Is Los Angeles Safe? A 5-Step Guide for Visitors

Is Los Angeles safe for you? For most visitors, yes, and the biggest risks are small ones such as a stolen bag or a broken car window. Here is how to avoid them.

The five steps at a glance

Five habits cover almost everything official sources advise. The table shows them in the order you will need them.

Step 1: Is Los Angeles safe? Start with the official advice

Official advice says Los Angeles is safe for most tourists if you take normal care. The UK government's travel advice for the USA says that violent crime and gun crime rarely affect tourists, but that you should take care in unfamiliar areas. It also says to try not to walk through quieter areas alone, especially at night. Its page was marked current on 22 October 2026.

The Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board gives the same kind of advice. Its smart travel tips page tells you to avoid showing cash, jewelry or expensive electronics. In an emergency, call 911.

Key Takeaway Both official pages warn about the same two things: theft from parked cars and quiet streets at night. Neither names a neighborhood to avoid.

Which parts of Los Angeles should you avoid? No official source says. The UK advice asks you to take care in unfamiliar areas and to avoid walking alone through quieter areas at night, and the board asks you to stay in well-traveled, well-lit places. Neither lists a street, district or neighborhood to skip. So use those rules anywhere you go. The board also says to ask hotel staff, restaurant staff, ambassadors, traffic officers or police if you need help, so start with your hotel and ask about the streets nearby.

Here is the catch. We found no official page with crime numbers for tourists, and none that lists areas to avoid. So this guide cannot tell you that one street is safe and another is not. Money worries come next for many visitors, so see our answer to is Los Angeles expensive to visit too.

Step 2: Protect your car and your belongings

Car break-ins are the problem both official pages warn about, so empty the car every time you park. According to the board, always lock your car and store all items out of sight, including spare change, checkbooks, maps and cell phones. The UK advice says the same and adds that gangs may target vehicles driven by people who look like tourists.

Park in a secure, well-lit and busy place. Also read the posted signs. The board warns that cars parked against the rules are ticketed and towed very quickly.

Pro Tip Do not leave your passport in a rental car, especially not in the trunk. The UK advice says to keep it with you.

On foot, keep your things close. The tourism board says to keep bags and purses in front of you or on your lap when you sit, not over the back of the chair.

Do you really need a car? Los Angeles is spread out, so many visitors do. Our guide to getting around Los Angeles shows the options without one.

Step 3: Verify your ride and plan your Metro trip

Use a licensed ride and check the details before you get in. The tourism board says to use licensed transportation providers and to verify rideshare information before entering a vehicle. So match the car and the driver to what your app shows. Then get in.

Metro is also an option. Metro charges $1.75 a ride and never more than $5 a day, according to Metro's fares page. Metro's safety page says you can report an incident by text to 213.788.2777 or in the Transit Watch app. For an emergency, call 911. The board adds that Metro ambassadors and station staff are available at many transit hubs.

Is Metro safe? Metro does not call itself safe or unsafe. Its safety page says it uses uniformed safety staff, Transit Ambassadors and camera monitoring on stations, trains and buses. It also links to safety and crime statistics, which we did not open, so we give no crime figure. Its safety tracker also shows crime and arrest rates, but as charts that we could not read as text. Metro's rider guide says to stand or sit in well-lit areas near other riders, to look up from your phone often and to move away from anyone who makes you uncomfortable. For you, that means sitting where other riders are and using the text line or the app if something feels wrong.

Check your last train before an evening out. Metro's pages give no late-night hours, so look at the timetable for your line.

Uber and Lyft prices have no official source, so we state no figure here. For the ride-hailing question, see the FAQ below.

Step 4: Walk where people are, and ask your hotel about the streets

Walk in busy, well-lit places and ask your hotel about the streets near it. That is the tourism board's own wording: walk in well-traveled and well-lit places, especially at night. Hollywood Boulevard, the Santa Monica Pier and the Griffith Observatory grounds are busy with visitors, but check each place's closing time before you go.

Cross the street at crosswalks. The board says jaywalking is a fineable offense.

In Downtown, the board says business improvement district safety officers walk the streets. In the Center district they wear purple shirts. In South Park they wear green shirts and often ride bicycles. It says you can say hello or ask them for help. To report something suspicious, the board gives the LAPD number 877-275-5273.

Where should you sleep? No official source ranks areas by safety. Our guide to Los Angeles neighborhoods describes each area for visitors, and our page on where to stay in Los Angeles explains how to choose. Two bases many visitors pick are the Huntley Santa Monica Beach and The London West Hollywood. Both are rated 8.0 or higher on Booking.com, which says nothing about safety.

Step 5: Think about a guided tour if you would rather not drive

Do it on your own if you are happy to drive, keep your car empty and stay in busy places. A guided tour is worth it if you do not want to drive, park or find your own way. A bus tour takes the parking, the route and the walking alone at night off your list. The trade-off is money and time. Our three picks cost from €43.62 to €82.48 per person, and you follow the tour's schedule. Hollywood Boulevard and the beaches are free and easy to visit on your own, so a tour is not the only safe way to see the city. On trust, each tour is run by the operator named below, and the ratings, review counts and cancellation terms are the listings' own on GetYourGuide, not a safety check of the operators.

Things to Do in Los Angeles' count of GetYourGuide listings on 22 October 2026 found that 43 of 251 tours and tickets list pickup, about one in six. Most tours start at a meeting point, so check where it is before you book.

The Best of LA city tour with stops and free time is a 5.5-hour bus tour, from €52.29 per person, run by Hollywood Bus Tours. It is rated 4.63 from 2,507 reviews on GetYourGuide and showed free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead on 22 October 2026. The meeting point may vary by option, and the listing says pickup is available, so check your option. A private option is available, and the listing gives no group size for the regular tour. An expert driver-guide narrates. Tips, food and drinks are not included, and the audio guide needs headphones that you bring or buy for $5. The listing names no group it is unsuitable for.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 22 October 2026.

For a whole day, the full-day city tour of LA, Hollywood, Beverly Hills and the beaches lasts 7.5 to 9 hours, from €82.48 per person, run by A Day in LA Tours. It is rated 4.78 from 1,435 reviews and showed free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead on 22 October 2026. The meeting point may vary by option, and hotel pick-up and drop-off are included if you select that option. A private option is available, and the listing gives no group size for the regular tour. It includes air-conditioned transport and bottled water, with a live guide on the bus and self-guided stops. Lunch is not included. The listing names no group it is unsuitable for.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 22 October 2026.

If you want Hollywood after dark without walking the streets, the Hollywood night tour with Griffith Observatory is a 1.5-hour bus tour, from €43.62 per person, run by Starline Tours of Hollywood. It meets at 1738 N Orange Dr in Hollywood and includes a guide and a 30-minute stop at the observatory. The listing does not mention pickup, gives no group size and names nothing as not included. It says the observatory visit does not happen on Mondays, and it names no group it is unsuitable for. It is rated 4.21 from 752 reviews and showed free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead on 22 October 2026.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 22 October 2026.

In short, from the listings on 22 October 2026:

Our page on tours Los Angeles compares city tours and hop-on hop-off buses.

When this guide is not enough

A guide like this cannot rate a particular street, so it falls short if you have a specific hotel or area in mind. The official pages publish no crime figures and no list of places to avoid. If you have a health problem, travel alone at night or carry expensive gear, ask your hotel and use a licensed ride. For a first look at the city by day, see Hollywood and Beverly Hills tours.

A safe trip is built from small habits, repeated every day.