Los Angeles Itinerary: 1 to 5 Days

A Los Angeles itinerary works best when each day stays in one part of the city. If you would rather not plan every hour, a Los Angeles bus tour can cover several areas for you, and Step 8 shows where that saves the most time.

The eight steps below start with how many days you have. Then they place each day, name the closed days and end with the tours that fit.

Step 1: Choose how many days of your Los Angeles itinerary you have

Plan on three days for a first visit, with a fourth and fifth day if you want museums, a studio or a day trip. This is our own planning advice. No official body publishes a recommended length of stay.

The table gives the plan for each length. Each new day adds one area to the days before it.

Rain should not change the number of days. Downtown Los Angeles averages about 23 days a year with at least 0.10 inch of rain, and most of them fall from December to March, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 1991 to 2020 normals. In that season, swap a beach day for the museum day. For the winter case, see our guide to Los Angeles in winter.

Key Takeaway Three days covers Hollywood, Downtown and the beach, and each extra day adds one museum, one studio or one day trip.

Step 2: Group the days by area and check the closed days

Group each day around one or two neighboring areas, because the Metro times between areas run from 25 minutes to about an hour. Metro's timetables give these ride times.

• Hollywood/Highland to Union Station on the B Line takes about 25 minutes, and a train comes about every 10 minutes in the daytime.
• Downtown Santa Monica to 7th St/Metro Center on the E Line takes 45 minutes, with a train every 8 to 10 minutes on weekdays.
• Downtown Long Beach to 7th St/Metro Center on the A Line takes about an hour.
• Universal/Studio City to Hollywood/Highland on the B Line takes 4 minutes.

The official pages used for this guide give no drive times between areas, because traffic decides them. Treat the Metro minutes as the fixed number, and add time if you drive. As our own planning rule, allow an hour for each move between areas, since you also walk to and from the station. Inside one area, the only published walk is the Third Street Promenade, about 10 minutes from Santa Monica Pier. Other walking times are not published, so check Metro's trip planner. Metro charges $1.75 a ride, never more than $5 a day, and gives free transfers within 2 hours when you tap. Our guide to getting around Los Angeles covers the cars, buses and ride shares.

Closed days decide the order of your days. These are the closures the official sites list.

Put Santa Monica on a Monday, because the pier, the sand and the market stay open when the big sights close.

Step 3: Day 1 is Hollywood in the day and Griffith Observatory at dusk

Spend the day in Hollywood, then end at Griffith Observatory for the view and the Hollywood Sign. Take Metro's B Line to Hollywood/Highland for the Walk of Fame, which costs nothing to visit, and the Dolby Theatre, home of the Academy Awards. Some readers find Hollywood Boulevard a tourist trap, so give it an hour and move on.

The Hollywood Sign is free to see. The Hollywood Sign Trust names Ovation Hollywood and Griffith Observatory among its best viewpoints. Ovation Hollywood sits at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue. Getting close to the sign is not allowed, so a viewpoint is the way to see it.

For the afternoon, the open-air Hollywood and Beverly Hills bus tour is from €28.59 per person. The listing shows durations from 2 to 5.5 hours, depending on the option you choose. Hollywood Bus Tours runs it, and a private option is available. The listing gives no group size and names no one it is not suited to. Hotel pickup and tips are not included, and the meeting point varies by option, so read the booking page. Travelers rate it 4.5 from 2,901 reviews. The listing showed free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance on 22 October 2026, so read its own terms before you book.

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

Then go to Griffith Observatory. The observatory has free admission, and it is closed on Mondays. It opens at noon Tuesday to Friday and at 10 a.m. on weekends, and it closes at 10 p.m. Parking is paid next to the building, and Griffith's getting-here page lists free parking farther downhill. Without a car, ride the B Line to Vermont/Sunset and take the DASH Observatory bus, which runs daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The fare is 50 cents, or 35 cents with a TAP card, and you need exact change.

To walk up with a guide, the Griffith Observatory guided hike is from €30.27 per person and lasts 2.5 hours. Bikes And Hikes LA Tours runs it, and a private option is available. The listing gives no group size, and the meeting point varies by option. It includes free parking near the observatory, but hotel pickup and tips are not included. The listing says it is not suited to people with mobility impairments. The rating is 4.8 from 210 reviews, a small number, so treat it as a first look. The listing showed free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance on 22 October 2026.

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

If you want a Hollywood base, Loews Hollywood Hotel sits next to the Dolby Theatre and the TCL Chinese Theatre.

Pro Tip Arrive at Griffith Observatory about an hour before sunset on a Tuesday to Friday, when it is open until 10 p.m. and the city lights come on below.

Step 4: Day 2 is Downtown, built around Grand Central Market

Downtown is the day for walking and eating, and Grand Central Market is the place to start. The market is open daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., though hours vary by vendor, according to the market's own site. It stands at 317 South Broadway.

Across the street from the market is the lower entrance of Angels Flight, a short hill railway. Angels Flight is open daily from 6:45 a.m. to 10 p.m. and the fare is $1.50 each way. The B Line runs to Union Station, and the A, B, D and E Lines meet at 7th St/Metro Center, so ride to one of them and check Metro's trip planner for the walk.

For art, The Broad offers free general admission. It is closed on Mondays, and the Infinity Mirrored Room needs an advance reservation. The museum recommends a timed ticket for everything else, and walk-ups are accepted daily. MOCA Grand Avenue is also free, recommends advance reservations and is closed on Mondays.

If you want a guide for the history, the Downtown history and architecture walk is from €43.62 per person and lasts 3 hours. See LA in a Day L.L.C. runs it for up to 20 people, and it meets at 341 S Hill St. The listing says it is not suited to people with mobility impairments. The rating is 5 from 109 reviews. The listing showed free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance on 22 October 2026, so read its own terms before you book.

