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Los Angeles, USA · Free itinerary
3-Day Los Angeles Itinerary: Best Things to Do
Los Angeles sprawls across 500 square miles of sun-drenched coastline, canyons, and iconic boulevards, making it one of the world's most diverse and dynamic cities. From the stargazing vistas of Griffith Observatory and the golden sands of Venice Beach to the world-class museums of Bunker Hill, LA rewards visitors who embrace its patchwork of distinct neighborhoods.
3 days18 sights + 9 food & drink stopsLos Angeles, USA
✅ Complete your trip to Los Angeles
Book the essentials and keep this itinerary handy on the road.
1
Hollywood Lights & Griffith Park Heights
🗺️ Day route — numbered stops in order (static map)
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1hRépublique 🍴 Food8:00 AM – 9:00 AM📍 Hancock Park, Los AngelesBeloved French-Californian bakery-restaurant in a Chaplin-era building on La Brea, serving flawless pastries and eggs; opens 08:00.
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9:02 AM – 9:15 AM· Travel to Hollywood Walk of Fame ·2.8 mi ·13m
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1hHollywood Walk of Fame 🏛️ Landmark9:15 AM – 10:15 AM📍 Hollywood, Los AngelesStroll the 1.3-mile stretch of terrazzo stars on Hollywood Boulevard, with over 2,800 tributes to entertainment legends.
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Walk to TCL Chinese Theatre ·0.8 mi ·18m
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45mTCL Chinese Theatre 🏛️ Landmark10:30 AM – 11:15 AM📍 Hollywood, Los AngelesGrauman's iconic 1927 pagoda-style cinema where generations of stars pressed their hands into the cement forecourt.
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11:25 AM – 11:30 AM· Walk to Dolby Theatre ·0.1 mi ·5m
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45mDolby Theatre 🎭 Entertainment11:30 AM – 12:15 PM📍 Hollywood, Los AngelesHome of the Academy Awards, with guided tours past the Awards Walk and the very stage where Oscars history is made; tours from 10:00.
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12:24 PM – 12:30 PM· Travel to Petit Trois ·1.3 mi ·6m
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1h 15mPetit Trois 🍴 Food12:30 PM – 1:45 PM📍 Hollywood, Los AngelesLudo Lefebvre's snug French bistro on Highland serves a legendary omelette, steak tartare, and croque monsieur.
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1:47 PM – 2:00 PM· Travel to Hollyhock House ·2.7 mi ·13m
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1hHollyhock House 🏛️ Landmark2:00 PM – 3:00 PM📍 East Hollywood, Los AngelesFrank Lloyd Wright's first LA commission crowns Barnsdall Art Park, a UNESCO Mayan Revival masterpiece; open Thu-Sat 11:00-16:00.
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3:15 PM – 3:30 PM· Travel to Runyon Canyon Park ·3.1 mi ·15m
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1h 15mRunyon Canyon Park 🌳 Park3:30 PM – 4:45 PM📍 Hollywood Hills, Los AngelesA 160-acre urban wilderness with trails rising above the grid for sweeping views of the Hollywood Sign and the basin.
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5:01 PM – 5:15 PM· Travel to Griffith Observatory ·2.9 mi ·14m
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2h 30mGriffith Observatory 🌄 Viewpoint5:15 PM – 7:45 PM📍 Los Feliz, Los AngelesA 1935 Art Deco landmark with free telescopes, a Tesla coil, and the best panoramic city views in LA; closed Mondays, open to 22:00.
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7:48 PM – 8:00 PM· Travel to Yamashiro Hollywood ·2.5 mi ·12m
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2hYamashiro Hollywood 🍴 Food8:00 PM – 10:00 PM📍 Hollywood Hills, Los AngelesA 1914 Japanese palace replica in the Hollywood Hills serving Asian fusion with sweeping nighttime city views.
