Los Angeles

The City of Angels: Hollywood, Universal Studios and Santa Monica Beach, the starting point for a Pacific Coast Highway road trip, and the fastest-rising city in Euromonitor's 2025 ranking.

Los Angeles lies on the Pacific coast of southern California and is the second-largest city in the US. The Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area has more than 18 million people, and it is vast and spread out: from Santa Monica Beach in the west to Pasadena in the east is over 40 km, and Disneyland in Anaheim, Orange County, lies 45 km to the south. The climate is Mediterranean, with more than 290 sunny days a year. March–May and September–November are the most comfortable, at 20–25°C; June mornings often bring coastal fog ("June Gloom"); in July–September inland areas can reach 35°C while the coast stays cool; December–February is the rainy season but remains mild. In 2028 the city will host the Summer Olympics for the third time. The main areas to visit fall into five groups: first, Hollywood (the Walk of Fame, the Chinese Theatre, the Dolby Theatre, the Hollywood Sign and Griffith Observatory); second, the Westside (Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, the Getty Center and the UCLA campus); third, the coastline (Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach and Malibu, also the starting point for the Pacific Coast Highway north); fourth, Downtown (Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Broad contemporary art museum, Grand Central Market, Little Tokyo and the Arts District); and fifth, the theme parks (Universal Studios Hollywood, and Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure in Anaheim). Getting around: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) has direct flights from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and more; since 2025 the airport connects to the city via the LAX/it shuttle and the Metro K Line. Los Angeles is a classic car city, and renting a car is the most convenient option (driving between areas takes 30–60 minutes, and rush-hour traffic is heavy, so allow extra time). Without a car, use Uber/Lyft or the Metro B Line (Hollywood–Downtown) and E Line (Downtown–Santa Monica). We recommend staying 3–5 days: Hollywood plus Griffith Observatory for 1 day, Universal Studios for 1 day, the beach plus the Getty or Beverly Hills for 1 day, and Disneyland for 1–2 days. Tips: the Skid Row area downtown and some Metro stations are unsafe at night; don't leave anything visible in the car, as smash-and-grab thefts happen; theme-park tickets use date-based pricing and must be bought online in advance; restaurants expect an 18–20% tip; parking is expensive in Hollywood and the beach areas (US$5–10 per hour).

Top sights

Where to eat

Itineraries