Los Angeles is largely a sprawl of suburbs and most people – including many locals – forget that it has a downtown core of highrise towers. This modern area is the oldest part of the city and is surprisingly interesting with a fringe of ethnic neighbourhoods such as Chinatown and Little Tokyo.

California Science Center

This science museum in Exposition Park has lots of interactive hands-on exhibits. There are some excellent biology exhibits in the World of Life gallery including the popular Bodyworks Theater.

700 State Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90037
Bus 446
Tel (213) 744 7400
Website www.californiasciencecenter.org
Admission free
Open 10am-5pm daily

City Hall

LA’s 28-storey City Hall was built in 1928 in a mismatch of architectural styles ranging from Byzantine and Romanesque to Art Deco. It has featured prominently in early television shows like Dragnet and Superman.

200 N Spring Street, Los Angeles CA 90021
Metro Civic Center/Tom Bradley
Tel (213) 485 6984
Website www.lacityhall.org

El Pueblo de Los Angeles

This park near Union Station in the northeastern part of downtown LA marks the spot where the city was founded. The park’s main attractions are clustered along the narrow Olvera Street and Avila Adobe – the oldest house in LA. Sepulveda House (622 N Main Street, Los Angeles; tel (213) 625 3800; website www.cityofla.org/ELP/; open Mon-Sat 11am-2pm) houses the visitor information centre plus an exhibition and screens a free film on the city’s history.

Japanese-American National Museum

This museum in Little Tokyo is housed in a building that originally served as a Buddhist temple. It has exhibits detailing the history or Japanese-Americans including displays on internment camps that held Japanese-Americans during World War II.

369 E 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Bus 30, 31, 330 (MTA); 701 (OCTA) Metro Union Station Train (Metrolink) Union Station
Tel (213) 625 0414
Website www.janm.org
Admission $8 ($4 students)
Open Tue-Wed 11am-5pm, Thu 11am-8pm, Fri-Sun 11am-5pm

MOCA Geffen Contemporary

This branch of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Little Tokyo was designed by Frank Gehry and held the museum’s collection while the MOCA’s main museum was being constructed. It is now used for large temporary exhibitions.

152 N Central Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90012
Bus 40, 42 (MTA); 701 (OCTA) Metro Union Station Train (Metrolink) Union Station
Tel (213) 626 6222
Website www.moca.org
Admission $8 ($5 students), free Thu 5pm-8pm
Open Mon 11am-5pm, Thu 11am-8pm, Fri 11am-5pm, Sat-Sun 11am-6pm

Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)

The modern Museum of Contemporary Art showcases an excellent collection of modern art representing abstract expressionism and pop art. It features work by Jackson Pollack and Andy Warhol.

250 S Grand Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90012
Metro Civic Center, Pershing Square
Tel (213) 626 6222
Website www.moca.org
Admission $8 ($5 students), free Thu 5pm-8pm
Open Mon 11am-5pm, Thu 11am-8pm, Fri 11am-5pm, Sat-Sun 11am-6pm

Natural History Museum of LA County

This large natural history museum at Exposition Park, southwest of downtown LA, has an expansive collection of African and American animals plus a popular dinosaur display.

900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90007
Bus 102, 200, 550
Tel (213) 763 3466
Website www.nhm.org
Admission $9 ($6.50 students)
Open Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm, Sat-Sun 10am-5pm

Wells Fargo History Museum

This small museum traces the history of the Well Fargo Company, which has its roots in the California gold rush with its stagecoaches conjuring images of the Wild West.

333 S Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90071
Metro Civic Center, Pershing Square Bus 14, 37, 76, 78, 79, 96, 376, 378, 442, 444, 446, 447, 484, 485, 487, 489, 490, 714
Tel (213) 253 7166
Website www.wellsfargohistory.com/museums/museums_la.htm
Admission free
Open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

GRIFFITH PARK

This area north of Downtown LA and Hollywood is comprises mostly the huge Griffith Park. It is the site of LA’s zoo and the Griffith Observatory.

