How many days do you need in Los Angeles for a first trip?

Three to five days is a good first trip to Los Angeles. LA is very spread out, so plan one area a day, such as Santa Monica, Downtown LA, and Hollywood with Griffith Observatory. With a week or two, you can add a theme park, Malibu, or another western city like San Francisco.

Where should I stay in LA for the first time?

Stay in Santa Monica if the beach is the reason you're coming, or in Little Tokyo in Downtown LA if you want to see as much of the city as you can. Both are on the Metro E Line, which links them in about 45 to 50 minutes.

Do you need a car in Los Angeles?

Not for Santa Monica or Downtown LA, where Uber, Lyft, and the Metro cover most trips. Most visitors still rent a car, because LA is spread out, and a car is the easy way to reach Malibu, Disneyland, and other day trips.

Is Los Angeles safe for tourists?

Yes, the parts of LA most tourists visit are safe if you're city smart. Watch your phone and bag in crowds, and walk around Skid Row in Downtown LA, roughly 3rd to 7th Street between Main and Alameda, rather than through it.

Do I need an ESTA to visit Los Angeles?

You need an ESTA if you're a citizen of a Visa Waiver Program country, such as the UK, most EU countries, Japan, South Korea, Australia, or New Zealand. It costs $40.62 from October 16, 2026, on the official site, esta.cbp.dhs.gov. Canadians only need a passport, and most other passports need a B-2 visitor visa.

Do you tip in Los Angeles?

Yes. Tip 15% to 20% of the bill before tax at a sit-down restaurant, and tip Uber and Lyft drivers in the app. At a counter or a coffee shop, tipping is optional, even when the screen asks.

Is sales tax included in prices in Los Angeles?

No. Prices in LA are shown before sales tax, which is added when you pay. From October 1, 2026, it's 10.25% in the city of Los Angeles and 11.25% in Santa Monica.

Visiting Los Angeles for the First Time: Tips From Two Trips

I think the hardest part of visiting Los Angeles for the first time is picking where to stay. LA is huge. On a map, the beach and the Hollywood sign look like neighbors. In traffic, they feel like two different trips.

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In this guide 8 sections

Cream and I learned that on our first visit. We spent a week at a hotel in Little Tokyo. It was a great base! Then an Uber dropped us on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica one afternoon, and the second I saw the beach and the Ferris wheel I wished we'd booked there instead.

So we came back. In 2025 we spent a month in Santa Monica, mostly on foot. We're Americans, but as full-time travelers we're usually the foreigners. That's why the US basics for visitors from abroad are near the end.

Visiting Los Angeles for the First Time: My Quick Answer

How long: three to five days. Give each part of LA its own day.
Where to stay: Santa Monica for the beach, or Little Tokyo in Downtown LA to see as much as you can.
Getting around: LA is spread out and the traffic is heavy. We used Uber and the Metro, but most visitors rent a car.
Don't miss: sunset on Santa Monica Beach, the view from Griffith Observatory, and the beach walk to Venice.
Keep it short: Hollywood Boulevard. See it once and move on.
Pack: a real jacket. Winter mornings by the beach are gray and cool.
From abroad: sort out your ESTA or visa first. Prices don't include sales tax or the tip.

Want our three hotel picks for a first trip?

Quick picks

Where We'd Stay on a First Trip to LA

See more hotels in Los Angeles

We stayed at the DoubleTree that first week. In Santa Monica, The Pierside is right at the entrance to the pier and the Hampton Inn is next to the Downtown Santa Monica station, so you can pick the ocean or the train.

How Many Days Do You Need in LA?

I think three to five days is right for a first trip. That's one day per area. No rushing!

If you're in the US for a week or two, you can pair LA with San Francisco or other western states. They're farther apart than they look, though. I'd give LA its own days first and then add the next city, because the drive between them is a long one.

Where to Stay in LA for the First Time

Our first base was the DoubleTree in Little Tokyo. I'd book it again. Our second trip was a month in Downtown Santa Monica. We loved both!

Area	Best for	Watch out for
Santa Monica	The beach, sunsets, walking everywhere	Pricier hotels, and Hollywood and Downtown are a long ride away
Little Tokyo (Downtown LA)	Seeing the most of LA, food, trains in most directions	Some rough blocks nearby, mostly around Skid Row
Hollywood	Being close to the Walk of Fame	Busy and touristy streets

Where to stay in LA on a first trip

For a four or five day trip where you want to see everything, I'd stay in Little Tokyo. Trains leave from there in most directions. If the beach is why you're coming, stay in Santa Monica instead. We walked down to the sand most evenings and watched the sun go down over the ocean, and that made it my favorite base.

