Things to Do in Los Angeles

We highly recommend two stops: Griffith Observatory and the Getty Center. Both are free to enter, and both have a view that makes the trip worth it. The Broad is the best free museum downtown, and Grand Central Market is 638 m from it on foot. LACMA, Santa Monica Pier and the Hollywood Sign viewpoints are good second-day picks. Hours and prices below were checked on 8 November 2026.

What we tested

• Downtown walk, 8 Nov 2026. We measured walking routes on OpenStreetMap data (FOSSGIS foot router). The Broad to Grand Central Market is 638 m, about 8.5 minutes. The Broad to Pershing Square station is 713 m, about 9.5 minutes. Grand Central Market is the better lunch stop, and you can do both on foot.
• Walking to Griffith Observatory, 8 Nov 2026. From Vermont/Sunset station to the Observatory the same router gives 3.3 km, about 47 minutes, and it is uphill. We do not recommend the walk. Take the DASH bus or a rideshare (see how to get to Griffith Observatory).
• Metro fares, 8 Nov 2026. A single ride is $1.75. A day with four rides costs $7.00 in single fares and $5.00 with Metro's daily cap, so you save $2.00. Three or more rides in a day means the cap pays off. The weekly cap is $18 (Metro fares page).

So, do the walk downtown, and use a bus or rideshare for the hills.

The sights, with address, hours and price

Our order for a first visit: the Getty Center in the morning, Griffith Observatory in the evening, and the Broad with Grand Central Market on a second day. Everything below is checked, so you can swap the order to fit your days.

Griffith Observatory (we highly recommend)

Address: 2800 East Observatory Road, Los Angeles, CA 90027 (Griffith Observatory, visit page, read 8 Nov 2026)

Hours: Tuesday to Friday 12 noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Closed Monday. The grounds and roads are open 5 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily, the same as Griffith Park (same page)

Price: Free. The page calls it a "free-admission facility." Access to Griffith Park is free, but the parking closest to the Observatory is paid (same page)

Price: Planetarium shows: adults (13 to 54) $12, seniors (55 and up), students and teachers $10, children (5 to 12) $8, under 5 free on a lap. Tickets are sold only at the Observatory, only for that day's shows, until 10 minutes before showtime. Children under 5 may only attend the first show of the day: 12:45 p.m. on weekdays, 10:45 a.m. on weekends (Griffith Observatory, Samuel Oschin Planetarium page, read 8 Nov 2026)

This is the best free view in the city, and the building is open until 10 p.m. We would go in the evening. The Observatory says it is busiest on weekends, in summer and holiday periods, and at sunset, so a weekday evening is our pick if you want fewer people. If you only see one thing in Los Angeles, make it this.

The Getty Center (we highly recommend)

Address: 1200 Getty Center Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90049 (Getty, Visit the Getty Center page, read 8 Nov 2026)

Hours: Tuesday to Friday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Closed Monday. Closed every year on New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, and it closes early on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve (same page)

Price: Admission is free, but it requires a timed-entry reservation. Reserve online at no cost or call (310) 440-7300. Parking is $25 per car or motorcycle, $15 after 3 p.m. and $10 after 6 p.m., and free on Saturdays after 6 p.m. Parking is cashless: all major cards are accepted (same page)

Book your free time slot first, before anything else on your trip. Go on a Saturday if you can: the Center is open until 9 p.m., and parking is free after 6 p.m. The Getty lists some galleries as closed for renovation (South Pavilion and East Pavilion plaza level, and the North Pavilion), so check what is on view for your date.

The Broad

Address: 221 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (The Broad, visit page, read 8 Nov 2026)

Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Mondays, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day (same page)

Price: General admission is always free. The Broad recommends an advance timed ticket, and walk-up tickets are available daily. Some exhibitions and events cost extra, and the Infinity Mirror Room needs an advance reservation. The garage under the museum is $19 for 3 hours with validation, $7 for each extra 15 minutes, and $29 a day at most. It is a flat $19 after 5 p.m. on weeknights and all day on weekends (same page)

Our pick for the best free museum downtown. Book a timed ticket and a separate Infinity Mirror Room reservation if you want that room. Thursday is the late day, open to 8 p.m. Then walk the 638 m to Grand Central Market for food.

LACMA

Address: 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 (LACMA, visit page, read 16 Oct 2026)

Hours: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Closed Wednesday. Saturday hours change with events: the tickets page shows a 1 p.m. close for a private event on 7 Nov 2026, so confirm Saturday before you go (LACMA tickets page, read 8 Nov 2026)

Price: Visitors from outside LA County: adults $30, seniors 65 and over and students $26, ages 3 to 17 $15, ages 2 and under free. LA County residents with ID: adults $25, seniors and students $21, ages 3 to 17 free. Free for all visitors on the second Tuesday of each month. LA County residents also get in free on weekdays after 3 p.m. with ID (same tickets page)

LACMA is the one big paid museum on this list, so we would go on the second Tuesday of the month. By our count, the next one is 10 November 2026. The tickets page also lists free entry for Bank of America card holders on the first full weekend of each month, and says prices can change.