Autry Museum of the American West

This excellent museum tells the history of America’s west through 10 galleries. Topics covered by the museum’s displays include cowboys and Indians, General Custer’s Last Stand at Little Bighorn, the lawlessness of the Wild West and its portrayal in film and television.

4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Bus 96
Tel (323) 667 2000
Website www.autrynationalcenter.org
Admission $9 ($5 students)
Open Jan-May Tue-Sun 10am-5pm; Apr-Aug Tue-Wed 10am-5pm, Thu 10am-8pm, Fri-Sun 10am-5pm; Sep-Dec Tue-Sun 10am-5pm

Griffith Observatory

This landmark building was the setting of the James Dean film, Rebel without a Cause and it offers brilliant views of Los Angeles’ sprawl. Please note that it is not possible to park at the Observatory and you must make a reservation for the shuttle bus, which departs from Los Angeles Zoo.

2800 E Observatory Road, Los Angeles, CA 90027 (shuttle bus to Griffith Observatory leaves from 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles)
Bus 96, then transfer to shuttle bus
Tel 1 888 695 0888
Website www.griffithobservatory.org
Admission $8
Open Tue-Fri noon-10am, Sat-Sun 10am-10pm

Hollywood Sign

Mount Lax in Griffith Park is the home of the world-famous Hollywood sign, consisting of 15m-tall sheet metal letters, originally built in 1923 to advertise a real estate development.

Los Angeles Zoo

This large zoo is home to around 1200 animals. It is noted for its California Condor breeding programme as well as its chimpanzee, koala, komodo dragon and orangutan enclosures.

5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles CA 90027
Tel (323) 644 6400
Bus 96
Website www.lazoo.org
Admission $10
Open 10am-5pm daily

Travel Town Museum

This transport museum is geared mostly to railroad enthusiasts and includes 14 steam locomotives plus a large collection of freight and passenger cars.

5200 W Zoo Drive, Griffith Park
Bus 96
Tel (323) 662 5874
Website www.traveltown.org
Admission free
Open Mon-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat-Sun 10am-5pm

HOLLYWOOD

LA’s most famous suburb is renown as the home of show business. As the studios moved out of Hollywood it became a seedy neighbourhood but new development is seeing the area start to make a comeback.

Guinness World of Records Museum

The Guinness World of Records Museum competes with Ripley’s Believe it or Not! for the title of the tackiest attraction on Hollywood Boulevard. The museum has exhibits dedicated to the biggest, longest and most bizarre things in the world.

6764 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood
Metro Hollywood/Highland Bus 156, 217, 656, 780
Tel (323) 462 8860
Admission $10.95, combined entry to Hollywood Wax Museum $14.95
Open 10am-midnight

Hollywood Entertainment Museum

The Hollywood Entertainment Museum presents the process of creating a motion picture and features original artefacts from film and television sets.

7021 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood
Metro Hollywood/Highland Bus 156, 217, 656, 780
Tel (323) 465 7900
Website www.hollywoodmuseum.com
Admission $15.95
Open summer 10am-6pm daily; winter Mon-Tue 11am-6pm, Thu-Sun 11am-6pm

Hollywood Walk of Fame

One of Hollywood’s most famous attractions is the pavement near the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and N La Brea Avenue where around 2000 marble and bronze stars commemorate movie stars and other celebrities.

Hollywood Boulevard & N La Brea Avenue, Hollywood
Metro Hollywood/Highland

Hollywood Wax Museum

This was museum features wax models of famous film stars, sports stars and American presidents.

6767 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood
Metro Hollywood/Highland Bus 156, 217, 656, 780
Tel (323) 462 5991
Website www.hollywoodwax.com
Admission $15.95; $17.95 combined entry to Guinness World of Records Museum
Open 10am-midnight daily

Mann’s (Grauman's) Chinese Theatre

This opulent cinema is the most famous of Hollywood’s theatres. More than 180 stars have left their handprints on the forecourt outside the theatre.