2
Westside Waves: Venice, Santa Monica & the Getty
🗺️ Day route — numbered stops in order (static map)
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1hHuckleberry Bakery & Cafe 🍴 Food8:00 AM – 9:00 AM📍 Santa Monica, Los AngelesSanta Monica's best-loved morning spot for farmers-market egg sandwiches, killer scones, and strong coffee; opens 07:00.
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9:10 AM – 9:15 AM· Travel to Santa Monica Pier ·1.1 mi ·5m
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1h 15mSanta Monica Pier 🎭 Entertainment9:15 AM – 10:30 AM📍 Santa Monica, Los AngelesThe iconic end-of-Route-66 pier with Pacific Park's solar Ferris wheel and the 1916 Looff Hippodrome carousel.
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10:33 AM – 10:45 AM· Travel to Venice Beach Boardwalk ·2.5 mi ·12m
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1hVenice Beach Boardwalk 🏖️ Beach10:45 AM – 11:45 AM📍 Venice, Los AngelesOcean Front Walk is LA's most theatrical mile of street performers, skate legends, murals, and muscle beach.
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11:45 AM – 11:50 AM· Travel to Venice Beach Skatepark ·1.0 mi ·5m
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40mVenice Beach Skatepark 🌳 Park11:50 AM – 12:30 PM📍 Venice, Los AngelesA world-famous oceanfront concrete skatepark with snake runs and bowls right on the sand.
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12:33 PM – 12:45 PM· Walk to Gjusta ·0.6 mi ·12m
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1hGjusta 🍴 Food12:45 PM – 1:45 PM📍 Venice, Los AngelesThis cult Venice deli and bakery plates extraordinary sandwiches, smoked fish boards, and wood-fired pastries; open daily 07:00-16:00.
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1:46 PM – 2:00 PM· Walk to Abbot Kinney Boulevard ·0.7 mi ·14m
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1h 30mAbbot Kinney Boulevard 🛍️ Shopping2:00 PM – 3:30 PM📍 Venice, Los AngelesDubbed the coolest block in America, a mile of eclectic Venice boutiques, galleries, and design shops.
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Travel to The Getty Center ·6.0 mi ·26m
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1h 45mThe Getty Center 🖼️ Museum3:45 PM – 5:30 PM📍 Brentwood, Los AngelesRichard Meier's travertine hilltop campus houses Rembrandt, Monet and Van Gogh's Irises, with garden terraces — free; closed Mondays.
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5:54 PM – 6:15 PM· Travel to Annenberg Community Beach House ·4.3 mi ·21m
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45mAnnenberg Community Beach House 🏖️ Beach6:15 PM – 7:00 PM📍 Santa Monica, Los AngelesA free public beach club on the former Marion Davies estate, with a historic pool and golden-hour ocean views (grounds open late spring-summer).
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7:39 PM – 7:45 PM· Travel to Élephante ·1.2 mi ·6m
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1h 45mÉlephante 🍴 Food7:45 PM – 9:30 PM📍 Santa Monica, Los AngelesA breezy rooftop coastal-Italian hotspot above Santa Monica with Mediterranean plates and sunset ocean views.
3
Downtown Deep Dive: Bunker Hill, Arts District & El Pueblo
🗺️ Day route — numbered stops in order (static map)
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1hBottega Louie 🍴 Food8:00 AM – 9:00 AM📍 Downtown, Los AngelesA soaring grand-café patisserie in a 1909 DTLA landmark serving Italian-American breakfasts and macarons; opens 08:00 weekdays, 09:00 weekends.
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9:04 AM – 9:15 AM· Walk to Grand Central Market ·0.5 mi ·11m
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1hGrand Central Market 🏛️ Landmark9:15 AM – 10:15 AM📍 Downtown, Los AngelesOperating since 1917, this cavernous Broadway market gathers 40-plus vendors in a vibrant temple to LA food; open daily 08:00-21:00.
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10:23 AM – 10:30 AM· Walk to Walt Disney Concert Hall ·0.3 mi ·7m
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45mWalt Disney Concert Hall 🏛️ Landmark10:30 AM – 11:15 AM📍 Bunker Hill, Los AngelesFrank Gehry's 2003 stainless-steel masterpiece on Grand Avenue, free to explore by self-guided exterior tour.
