Ultimate 3 Days in Los Angeles | Essential Tips and Must-See Spots

Considerations from My 3 Days in Los Angeles

It’s worth noting I felt safe in Los Angeles, but that doesn’t mean everywhere is safe! Keep your wits about you and ask locals for the most up to date advice.

If the photos seem hazy, you would be correct! There were fires around during one of my trips and the smoke was significant! There is smog in L.A., but smoke from fires could also be a factor!

I also spent some time in Los Angeles at the end of my California road trip when I had driven from Los Angeles to Yosemite, over to San Francisco and down the Pacific Coast Highway! There were fires in California then too, but the smoke didn’t impact L.A., but it did prevent us from stopping in Sequoia National Park.

Let’s get into how my friends and I spent 3 days in Los Angeles in early November!

Arrival Day | Miracle Mile Vicinity

We stayed with a friend in Los Angeles who lives near LACMA. It was a perfect central location for exploring as we really made use of the fact we had a car.

Wherever you decide to base yourself, this is a great time to get acclimated and explore the area on foot.

Miracle Mile Vicinity

There is quite a lot in this area including LACMA! We stayed near LACMA so it was an easy place to visit. It’s also within a 20 minute walk of The Original Farmer’s Market and The Grove!

Museums near LACMA include Petersen Automotive Museum and La Brea Tar Pits and Museum. This whole area is great for a group of varying interests! There’s a variety of museums or shopping at The Grove and then you could meet up for at The Original Farmer’s Market for lunch!

Quick tips: It would take about 22 minutes to walk from LACMA to The Grove. LACMA is cool in the daylight, but once darkness sets in, the light feature is extra cool.

Day 1 | Warner Bros. and Griffith Park

Warner Bros. Studio Tour

We started this day with a Warner Bros. Studios Tour. My friend, at the time, worked there, otherwise I’m not sure it would have made my list. I just wasn’t that interested, but it ended up being a highlight for both of my friends traveling with me.

I enjoyed it as well, though not as much as my friends. It was fun to see the Friends set, Gilmore Girls (one of my favorite shows once upon a time) and other sets as well! If you want insight into some of your favorite shows, this is the tour for you! And again, I know my friends especially loved it!

Check availability for the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood

Hollywood Walk of Fame

Since we were in the area, we headed here after lunch. I had been before, but my friends had not.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is one area that could be a let down. When I went it was dirty. There were a lot of homeless in the area and just overall didn’t feel like the safest area.

If this iconic spot is important to you, just be on your guard. There isn’t much to do in this area either. It was a walk, see and leave kind of spot for us.

However, if you get lucky, maybe there will be a celebrity getting a star and that might be worth the experience. One friend returned days later for Michael Buble getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Griffith Observatory

If you were to ask me for my favorite Los Angeles experiences, I would top my list with The Griffith Observatory! We went a little before sunset to enjoy the inside of the Observatory. While we weren’t the only ones sticking around for sunset, it was absolutely beautiful despite the smoke.

If you were to ask me for my favorite Los Angeles experiences, I would top my list with The Griffith Observatory!

If you have some extra energy and/or time, consider a hike in this area as well! Or there’s an easy drive where you can get a closer view of the Hollywood sign! Be sure to stop for photos whether you got there by foot or car.

More Ideas for Hollywood and Surrounding Areas

Other ideas for this area include Universal Studios Hollywood if you enjoy a theme park day. I live in Central Florida so this is not high on my list. Though I have Disney friends who LOVE Disneyland which might be worth a visit on your 3 days in Los Angeles even if you’ve been to Disney World. Side note, Disneyland is in Anaheim not technically Los Angeles.

Another idea would be to attend a TV show taping. My niece did this once and loved it.

Day 2 | Beverly Hills and the Coast

We start in Beverly Hills as it’s not far from where we stayed. If you base yourself somewhere else, you may want to add it on a different day, but it was convenient for us.

Beverly Hills

It’s hard not to know of Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles! Parking was easy to find in a garage and that’s good for L.A.! Even if you don’t plan to do much shopping, there’s always some good people-watching!

You won’t need to be here for long, unless you’re doing some shopping, but it’s an iconic part of Los Angeles and it’s a very nice area and tends to be safe!

If you enjoy Açaí, consider stopping at Backyard Bowls. It’s in between The Grove and Beverly Hills. I have friends in L.A. and they may or may not see celebs in this area. We didn’t see any, but you never know who you might see during your 3 days in Los Angeles!