6925 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood
Metro Hollywood/Highland Bus 156, 217, 656, 780
Tel (323) 464 8111
Website www.manntheatres.com/chinese/

Paramount Studios

This Hollywood-based movie studio is home to the original Star Trek television series plus movies that include Forrest Gump and the Indiana Jones movies. Two-hour guided tours let you see behind the scenes and occasionally even let you see a working film set.

5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood CA 90038
Bus 10, 210
Tel (323) 956 1777 (reservations essential)
Website www.paramount.com
Tours cost $35
Tours depart 10am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm

Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

One of the more fascinating of Hollywood’s tacky tourist traps is this collection of oddities that includes a six-legged cow and a two-headed goat.

6780 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood
Metro Hollywood/Highland Bus 156, 217, 656, 780
Tel (323) 466 6335
Website www.ripleys.com
Admission $12.99
Open Mon-Thu 10am-10pm, Fri-Sat 10am-11pm, Sun 10am-10pm

MIRACLE MILE DISTRICT/MID CITY

This area between Beverley Hills and Downtown Los Angeles is known for its collection of important museums and the La Brea Tar Pits.

La Brea Tar Pits & Page Museum at La Brea Discoveries

This important site consists of asphalt that had risen from an underground oil field to the surface over the past 40,000 years trapping and preserving life from the Pleistocene Ice Age. Over one million fossilised bones have been excavated here with an important collection exhibited at the adjacent Page Museum at La Brea Discoveries.

5801 Wiltshire Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90036
Bus 20, 720, 920
Tel (323) 934 7243
Website www.tarpits.org
Admission $7 ($4.50 students)
Open tarpit observation station 25 Jun-11 Sep Wed-Sun 10am-4pm; Page Museum Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm, Sat-Sun 10am-5pm

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)

This leading art museum houses an expansive collection that includes works by Diego Rivera, Degas, Gaugin and Rembrandt. The museum also hosts world-class temporary exhibitions.

5905 Wiltshire Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90036
Bus 20, 720, 920
Tel (323) 857 6000
Website www.lacma.org
Admission $9 ($5 students), free after 5pm
Open Mon-Tue noon-8pm, Thu noon-8pm, Fri noon-9pm, Sat-Sun 11am-8pm

Petersen Automotive Museum

This museum features exhibits detailing the intertwined history of Los Angeles and the automobile.

6060 Wiltshire Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90036
Bus 20, 217, 720, 780, 920
Tel (323) 930 2277
Website www.petersen.org
Admission $10 ($5 students)
Open Tue-Sun 10am-6pm

BEVERLEY HILLS & BEL AIR

Los Angeles’ most upmarket suburbs are home to the opulent mansions of the rich and famous and the swanky boutiques of Rodeo Drive. Although it doesn’t have many big attractions, thousands of tourists visit Beverley Hills to gawk at the movie stars’ homes.

J Paul Getty Center & Museum

This impressive art museum is a striking building that is home to one of the city’s most important art collections.

1200 Getty Center Drive, Bel Air CA 90049
Bus 761
Tel (310) 440 7300
Website www.getty.edu
Admission free
Open Tue-Thu 10am-6pm, Fri-Sat 10am-9pm, Sun 10am-6pm

CENTURY CITY & CULVER CITY

These two suburbs south of Beverley Hills are home to several film studios including Century Fox, Sony Pictures Studios (formerly MGM) and Culver Studios.

Museum of Tolerance

This excellent museum has deeply moving exhibits on racism and prejudice. The museum’s overwhelming focus is on the Holocaust when millions of Jews where persecuted at the hands of Nazi Germany.

9786 W Pico Boulevard, Century City CA 90035
Bus 14 (MTA); 7 (Big Blue Bus)
Tel (310) 553 8403
Website www.museumoftolerance.com
Admission $13 ($10 students)
Open Mon-Thu 11am-6.30pm (last entry 4pm), Fri 11am-5pm (last entry 1pm), Sun 11am-7.30pm (last entry 5pm)

Sony Pictures Studios

This massive studio complex was originally the home of MGM although nowadays Sony Pictures’ subsidiaries Columbia and Tristar use the studios to film movies and television programmes.