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

Downtown works without a tour, because the market, the railway and the museum are all free or cheap. A guide adds the stories behind the buildings.

Step 5: Day 3 is Santa Monica and Venice, an easy ride on the E Line

Spend day three at the beach, and ride the E Line from Downtown to Santa Monica in about 45 minutes. The line ends at Downtown Santa Monica station, and from there you walk west on Colorado Avenue to the pier. Our page on Santa Monica and Venice Beach covers both in detail.

The pier is open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and walking onto it is free. The Third Street Promenade is about a 10-minute walk away, according to the pier's FAQ. The pier also has bike rental on site.

Venice sits on the same beach path. The path runs 22 miles from Will Rogers State Beach to Torrance, so you can ride from Santa Monica to Venice's Ocean Front Walk. Venice has no rail line, so use the bike path or a bus.

For a guided ride, the Santa Monica and Venice Beach bike tour is from €67.56 per person and lasts 3 hours. Unlimited Biking Los Angeles runs it for up to 15 people, and it meets at 1431 Ocean Ave. The ride covers 7 to 8 miles and passes Marina del Rey, the Art Walls and Muscle Beach. The rating is 4.4 from 33 reviews. The listing showed free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance on 22 October 2026.

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

For a beach base, Huntley Santa Monica Beach is less than a 5-minute walk from the promenade and the beach path.

A day in Los Angeles goes further when you spend it in one place and not in traffic.

Step 6: Day 4 is the Getty Center or Museum Row, not both

Pick the Getty Center or the museums along Wilshire Boulevard for day four, and do not try both; on a short trip, skip the one you do not pick. The Getty Center is free but needs a timed-entry reservation. It is open Tuesday to Friday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. It is closed on Mondays.

Parking is the cost. The Getty charges $25 per car, $15 after 3 p.m. and $10 after 6 p.m., and it says there is no street parking near the Center. Without a car, Metro bus line 761 stops at the entrance. Our own plan is two to three hours for a first visit, which is the sum of the times the Getty suggests for its tram, courtyard, exhibitions and garden.

Museum Row is the rainy-day choice. LACMA lists its hours as Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. It is closed on Wednesday. Metro's D Line to Wilshire/Fairfax brings you to LACMA. The La Brea Tar Pits museum next door is closed for a two-year renovation, though many outdoor areas of Hancock Park stay open. Read more in our guide to the La Brea Tar Pits and LACMA.

Step 7: Day 5 is a studio, a theme park or a day trip

Use day five for one big trip, and pick a studio, a theme park or a day trip. All three need a car or a long ride, so each fills a day.

The studio choice is Warner Bros. in Burbank. The tour takes about 3 hours in total, with 45 to 60 minutes of that with a guide. Guests must be 5 or older, parking at the Tour Center is $20 per vehicle, and the route can vary daily with production needs. The Warner Bros. Studio Tour is from €70.33 per person. Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood runs it for up to 14 people, and it meets at 3400 Warner Blvd in Burbank. The listing includes Stage 48: Script to Screen, the guided tour and a self-guided part. The rating is 4.6 from 8,833 reviews, and the listing showed free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance on 22 October 2026.

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

The theme-park choice is Universal Studios Hollywood. Universal's studio tour runs about 60 minutes and comes with park admission. Parking is $40 before 5 p.m. and $10 after on days without an event, according to Universal's parking page. A pedestrian bridge links the Universal City Metro station to the park, so you can skip the parking fee. Universal publishes its ticket prices on its own site, so check them there. See our guide to Universal Studios Hollywood.

For a day trip, Catalina Island is the one with a boat. Catalina Express sails to Avalon from Long Beach in about an hour, and the adult round trip is $103 with fees and tax. Our list of unusual day trips from Los Angeles shows more ideas.

Step 8: Decide where a tour saves you a day of driving

A tour saves the most time when it replaces a day of driving, parking and switching between areas. Parking at the big sights costs $20 to $40 per car, and a tour includes the transport.

Things to Do in Los Angeles' count of GetYourGuide listings on 22 October 2026 found six city tours of seven hours or more, private-only tours and Anaheim pickups left out, from €67.65 to €205 per person.

The full-day city tour of Hollywood, Beverly Hills and the beaches is from €82.48 per person and lasts 7.5 to 9 hours. A Day in LA Tours runs it, and a private option is available. The listing names 6 major stops including a lunch stop, air-conditioned transport and bottled water. Lunch is not included, and hotel pickup is included only if you choose that option. The meeting point varies by option, and the listing gives no group size. It names no one the tour is not suited to. The guide narrates, but the stops themselves are self-guided. The rating is 4.8 from 1,435 reviews, and the listing showed free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance on 22 October 2026, so read its own terms before you book.

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

Do it on your own if you have three days or more and can ride Metro, which costs at most $5 a day. A tour is worth it if you have one day only, or if a car is not an option, because parking costs $20 to $40 and the tour includes the transport. This one costs from €82.48 per person, so you pay for time saved and a guide, not for extra sights.

Pick this tour if you have one day only, or if a car is not an option. With three days or more, the tour mostly replaces day one and the beach day, so you could keep Downtown and the museums for a day on foot.

On a short trip, skip these: a second hour on Hollywood Boulevard, the second museum on day four, and the day-five extras if you have only three days. Some readers find celebrity home tours show mostly gates and hedges, so treat those homes as scenery and not as the main event. Read the options on our Hollywood city tour page to compare tours by length and price.

The honest limit of this plan is that it fits a city you can cover by rail and short rides. It leaves out Malibu, Pasadena, Disneyland and the many areas that need a car, and no official page gives drive times between areas.