Los Angeles Trip Itinerary: How to Spend 2 or 3 Days in LA

Introduction

My husband and I stopped on the West Coast for a few days after returning from Hawaii. We spent a few days in Los Angeles, had a great time, and fit in so many activities.

Los Angeles can feel overwhelming when you’re planning a short trip because the city is so spread out, but with some planning you can group attractions by area and make the most of your time and money.

This Los Angeles trip itinerary is based on what we saw during our stay, with two- and three- day options depending on how much time you have.

We also chose to stay in Santa Monica after researching different areas of Los Angeles. Even with sightseeing in other places, it was a great home base with an excellent hotel, walkable areas, and plenty of restaurants and coffee shops. This made it an ideal stop for us because we could return to Santa Monica after touring around Los Angeles and have dinner and drinks close to our hotel.

How Many Days Do You Need in Los Angeles?

Is 2 Days Enough for Los Angeles?

Two days is enough time to experience some of the city’s major highlights, but you’ll need to prioritize. This can work if you plan to group attractions that are nearby each other. For example, space activities that are in the vicinity of West Hollywood and Beverly Hills so you can potentially walk or take shorter Uber rides.

Is 3 Days Enough for Los Angeles?

Three days in Los Angeles allows for a much more relaxed itinerary. In our case, that gave us room to include Santa Monica and Venice Beach. Since that was our home base, it was easier to spend a morning or afternoon walking around and not feel like we were missing anything or not spending enough time on the major attractions.

Our Approach to Exploring Los Angeles

My husband and I both chose some activities that we wanted to do during our stay. I wanted to see the Getty Museum, and he wanted to visit the Petersen Auto Museum. We both wanted to see the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Hollywood sign, and tour around the Santa Monica area, which is a bit more relaxed and a livable, walkable area.

We planned our itinerary based upon geographical areas and spreading out longer activities, allowing time to have meals and drinks and relax a bit.

2-Day Los Angeles Itinerary

This was our core itinerary over two days. As mentioned, we had things we both wanted to see, but this can be adjusted based upon your own must-dos.

Day 1: Hollywood & Beverly Hills

Start Your Day in Hollywood

Of course, you cannot go to Los Angeles without taking in the sights in Hollywood. We did a quick Google search and found that a good lookout viewpoint to see the Hollywood sign was by the Loews Hollywood Hotel. We took an Uber and got dropped off here.

From this starting point, attractions such as the TCL Chinese Theater, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Hollywood Boulevard, Madame Tussauds, Dolby Theatre, and the Hollywood Sign viewpoint are all walkable and in the same area. Although we did not have time to book this, you can also check out the Hollywood Bus tours, which are located at 7044 Hollywood Boulevard.

Right next to Loews, Ovation Hollywood is a shopping mall with tons of designer shops and restaurants. It also happens to be a place with a Hollywood sign viewpoint. The address for the Hollywood sign viewpoint, if you are taking an Uber or taxi, is 6801 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028. Additionally, you can use the address for Loews Hollywood, which is 1755 North Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90028. From the Loews valet and entrance, you simply walk right to Ovation Hollywood, which is right next door.

At Ovation Hollywood, there are upper observation decks that are accessible by escalator. From the upper decks, you can view the Hollywood sign and take pictures. There will be a lot of people doing the same thing, but we had no problem getting a spot and viewing the Hollywood sign unobstructed.

After your pics, you can walk along Hollywood Boulevard and take in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. We used this helpful map while we were on the street to find stars and take pictures of the ones we wanted to find. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is huge, so it’s helpful to know where the stars are. There are so many people walking down the street that you can easily miss one you are looking for.

The TCL Chinese Theatre is right here too. You can see movies here, including IMAX movies, or take a tour, which is offered 7 days a week. We only stopped here briefly, looked around, and took a few pics before continuing on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Dolby Theatre is located inside the Ovation Hollywood complex where we started. Guided tours are about 30 minutes long and offered every half hour from 11 am to 4 pm. You can see a real Oscar statuette and the backstage area, and learn about the Oscars’ history.

Also on Hollywood Boulevard is Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Tickets are $29 per person. This is quite an extensive experience with different zones for red carpet experiences, music, movies, etc. You can easily spend an hour or more here walking through the different areas and taking pictures. There is also a rooftop restaurant here.

At this point, we stopped at The Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood. We had been walking around quite a bit, and there was still a lot we wanted to see and do, so we stopped here for some drinks and snacks. It was not very busy in the afternoon, but the shop attached to it was full of customers.