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11:25 AM – 11:30 AM· Walk to The Broad ·0.1 mi ·5m
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2hThe Broad 🖼️ Museum11:30 AM – 1:30 PM📍 Bunker Hill, Los AngelesThe Broad's veil-and-vault contemporary museum holds Koons, Basquiat, and Cindy Sherman — free admission; closed Mondays.
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1:37 PM – 1:45 PM· Travel to Zinc Café & Bar ·1.7 mi ·8m
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1hZinc Café & Bar 🍴 Food1:45 PM – 2:45 PM📍 Arts District, Los AngelesA beloved Arts District anchor on Mateo Street serving seasonal salads, grain bowls, and wood-fired pizzas; open daily 07:00-21:00.
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2:53 PM – 3:00 PM· Travel to Angels Flight Railway ·1.5 mi ·7m
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30mAngels Flight Railway 🏛️ Landmark3:00 PM – 3:30 PM📍 Bunker Hill, Los AngelesThe world's shortest railway, a 1901 orange funicular that has shuttled riders up Bunker Hill for over a century.
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3:40 PM – 3:45 PM· Walk to The Last Bookstore ·0.2 mi ·5m
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1h 15mThe Last Bookstore 🛍️ Shopping3:45 PM – 5:00 PM📍 Downtown, Los AngelesCalifornia's largest used and new bookstore in a former bank vault, with a labyrinth of books and an art gallery; opens 11:00.
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5:10 PM – 5:15 PM· Travel to Olvera Street ·1.0 mi ·5m
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1hOlvera Street 🏛️ Landmark5:15 PM – 6:15 PM📍 El Pueblo, Los AngelesThe birthplace of Los Angeles, an 1781 Mexican marketplace with crafts, mariachi music, and the city's oldest buildings.
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6:52 PM – 7:00 PM· Travel to Bestia ·1.7 mi ·8m
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2hBestia 🍴 Food7:00 PM – 9:00 PM📍 Arts District, Los AngelesOri Menashe's seminal Arts District Italian — house-milled pasta and blistered pizzas in a buzzing warehouse; dinner from 17:00.
🏨 Where to stay
Real, vetted stays near your route — check the reviews, then book.
Freehand Los Angeles★★★★
Downtown
A stylish hostel-hotel hybrid in the historic Commercial Exchange Building, with private rooms and dorms in the heart of DTLA.
Hotel Figueroa★★★★
Downtown
A restored 1926 Spanish Colonial landmark steps from Crypto.com Arena, blending bohemian art and a vibrant pool bar.
Shutters on the Beach★★★★★
Santa Monica
Santa Monica's only true beachfront hotel, with Cape Cod-style rooms and ocean-view balconies steps from the sand.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need in Los Angeles?
3 days are a great amount of time to explore Los Angeles. This itinerary covers 18 sights and 9 food & drink stops across 3 days, giving you a thorough introduction to the city and California.
What are the best things to do in Los Angeles?
Some of the best things to do in Los Angeles include Hollywood Walk of Fame, TCL Chinese Theatre, Dolby Theatre. Los Angeles sprawls across 500 square miles of sun-drenched coastline, canyons, and iconic boulevards, making it one of the world's most diverse and dynamic cities. From the stargazing vistas of Griffith Observatory and the golden sands of Venice Beach to the world-class museums of Bunker Hill, LA rewards visitors who embrace its patchwork of distinct neighborhoods.
Where should I stay in Los Angeles?
Popular options in Los Angeles include Freehand Los Angeles and Hotel Figueroa. The California area also has a range of hotels for every budget — book in advance for the best rates.
What's the best time to visit Los Angeles?
Much of this itinerary is indoors — 6 of its 18 sights are museums, entertainment venues, or shopping stops — so Los Angeles holds up outside peak season too. Book the popular indoor attractions ahead in busy months, and check the seasonal climate for USA before you go.