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Awesome Ideas for Visiting Los Angeles for the First Time

ByKasia Kalemba Hours
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You’ve seen it in movies, pictures, and all over social media. Visiting Los Angeles for the first time is an awesome experience no matter how popular this place is. You find yourself in front of the Hollywood Sign or driving along Pacific Coast Highway and life doesn’t feel real for a second.

As someone who frequently travels and even works a remote job based in California, I have never actually visited LA before. Since I was way overdue for a proper visit to Los Angeles, after spending an awesome week there, I fell in love with everything this area has to offer. It is very safe to say that I will be back very soon.

After a week in LA, I am back to show my favorite spots on my first-timer Los Angeles Itinerary. You’ll find a mix of the obvious and less obvious along with some logistics needed for your trip. Most importantly, you’ll have the perfect plan for your Los Angeles visit without the need to do much research outside of it.

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Table of Contents show

Note that you may encounter some affiliate links in this post. They will not make anything more expensive for you but rather provide a small commission for me should you choose to book it via the link I provide. Since I do not charge for any of my awesome travel advice and don’t make you sign up for anything to download my stuff, I appreciate any link clicks and bookings through here 🙂

Quick Logistics

Transportation in Los Angles

LAX certainly does not need an introduction as it is one of the more known airports in the US. It has connections to most cities in the US, also being a big international hub as well. Coming from the East Coast, with the 3-hour difference, it’s a great early evening flight but that also means that most flights back home are redeyes! There is another smaller airport (John Wayne) located about an hour outside the city which had non-stop cheap flights from New York as well.

Basic but worth it: When you land in LA, check out the In-N-Out right near LAX not only for some classic burgers but for amazing views of planes landing!

You will absolutely need a car in LA. For my travel dates, car rental prices were pretty steep, so I opted for one of my favorite car rental apps Turo. I picked up my 2010 Mazda in a random parking lot and drove off into the infamous LA traffic.

Speaking of LA traffic … Yes it was bad but coming from NJ/NY traffic it wasn’t as terrifying as I imagined. If you’ve ever driven in rush hour along Belt Parkway, BQE or the Parkway, LA traffic won’t be as scary for you. However, if you come from a more quiet town, yea, it will be bad.

Accommodations

I was lucky enough to say with a friend during my visit so I was able to save some major $ on accommodations. And let me tell ya, just like LA, hotels there won’t be cheap! Before I knew I’d be staying with my friend, I did some hotel research and found these highly-rated spots with a couple of different area locations. All areas below are wonderful if you’re visiting Los Angeles for the first time:

Length of Stay

How long to stay when you’re visiting Los Angeles for the first time? There are a couple of things to consider when deciding on how long to stay: First, how much do you want to see in the LA area vs. the surrounding cities and second how much budget do you want to dedicate to this trip as California is kinda expensive. If you want to see the basics, Obviously you can easily fill a week with activities but I’d say 3-4 days is enough to get the gist of LA.

Random Things to Know

  • A 3-mile drive could be either 3 minutes or 30 minutes in traffic, leave early!
  • Parking decks are everywhere so you won’t be able to avoid them.
  • Yes, everything is super expensive and on top of it, the taxes will get ya.
  • (Mostly) everyone is dressed up or put together. Fancy athleisure is also the local uniform.
  • The weather is mostly dry and sunny but the evenings get chilly! Grab a jacket!

Places to See When Visiting Los Angeles For the First Time

The spots I chose to visit below are a mix of very popular things to do and some less visited places. Depending on your pace, you can see everything below in an average of three days.

The Getty Villa

If you want to feel like you just transported yourself to a European Villa, don’t miss the Getty! They have Greek and Roman antiques along with other exhibitions. Aside from the art, the grounds are simply stunning! Additionally, you can eat in their small restaurants on-site, shop at the museum store or download the app if you want to do the art tour. Otherwise, you can simply explore the property and enjoy the beautiful surroundings like we did.

Admission is free but reservations are required. Don’t be shocked by the $20 parking fee though 🙂 Note that there is a second location, the Getty Center, so don’t confuse the two when you’re putting in your Google Map directions! You want to go to the Getty Villa located right on the Pacific Coast Highway.

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Topanga Canyon Overlook

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Starting your day at the Getty Villa will allow you to take a short detour toward Topanga Canyon Overlook. It’s a short 15-20 minute drive to a viewing point from the Villa. The views are incredible from there and the short drive along the canyon is also incredible. There are small hiking routes at the viewing point too if you want to explore the area a little more. I have not seen this overlook suggested in any Los Angeles guides and I found it by looking at a map! In my humble opinion, this spot is a gem and should absolutely be visited while you’re visiting Los Angeles for the first time.

There is a cute cafe called Cafe 27 on the way where you can stop for coffee and admire some canyon views from the back patio too!

Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu

This was one of those moments where it hit me that I was in California. Although living in Jersey I get my fair share of the shore, California beaches hit a little differently. The mountains, tall palm trees, and surfer vibes hit your soul like no other. We picked up some sandwiches before and decided to have a picnic on El Matador Beach. Catching up with my college roommate while having a glass of Cali rose on the beach was just one of those true Perfect Days for me!

Pacific Coast Highway extends from the bottom of California all the way to Seattle and is a super popular national road trip. The tiny piece of it that we covered doesn’t even begin to cover its beauty but if this was the introduction, I certainly need to come back to do more of it!

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Santa Monica Pier

After our little drive along the PCH, we made a stop at Santa Monica Pier. The walk along the water was beautiful and we had to get some software and of course, take the Ferris Wheel ride. The pier has the typical boardwalk attractions of small vendors, t-shirt shops, carnival rides, and games. It was one of those things you just have to do while visiting Los Angeles for the first time. Santa Monica is a great town to explore too after seeing the pier!

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California Sunset

Not seeing a proper sunset in California is a sin. It’s the equivalent of not seeing one in Santorini. While there are many awesome viewing points for this, I strongly recommend that you see at least one of these incredible sunsets on the beach.

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Griffith Observatory

This place has it all. A sweet drive up the hill with amazing views, a park with 360 panoramic views of all of LA, an unobstructed view of the Hollywood sign, an observatory with giant telescopes, and a center that you can explore for various exhibitions. I mean … all I’m saying is that you absolutely shouldn’t miss this. I recommend coming here a couple of hours before sunset so you can explore the inside with just enough time to see the sunset from there. Entry is free but you have to pay for parking. Their website is very informative in terms of opening hours, ways to get there including hiking and other relevant information.

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Hollywood Sign

Ok so I did not do the Hollywood Sign hike because 1) My friend’s apartment had a view of it from her balcony and 2) I saw it from Griffith Observatory. I learned that despite there being Google Map directions to drive there, you actually can’t do that because it’s a road for locals only. However, I found this super informative hiking guide for you with step-by-step pictures on how to do it 🙂 I’m including this activity because it is a classic thing to do while visiting Los Angeles for the first time.

Exploring Beverly Hills

Even saying Beverly Hills sounds exclusive, doesn’t it?! Well, a trip to LA wouldn’t be complete without feeling poor in one of the richest areas around. Start with Rodeo Drive, the famous street lined with top luxury stores, insane cars and boujee restaurants. Maybe you’ll spot someone famous along the way. Then head over to the small park around the corner to take a picture with the Beverly Hills Sign. Note the streets branching off from the park, this is where you’ll see those classic street shots of influencers among tall palm trees. From there take a quick drive along Sunset Strip. The street is lined with stores, bars, and lively restaurants. If you’re into Selling Sunset, you’ll find the Oppenhemin group there too.

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West Hollywood

West Hollywood or WeHo as locals like to call it, is your lively and exciting gayborhood. Santa Monica Blvd is your center for awesome bars, fancy restaurants like Bottega Louie or Pump and of course great nightlife. After getting some ice cream at Salt & Straw, we walked up and down the street enjoying the cozy street lights and cool atmosphere, and stopped at your local MedMan shop 🙂

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There are other popular nearby attractions. First, you have LACMA to which most visitors just visit the famous light art installation outside. I was one of those visitors that skipped the inside but on my next visit, I plan to visit the inside too! La Brea Tar Pits are a cool outdoor museum with naturally bubbling asphalt and a museum for excavated fossils. Normally I wouldn’t recommend a mall for you guys but the Grove Outdoor Mall is actually a cool outdoor shopping area.

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A Couple Recs Worth Your LA Time

Here are some miscellaneous food finds for ya that I enjoyed on my trip:

  • I mean, did you even go to the West Coast if you didn’t visit In-N-Out?
  • All Seasons Brewing is a cool place for a drink and some amazing tacos.
  • The High Low in Los Feliz was one of my favorite low-key finds.
  • My bestie introduced me to awesome sandwiches at Mendocino farms.
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Final Thoughts on Visiting Los Angeles for the First Time

My week in LA was a mix of work and leisure. It was the perfect introduction to what this city has to offer. I tried to visit a variety of places, some more known, others not. I was lucky to have seen these gems with my college roommate who has been an LA local for a couple of years now. There are SO many more places to see in the area, not even including the national parks nearby. It is very safe to say that I will be back soon with part 2. I hope that this list gave you some ideas for places to visit on your trip! Comment below for places you think I should visit next time!

A map for ya:

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Kasia is a travel blogger that loves to share her detailed itineraries and travel tips with her community. She's traveled to numerous countries and makes it a priority to explore her home state of New Jersey while still being passionate about her 9-5 career.

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