Grand Central Market

Address: 317 South Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013 (Grand Central Market, visit page, read 8 Nov 2026)

Hours: Open every day, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Vendors may keep different hours (same page)

Price: No entry fee. Each stall sets its own prices. The market garage at 308 South Hill Street is $5.50 for the first 90 minutes, $2 for each extra 15 minutes, and $40 a day at most (same page)

This is our lunch stop downtown. It is 638 m from the Broad, so you do not need the car again. Go for lunch rather than the evening rush, and pay at the stall you pick.

Santa Monica Pier

Address: Pacific Park is at 380 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CA 90401 (Pacific Park, pier hours page, read 16 Oct 2026). The Santa Monica Pier Corporation office is at 200 Santa Monica Pier, Suite A (pier FAQ)

Hours: The pier's FAQ says it is open "Daily from 6AM to 10PM." Pacific Park says rides stop at 9 p.m. daily (Pacific Park, read 8 Nov 2026). Shops and restaurants set their own hours

Price: Pacific Park says it is "admission-free," so you can walk in and out. Rides and attractions cost $6 to $20 each. An Unlimited Ride Wristband is $50 for ages 8 and up and $30 for ages 7 and under, or $40 and $20 bought online ahead (Pacific Park tickets page, read 17 Oct 2026). Wristbands bought online are picked up at the ticket booth, which closes one hour before the park closes (Pacific Park, read 8 Nov 2026)

Note: The pier parking deck is open Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and the FAQ points to Beach Lot 1 North at 1550 Appian Way too (pier FAQ, read 16 Oct 2026)

We would skip the wristband unless you plan on at least four rides. Walking the pier costs nothing. The pier FAQ encourages visitors to arrive by public transportation, bike or rideshare, and we agree: parking is paid and fills up.

The Hollywood Sign

Address: There is no street address. You see the sign from viewpoints in and near Griffith Park (Hollywood Sign Trust, FAQ page, read 8 Nov 2026)

Hours: The FAQ gives no visiting hours. The sign is not lit at night (same page)

Price: Free. "There is no charge to see the Sign." There are no official tours. Hiking to a viewpoint is self-guided and free. Some residential streets near hikes are permit-only and enforced, so read the posted signs before you leave a car (same page)

Our pick is to see the sign from Griffith Observatory and skip the hike. You get the view without a long walk or a permit street. If you do hike, bring plenty of water, as the Trust advises.

Hollywood Walk of Fame

Address: Hollywood Blvd from Gower to La Brea, and Vine Street from Sunset to Yucca (Hollywood Walk of Fame, general FAQs, read 16 Oct 2026)

Hours: Not posted. The FAQ gives no walking hours (same page)

Price: The FAQ says "Walk of Fame ceremonies are open and free to the public." Walking the sidewalks costs nothing. There are more than 2,800 stars (same page)

We would give it 30 minutes, not a day. See the stars on the way to the Chinese Theatre and move on. Ceremony dates change. The FAQ gives 323-469-8311 and walkoffame.com for current dates. Our Hollywood guide has the rest.

Free things to do in Los Angeles

• Griffith Observatory building and grounds. Parking costs money.

• The Broad, general admission.

• The Getty Center, with a free timed reservation. Parking costs money, and is free on Saturdays after 6 p.m.

• Seeing the Hollywood Sign from a viewpoint.

• LACMA on the second Tuesday of each month, for all visitors.

So, for a free first day, start with the Observatory and the Getty.

Los Angeles with kids

• Broad, Getty Center and Griffith Observatory: all list free admission. Pay for parking at the Getty and the Observatory.

• LACMA: ages 3 to 17 are free for LA County residents and $15 for other visitors. Ages 2 and under are free.

• Santa Monica Pier: Pacific Park has no entry fee. Rides cost $6 to $20 each, and a wristband for ages 7 and under is $20 online.

• Griffith Observatory planetarium: $8 for ages 5 to 12. Children under 5 may only attend the first show of the day.

For a first trip with kids, we would pick the Observatory and the pier. Both are free to walk into, and you decide how much to spend.

Getting around Los Angeles

Metro lists a regular fare of $1.75 one way. Its fare cap says to "pay for 3 rides in one day. Ride free after that. Never pay more than $5." The weekly cap is $18. You load money on a reusable TAP card or on the TAP app (Metro fares page, read 8 Nov 2026).

Downtown is the walkable part: the Broad, Grand Central Market and Pershing Square station are all within 713 m of the Broad (see What we tested). The Getty Center and Griffith Observatory sit on hills away from the rail lines, so plan a bus, a rideshare or a car for them. Our other guide covers the rail map, the airport bus and which hotel areas work without a car: Los Angeles without a car.

What we checked and what can change

Read on 8 November 2026: Griffith Observatory visit and planetarium pages, Getty Center visit page, The Broad visit page, LACMA tickets page, Grand Central Market visit page, Hollywood Sign Trust FAQ, Pacific Park and Metro fares. Walking distances: OpenStreetMap foot routing at routing.openstreetmap.de.

Read on 16 and 17 October 2026 and not re-read on 8 November: the Santa Monica Pier FAQ, Pacific Park's ticket prices, the LACMA visit page address and the Walk of Fame FAQ.

Not confirmed: Walk of Fame walking hours, trail lengths to the Hollywood Sign, and any event on a given weekend. Hours, prices and gallery closures change, so check the operator's page for your date.