the surroundings. We traveled for 2 hours until we reached San Diego.
Which is very close to Tijuana, specifically the border of Mexico.
Laguna Beach
We could not pass by this splendid beach without even stopping and enjoying a few moments of breathtaking landscapes. Laguna Beach is situated in the south of Orange County.
The area is known for its beauty due to waves that burst into cliffs, the white sand that stretches for seven miles, and the events devoted to art.
⇒ Find here the best hotels in Laguna Beach.
San Diego
I haven’t had very much time to explore the city so well that I could say I have a good knowledge of it, but overall I think San Diego is Miami on a smaller scale, given the geographical position and Latin American influences.
I wanted to make the most of the trip. So I visited the downtown and Coronado Island, which offered me a lovely panorama of the city.
I will talk about San Diego in detail in a future article.
⇒ Also read: A taste of San Diego, California
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