10202 W Washington Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90232
Bus 3, 33
Tel (310) 244 8687
Website www.sonypicturesstudios.com
Tours cost $25
Tours depart Mon-Fri 9.30am, 10.30am, 1.30pm, 2.30pm

SANTA MONICA & VENICE

This beachside area north of LAX airport and west of Downtown LA is one of the more popular spots with backpackers due to cheap accommodation, great beaches and a hip Californian vibe.

Santa Monica Pier

Santa Monica’s iconic pier is a great place to hang out and it features Pacific Park – a mini-amusement park with a Ferris wheel and a small roller coaster – and the UCLA Ocean Discovery Center, an aquarium featuring local marine life.

Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica
Bus 4, 20, 33, 333, 534, 704, 720, 920 (MTA); 1, 7, 8, 10, tide (Big Blue Bus)
Tel (310) 458 8900
Website www.santamonicapier.org
Admission free
Pacific Park: Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica
Tel (310) 260 8744
Website www.pacpark.com
Rides $4.50; unlimited rides $19.95
Open Jan-May Mon-Thu noon-6pm, Fri noon-midnight, Sat 11am-midnight, Sun 11am-9pm; Jun-Aug Mon-Thu 11am-11pm, Fri-Sat 11am-12.30am, Sun 11am-11pm; Sep-Dec Mon-Thu noon-6pm, Fri noon-midnight, Sat 11am-midnight, Sun 11am-9pm

PASADENA

Pasadena is located inland, a long way east of Downtown LA and is known mostly as the home of the Rose Bowl – a massive 90,000 seat stadium that hosts American football. The out-of-the-way location means that not many travellers make it to Pasadena, but it does boast an attractive downtown area and it is home to the impressive Norton Simon Museum of Art.

Norton Simon Museum of Art

This excellent art museum has a world-class collection of art that includes works by Goya, Monet, Picasso, Raphael and Rembrandt.

411 W Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena CA 91105
Metro Memorial Park Bus 180, 181, 256, 780
Tel (626) 449 6840
Website www.nortonsimon.org
Admission $8 (students free)
Open Mon & Wed-Thu noon-6pm, Fri noon-9pm, Sat-Sun noon-6pm

SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

The vast San Fernando Valley is located northwest of Downtown LA. The Valley is home to many of the major film and television studios including Disney, NBC, Universal and Warner Brothers.

Mission San Fernando Rey de España

California’s largest adobe building dates from 1797 and provides a refreshing contrast to the suburbia of the San Fernando Valley.

15101 San Fernando Mission Blvd, Mission Hills, CA 91345
Bus 234, 734, CE574
Tel (818) 361 0186
Admission $4
Open 9am-4.30pm daily

NBC Studios

Many of the most popular shows on American television are filmed at NBC’s studios in Burbank and it is often possible to score free tickets to be part of the live audience. The more popular shows book quickly and because shows are often overbooked it is important to turn up early to be assured of a seat. If you can’t get tickets for a taping you can always take a studio tour to take a peek behind the scenes.

3000 W Alameda Avenue, Burbank, CA 91505
Bus 96, 155
Tel (818) 840 3537
Website www.nbc.com
Admission audience tickets free; studio tour $7.50
Tickets issued 8am for 5pm show taping; tours hourly Mon-Fri 9am-3pm

Six Flags Magic Mountain & Hurricane Harbor

These two neighbouring theme parks in Valencia, about a 40-minute drive north of Downtown LA, make for a fun day out. Magic Mountain is heaven for fans of roller coasters boasting a floorless roller coaster where your feet hang in the air. After the thrills of Magic Mountain’s roller coasters head next door to cool off at Hurricane Harbor, a water theme park with waterslides galore.

