Los Angeles

Los Angeles is a city of free museums, a hilltop observatory and studio tours. Venice Beach lies inside the city, and Santa Monica Pier in the separate city of Santa Monica. Venice Beach alone covers 238 acres along about 3 miles of coast, by the county's beaches department.

The sights below are grouped by area, with the prices and hours their own sites print; the state around them is on our page about California.

We checked the figures on 30 October 2026 on the pages of Metro, the city's Office of Finance, the state tax office, NOAA and the National Park Service. We also read the sights' own sites. The websites of the airport, the Walk of Fame, Universal Studios Hollywood and the city police gave us nothing we could read. So this page has no airport rules, nothing on those two sights and nothing on crime.

Which Metro lines reach the LAX/Metro Transit Center?

The C Line and the K Line are the two Metro rail lines that stop at the LAX/Metro Transit Center, Metro's stop for the airport. From Bus Bays 1 and 2 there, a free and frequent shuttle runs to all the terminals, Metro's own airport page says. Metro buses 102, 111, 117, 120 and 232 also stop at the Transit Center.

On Metro's schedules page, the C Line runs from Norwalk to the Transit Center and the K Line from Expo/Crenshaw to Redondo Beach. We did not read Metro's station map, so we give no route or time on to downtown. Metro's page also names a nonstop FlyAway bus from Union Station and Van Nuys to the terminals.

Metro's airport page does not mention the Automated People Mover, the airport's train, and still sends riders to the shuttle. The airport's own sites refused every read. So we cannot confirm the people mover's status, the LAX-it pick-up lot, taxi rules or FlyAway fares.

All the figures in the table are our own routing and model no traffic. The Santa Monica Pier's own page gives "about 9 miles" from LAX and a 30 to 45 minute drive. Park and ride at the Aviation/LAX station costs $3 a day, Metro says.

Amtrak's station code LAX means Union Station, downtown, and not the airport. A train ticket booked to "LAX" ends at 800 North Alameda Street.

What does Metro's $5 daily cap mean for a day of sightseeing?

A Metro ride costs $1.75, and the system stops charging once you have paid $5 in a day, which is three rides. A seven-day cap stops charges at $18, by Metro's fares page. Transfers are free for two hours when you tap to ride, though a return trip on the same route is not a transfer.

Rail needs a TAP card or a credit or debit card: Metro takes cash only on buses, as exact fare, and the caps do not apply to cash. A contactless card works at the validator. Metro lists Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB and UnionPay, plus Apple Pay and Google Pay.

One card can pay for its holder and up to four more riders, who must stay together. A physical TAP card costs $2 at station vending machines and TAP vendors. Children under 6 ride free with a fare-paying adult.

The B and D Lines both start at Union Station, where Amtrak's trains arrive. Metro also advises riders on hot days to stand in the shade and plan routes that avoid long waits outside.

How do Hollywood, downtown and the beach cities divide a first visit?

A first visit splits into three areas that lie far apart: Griffith Park and Hollywood, downtown with the museums, and the coast at Venice and Santa Monica. Santa Monica Pier to the Getty Center is about 10.8 miles, and the Broad to LACMA about 9.8 miles, on our own routing. No official page we read suggests a number of days.

Downtown holds Union Station and the Broad, 1.3 miles apart by road. LACMA stands on Wilshire Boulevard to the west. The Getty Center is about 10.4 miles from LACMA by our routing.

Hollywood and Highland is about 5 miles from Griffith Observatory and 3.3 miles from Universal Studios Hollywood, on our own routing. Griffith Observatory's own page names those two places, the Observatory and Hollywood and Highland, as the best spots to see the Hollywood Sign. Hiking towards the sign is possible, but you cannot get too close, and the sign is not lit at night.

The Hollywood Chamber's Walk of Fame site blocked every read, so we say nothing about the Walk of Fame beyond its name. Universal Studios Hollywood's site returned an empty shell, so we print no price or hours for it.

No official page we read ranks neighbourhoods for a stay, and we name no hotels. Where you sleep still changes the bill. The 14% hotel tax below is the city's alone, and Santa Monica's sales tax is a point higher than the city's.

The 2028 Olympic Games are scheduled for 14 to 30 July 2028 and the Paralympic Games for 15 to 27 August 2028, by the organisers' own site.