Explore Beverly Hills

Move west and explore Beverly Hills.

Beverly Hills can make for a relaxing afternoon. There are iconic streets for shopping, parks, and mansions to explore.

Rodeo Drive is only about three blocks (2 miles long). Even if you aren’t into spending money or don’t have extra money to spend (like me!), it can be fun to walk down this iconic street just to see it for yourself. Window shopping is free, and you can take pictures of the architecture. No doubt you may also see some very expensive cars as well.

Two Rodeo Drive is an outdoor shopping plaza with cobblestone walkways and outdoor stairs. It’s a great place to take souvenir photos, as it’s reminiscent of European streets.

Greystone Mansion & Gardens is a 100-year-old English Tudor mansion. The grounds are a public park, free and open to the public. The mansion is only open for tours the first weekend of the month on either Saturday or Sunday from January to November. The public park also has free parking. There are many gardens and ponds here that can be explored any time of year.

Beverly Hills Garden Park is another free park with the iconic Beverly Hills sign. The park also has walking paths, a lily pond, cactus, roses, and fountains. This is another great place for photography but can be more crowded later in the day if you are interested in photo-ops.

Dinner in Santa Monica

Since our home base was Santa Monica, it was nice to head back to our hotel, shower, and go to dinner locally. Santa Monica has tons of great restaurants within walking distance of our hotel. Whenever I go to California, I always want Mexican food. We ate at Sol Agave, which was absolutely delicious. We ordered so much food that we couldn’t eat it all. They had a separate vegetarian menu as well, which I ordered from.

Day 2: Los Angeles Highlights & Santa Monica

Start Your Morning in Santa Monica

Since we were staying in Santa Monica, we started with brunch here. We ate at Sweet Maple on Ocean Ave in Santa Monica. There was a long line down the block, so we were a bit hesitant at first, but it moved quickly, and we got a nice table outside, which is lovely at the end of February!

Visit the Getty Museum

I wanted to see the Getty Museum, so we took an Uber here. The cost for the Uber was about $28 from Santa Monica; it was mostly a highway route. We did not have reservations but were able to visit anyway. Apparently, you are supposed to reserve a timed entry in advance. Admission to the Getty Center is free!

When you arrive, you go through some security bag checks and then ride a tram to the top of the hill where the center and grounds are. There is a big courtyard at the top with chairs and tables, along with places to purchase snacks or drinks.

There are lots of exhibits that are changing constantly. We walked through quite a few exhibits along with the ongoing exhibition about J. Paul Getty’s life and legacy.

Outside, there are three amazing gardens and a sculpture terrace. I think we spent more time outside here seeing the garden mazes and taking in the views of Los Angeles from above.

Honestly, we could have stayed here longer, but we had a lot of activity packed into our few short days.

Head to Trejo’s Tacos

My husband really wanted to go to Trejo’s Tacos and get a T-shirt, so we decided to have lunch here. We went to the Mid-City (La Brea Ave) location, but there are three other locations in the Los Angeles area. I was honestly very impressed. They had a few different vegan options for tacos: jackfruit, mushroom asada, and cauliflower. I ended up getting a delicious cauliflower taco. My husband got the steak asada, which is apparently their best-seller.

Visit the Petersen Automotive Museum

My husband’s choice of museums was the Petersen Automotive Museum, but I honestly loved it as well. I thought I was going to be bored here, but they had so many cool exhibits that we spent hours here.

We walked from Trejo’s Tacos to the Petersen Automotive Museum. The walk was only about 1.5 miles, but it felt a lot longer. It was pretty hot when we were there in February. I think the temperatures were in the high 80s. But we also got to walk through some nice neighborhoods and see some beautiful architecture along the way.

Our tickets to the Peterson Automotive Museum were $74 per person because we bought passes to the vault as well. Without the vault access, tickets are only $33 for adults. The vault is a collection in the basement garage that has 300 additional rare vehicles.

There are three floors to the Petersen Automotive Museum, plus the vault. Each floor has a theme or exhibition which are rotating. We saw tons of cars from movies, an exhibition of Aston Martins, motorcycles, and my personal favorite was “Totally Awesome! Cars and Culture of the 80s and 90s”. There were also interactive rooms where you could pose for photos.

