Gnaphron, CC BY-SA 2.0
Los Angeles
Los Angeles is the largest city in California, spread across a coastal basin with areas including Hollywood, Downtown, Santa Monica and Venice.
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Where to stay, by what matters to you
- Places to stay within 10 minutes' walk of the beach in Los Angeles
- Places to stay with a level walk to the beach in Los Angeles
- Places to stay in Los Angeles that work without a car
- Quiet places to stay in Los Angeles: few bars nearby
- Lively places to stay in Los Angeles: bars and clubs close by
- Within 30 minutes by car of La Brea Tar Pits
- Within 30 minutes by car of Los Angeles International Airport
- Within 30 minutes by car of Universal Studios Hollywood
- Within 30 minutes by car of Griffith Park, Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood Sign
- Within 30 minutes by car of Hollywood Burbank Airport
- Within 30 minutes by car of Long Beach Airport
- Within 30 minutes by car of RMS Queen Mary
- Within 30 minutes by car of Knott's Berry Farm
Best things to do in Los Angeles
The one thing not to miss
Walk along Hollywood Boulevard to see more than 2,800 stars set into the pavement. The Chinese Theatre, a movie palace, is on the same stretch.
Hollywood Walk of Fame and the TCL Chinese Theatre1. Hollywood Walk of Fame and the TCL Chinese Theatre
More than 2,800 terrazzo-and-brass stars set in the pavement along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three of Vine Street. The Chinese Theatre, a movie palace, sits on the Walk of Fame.
The stars are on public pavements. Check the theatre's own site if you want to see a film or take a tour.
70,786 readers a month
2. Disneyland
The first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one built under Walt Disney's own supervision, opening on 17 July 1955. It is in Anaheim, at the Disneyland Resort, outside the city of Los Angeles.
Check ticket options and opening times on the park's official site before you go.
46,562 readers a month
Sources
3. RMS Queen Mary
A former Cunard ocean liner that sailed the North Atlantic from 1936 to 1967. She is now a hotel, museum and event space in Long Beach, listed on the US National Register of Historic Places.
Check the ship's own site for visiting arrangements, tours and tickets before you go.
39,498 readers a month
Sources
4. Griffith Park, Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood Sign
A large park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains. Griffith Observatory has views over the Los Angeles Basin and a close view of the Hollywood Sign, and admission is free. The observatory is closed on Mondays.
The observatory's site gives hours of noon to 10 pm Tuesday to Friday and 10 am to 10 pm at weekends. Paid parking is near the observatory and free parking is downhill. Roads and parking get busy.
38,810 readers a month
5. La Brea Tar Pits
An active paleontological research site in urban Los Angeles, in Hancock Park. Natural asphalt has seeped up here for tens of thousands of years, trapping prehistoric animals. It is a registered National Natural Landmark.
The official site says the museum is temporarily closed for construction, with indoor exhibitions paused, while many outdoor areas of Hancock Park stay open. Check what is open before you go.
25,678 readers a month
6. Malibu
A beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region, about 30 miles west of Los Angeles, with a 21-mile strip of beaches along the Pacific Coast Highway. The 2025 Palisades Fire destroyed almost all beachfront homes in the east of the city.
The city was badly hit by the 2025 Palisades Fire. Check current road and beach access before you go, and visit respectfully.
25,503 readers a month
7. Santa Catalina Island
A rocky island in the Channel Islands, about 22 miles long and 8 miles across at its widest, lying 29 miles south-southwest of Long Beach. It is part of Los Angeles County.
The island is reached by boat. Check sailing times and bookings with the operator before you plan the day.
21,250 readers a month
8. Universal Studios Hollywood
A film studio and theme park in Universal City, near Hollywood. It began by offering tours of the real Universal Studios sets and is one of the oldest and best-known working Hollywood studios.
Check ticket options and opening times on the park's official site before you go.
16,920 readers a month
9. Knott's Berry Farm
A 57-acre amusement park in Buena Park that opened as Knott's Berry Farm in 1947. It has over 40 rides and attractions, including ten roller coasters, and averages more than 4 million visitors a year.
Check ticket options and opening times on the park's official site before you go.
16,424 readers a month
10. Venice
A neighbourhood of Los Angeles in the Westside region of Los Angeles County, listed here because it is one of the most-read places in the city on Wikipedia.
Check parking and local conditions before you go.
12,448 readers a month
Just missed the list: Six Flags Magic Mountain (11th by readers; an amusement park outside Santa Clarita); Getty Center (12th by readers; a Getty Museum campus with gardens and views)
How we ranked these
By how many people read about each place on English Wikipedia in a typical month, measured October 2026. It is a popularity measure, not our opinion. Hollywood Walk of Fame and the TCL Chinese Theatre leads with about 70,786 readers a month. Photos come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences; the author and licence are on each photo.
Research required. Area notes for this destination are not written yet. The top 10 above is sourced; the rest of this page is an outline.
Affiliate disclosure: Booking links on this site are partner links. Once our partnership is active we earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It does not change what we recommend. How this works.