Best time to travel in Los Angeles?
→ The detailed month-by-month page, with 2015-2024 averages
Best time: March to May and September to November
Best avoided if possible: January and July (less pleasant weather or big crowds).
Temperatures and rainfall: 1991-2020 normals from the Los Angeles Downtown (USC) station, NOAA data (public domain).
Mediterranean: dry summers, 29°C in August downtown and 24°C on the coast, mild winters around 20°C by day, about 360 mm of rain falling mainly from December to March, and frequent coastal gloom in May and June. The best time to visit Los Angeles is March, April, May, September, October and November, with temperatures reaching 29-30°C (August). By contrast, January, February, June, July, August and December are generally less favourable (less pleasant weather or big crowds, depending on the destination), though a trip is still possible with a bit of planning. In high season, book early: prices and visitor numbers climb fast.
Go against the flow. To avoid the crowds without sacrificing too much on the weather, aim for February, June and December: the crowds thin out, prices drop too, and the climate stays pleasant.
Do these months appeal to you? See what's best elsewhere too: where to go in March · where to go in April · where to go in May · where to go in September · where to go in October · where to go in November.
At a glance
Why go to Los Angeles?
Los Angeles is not visited like a European city. It is a constellation of neighbourhoods and independent cities, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, linked by eight-lane freeways, across an area the size of the Greater Paris region. Visitors who accept this, who choose two or three areas and settle in, discover a city of light, dry hills and beaches, where it is mild almost all year round.
People come first for the film industry, which has made its fortune since the 1910s: the stars of the Walk of Fame, the studios still at work in Burbank and Universal City, the Hollywood Sign seen from Griffith Observatory. But the city has also become a museum capital, with the Getty, the Broad, LACMA and the Huntington, often free or nearly so, and a food scene fed by the Mexican, Korean, Thai, Armenian and Japanese communities.
Finally, the Pacific sets the rhythm of Los Angeles. You cycle from Santa Monica to Venice, surf in Malibu and dine facing the sunset, before taking the Pacific Coast Highway towards Santa Barbara and Big Sur, or the desert road towards Joshua Tree and Palm Springs. The city is the natural starting point for a road trip through the West, with direct flights from Europe and reasonably priced hire cars.
Tourist map of Los Angeles: what's where?
The map below pinpoints the 6 places covered in this guide: a handy way to picture the distances between each stop and plan your route in Los Angeles.
- Griffith Observatory
- Hollywood Boulevard
- Downtown Los Angeles
- Santa Monica
- Malibu, Point Dume
- Disneyland
How much does a trip to Los Angeles cost in 2026? Budget calculator
Estimate your budget for Los Angeles based on your travel style: accommodation, meals, activities and local transport included (flights excluded). Adjust the length and the number of travellers, and the totals update.
Totals for all travellers over the chosen length; the daily amount is per person. Flights extra, indicative amounts to adjust depending on the season.
Cards, contactless included, are accepted everywhere, including on the Metro and in car parks. Prices are shown before tax: 10.25% on purchases in the City of Los Angeles, 11.25% in Santa Monica, and more than 14% on rooms. A tip of 18 to 22% is expected in restaurants, $1-2 per drink at the bar, and 10 to 15% in taxis.
Safety in Los Angeles: should you be worried?
Los Angeles is safe for visitors in the tourist areas, but the housing crisis is very visible: encampments on the pavements downtown, particularly on Skid Row east of Downtown, in Hollywood and in Venice. Avoid these streets on foot at night. Car break-ins are common: leave nothing visible, even for five minutes, in the car parks at beaches and viewpoints. The city lies in an earthquake zone: check your hotel's instructions, and in the event of a tremor take cover under a table. From October to January, the Santa Ana winds fan wildfires in the hills, so follow the alerts and road closures. At the beach, respect the lifeguards' flags, as rip currents are common. Medical care is excellent but very expensive, so health insurance covering the United States is essential.
Things to see and do in Los Angeles
Our first-hand favourites, and the great classics:
- Griffith Observatory
- Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Getty Center
- Santa Monica Pier
- Venice Beach
- The Broad
- Universal Studios Hollywood
- Disneyland Resort
What to book before you go to Los Angeles →
🧭 Discover the Los Angeles itinerary, day by dayMap, timings, budget and where to stay: free to access, to fit your dates. Create my tailor-made itinerary →Hollywood and Griffith Park
The film district centres on Hollywood Boulevard, its stars, the TCL Chinese Theatre and the Dolby Theatre, with the hills behind where the letters of the Hollywood Sign have stood since 1923. Above, Griffith Park covers more than 1,700 hectares of dry hills, trails and canyons, with the observatory, the open-air Greek Theatre and the Los Angeles Zoo. In the evening, the bars and music venues of Sunset Boulevard take over. Metro line B links Hollywood to downtown in about 20 minutes.
