Los Angeles offers plenty to see and experience: attractions, beach life, shopping, and movie glamour.
Located in Southern California, the city is a true melting pot of cultures, with residents from over 100 countries. With approximately 4 million people living in the city and 13 million in the metropolitan area, Los Angeles is vast, and exploring it is best done with a rental car, as distances are long, and public transportation isn’t always the most convenient option.
Arriving in Los Angeles as the final destination of our Route 66 road trip, we spent 4 days in the city. Here’s a bit of our story and what we experienced during these days.
First Steps in Los Angeles
Upon arrival, we booked our first accommodation in Hollywood at the well-regarded BW chain, the Best Western Hollywood Plaza Inn Hotel – Hollywood Walk Of Fame La. The hotel was reliably BW quality and a good choice in terms of location.
Our arrival date happened to be July 4th, Independence Day in the USA. This meant there was a lot of hustle and bustle, and there was a big Independence Day event at the nearby Hollywood Bowl. Unfortunately, the event was sold out, and we couldn’t get tickets. Nevertheless, we walked around the area to soak in the atmosphere.
From there, we headed to the Walk of Fame, the famous Hollywood Boulevard where celebrities’ names are immortalized on stars embedded in the sidewalk. We strolled around, spotted names on the stars, and marveled at the fact that we were actually there! As the evening approached, we planned to return the next day to explore the area in more detail, so we decided to grab a few drinks to celebrate Independence Day.
Universal Studios Hollywood
The next day was spent at Universal Studios, and wow, what an amazing place! It’s a truly fantastic theme park, meticulously designed to provide a comprehensive experience from queueing to riding the attractions. It was a memorable experience. Here, you can also take a studio tour to see famous movie sets and scenes.
Buying day tickets got us a bonus second-day ticket. Initially, we hadn’t planned on visiting again the next day, but the park completely hooked us, so after a day’s break, we returned for more fun. During our visit, there was even an earthquake, something we had never experienced before. Fortunately, the epicenter was farther from Los Angeles, but we still felt the tremors, and loose furniture shifted due to the shaking.
For more details about our visit, you can read the Universal Studios Hollywood post ➛
Hollywood
One of Hollywood’s iconic attractions is undoubtedly the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard, where you can find stars with celebrities’ names embedded in the sidewalk. Here, you’ll also find the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, a historic movie theater and attraction in itself. In front of the theater, you can see celebrities’ handprints and footprints in the cement. Hollywood Boulevard is lively, bustling with people, and lined with shops, cafes, restaurants, as well as various street performers and mascots.
The Hollywood Hills are also home to the famous Hollywood Sign, visible from various points in the city.
Beverly Hills
From Hollywood, we jumped in the car and headed to Beverly Hills, known for its luxury and as the residence of the rich and famous. Here, you’ll find the homes of many celebrities like Taylor Swift, Adele, Katy Perry, and Elton John, to name a few. Beverly Hills also offers guided tours, showcasing celebrity homes and providing insights into who lives where. Most houses are heavily gated, so you won’t see much of the actual homes, but it’s still fun to know and imagine that some of the world’s most famous people live here.
The heart of Beverly Hills is Rodeo Drive, a shopping street lined with luxury boutiques like Prada and Chanel. Rodeo Drive is one of the world’s most expensive shopping streets. Nearby streets offer more affordable shops. The area is beautiful and stylish, with light-colored buildings, lovely landscaping, and magnificent palm trees. Even if you’re not into shopping, it’s worth taking a stroll and admiring the surroundings. A visit to Beverly Gardens Park is also worth it. It’s a beautiful park where you can snap a picture with the Beverly Hills sign and admire various plantings and artworks.
Santa Monica and the End of Route 66
From Beverly Hills, we headed to Santa Monica and its famous pier, the Santa Monica Pier. It was time to reach the end of Route 66!
The Santa Monica Pier is like something out of an American movie: a big pier with all sorts of excitement, street performers, a bustling crowd, an amusement park, and, most importantly, the “End of the Trail – Route 66” sign! What a journey it had been, so many experiences between this sign and the “Begin of Route 66” sign in Chicago. It was an unforgettable trip!
We booked the next couple of nights in Hollywood again, choosing The Moment Hotel. It was a relatively new, modern, and very clean hotel, with a great location, easy to reach by car, and just over a kilometer’s walk to the Walk of Fame. Nearby was also the highly recommended restaurant Aroma Sunset Bar and Grill.
Then it was time for another day at Universal Studios. As mentioned earlier, the second-day ticket came as a bonus, and we didn’t have to use it on consecutive days. There’s more about this in its own post ➛
Griffith Observatory
After Universal Studios, we headed to the Griffith Observatory, located in the hills of Los Angeles. It’s also familiar from many movies, like many other landmarks in Los Angeles. From here, you have beautiful views over Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean in the background. The observatory area is free to visit, and the only thing you might need to pay for is a half-hour show at the observatory (adults $8). We didn’t wait for the show but simply enjoyed the stunning views. Especially at sunset, the views are likely to be truly spectacular.
Last accommodation in Santa Monica
For our last night, we chose Santa Monica because we had enjoyed its atmosphere during a previous visit. We opted for Le Méridien Delfina Santa Monica, which was, by our standards, a really nice hotel with excellent service. We wanted a little extra for our last night of the trip, and this was an excellent choice.
In the evening, we strolled around downtown Santa Monica, where there were many street performers and beautifully decorated pedestrian streets. We also visited the Santa Monica Pier again, took a ride on the Ferris wheel, and reminisced about the past month of traveling. Santa Monica was overall a very pleasant and cozy place. With a somewhat nostalgic feeling, we had to admit that the next day would be time to head home.
Los Angeles is a city we will definitely return to. The palm trees, beachfront roads and boulevards, diverse neighborhoods, and genuine California vibes make it a destination that calls us back again and again.
