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Los Angeles hotels

Overview                    Prepare                    Get Around                    Highlights

Hotels in Los Angeles range from lavish luxury hotels to basic budget hotels, with every option in between.  With plenty of accommodation on offer, and all price categories available, Los Angeles hotels suit all budgets and tastes.

Santa Monica is beach based and very tourist-friendly...

As the major attractions of this city are spread over such a huge area your choice of location will largely depend on what you want to see and do. Consider hiring a car as this is the best way to cram in as much sight seeing as possible. Downtown LA is experiencing a revival of its fortunes, and many new hotels are being built here, as well as new and trendy bars and restaurants. Santa Monica is beach based and very tourist-friendly although a little inconvenient for some of the city's most famous attractions.

Image of a Beverly Hills road sign in Los Angeles

For access to Hollywood, the Walk of Fame and Rodeo Drive base yourself on Sunset Strip or in Beverley Hills. Both of these areas are pricey - it's hard to find cheap hotels here.

Our price comparison service is the best way to source cheap hotels in Los Angeles, remembering always to book in advance to secure your rooms at the right price. Check whether your preferred hotel has parking facilities if you intend to hire a car during your stay.

Overview

Overview

Glitzy and glamorous, Los Angeles is anything you want it to be. Scratch beneath the shiny surface of la-la land to find the truth beyond the Hollywood dream.

See

Whether you want the family fun of Disneyland®, Knott’s Berry Farm and Universal Studios Hollywood, or some more grown-up sightseeing, LA delivers with a sunny smile. Find star quality at the remarkable Hollywood Forever Cemetery and the city’s art and architecture powerhouse at The Getty Center.
Spend

The Westside’s so-called Golden Triangle shopping district holds more wealth and fine stores than most small countries. At its centre, of course, is devastatingly fancy Rodeo Drive. Meanwhile, boutiquey Melrose Avenue offers a definitive LA shopping experience. For less mainstream items, try cool neighbourhoods like Los Feliz.
Get Out

It’s a no-brainer in LA – the beach is where everybody heads, from trendy Santa Monica to the more bohemian Venice Beach. Locals opt for insider choices like Dan Blocker State Beach for good swimming and fishing minus the crowds. Or gun for Hermosa, where the Surfers’ Hall of Fame is located.
Culture

LA is the world’s celluloid capital – where better to catch a movie? But there’s much more here too: from the striking steel architecture of the Walt Disney Concert Hall (home to the LA Philharmonic Orchestra) to the remarkable hilltop abbey of art, the J Paul Getty Museum. You can also pore over the whimsical Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA).
Eat & Drink

Wherever you go to eat, you’ll find choice and innovation – this is the home of the Californian sushi roll, after all. You can enjoy great Mexican food anywhere in town but, for something more adventurous, venture into Little Ethiopia around Fairfax Avenue, where cardamom spiced tea and crêpe-like injera sourdough breads scent the air. If you're still hungry for celebrities, then Hollywood's venerable hot-dog joint Pink's is your best bet.
New Perspective

You don’t even have to leave the airport to get a feel for LA: the futuristic Theme Building that looms over LAX Airport is pure Hollywood; you can usually spot it when you land. This amazing bar and restaurant transports you into a Star Trek fantasy. Welcome to LA…

Prepare

Prepare

LA loves the sun – and gets it most of the year, so be ready with the cream. But make sure you pack a brolly or light mac from November to March.

LA Year

See the stars come out to play at the Oscars (Feb/Mar). Don’t forget the International Short Film Festival (Jul) or the Hollywood Film Festival (Oct) for independent films. Admire the bronzed surfers taking over the beaches for the US Open of Surfing in July, or tap your feet along to August's Long Beach Jazz Festival. Join millions of spectators in December for the glittering Christmas Boat Parade.
Public Holidays

New Year's Day (1 Jan), Martin Luther King Jr’s Birthday (Jan), Presidents’ Day (Feb), Memorial Day (May), Independence Day (4 Jul), Labour Day (Sep), Columbus Day (Oct), Veterans’ Day (11 Nov), Thanksgiving Day (Nov), Christmas Day (25 Dec).
Weather

With an annual average of 300 clear days, LA offers blue skies, sun and temperatures around 20-25°C most days. You can expect some grey skies and occasional rain in winter, and dampness again in early summer. The hot weather returns in July and climaxes with heat waves in September and October.
Electricity

110-120V AC, 60Hz, two- (flat) or three-pin (two flat and one round) plugs are standard.
Dialling Code

+1 (national), 213 (LA).
Money

US Dollar ($) is the currency.
GMT

GMT -8 (-7 in summer).
LA Tourist Info

LA Visitors Bureau website

Fit In

Like the city itself, there are extremes to LA fashion. Hollywood producers sport sharp suits despite the heat. Media types like to stand out in outlandish gear. Play it safe and go smart-casual.

Get Around

Get Around

LA is a great big highway, goes the song. And so it is. In fact, touring this sprawling urban metropolis – the second largest in the US after New York – without a car is very tricky, but not impossible, as some might tell you.

Dig deeper to find small neighbourhoods with their own geography and charm. The relatively compact area that runs from Venice Beach in the south-west to lush, affluent Beverly Hills in the north-west or hip adjacent West Hollywood and Westwood in the west shows the diversity available within a five-mile stretch.
Car

Everybody drives here. However, if you’re under 25, it can be difficult to hire a car.
Bus

Although most locals will say that you need a car, it’s not strictly true. Around 3,000 garish orange MTA buses on the city’s freeways offer the main form of public transport in LA, and provide an efficient service.
Metro

Safe, clean and punctual, the LA metro is one of the city’s best-kept secrets. Take it from major attractions such as Universal Studios and Hollywood.
Taxi

Taxis are available, but aren't cheap due to the long distances involved for most journeys. Look out for the City of Los Angeles Dept of Transportation seal on the exterior door before getting in.
Foot

Most people don’t walk because of the jay-walking regulations, which is a shame. Strolling along the ocean front and in Downtown is a great way to discover the city.
Transport Tips

Five-lane highway driving takes some getting used to. However, once you get a feel for the overtaking etiquette (there isn’t any!), it gets much easier.
Time Travel

Catch echoes of Old Hollywood around the West Hollywood neighbourhood and anywhere you can spot the iconic sign; enjoy the elegance of Art Deco buildings Downtown; soak up past glories at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
LA Transport Link

LA Metro Transport website

Highlights

Highlights

You might think you know LA from the movies, but think again…

LA is all about drama and magic – so Disney's California Adventure® Park seems the obvious place to start. For more family fun, Universal Studios Hollywood and the Aquarium of the Pacific can’t be beaten. To get close to the stars, the Hollywood Forever Cemetery offers a new take on fan worship. Meanwhile, the city’s fabulous beaches are the archetypal LA playgrounds. Have a nice day!
Sightseeing Tips

To avoid extra travelling, especially during the rush hour, try to limit each day’s sightseeing to particular districts – for example, Hollywood, the beaches or Downtown – rather than trying to fit everything in at once.

Content provided by Frommer's Unlimited © 2009, Whatsonwhen Limited.



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