If that matters to you, keep your eyes peeled. It’s a popular post workout stop for some big names. Regardless, if you enjoy Açaí bowls you’ll enjoy this place!

Beach Town Hopping

If you’ve been around here any length of time, you know the beach is my favorite! While Los Angeles is great, I wanted to explore some of the beach towns. So after Rodeo Drive, we drove all the way to Laguna Beach!

Laguna Beach is beautiful and the beachside town is worth exploring! We took time walking along the coastal walkway and through the streets to enjoy the shops. Parking wasn’t difficult to find in a garage, but of course it wasn’t free.

After Laguna Beach, we headed north and stopped in Newport Beach. Again, it’s adorable and fun to explore. I think I like Laguna Beach better, but we also ended up spending more time there, so that could be why.

Then for sunset, we stopped at Huntington Beach. The shops and overall vibe was more fun, lively and dirty than the previous two beach towns. Definitely more approachable and less posh overall.

We mostly stayed on the beach for the sunset, but we did attempt to get in the water. There are public restrooms around to change, if you want. However, California’s cold ocean and I don’t mix. It was shockingly colder than I even expected, but we did dip our feet in the Pacific Ocean.

Day 3 | Santa Monica, Venice, and Beachwood Canyon

Santa Monica

We did do a lot of driving this day. It’s funny when in Los Angeles, because my friends told me if you live in East LA, you don’t go west and vice versa. I understand why after this trip because it’s a lot of driving, though worth it as a visitor exploring.

We started by heading to Santa Monica. The pier is famous, so we started by walking there and eventually decided to rent some bikes.

We biked along the Venice Beach Boardwalk and back. There was a lot of smoke that day from the fires, but we still enjoyed the experience. Since we rented from a vendor near the pier, we had to bring the bikes back. If you want to be able to ride to Venice Beach, grab one of the rentable scooters that you can take on one-way trips.

Venice Beach

After returning the bikes, we headed to Venice Beach on foot. I enjoyed watching the skateboarders and people playing sports outside. If I lived here, it would be a huge bonus for me to have access to these options.

Of course, both Santa Monica and Venice Beach feel a little dirty, though Venice Beach has more of an artsy vibe than Santa Monica. If you want a more posh beach town, head south to Newport or Laguna or north to Malibu.

For a cool area in Venice to explore visit Abbott Kinney Blvd. It’s a great street to walk, explore the shops and grab a bite to eat and has a much nicer vibe than the beach area. You’re looking for the stretch between Venice Blvd and Main Street.

I didn’t visit Abbott Kinney Blvd on this trip, but I did on another visit and really enjoyed the area! It’s also great if you’re in Los Angeles for a long layover as it’s not too far from LAX. Just be sure to account for high traffic times, so you don’t miss your flight.

We ended up back in east LA, but I’d recommend heading to Malibu if you wanted to keep the beach theme. I visited it on my California road trip and really enjoyed it. Walked the pier, watched the surfers, had lunch at Malibu Farm Pier Cafe, and enjoyed some shopping by driving further up the coast.

Beachwood Canyon

For the afternoon, we headed back to east LA to meet up with some of my friends. We met them at their place, grabbed a bite to eat, and saw the small grocery store where they had a run in with Harry Styles.

The neighborhood is so cute and we then drove to a very close lookout of the Hollywood Sign. Hiking is an option in this area, but we drove there with our friends instead.

Departure Day | Downtown Los Angeles

Since my flight was later in the day, I headed to downtown Los Angeles. If you don’t have enough time on your departure day, but want to visit the city, trade it out for one of the beach days.

Downtown LA

I did walk and explore downtown Los Angeles, I saw the Angels Flights Stairs and saw the impressive The Broad building.

My friend and I didn’t plan ahead well for The Broad and decided not to wait in line, so if you do want to spend time here, I suggest reserving your free ticket online. For Disney fans, check out the Walt Disney Concert Hall and consider a performance while you’re in L.A.!

If you love to eat, visit the Grand Central Market! Should your budget allow, consider a food tour for downtown Los Angeles! It will not only include this market but other gems in downtown Los Angeles!

More Options Nearby

Nearby downtown L.A. you can visit the Arts District or head in the opposite direction and visit the California Science Center and the Space Shuttle Endeavour.

Check availability for Downtown Los Angeles Food Tour