The ultimate SoCal beach pier experience. Santa Monica Pier is one of those ageless spots to hangout, catch some beach sun, take some rides, eat tasty food, even watch street performers and take brisk swim in the ocean water. Play games and win prizes, take the carousel ride, or even get some thrills and screams on Pacific Park’s roller coaster. There are also great beach shops, restaurants, and pubs nearby so walk around and enjoy everything. This pier has appeared in numerous SoCal movies like L.A. Story, Baywatch, Falling Down, Buddy System, The Sting and more. No Admission.

Cross Street: Ocean Front Walk

The closest beach to Santa Monica Pier and Third Street Promendae. Great place to lay on the beach, have a picnic, play beach sand volleyball or various other beach sport games. Spend a few hours enjoying the view, then walk over to the Santa Monica Pier, definitely fun for everyone.

The pedestrian-friendly Third Street Promenade, Downtown is 30 city blocks chock full of great shopping, entertainment and wonderful dining. This is a great place to walk and you will find the beach, Palisades Park and Santa Monica Pier only a few blocks away. In addition, you can park your car in any of our 7 public parking garages and then take the Tide Shuttle to nearby shops and hotels in the Main Street district.

West on the 10 Santa Monica Freeway. Exit Fifth Street heading north (right). To reach the Promenade: West (left) on Arizona Avenue.

Frank Gehry designed mall is always an attractive place to shop with great department stores and classy city seaside shopping. For those who want to do some great shopping after a trip to Santa Monica Pier, this is the place to go. Highlights include, Macy’s, Ronbinson’s-May, Kenneth Cole, Godiva, Victoria’s Secret, Ann Taylor and many more great mall shops, over 140 in total.

very close to the beach

Universal Studios is practically a theme park by itself, and the must-see of studio tours. Expect to spend an entire day checking out the various attractions and rides. First take the guided tour throughout the park, then wander around and check out the shows like Terminator, Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, Spiderman Rocks, Waterworld and much more. Grab a bite to eat at one of the 16 restaurants available to choose from. Admission: $56.

Universal City is located just north of downtown Los Angeles, and can be reached from the 101 Freeway and Exit Universal Studios Blvd.

One of the top schools in California and a consistent top 25 ranked university in the nation. UCLA has a beautiful campus where you can walk around in a generally serene environment. The architecture and people is definitely worth the visit. The main campus library is one of the largest on the west coast.

Fantastic beach where you can have some California fun in the sun. Rent surf boards, bikes, or just grab a tasty bite to eat at the various beach vendors and burger joints. Hang with the locals and get a taste of the Southern California beach lifestyle. No Admission.

approximately three miles from Santa Monica

UCLA’s main shopping, dining and entertainment area. Filled with a large number of restaurants, movie theatres, bars, clubs and trendy name brand shopping, the Westwood Village is definitely a must see for any UCLA visitor. It’s never a dull moment here with the young jubilant crowds during the school months.

Located only minutes from the ocean off Highway 405, Wilshire Boulvard in West Los Angeles near UCLA

This two hour walking/ride tour is the best studio tour in town. Small groups are taken past working sets, driven through the ‘backlots’ where you can get a glimpse of different sets, then through the ‘frontlots’ where you can see the sets of current TV shows. Finally, enjoy the Warner Bros. Museum where you can see memorabilia and relics from the companies 70 year history. Tour: $39

Paramount is Hollywood’s oldest still operating studio, and considered by many to be the most attractive of the major studios. Two hour walking tours are available between 9am – 2pm. Tour: $15

This legendary strip of shops and boutiques on Rodeo Drive is a brisk three blocks long, but these three blocks will be some of the most impressive shopping you can see in the nation! Many of richest and most famous Hollywood stores shop for their designer brand clothing here, with such stores including Tiffany, Cartier, I.Magnin, Saks Fifth Avenue, Pierre Deux and much more. Expect a pair of socks to cost around $50, and a suit to run you about $15,000. An average customer Rodeo Drive shopping regular will spend around $100,000 per visit!

The actual strip begins at Wilshire Boulevard on the south, and runs north to Santa Monica Boulevard in the heart of Beverly Hills. To get there take the San Diego (405) Freeway to the Wilshire Boulevard exit. Go east on Wilshire (about three miles) to Beverly Hills, turn left (north) at Rodeo Drive (just a few streets past Santa Monica Boulevard)

These legendary 50-foot-tall letters stand high above the L.A. basin where it can be widely seen by city dwellers. The sign was originally put up in 1923 as a marketing tool for housing developments in the Hollywood Hills, it was four letters longer back then reading “HOLLYWOODLAND.” In the 1970’s the signs began to wear down, so the city updated the famous symbol and promoted it as a tourist attraction.

atop Mt. Lee in Griffith Park

Inside the Hollywood Hills there is a relaxing reservoir, and a pleasant 3.1 mile paved trail that takes you across the dam. This is a great place to getaway from the city life and enjoy the scenic views of the legendary HOLLYWOOD sign which is located very close by.

Inside the Hollywood Hills

Check out the world famous gold stars of all the Hollywood heros that have placed great moments in our cinematic and entertainment hearts. Originally designed to be a tribute to Johnny Grant, the strip now holds over 2,500 bronze-inlaid stars from TV, movies, radio or music. If you’re lucky you might be able to catch a store becoming immortal right before your eyes! No Admission.

a stretch of Hollywood Boulevard near the intersection of Hollywood and Vine

The West Hollywood strip of Sunset Boulevard is L.A.’s hottest night spot with the most popular bars, pubs and clubs. There are plenty of places to wine and dine, as well as shop at unique stores and people watch. Drop into the various taverns, have some drinks and bust a few of your best dance moves.

West Hollywood

This is Walt Disney’s original, very first theme park, where all the magic began. Visit all eight different theme lands and see your favorite Disney characters. There are over 60 rides, 50 shops and 30 restaurants. Enjoy live entertainment, parades and even a nightly fireworkds show. For any Disney fan, this is a place you simply must visit. Admission: $49 for kids 3-9, $59 for ages 10+ for ONE DAY PASS, various day passes and park hopper tickets are available. Please check website for current prices.

Off Interstate 5 Freeway – Exit Disneyland Drive

There’s a McDonald’s across the street from the entrance to Disneyland. If you want to save some money and time, grab a quick brunch/lunch there and then enter the magic kingdom.

Designed with three different theme lands: Paradise Pier, Hollywood Pictures Backlot, and the Golden State. The park has various thrilling roller-coaster rides, fun shows, and scenic walk-throughs all displaying mini version highlights of California. Popular rides include California Screamin’ and water ride at Grizzly Peak. Admission: $49 for kids 3-9, $59 for ages 10+ for ONE DAY PASS, various day passes and park hopper tickets are available. Please check website for current prices.

Off Interstate 5 Freeway – Exit Disneyland Drive

This amusement park has the most thrilling rides in California bar-none. If extreme roller-coasters are your thing, than here is a spot that will meet the challenge. This is a place for guaranteed thrills with over a dozen extreme rollercoasters to choose from. Next door is Six Flags Hurricane Harbor. Admission: General Admission $59.99, Children (under 48”) $29.99,
Children (2 & under) FREE

Interstate 5 Freeway – Exit Magic Mountain Parkway