Downtown and the Arts District
The historic downtown has regained its residents over the past twenty years. On Bunker Hill, the Broad, MOCA and the Walt Disney Concert Hall follow one another along Grand Avenue. Further down, the Grand Central Market, opened in 1917, serves tacos, pupusas and sandwiches under one roof, and Union Station, an Art Deco and Mission Revival station from 1939, is worth a detour for its waiting room. Little Tokyo and the Arts District, a former warehouse district covered in murals, are packed with breweries and restaurants. Neighbouring Skid Row is a reminder of the scale of the housing crisis.
Santa Monica and Venice
The two seaside towns of the west, linked by the cycle path that runs along the sand. Santa Monica, an independent city, offers the 1909 pier, the Third Street Promenade and ocean-facing hotels, 50 minutes from downtown on Metro line E. Venice, more bohemian, lines up its skatepark, Muscle Beach, the Abbot Kinney canals and a street of shops and restaurants. It is the most pleasant base for a first car-free stay, with the beach on your hotel's doorstep.
Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and the Getty
Beverly Hills keeps its mansions behind clipped hedges, and Rodeo Drive, the street of fashion houses. West Hollywood, a neighbouring city, packs historic music venues and legendary hotels such as the Chateau Marmont along the Sunset Strip, and remains the city's gay district. Further west, the Getty Center towers over Brentwood and the 405 freeway. The Fairfax Farmers Market, opened in 1934, and LACMA, on Wilshire Boulevard, are a few minutes away.
Malibu
A city with 34 km of coastline north-west of Santa Monica, along the Pacific Coast Highway, with coves at the foot of the cliffs, renowned surf spots such as Surfrider Beach and wilder beaches, El Matador or Zuma. Point Dume has a short trail along the clifftops, from where you can sometimes see grey whales passing in winter. The Getty Villa, at the entrance to Malibu, displays the foundation's Greek and Roman antiquities in a replica of a villa from Herculaneum, free with a reservation. The 2025 fires have left their mark on the hills.
Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley
15 km north-east of downtown, Pasadena is a city of Arts and Crafts houses and large gardens, known for its New Year's Day parade. The Huntington, in San Marino, brings together a library of rare books, a gallery of British painting and 49 hectares of themed gardens, including a Japanese garden and a Chinese garden. The Norton Simon Museum displays Degas, Van Gogh and South Asian art. Old Pasadena, around Colorado Boulevard, is easy to explore on foot. Metro line A runs there from Union Station.
How many days, and which itinerary in Los Angeles?
Four days let you see Hollywood, Griffith, the Getty, downtown and the coast from Santa Monica to Venice. A week adds a theme park, Malibu and Pasadena. Los Angeles is often the first or last stop on a tour of the West, with two or three nights there.
🗺️ Day-by-day Los Angeles itinerary · 📓 Printable Los Angeles travel guide (PDF) · 🌍 Discover all of the American West
The essentials (3 days)
Day 1: Hollywood Boulevard and the Walk of Fame in the morning, lunch at the Fairfax Farmers Market, Griffith Observatory in the late afternoon for the sunset over the city. Day 2: the Getty Center in the morning, Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive, then Santa Monica and the pier, dinner in Venice. Day 3: downtown, the Broad and the Walt Disney Concert Hall, lunch at the Grand Central Market, Little Tokyo and the Arts District.
City, beaches and studios (6 days)
The three days of essentials, then a day at Universal Studios Hollywood or Disneyland, arriving at opening time. On the fifth day, the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu, Point Dume and El Matador beach, with a stop at the Getty Villa with a reservation. On the sixth, Pasadena and the Huntington, or a morning cycling from Santa Monica to Marina del Rey before your flight.
Los Angeles and Southern California (10 days)
Three days in Los Angeles, then the road to the desert: Palm Springs and Joshua Tree in two days, two and a half hours' drive away. Head down to San Diego for two days, via the Temecula Valley, then come back up the coast through Laguna Beach to Los Angeles, with a day at Disneyland on the way. Allow about 900 km. Alternatively, head north towards Santa Barbara and Big Sur before returning the car in San Francisco.
How to get to Los Angeles and get around?
Non-stop flights link Europe to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX): Air France flies from Paris-Charles de Gaulle in 11 hours 30 minutes to 12 hours outbound, and other airlines offer direct flights depending on the season. With a connection in the United States or Europe, allow 14 to 17 hours. LAX is 25 km (16 miles) from Hollywood and downtown, 30 minutes to more than an hour by road depending on the time of day.
Taxis and ride-hailing cars do not pick up in front of the terminals: a free shuttle takes you to the LAX-it zone. A free connection also links the terminals to the LAX/Metro Transit Center station, from where Metro lines C and K join the network. The FlyAway bus goes straight to Union Station, downtown.
Metro trains and buses cost $1.75, about €1.50, per journey, with free transfers for two hours and a cap of $5, about €4, per day or $18, about €15, per week when paying with a TAP card. Line B serves Hollywood and Universal City, line E Santa Monica, line A Pasadena and Long Beach. The network is enough for a stay centred on Hollywood, downtown and Santa Monica.
For everything else, a car remains essential: the Getty, Malibu, Griffith in the evening, Disneyland, and any trip out of the city. Allow €45-80 a day, plus hotel parking at $30-60 a night. Traffic jams are the rule from 7am to 10am and from 3pm to 7pm, so allow an hour for 25 km. Ride-hailing cars are plentiful and handy for evenings out.
