Things to Do in Chinatown Los Angeles (and Olvera Street)

We highly recommend two stops: Olvera Street, with the Chinese American Museum right beside it, and lunch at Philippe the Original. Central Plaza and its 1938 gates are our pick for the late afternoon. Everything in this guide sits within 2.4 km of Union Station, so you can do it on foot. Hours and prices below were checked on 8 November 2026.

What we tested

• The whole loop on foot, 8 Nov 2026. We measured each leg on OpenStreetMap data (FOSSGIS foot router). Union Station to Olvera Street is 412 m (5.5 minutes). Olvera Street to the Chinese American Museum is 251 m (3.3 minutes). The museum to Philippe's is 534 m (7.1 minutes). Philippe's to Central Plaza is 832 m (11.1 minutes). Central Plaza to Chinatown station is 350 m (4.7 minutes). That is 2,379 m in all, about 32 minutes of walking, and you finish at the A Line.
• Walks from the stations, 8 Nov 2026. Chinatown station to Los Angeles State Historic Park is 200 m (2.7 minutes). To Philippe's it is 519 m (6.9 minutes). To Thien Hau Temple it is 649 m (8.7 minutes). From Union Station, the Chinese American Museum is 431 m, the Italian American Museum is 423 m, and LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes is 590 m (7.9 minutes).
• Train or walk between the two ends, 8 Nov 2026. Union Station to Central Plaza is 1,376 m, about 18 minutes on foot. The A Line costs $1.75 for the one stop (Metro fares page). We would walk it through Olvera Street and Philippe's instead, and take the train from Chinatown station at the end.

So, plan this as one walk, not two train trips.

Chinatown and Olvera Street at a glance

Getting to Chinatown and Olvera Street by Metro

Two stations cover this whole page. Chinatown station on the A Line puts you on the north side, next to the State Historic Park and 350 m from Central Plaza. Union Station, one stop south on the A Line and also on the B and D Lines, puts you 412 m from Olvera Street.

Subway: Chinatown station is on the A Line. Metro says the walk from it to Dodger Stadium is 1.2 miles uphill (Metro Dodger Stadium page, read 8 Nov 2026)

Price: $1.75 a ride. Metro caps fares at $5 a day and $18 a week (Metro fares page, read 8 Nov 2026). Transfers are free within 2 hours when you tap to ride. Tap a contactless bank card, a phone wallet or a TAP card

How to pay, the hours of each line and safety tips are in our LA Metro guide.

Chinatown

Central Plaza and the gates

Address: Central Plaza, along Gin Ling Way, off the 900 block of N. Broadway. The East Gate is on Broadway and the West Gate is on Gin Ling Way at Hill Street (Chinatown LA, history page, read 8 Nov 2026)

Hours: The plaza is open to walk. Chinatown LA says businesses are generally open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Chinatown LA home page, read 8 Nov 2026)

Price: Free to walk. Each shop and restaurant sets its own prices

Subway: Chinatown station (A Line), 350 m away, about 5 minutes on foot (our walk test)

Central Plaza was dedicated on 25 June 1938. The East Gate went up before the end of that year, and the West Gate is called Chinatown's oldest pailou. The shops moved here from Old Chinatown, which was cleared in part for Union Station (Chinatown LA, history page). Businesses close around 6 p.m., so we would arrive in the afternoon, not the evening.

Los Angeles State Historic Park

Address: 1245 N. Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (California State Parks, park page, read 8 Nov 2026)

Hours: Daily 8 a.m. to sunset (same page)

Price: Vehicle day use is $8. Parking at 1501 N. Spring Street is $2 an hour, up to $8 a day. The page lists no fee for arriving on foot (same page)

Subway: Chinatown station (A Line), 200 m away (our walk test). The state page says the park is about 1 mile from Union Station

Come here for open space, not for a sight. We would give it 30 minutes if you are already at the station.

Philippe the Original (we highly recommend)

Address: 1001 N. Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (Philippe the Original, official site, read 8 Nov 2026)

Hours: Daily 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. (same site)

Price: The site does not list sandwich prices. Sides are $3.65 for potato salad, macaroni salad and coleslaw, and $2.25 for a kosher dill pickle (same site)

Subway: 543 m from Union Station, about 7 minutes on foot, and 519 m from Chinatown station (our walk test)

Philippe's has been in Los Angeles since 1908 and on Alameda Street since 1951. The house specialty is the French dip: a fresh roll dipped in the natural gravy of the roast. The fillings are roast beef, roast pork, leg of lamb, turkey, pastrami or ham. This is our lunch stop between Olvera Street and Central Plaza.

Thien Hau Temple

Address: 756 Yale Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Subway: Chinatown station (A Line), 649 m away, about 9 minutes on foot (our walk test)

Check Google Maps for the temple's hours before you walk over.

Lunar New Year: the Golden Dragon Parade

Hours: The 128th Golden Dragon Parade is listed for Saturday, 13 February 2027, from 1 to 4 p.m. in Chinatown (Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles, event page, read 8 Nov 2026)

Note: Route: Hill Street at Temple toward Bernard, right on Bernard, then right on Broadway back to Broadway and Temple (same page)

Subway: Chinatown station (A Line)

Street closures were not posted. The Chamber's page says groups that want to take part must apply by 15 January 2027.

