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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 days27 stopsLos Angeles, USA

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1Hollywood Lights & Griffith Park Heights
  1. 🍽️
    République 🍴 Food
    8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
    📍 Hancock Park, Los Angeles
    1h
    Beloved French-Californian bakery-restaurant in a Chaplin-era building on La Brea, serving flawless pastries and eggs; opens 08:00.
  2. 🚗
    9:02 AM – 9:15 AM· Travel to next stop ·2.8 mi ·13m
  3. 📍
    Hollywood Walk of Fame 🏛️ Landmark
    9:15 AM – 10:15 AM
    📍 Hollywood, Los Angeles
    1h
    Stroll the 1.3-mile stretch of terrazzo stars on Hollywood Boulevard, with over 2,800 tributes to entertainment legends.
  4. 🚶
    10:12 AM – 10:30 AM· Walk to next stop ·0.8 mi ·18m
  5. 📍
    TCL Chinese Theatre 🏛️ Landmark
    10:30 AM – 11:15 AM
    📍 Hollywood, Los Angeles
    45m
    Grauman's iconic 1927 pagoda-style cinema where generations of stars pressed their hands into the cement forecourt.
  6. 🚶
    11:25 AM – 11:30 AM· Walk to next stop ·0.1 mi ·5m
  7. 📍
    Dolby Theatre 🎭 Entertainment
    11:30 AM – 12:15 PM
    📍 Hollywood, Los Angeles
    45m
    Home of the Academy Awards, with guided tours past the Awards Walk and the very stage where Oscars history is made; tours from 10:00.
  8. 🚗
    12:24 PM – 12:30 PM· Travel to next stop ·1.3 mi ·6m
  9. 🍽️
    Petit Trois 🍴 Food
    12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
    📍 Hollywood, Los Angeles
    1h 15m
    Ludo Lefebvre's snug French bistro on Highland serves a legendary omelette, steak tartare, and croque monsieur.
  10. 🚗
    1:47 PM – 2:00 PM· Travel to next stop ·2.7 mi ·13m
  11. 📍
    Hollyhock House 🏛️ Landmark
    2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
    📍 East Hollywood, Los Angeles
    1h
    Frank Lloyd Wright's first LA commission crowns Barnsdall Art Park, a UNESCO Mayan Revival masterpiece; open Thu-Sat 11:00-16:00.
  12. 🚗
    3:15 PM – 3:30 PM· Travel to next stop ·3.1 mi ·15m
  13. 📍
    Runyon Canyon Park 🌳 Park
    3:30 PM – 4:45 PM
    📍 Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles
    1h 15m
    A 160-acre urban wilderness with trails rising above the grid for sweeping views of the Hollywood Sign and the basin.
  14. 🚗
    5:01 PM – 5:15 PM· Travel to next stop ·2.9 mi ·14m
  15. 📍
    Griffith Observatory 🌄 Viewpoint
    5:15 PM – 7:45 PM
    📍 Los Feliz, Los Angeles
    2h 30m
    A 1935 Art Deco landmark with free telescopes, a Tesla coil, and the best panoramic city views in LA; closed Mondays, open to 22:00.
  16. 🚗
    7:48 PM – 8:00 PM· Travel to next stop ·2.5 mi ·12m
  17. 🍽️
    Yamashiro Hollywood 🍴 Food
    8:00 PM – 10:00 PM
    📍 Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles
    2h
    A 1914 Japanese palace replica in the Hollywood Hills serving Asian fusion with sweeping nighttime city views.
2Westside Waves: Venice, Santa Monica & the Getty
  1. 🍽️
    Huckleberry Bakery & Cafe 🍴 Food
    8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
    📍 Santa Monica, Los Angeles
    1h
    Santa Monica's best-loved morning spot for farmers-market egg sandwiches, killer scones, and strong coffee; opens 07:00.
  2. 🚶
    9:10 AM – 9:15 AM· Travel to next stop ·1.1 mi ·5m
  3. 📍
    Santa Monica Pier 🎭 Entertainment
    9:15 AM – 10:30 AM
    📍 Santa Monica, Los Angeles
    1h 15m
    The iconic end-of-Route-66 pier with Pacific Park's solar Ferris wheel and the 1916 Looff Hippodrome carousel.
  4. 🚗
    10:33 AM – 10:45 AM· Travel to next stop ·2.5 mi ·12m
  5. 📍
    Venice Beach Boardwalk 🏖️ Beach
    10:45 AM – 11:45 AM
    📍 Venice, Los Angeles
    1h
    Ocean Front Walk is LA's most theatrical mile of street performers, skate legends, murals, and muscle beach.
  6. 🚶
    11:45 AM – 11:50 AM· Travel to next stop ·1.0 mi ·5m
  7. 📍
    Venice Beach Skatepark 🌳 Park
    11:50 AM – 12:30 PM
    📍 Venice, Los Angeles
    40m
    A world-famous oceanfront concrete skatepark with snake runs and bowls right on the sand.
  8. 🚶
    12:33 PM – 12:45 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.6 mi ·12m
  9. 🍽️
    Gjusta 🍴 Food
    12:45 PM – 1:45 PM
    📍 Venice, Los Angeles
    1h
    This cult Venice deli and bakery plates extraordinary sandwiches, smoked fish boards, and wood-fired pastries; open daily 07:00-16:00.