Where to stay in Los Angeles?
Choose your neighbourhood according to your plans, rather than the cheapest hotel on the map: a badly located hotel costs you an hour's drive morning and evening. Allow €150-250 a night for a decent hotel, more in summer and on the coast.
Santa Monica and Venice offer the beach, cycling and the Metro to downtown, at higher prices. Hollywood is central, well served by line B and cheaper, but the boulevard is noisy and dirty at night, so choose the side streets.
Downtown and Koreatown gather design hotels in old buildings, gentler prices and the best Metro connections. West Hollywood and Beverly Hills are the districts of characterful hotels and luxury palaces, halfway between the coast and downtown.
Add more than 14% in room taxes to the displayed prices, sometimes resort fees and parking too. For a day at Disneyland, a night in Anaheim saves you two journeys in the traffic.
Our picks stop by stop, in three price ranges →
What to eat in Los Angeles?
The taco is the city's staple: trucks and street stands sell them for $2-4 each, al pastor, carnitas or Baja-style battered fish. East Los Angeles, Boyle Heights and the Grand Central Market are the best places to try them.
Koreatown, west of downtown, serves Korean barbecue grilled at the table, open late into the night, for $30-50 per person. Thai Town, on Hollywood Boulevard, Little Tokyo for ramen, and the San Gabriel Valley for Chinese cooking complete the map of world cuisines.
A few institutions are as much sights as places to eat: the Fairfax Farmers Market, opened in 1934, Philippe the Original, opened in 1908, which claims to have invented the French dip sandwich, Langer's and its pastrami, and In-N-Out Burger, a chain born in 1948 in the city's suburbs. The weekend farmers' markets, such as the one in Santa Monica, are among the best in the country.
The top chef-led restaurants are concentrated in West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and downtown, with tasting menus at $100-300. Allow $8-10 for a beer and $16-20 for a cocktail. Tap water is safe to drink.
Which kind of traveller is it for?
Los Angeles lends itself to a cultural, festive and relaxing trip. Whether you travel with friends, as a couple or even solo, everyone finds their own pace. For accommodation, you will mostly find classic hotels, boutique hotels and resorts.
Entry requirements & practical info
UK, Australian and most EU passports need an ESTA, applied for online before departure, for stays of up to 90 days; a few EU countries sit outside the Visa Waiver Program and need a full visa. Canadians need neither, only a passport. Anyone who has been to Cuba since January 2021 cannot use an ESTA and must apply for a visa.
Rules change: before you leave, check your country's official travel advice.
Once there, to stay online without paying roaming charges, an Los Angeles eSIM activates in a few minutes and works as soon as you land (plans from €3.99). Remember suitable travel insurance too.
Frequently asked questions about Los Angeles
When is the best time to visit Los Angeles?
Spring and autumn, from March to May and from September to November, with 22 to 28°C, fewer crowds and an ocean still pleasant in September. May and June often bring morning grey skies to the coast. Summer is dry and hot inland, and winter is mild but wetter, around 20°C.
Are there direct flights from Europe to Los Angeles?
Yes, Air France operates non-stop flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and LAX, taking 11 hours 30 minutes to 12 hours outbound and slightly less on the return. Other airlines offer them depending on the season. With a connection, allow 14 to 17 hours.
Do you need a car in Los Angeles?
Almost always. The Metro is enough for Hollywood, downtown, Santa Monica and Universal, but the Getty, Malibu, Griffith in the evening, Disneyland and all the day trips require a car or ride-hailing. Budget for parking, $30-60 a night at your hotel.
Where should you stay on a first visit?
Santa Monica for the beach and the Metro to downtown, Hollywood for lower prices and a central location, West Hollywood for nightlife. Avoid staying near the airport, far from everything, except for one night after a late arrival.
Do you need a visa to visit Los Angeles?
Not if you are a citizen of a Visa Waiver Program country, such as France, Belgium or Switzerland, but you must obtain an ESTA travel authorisation, applied for online on the official US government website. It is valid for two years for stays of up to 90 days, with a biometric passport.
Universal Studios or Disneyland?
Universal for the film industry, the Studio Tour through the sets and Harry Potter, in one day, 20 minutes from Hollywood. Disneyland for families with young children, in Anaheim, 45 km from downtown, with two parks that justify two days. Both use variable pricing depending on the date.
Can you see the Hollywood Sign up close?
No, access to the letters is forbidden and monitored. The best viewpoints are the terrace of Griffith Observatory, Lake Hollywood Park and, for walkers, the Mount Hollywood trail in Griffith Park. From the Ovation Hollywood shopping centre, you can see it from a distance.
Similar destinations
City🇺🇸 Miami
Countries🇲🇽 Mexico
City🇧🇷 Salvador da Bahia
City🇦🇺 Sydney
City🇺🇸 Charleston
City🇺🇸 San Diego
City🇺🇸 San Francisco
City🇺🇸 Seattle
City🇺🇸 Santa Barbara
Countries