Why is Griffith Observatory free when its car park is not?

Griffith Observatory charges no admission to the building, the grounds or the public telescopes, but the roads and lot around it are paid parking. The pay stations take credit cards only, there are no refunds, and parking has no time limit. No page we could read prints the rate, and the city's parks department site refused us.

The building opens from noon to 10 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. It is closed on Mondays. The grounds follow Griffith Park's hours, 5 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. every day, and capacity control may bring waits of 5 to 15 minutes.

Parking around the Greek Theatre further down the hill is free, the Observatory says, with up to a mile's walk uphill. That parking is not available after 1 p.m. on concert evenings. East Observatory Road is one way down, and bikes can no longer ride up it.

The DASH Observatory/Los Feliz bus runs from the Vermont/Sunset station on Metro's B Line every 20 to 25 minutes, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. It costs 50 cents, or 35 cents with a TAP card, in exact change. The Observatory's page still calls the line the Red Line.

Planetarium tickets are sold only at the Observatory and only for that day's shows; nothing is sold online or by phone. Shows last 35 minutes. Smoking, vaping, alcohol and drones are banned in all of Griffith Park. Most phones struggle to get a signal near the building.

How do you book the Getty Center, and when is its parking cheapest?

The Getty Center is free, but every visit needs a free timed-entry reservation, booked online or on (310) 440-7300. The museum opens from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and on Sundays, and until 9 p.m. on Saturdays. It is closed on Mondays.

The parking is cashless, takes all major cards and includes the city's parking tax. Cars and rideshares can drop off at the turnaround outside the garage, and taxis stop on level P1. Metro bus 761 stops at the entrance.

The Getty warns that some directions to it are wrong. Its only public entrance is at North Sepulveda Boulevard and Getty Center Drive. Caltrans lane works on the I-405 and the Sepulveda Pass may slow the trip.

On 30 October 2026 the Getty's page said the South Pavilion, the North Pavilion and the East Pavilion's plaza-level galleries were closed for renovation. The Center also closes on New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

Which days are the Broad and LACMA closed?

The Broad is closed on Mondays and LACMA on Wednesdays, so both are open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and weekends. The Broad's general admission is always free; LACMA charges by where you live.

The Broad opens from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, until 8 p.m. on Thursdays, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at weekends. A timed ticket booked ahead is recommended, but walk-ups are available daily. Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room needs a reservation made in advance, and some exhibitions carry a separate charge.

Metro's A and E Lines stop at Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill, the Broad's nearest station. The museum's page says the footbridge over Hope Street is closed, as is Hope Street between GTK Way and 2nd Street. Its garage charges $19 for three hours with validation, up to $29 a day.

LACMA opens from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, until 8 p.m. on Fridays, and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at weekends. Entry is free for all visitors on the second Tuesday of each month; in 2026 the next one falls on 10 November. A Metro pass takes $2 off general admission. Timeslots can sell out, so the museum recommends booking ahead.

LACMA's page says the D Line has reached the museum at Wilshire/Fairfax station since Friday 8 May. On 30 October 2026 the museum's alert said the station was closed from 23 to 30 October, with buses instead. We could not confirm whether it reopened on 31 October.

What do you need for the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Burbank?

The Warner Bros. Studio Tour runs from 3400 Warner Boulevard in Burbank, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. It is closed from 3 to 5 November and on 26 November 2026, by the tour's own site. Burbank is about 26.2 miles and 38 minutes from LAX on our own routing.

Children under 5 are not admitted on any tour, and guests aged 5 to 17 must come with an adult. Every guest aged 18 and over shows government-issued photo ID, and a passport is accepted. Guests pass a metal detector, and large bags are not allowed.

The main Studio Tour lasts 3 hours, partly guided and partly self-guided. The TCM Classic Films Tour lasts 3.5 hours and the Deluxe Tour 6. Arrive 30 minutes before your tour; walk-up tickets are limited and not guaranteed.

Parking at the Tour Center costs $20 a vehicle. The tour's pages print no ticket price, since prices load only inside the booking engine. Burbank's sales tax is 11.00%, not the city of Los Angeles rate.

When is Santa Monica Pier open while its bridge is rebuilt?