Olvera Street and El Pueblo

Olvera Street is one brick lane inside El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument. El Pueblo is where the city started. The old plaza, the Avila Adobe, the Pico House and several small free museums are all here.

Olvera Street (we highly recommend)

Address: Olvera Street, El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument (El Pueblo, read 8 Nov 2026)

Hours: El Pueblo says Olvera Street is open every day of the year, usually from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Restaurants and shops generally open later on weekends, during major events and in summer. Another line on the same About page lists 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., so the two do not match. All hours are subject to change (El Pueblo, About Us page)

Price: Free to walk. Each stand sets its own prices

Subway: Union Station (A, B, D), 412 m away, about 5.5 minutes on foot (our walk test)

The lane has Mexican food stands and shops. The Avila Adobe, which El Pueblo calls the oldest existing home in Los Angeles, is on it, open Tuesday to Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and free. Go before 4 p.m. if you want to go inside.

The free El Pueblo walking tour

Hours: Free one-hour tours Thursday to Saturday, starting at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon. Everyone must request a tour at least two weeks ahead, and El Pueblo says it will not consider a request with less notice (El Pueblo, tours page, read 8 Nov 2026)

Price: Free (same page)

Note: The tour usually covers the Old Plaza, the Pico House, the Old Firehouse, the Chinese American Museum, Olvera Street, the Avila Adobe and the América Tropical Interpretive Center with its David Siqueiros mural. The Italian American Museum is available only by request (same page)

Subway: Union Station (A, B, D)

We would skip the tour unless you can book two weeks out. The same stops are on our walking loop above.

Chinese American Museum

Address: 425 N. Los Angeles Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012, in the historic Garnier Building (Chinese American Museum, visit page, read 8 Nov 2026)

Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed Mondays, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day (same page)

Price: Suggested admission: adults $3, seniors 60 and over $2, students with ID $2. Members are free (same page)

Subway: Union Station (A, B, D), 431 m away, about 6 minutes on foot (our walk test)

The museum closes at 3 p.m., earlier than most places on this page, so we put it first on the loop.

Italian American Museum of Los Angeles

Address: 644 N. Main Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (Italian American Museum of Los Angeles, contact page, read 8 Nov 2026)

Hours: Wednesday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. per the museum's own page. El Pueblo's About page lists Tuesday to Sunday, so go Wednesday to Sunday to be safe (both pages read 8 Nov 2026)

Price: Free admission, donations encouraged (museum page)

Subway: Union Station (A, B, D), 423 m away (our walk test)

LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes

Address: 501 N. Main Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, visit page, read 8 Nov 2026)

Hours: Wednesday to Sunday noon to 5 p.m., last entry 4:30 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday (visit page and El Pueblo About page)

Price: Not listed. The visit page shows a ticket box with no amount

Subway: Union Station (A, B, D), 590 m away, about 8 minutes on foot (our walk test)

Union Station

Address: 800 N. Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (Union Station, visit page, read 8 Nov 2026)

Hours: Open to the public daily from 4 a.m. to 1 a.m. (same page)

Price: Free to walk through

Subway: Union Station on the A, B and D Lines. Amtrak also stops here

Union Station was built on the site of Old Chinatown (Chinatown LA, history page). Our Dodger Stadium guide covers the game-day bus from here.

LA 2028 Olympics near Chinatown

Dodger Stadium, just north of Chinatown, was named the baseball venue for the LA 2028 Games on 15 April 2025 (World Baseball Softball Confederation). Metro says the stadium is a 1.2-mile uphill walk from Chinatown station. Our Dodger Stadium guide has the routes.

Free things to do in Chinatown and Olvera Street

• Walk Central Plaza and look at the 1938 gates.

• Walk Olvera Street and the old plaza.

• Go into the Avila Adobe.

• Visit the Italian American Museum. Admission is free.

• Walk the paths at Los Angeles State Historic Park.

• Sit in the Union Station waiting room.

• Request the free El Pueblo walking tour two weeks ahead.

A half day by Metro

Our plan is the loop we measured. Take the A, B or D Line to Union Station in the late morning. Cross Alameda Street to Olvera Street and the Avila Adobe, then see the Chinese American Museum before it closes at 3 p.m. Walk north to Philippe's for lunch. Keep walking to Central Plaza, then take the A Line home from Chinatown station.

The Chinese American Museum is closed on Mondays. LA Plaza is closed Monday and Tuesday, and the Italian American Museum is closed Monday and Tuesday on its own schedule. Thursday to Sunday is the best time to see everything open.

Sources and what can change

Read on 8 November 2026: El Pueblo home, About Us and tours pages; Chinese American Museum; Italian American Museum; LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes; Philippe the Original; Chinatown LA and its history page; California State Parks; Union Station; the Chinese Chamber of Commerce parade page; Metro fares and Metro's Dodger Stadium page; the WBSC Dodger Stadium announcement; walking times from OpenStreetMap foot routing at routing.openstreetmap.de. Check Thien Hau Temple's hours, LA Plaza's admission price and Philippe's sandwich prices before you go. Hours change on holidays and for events, so check each place's page for your date.