Dinner in Santa Monica

Again, after day two, we were all walked out and enjoyed being able to leave the crowds and head back to Santa Monica for dinner. We ate at the Sugar Palm Santa Monica, which was in our hotel, the Viceroy. We loved the hotel and the restaurant. The restaurant was almost empty when we ate there, but it was so relaxing after being around crowds and tourists all day. It was absolutely the right decision to stay away from Los Angeles as a home base during our trip.

3-Day Los Angeles Itinerary

Day 1: Hollywood & Beverly Hills

Explore Hollywood

Keep the same day one plan intact from the two-day Los Angeles trip itinerary. Visit the Hollywood Walk of Fame and other Hollywood attractions. There are other things you can combine to this itinerary if it’s on your wish list. For example, you can also tour Universal Studios or Griffith Observatory during your Hollywood day since those are close geographically.

Visit Beverly Hills & Rodeo Drive

Since Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive are in the same general area, keep this on your Hollywood day. You don’t need a ton of time in Beverly Hills, in my humble opinion, but it can be fun to check out for an hour or two.

Day 2: Explore Los Angeles Museums

The Getty Center

As I mentioned, we visited the Getty Center during our trip. The outside grounds and gardens were stunning. The inside exhibits are constantly changing, but there are some famous works always on display, such as Vincent van Gogh’s “Irises”.

The Petersen Automotive Museum

Petersen Automotive Museum was a surprise hit during our trip. I was expecting to be a bit bored, but I found it to be such an interesting place with a variety of exhibits. It’s also a place that is suitable for all ages, as there were a lot of kids and families there.

Other Museums in Los Angeles

We didn’t have time to check everything out that we wanted to see. There are so many options to adjust this itinerary based upon your specific wishes for your Los Angeles trip. As mentioned above, we didn’t have time to hit Universal Studios.

There is also the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. They have different exhibitions here and immersive experiences. You can get onstage and accept an Oscar here if you wish!

Another opportunity to expand this itinerary is to keep one longer activity for Day 3.

Day 3: Santa Monica & Venice Beach

Start With Breakfast in Santa Monica

Again, since we stayed in Santa Monica, it was the perfect spot for breakfast while planning our day. I previously mentioned brunch at Sweet Maple, right on Ocean Ave. There are also tons of coffee shops and cafes.

Dogtown Coffee on Main Street in Santa Monica is another option that is more casual. They have a good selection of bagels, acai bowls, and breakfast burritos along with coffee, tea, and lattes. There is also a nice outdoor seating area here.

Explore Santa Monica Pier

We walked all along Santa Monica Pier. There are tons of places to take in the views here. There are souvenir shops, candy stores, and merchants selling from vendor carts. Of course, there is also the iconic Ferris wheel here as well. Santa Monica Pier is also the end of historic Route 66.

Relax on Santa Monica Beach

Santa Monica Beach is 3.5 miles long and very wide. We never saw too many people on the beach at one time, so it’s easy to get a spot to relax and enjoy the sunshine.

Walk or Bike Toward Venice Beach

The Strand Bike Path connects Santa Monica to Venice Beach. One way is about 2.5 miles. Once you are in the Venice Beach area, you can check out the canals.

Visit the Venice Canals

The Venice Canals are manmade and located just a few blocks from the beach. All of the canals have sidewalks and bridges that connect them, allowing pedestrians to walk through them and explore the architecture and beauty.

Explore Venice Beach

Venice Beach has tons of cool places to eat and relax. Right along the bike path, there are restaurants with scenic views and indoor/outdoor spaces.

Fig Tree is right on Venice Beach and offers breakfast, appetizers, salads, pasta, and sandwiches. There is something for everyone here.

Nalu Vida has lots of options for Happy Hour – shareable food and cocktails.

Beachside Restaurant & Bar has a lot of seafood and raw bar options and vegan options with outdoor seating.

You can also stroll along Venice Beach and find any number of places from casual to more refined.

Finish With a Santa Monica Sunset

At this point, you have had a full day exploring, so head back to Santa Monica and take in the sunset. There are great views from the beach, pier, or even a higher-up spot from your hotel or rental.

Where to Stay in Los Angeles

I like to do my research before booking, and I found that most articles were separating Los Angeles into the following major areas:

Downtown Los Angeles: Close to everything and has better budget accommodations. Can be sketchy, as there are large homeless populations.

Hollywood: Has lots of historic options and plenty of nightlife and restaurants. It can be crowded here and expensive.

West Hollywood: Offers more of the convenience of Hollywood without as much of the crowds.