Magic Mountain Parkway, Valencia, CA 91355
Bus 3, 7, 501 (Santa Clarita Transit)
Tel Magic Mountain (661) 255 4100; Hurricane Harbor (661) 255 4527
Website www.sixflags.com/magicMountain/
Admission Magic Mountain $59.99; Hurricane Harbor $29.99; combined entry to Magic Mountain & Hurricane Harbor $69.99
Open Magic Mountain Jan-Mar Sat-Sun; Apr-Aug daily; Sep-Dec Sat-Sun; Hurricane Harbor May-Sep

Universal Studios

Part film and television studio and part theme park, Universal Studios is one of LA’s biggest attractions. A visit to Universal Studios lets you see film sets from many of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters and it also features plenty of action packed rides and live shows where scenes and special effects from motion pictures are recreated every day.

100 Universal City Plaza, North Hollywood
Metro Universal City
Tel 800 UNIVERSAL
Website www.universalstudioshollywood.com
Admission $64
Open Jan-Jun Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat-Sun 10am-7pm; Jul-Aug Mon-Fri 9am-9pm, Sat-Sun 9am-10pm; Sep-Dec Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat-Sun 10am-7pm

LONG BEACH

This suburb, 30km south of downtown Los Angeles, has a population of almost half a million people making it the largest suburb (and the 34th largest city) in the United States. Because of its size, Long Beach has a busy downtown area and its own vibrant inner city neighbourhoods. Attractions in Long Beach include the RMS Queen Mary and the Aquarium of the Pacific.

Aquarium of the Pacific

The Aquarium of the Pacific is home to over 12,500 animals featuring marine life from 13 habitats in the Pacific Ocean’s three main regions: Southern & Baja California, the Northern Pacific and the Tropical Pacific.

100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802
Bus 60, 232 (MTA); C (LB Transit) Metro Long Beach Transit Mall
Tel (562) 590 3100
Website www.aquariumofpacific.org
Admission $20.95, $31.95 including Behind the Scenes tour, $39.95 including 90-minute Ocean Experience cruise, $35 combined ticket including admission to Queen Mary
Open 9am-6pm daily

Queen Mary

The RMS Queen Mary is an ocean liner that sailed the North Atlantic between 1936 and 1967. After retiring in 1967, the 311m-long 81,0000 tonne ship as been docked at Long Beach where it houses a hotel and museum.

1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach, CA 90802
Bus C (LB Transit)
Tel (562) 455 3511
Website www.queenmary.com
Admission $22.95-29.95; $35 combined ticket including admission to the Aquarium of the Pacific
Open 10am-6pm daily

ORANGE COUNTY

Orange County refers to the suburban area between Los Angeles County and San Diego. Many of Southern California’s best beaches are in Orange County and it is also home to two of the biggest theme parks: Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm.

Disneyland

The original Disneyland is a huge attraction that most tourists with kids in tow wouldn’t dream of missing out on; however the long lines and high prices mean that it isn’t on the agenda for most backpackers. The Magic Kingdom features dozens of attractions grouped into themed areas such as Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland and Tomorrowland. Disneyland features plenty of rides including roller coasters and rides themed on major motion pictures like Indiana Jones and Star Wars.
Harbor Boulevard, Anaheim
Train Anaheim (Metrolink), then bus 430 (OCTA)
Tel (714) 781 4565
Website www.disneyland.com
Admission $66
Open Mon-Thu 8am-11pm, Fri-Sat 8am-midnight, Sun 8am-11pm

Knott’s Berry Farm

This alternative to Disneyland features a bunch of awesome roller coasters and thrilling rides including Boomerang, Ghostrider, Montezooma’s Revenge and Xcelerator.

8039 Beach Boulevard, Buena Park, CA 90620
Bus 29, 42A (OCTA)
Tel (714) 220 5200
Website www.knotts.com
Admission $41-49.95
Open Mon-Thu 9am-10pm, Fri-Sat 9am-midnight, Sun 9am-10pm

Soak City USA

This water themed park next to Knott’s Berry Farm is a good spot to cool down with loads of waterslides and water themed attractions.

8039 Beach Boulevard, Buena Park, CA 90620
Bus 29, 42A (OCTA)
Tel (714) 220 5200
Website www.knotts.com/soakcity/
Admission $22.95-27.95
Open Mon-Thu 10am-6pm, Fri-Sat 10am-8pm, Sun 10am-6pm

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Sights

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