19 Must-See Attractions in Los Angeles, California

The Most Beautiful Towns and Villages in California

Must-Sees on a Road Trip From LA to Big Sur, California

The Top Things to Do and See in Downtown Los Angeles

16 Reasons Why You Should Visit Los Angeles at Least Once in Your Lifetime

The Best of Tech in California, USA

Outdoors - Land

Culture & Education

Food & Drink

Outdoors - Water

Attraction

Entertainment

Wellness

Lifestyle

Los Angeles’s top attractions include a cemetery-cinema, unconventional museums, a mega-shopping destination and outstanding urban hiking.

North America

California

Los Angeles

From mountain retreats to peaceful coastal gems, discover California’s many picturesque towns and villages and places to stay, bookable with Culture Trip.

California's natural beauty is breathtaking. Follow our guide so you don't miss the top things to do and see on the drive from Los Angeles to Big Sur.

Read up on some fun and unique locations to visit while in Downtown Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Downtown

From history and art, to music, theater, hiking and food – here are 16 reasons why you need to visit LA.

Insider Travel Guides

Tech

Foggy and progressive, San Francisco is the crown jewel of Northern California. This compact, hilly city at the center of the wider San Francisco Bay Area has witnessed many of America’s most influential cultural moments, from hippie counterculture in the ’60s to the dot-com revolution at the turn of the last century and today’s tech boom.  

Though characterized by its history of resistance, San Francisco is struggling against the pull of a tech-driven future. The impact of gentrification can be seen in the city’s soaring house prices and the rapid transformation of neighborhoods like SoMa and the Mission, where the friction between old-school San Franciscans and the influx of young professionals is palpable.

Introducing San Francisco

Even with all its hills, San Francisco’s small size makes it a walkable city. Those with calves of steel are rewarded with a showcase of its architectural splendor; the view from Alamo Square – brightly colored Victorian houses against a backdrop of Downtown skyscrapers – is particularly iconic. Of course, taking in the Art Deco masterpiece that is the Golden Gate Bridge is a must on any San Francisco trip, as is a visit to the former prison on Alcatraz Island. 

Every neighborhood has a story to tell. The heart of the ’60s hippie revolution, Haight-Ashbury, is the place to go to relive the Summer of Love all year round, while the nearby Castro district is one of America’s first gay neighborhoods and a magnet for LGBTQ+ travellers to this day. North Beach, the birthplace of the Beatnik movement and home of the City Lights bookstore, is equally historic. SF also boasts the oldest and largest Chinatown in North America, which explains the city’s reputation for great dim sum.

San Francisco attractions and sightseeing

San Francisco neighborhoods

From the Hollywood hills to the Venice Beach boardwalk, Los Angeles is a cinematic city of dreams, where every sunset feels like a scene from a movie. The center of the entertainment world, La La Land may be home to countless celebrities, television studios and film sets, but it’s not all about star-spotting and brunching in Beverly Hills. 

LA is a sprawling county with myriad different cultures and communities: the coastal enclaves of Long Beach and Santa Monica; the built-up, bustling Downtown and Arts District; Compton, birthplace of some of rap’s biggest names; bohemian Venice; and the trendy neighborhoods of Silver Lake and Echo Park. Attracting the world’s most ambitious and extravagant characters, every neighborhood in this eclectic, showy city is prime for people watching.

Introducing Los Angeles

A must-visit on any LA trip is Hollywood Boulevard, home to the legendary Walk of Fame and TCL Chinese Theatre. Movie fans will also enjoy the rides at Universal Studios and the resting place of the stars, Hollywood Forever Cemetery; art lovers should make a beeline for the Getty Center, a hilltop gallery that houses an impressive permanent collection of European and American works. LA’s urban sprawl is flanked by golden beaches and spectacular hills and canyons, making surfing and hiking popular pastimes among Angelenos. Try Runyon Canyon and Griffith Park for relatively easy trails that take in views of the Hollywood Sign and the Griffith Observatory. There are plenty of great beaches to catch a wave, but first-time visitors should hit the sands in Malibu, where LA’s surf culture began.

Best of LA tourism

Los Angeles neighborhoods

Things to do

Places to stay

Bhutanese thangka painter Phurba Namgay has developed a ground-breaking new style of Bhutanese art, a fusion of classical East and contemporary West.

Asia

Bhutan

Blending The Ancient And The Modern: Bhutanese Thangka Painter Phurba Namgay

Find out about the ancient sport which continues to shape a small Himalayan nation.

How Archery Became Bhutan's National Sport

Lindsay Parnell explores the best contemporary literature, yak songs and travel writing to come out of Bhutan, and discovers differing approaches to the history and culture of this mountainous kingdom.

Land Of The Peaceful Thunder Dragon: The Best Literature About Bhutan

Choki Traditional Art School in Bhutan helps preserve the traditional arts and crafts of this Himalayan country, such as weaving and thangka painting.

Keeping Tradition Alive: Choki Traditional Art School In Bhutan’s Kabesa

From photography exhibitions at Bhutanese art galleries to traditional zorig chusum viewings, we explore the 10 best cultural activities and venues in Bhutan.

Bhutan’s 10 Best Cultural Venues

Lisa Napoli’s Radio Shangri-La charts her journey from cosmopolitan Los Angeles to the secluded and peaceful Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, where she discovers a new way of life, devoid of the Western city frenzy.

Radio Shangri-La: Lisa Napoli’s Journey of Discovery in Bhutan

From the spicy treasures of Bhutanese kitchens to the bars of bustling capital Thimphu, we profile ten of Bhutan’s best cultural restaurants.

The 10 Best Restaurants In Bhutan

Discover the best and latest articles about Tech in California, USA