Beverly Hills: Has iconic luxury shopping, hotels, and dining but can be very expensive as well.

Silver Lake: Silver Lake is a trendy area and has much more of a neighborhood feel. There are more budget options here, but it is a bit removed from tourist areas.

Santa Monica (where we ultimately chose to stay): Santa Monica is a classic California beachfront laid-back vibe kind of place. There are both budget and more expensive choices. The area is really walkable with plenty of options for eating out and exploring.

Venice Beach: Similar to Santa Monica except further south. Free-spirited, laid-back vibe here as well.

Why We Chose to Stay in Santa Monica

I read some blogs and did some research on different areas of Los Angeles before deciding on Santa Monica. For us, staying outside the city was a great choice. While we had a full itinerary, we didn’t need to be in the center of everything and absolutely loved the neighborhood feel of Santa Monica and escaping the crowds.

Downtown LA was the most recommended area to stay for first-time visitors and those who want to be near it all. However, I am one to do my research, and even a lot of nicer hotels had tourist reviews of people feeling a bit unsafe.

No matter where you stay, having a rental car can be expensive to drive around and pay for parking. So we opted to stay in Santa Monica and Uber everywhere. The prices for our Ubers varied from the mid $20’s to $62. I think the $62 ride was an airport surge charge, though. We found that between Ubers and walking, it was cheaper and definitely more convenient to not have a car and worry about traffic and directions.

Staying in Santa Monica vs. Staying in Los Angeles

Stay in Santa Monica If…

I would recommend staying in Santa Monica if you are interested in a more laid-back experience. Los Angeles can be a bit overwhelming if you are hitting all the tourist spots. Having a hotel away from the major tourist areas can be a bonus if you get slightly overstimulated (like me) around tons of crowds. After walking down the Hollywood Walk of Fame with people everywhere, it was so nice to get back to Santa Monica and relax.

Also, if you are interested in staying in a boutique hotel in Santa Monica, I would highly recommend staying there over Los Angeles. Our hotel was amazing. I am hoping to go back next year and stay there again. There was a nice restaurant, patio, and pool, and it was within walking distance to the Santa Monica Pier, shops, restaurants, and coffee shops.

Stay Closer to Central Los Angeles If…

If you have a shorter trip that is 1-2 days and really want to maximize your time seeing the sights, then definitely stay closer to central Los Angeles. You won’t spend as much time driving or in traffic or as much money on Ubers. Our travel style is not super rushed, so while we planned out a rough outline of what we wanted to do, there was room for adjusting our itinerary. Nothing was a must-do. We saw a lot, though, and even with more of a relaxed vacation style, we did not regret having to go back and forth to Santa Monica.

Our Stay at the Viceroy Santa Monica

I ended up booking the Viceroy Santa Monica because I had points to use from my Citi Strata Premier Card. It’s an entry-level travel points card that I use for purchases that I can pay off right away, and over time I rack up points. I did some research beforehand, but I found out after I opened the card that it’s not the best to use for airfare. There are a lot of partner airlines, but none that I use. It is better for hotels. That said, I had points to use, and the Viceroy was one of the highest-rated hotels in the Los Angeles area.

I paid for the hotel using a combination of points, the $100 annual hotel savings benefit that comes with the card, and the remainder was the dollar value of what was left. Since I didn’t have a lot of points to use, I had to put some on my card.

Later, I was refunded $100 total ($50 per person) because the hotel does not offer a free breakfast, and that is supposed to be one of the perks of the Citi Hotel Collection. So the total for a two-night stay was less than $200. I was very impressed with the Citi perks because I did not even realize that we were supposed to have a free breakfast, but all of a sudden I received an email from them that I was being refunded.

The hotel was excellent. It was in a walkable area. We got to see the sights in Santa Monica and try great restaurants nearby. I kind of wish we had more time to relax at the hotel. Maybe next time!

How to Get Around Los Angeles

Do You Need a Car in Los Angeles?

No, you do not need a car in Los Angeles. However, since many sights are further away from each other, you do need to plan for how you are going to get around. For us, that meant bundling activities that were closer to each other and using Ubers strategically. If we could walk to activities that were in the same geographical area, we did that instead of using Ubers or public transportation.

Rental car pricing varies depending on the type of car, but in our case, the costs were around $300-$400 for 3 days. It does depend on when you are visiting as well. However, there are additional costs with a rental: parking at many hotels is fee-based, gasoline, and then parking at whatever tourist destination you are going to.

