Los Angeles is not a place you understand in a day. The City of Angels is huge, sprawling and without a real center, a web of neighborhoods that stretches from the Hollywood Hills to the Pacific. In between lie film studios, palm-lined boulevards, the glamour of Beverly Hills and the laid-back beach vibe of Santa Monica and Venice. You need a car and some patience with the traffic, and then LA shows its sunny side.
Hollywood and the glamour
Hollywood Boulevard with the Walk of Fame and the Chinese Theatre is part of it, even if it often feels busy and a little worn. The best view of the Hollywood sign is from Griffith Observatory, from where you also look far out over the city.
The beaches
The relaxed part of LA lies in the west. The Santa Monica Pier with its Ferris wheel, the skaters and muscle men of Venice Beach, miles of beachfront promenades. This is also where Route 66 ends at the sea.
On four wheels
LA runs on the car. The neighborhoods lie far apart, and the traffic is notorious. Plan your routes generously, avoid rush hour, and take the drive along the boulevards as part of the experience.
A gateway to the south
LA is a good starting or ending point: up the coast to San Francisco, over to Las Vegas and into the deserts, or south to San Diego.