  10. 🚶
    1:46 PM – 2:00 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.7 mi ·14m
  11. 📍
    Abbot Kinney Boulevard 🛍️ Shopping
    2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
    📍 Venice, Los Angeles
    1h 30m
    Dubbed the coolest block in America, a mile of eclectic Venice boutiques, galleries, and design shops.
  12. 🚗
    3:16 PM – 3:45 PM· Travel to next stop ·6.0 mi ·29m
  13. 📍
    The Getty Center 🖼️ Museum
    3:45 PM – 5:30 PM
    📍 Brentwood, Los Angeles
    1h 45m
    Richard Meier's travertine hilltop campus houses Rembrandt, Monet and Van Gogh's Irises, with garden terraces — free; closed Mondays.
  14. 🚗
    5:54 PM – 6:15 PM· Travel to next stop ·4.3 mi ·21m
  15. 📍
    Annenberg Community Beach House 🏖️ Beach
    6:15 PM – 7:00 PM
    📍 Santa Monica, Los Angeles
    45m
    A free public beach club on the former Marion Davies estate, with a historic pool and golden-hour ocean views (grounds open late spring-summer).
  16. 🚗
    7:39 PM – 7:45 PM· Travel to next stop ·1.2 mi ·6m
  17. 🍽️
    Élephante 🍴 Food
    7:45 PM – 9:30 PM
    📍 Santa Monica, Los Angeles
    1h 45m
    A breezy rooftop coastal-Italian hotspot above Santa Monica with Mediterranean plates and sunset ocean views.
3Downtown Deep Dive: Bunker Hill, Arts District & El Pueblo
  1. 🍽️
    Bottega Louie 🍴 Food
    8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
    📍 Downtown, Los Angeles
    1h
    A soaring grand-café patisserie in a 1909 DTLA landmark serving Italian-American breakfasts and macarons; opens 08:00 weekdays, 09:00 weekends.
  2. 🚶
    9:04 AM – 9:15 AM· Walk to next stop ·0.5 mi ·11m
  3. 📍
    Grand Central Market 🏛️ Landmark
    9:15 AM – 10:15 AM
    📍 Downtown, Los Angeles
    1h
    Operating since 1917, this cavernous Broadway market gathers 40-plus vendors in a vibrant temple to LA food; open daily 08:00-21:00.
  4. 🚶
    10:23 AM – 10:30 AM· Walk to next stop ·0.3 mi ·7m
  5. 📍
    Walt Disney Concert Hall 🏛️ Landmark
    10:30 AM – 11:15 AM
    📍 Bunker Hill, Los Angeles
    45m
    Frank Gehry's 2003 stainless-steel masterpiece on Grand Avenue, free to explore by self-guided exterior tour.
  6. 🚶
    11:25 AM – 11:30 AM· Walk to next stop ·0.1 mi ·5m
  7. 📍
    The Broad 🖼️ Museum
    11:30 AM – 1:30 PM
    📍 Bunker Hill, Los Angeles
    2h
    The Broad's veil-and-vault contemporary museum holds Koons, Basquiat, and Cindy Sherman — free admission; closed Mondays.
  8. 🚗
    1:37 PM – 1:45 PM· Travel to next stop ·1.7 mi ·8m
  9. 🍽️
    Zinc Café & Bar 🍴 Food
    1:45 PM – 2:45 PM
    📍 Arts District, Los Angeles
    1h
    A beloved Arts District anchor on Mateo Street serving seasonal salads, grain bowls, and wood-fired pizzas; open daily 07:00-21:00.
  10. 🚗
    2:53 PM – 3:00 PM· Travel to next stop ·1.5 mi ·7m
  11. 📍
    Angels Flight Railway 🏛️ Landmark
    3:00 PM – 3:30 PM
    📍 Bunker Hill, Los Angeles
    30m
    The world's shortest railway, a 1901 orange funicular that has shuttled riders up Bunker Hill for over a century.
  12. 🚶
    3:40 PM – 3:45 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.2 mi ·5m
  13. 📍
    The Last Bookstore 🛍️ Shopping
    3:45 PM – 5:00 PM
    📍 Downtown, Los Angeles
    1h 15m
    California's largest used and new bookstore in a former bank vault, with a labyrinth of books and an art gallery; opens 11:00.
  14. 🚶
    5:10 PM – 5:15 PM· Travel to next stop ·1.0 mi ·5m
  15. 📍
    Olvera Street 🏛️ Landmark
    5:15 PM – 6:15 PM
    📍 El Pueblo, Los Angeles
    1h
    The birthplace of Los Angeles, an 1781 Mexican marketplace with crafts, mariachi music, and the city's oldest buildings.
  16. 🚗
    6:52 PM – 7:00 PM· Travel to next stop ·1.7 mi ·8m
  17. 🍽️
    Bestia 🍴 Food
    7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    📍 Arts District, Los Angeles
    2h
    Ori 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.
Hotel Bel-Air★★★★★
Bel-Air
A legendary Dorchester Collection hideaway on 12 lush acres above Beverly Hills, with swan ponds and old-Hollywood glamour.
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