I was glad that we weren’t paying to park in a garage near Hollywood Boulevard and places like that where you have to drive around and figure out where you can park. The costs can add up.

Driving in Los Angeles

When we visited in late February, we did not experience the traffic that Los Angeles is known for. We visited from Friday morning to Sunday, so perhaps the weekend trip helped. The freeways in Los Angeles are large, with many lanes. There were definitely some slowdowns along our routes, but nothing that felt excessive compared to any other large metropolitan area.

Parking in Los Angeles

Parking in Los Angeles can be confusing and stressful. That was something I looked into a lot before our trip and why we ultimately decided against renting a car. Some areas have meters, and the prices range from .50 cents up to $6 per hour. Popular places like Downtown, Hollywood, and West Hollywood have limited spots, lots of cars, and can fill up quickly. Paid lots are usually an option but can get expensive.

If you are renting a car in Los Angeles, there are some apps that can help find spots to park such as Spot Hero and Park Mobile.

Getting Around Santa Monica

We walked everywhere in Santa Monica. It helped that we stayed in a central location near everything. The hotel is right on Ocean Ave, which is actually a block back from the beach. The Santa Monica Pier was a 5-minute walk from our hotel. We walked to coffee shops and restaurants, of which there are plenty within a couple of blocks.

Getting From Los Angeles to Santa Monica

To get to Los Angeles from Santa Monica, there are a few options. The Los Angeles Metro E Line takes about 45-60 minutes to go from Downtown Santa Monica to Downtown Los Angeles and costs $1.75. There is a train departing approximately every 15 minutes.

There is also the Big Blue Bus. Fares are $1.25, and they also offer multi-trip passes. There are lots of different lines and routes to various destinations, so it would probably be best to use this to get to a general area and walk from there.

Then there are Ubers, which we chose. Yes, Uber is not the most economical, but it was cheaper than renting a car and more convenient for our short Los Angeles trip itinerary. The only expensive Uber we took was from Los Angeles International Airport to Santa Monica.

Our trips to various areas of Los Angeles were around $25 – $35, including to the Getty Museum and the Petersen Automotive Museum and from various locations around Los Angeles back to Santa Monica. We tried to be strategic about it and only use Uber twice per day to get into a general area and back and then walk from there.

Tips for Planning Your Los Angeles Trip

Plan Your Days by Neighborhood

Since Los Angeles is so spread out, this is my best advice for your Los Angeles trip. Look up the things you want to see on a map and plan to spend the time in the same general area. This saves on time but also transportation costs.

Leave Extra Time for Traffic

We stayed on a weekend, so we did not experience too much traffic during our stay, but it is always best to plan for traffic and allow yourself extra time. If you purchase timed tickets anywhere, this is especially helpful. When I have to purchase a timed ticket, I will often see what the times and prices are via Uber or Google for a similar day before my trip so I have an understanding of travel times.

Don’t Try to See Everything

This is another important tip for Los Angeles. There is a lot to see and do. You could spend weeks here visiting all the tourist spots alone. Figure out your approximate itinerary and areas you want to hit in Los Angeles ahead of time. If there are must-do activities on your list, schedule around those.

Start Your Days Early

In order to get the most of your 1-3 days in Los Angeles, start your days early. That will give you time to see your favorite spots at a more leisurely pace. It is also helpful to have some time in the morning or afternoon without being in the full sun in the middle of the day. That tends to be what makes me tired: being hot and thirsty.

Check the Weather Before You Go

It’s funny because we came to Los Angeles as a stop on the way back from Hawaii; however, we were not fully prepared for the weather in Los Angeles. It was much hotter than it was in Hawaii in February. Los Angeles was experiencing a brief heat wave when we visited. Since it was very warm, we allowed ourselves some leisurely time in the middle of the day to stop and have a snack or break indoors.

The sun is strong in Los Angeles, so you definitely need sun protection. We also carried around small water bottles with us and were happy we had them with us during those days.

Final Thoughts on Our Los Angeles Itinerary

If you only have two days for your Los Angeles trip itinerary, you can still see many of L.A.’s highlights by planning your days carefully. But if you have three days, I’d choose the extra day because it allows you to experience Santa Monica and the coast without rushing through the rest of Los Angeles.

Santa Monica is a great place to stay for adults. We had a boutique hotel experience away from the crowds of Los Angeles. The area was walkable and safe. The cost of transportation for a couple of days was doable and actually less than I thought it would be initially.