Santa Monica Pier opens daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., by its own FAQ, and stays fully open during construction. The pier's bridge is being replaced, and the Pier Corporation expects the work to finish by the end of 2027. Until then its directions page warns of altered traffic and limited parking.

Metro's E Line ends in downtown Santa Monica, and the pier puts its station about a 10-minute walk away. Dogs on a leash are welcome on the pier but not on the beach, and smoking is banned. The pier has no lockers.

The pier's own pages disagree on when the rides run. Its FAQ and its history page give hours that cannot all hold in the same season, and a third page sends readers to the Pacific Park operator. So we print only the pier's own hours. Santa Monica charges 11.25% sales tax, a point above the city of Los Angeles.

Venice Beach lies to the south: about 3 miles of coast and 238 acres of sand, with three lots holding over 1,200 cars. The county's page counts Ocean Front Walk, Muscle Beach, the skate-dancing plaza and the bike trail as part of it. Lots and street parking open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and lifeguards work in daylight hours.

Venice was founded in 1905 as a beach resort town by Abbot Kinney and joined the city in October 1925, the county says. Metro bus 1 stops at Washington Boulevard and Dell Avenue, and a free county beach shuttle stops at Washington Boulevard and Pacific Avenue. The county's pages print no parking fee for Venice.

How much do the 10.25% sales tax and the 14% hotel tax add?

The sales tax inside the city of Los Angeles is 10.25% from 1 October 2026, by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. The statewide base is 7.25%, and the cities around differ. A $20.00 meal is $22.05 before the tip in the city, and $22.25 in Santa Monica, by our arithmetic.

Shelf and menu prices leave the tax out, as our guide to sales tax in the USA explains. Tipping is in our guide to tipping in the USA.

The city's hotel tax is 14% of the room rent for stays of 30 days or less, by the Office of Finance's guide revised on 16 July 2026. Its own example puts $70 of tax on $500 of rent. Santa Monica, Burbank, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and Culver City set their own rates, and we read none of them.

Car parks that charge a fee in the city add a 10% parking tax, by the same guide. The Getty's prices already include it.

How much hotter is downtown than LAX in August?

Downtown is about 7°F hotter than the airport in August, on NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals. The average high is 84°F at the USC campus station and 77°F at LAX. The gap is why a forecast must name its station. In January they differ by only 2°F.

Downtown reaches 90°F or more on 25.6 days a year, the airport on 4.8. October still brings 4.4 such days downtown, so an autumn trip can be hot downtown. Rain falls mostly from November to March: 14.25 inches a year downtown and 12.23 at the airport. NOAA prints no snow normal for either station.

The city keeps Pacific time. Clocks went back an hour on Sunday 1 November 2026 at 2 a.m., from UTC−7 to UTC−8. The Observatory's own banner put sunset at 6:04 p.m. on 30 October, and it moves earlier by the clock after the change.

How far are Joshua Tree, Sequoia and Yosemite by car?

Joshua Tree National Park is the nearest of the three, about 140 miles east of the city by the park's own figures, and Palm Springs is the town on the way. Sequoia is 225 miles and 4 hours away, and Yosemite 313 miles and 6 hours, both by their own figures. Only those two of the five parks below carry the 2026 $100 surcharge for visitors from abroad.

Joshua Tree and Death Valley each charge $30 for a private vehicle, and the Channel Islands need no entrance pass. Sequoia and Kings Canyon and Yosemite charge $35, plus $100 for each visitor from abroad aged 16 and over without an annual pass. Yosemite takes no cash. Our guide to national park fees for international visitors explains the surcharge.

Several park roads were closed on 30 October 2026. Yosemite closed the Tioga and Glacier Point roads on 29 October at 6 p.m. for forecast snow. Sequoia's Mineral King Road is closed for the season until 26 May 2027. Death Valley has roads closed after a storm on 22 October, and Joshua Tree's Geology Tour Road is closed until 30 November.

San Diego is on Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner, which makes 13 daily round trips between San Diego and Union Station. Amtrak's page prints no journey time for that leg. San Francisco is about 381 miles and 7 hours by road on our own routing. The Coast Starlight runs daily to Seattle in 35 hours, and the Southwest Chief daily to Chicago in 40 hours or more.