We haven't stayed in Hollywood. Our Downtown guides compare it, so I'd read where to stay in Downtown LA and staying in Little Tokyo before you book. For the beach side, I'd compare each area in where to stay in Santa Monica.

The Santa Monica Pier and a wide, quiet beach seen from the bluff above the coast road, under a soft cloudy morning sky. — 📍The pier and the beach from above, Santa Monica

Getting Around LA: Do You Need a Car?

We've never rented a car in LA. In 2024 we walked around Little Tokyo and took Ubers everywhere else. In 2025 we spent a whole month in Santa Monica without one and walked almost everywhere we needed to go.

LA is still a car city. It's very spread out. You can't walk everywhere you want to go, and transit isn't the best for crossing LA. Most first-timers end up with a rental car or a lot of Ubers.

From LAX: we took an Uber both times. Finding the pickup spot was a little stressful the first time, and easy the second.
Uber and Lyft: both apps work with a card from home.
The Metro: a ride is $1.75.¹ Pay by tapping your phone or a contactless bank card.
Santa Monica to Downtown LA: the E Line takes about 45 to 50 minutes.
Hollywood and Universal Studios: the B Line runs there from Downtown LA.
Driving: California lets visitors 18 and over drive on a valid license from home.² Rental companies want an International Driving Permit too if your license isn't in English letters.

I'd skip a car for three days in Santa Monica or Little Tokyo. For five days or a day trip, most visitors rent one. If that's you, compare rental car prices from LAX before you book. Check what your hotel charges to park, too. We went car-free in Santa Monica, and Santa Monica without a car has our Metro and Uber times.

A First-Time LA Itinerary, Area by Area

I'd plan one area a day. Crossing the whole city twice in a day means hours in a car.

Day 1: Santa Monica and the Beach Walk to Venice

Morning: coffee and a walk along Palisades Park, the path on the cliffs above the beach.
Midday: walk the beach path south to Venice, about 2 miles from the pier.
Evening: sunset on the sand, then the pier once its lights come on.
Note: the pier's famous sign is away for repairs from October 20, 2026, until late 2027. A half-size copy stands in for it.

The walk to Venice is the one thing I wish we'd done sooner on our first trip. We'd grab a bubble tea once we reached Venice. Then we'd walk the whole way back to Santa Monica on the same beach path. Our things to do in Santa Monica fills the rest of the day, and walking from Santa Monica to Venice Beach has every stop you'll pass on the way down.

Bernie and Cream smiling in sunglasses on the beach, holding bubble tea cups with the ocean and sand behind them. — 📍Our bubble tea stop in Venice

Day 2: Downtown LA and Little Tokyo

Morning: City Hall and the Civic Center, then up to Grand Park.
Afternoon: The Broad and the Bunker Hill Steps, or south to the arena.
Evening: dinner in Little Tokyo.
Tip: Skid Row covers roughly Main Street east to Alameda, from 3rd Street down to 7th. Walk around it.

One day we set off from City Hall on foot and kept going through Downtown until we reached the towers covered in graffiti by the arena in South Park. It's a long way. The walk was easy, though. In Little Tokyo we mostly wandered around and ate. The best food in Little Tokyo has everything we ordered.

The white honeycomb wall of The Broad museum in Downtown Los Angeles, seen from below against a deep blue sky. — 📍The Broad, Downtown LA

Day 3: Griffith Observatory and Hollywood

Griffith Observatory: free to enter. The planetarium shows are the only paid part.
Getting up there: an Uber drops you close to the entrance. Cell service up there is really bad.
How long: we had about half an hour in the building, then hours out on the terraces.
Hollywood Boulevard: Walk of Fame stars and TCL Chinese Theatre. Busy, crowded, and quick to see.

Griffith was a top moment for me. You have to go! You walk out to the view and the Hollywood sign is right there. It felt so surreal to stand there and see the sign and the whole city after watching them in movies for most of my life. We went in the afternoon. It was cooler then. If the day is hot, I'd aim for the morning or for sunset.

I'd give Hollywood Boulevard one quick visit. Say you saw it, then go. Griffith Observatory covers parking and the hike up, and our Hollywood sign viewpoints has the other spots around the hills.

The Hollywood sign on the hills above Griffith Observatory's white telescope dome, with visitors on the terrace and lawn below. — 📍The Hollywood sign from Griffith Observatory

Day 4: Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive

The Beverly Hills sign: in Beverly Gardens Park, next to a lily pond.
Rodeo Drive: the fancy shops, the cars, and the people.
How long: half a day is plenty.
Getting there: we took an Uber. Metro buses 20 and 720 also run along Wilshire Boulevard.

We got to Beverly Hills in the morning and took our photo by the sign before walking down Rodeo Drive to look at the shops and the cars. Lunch was burgers and wings at Fatburger. So good! It's such a nice area. Things to do in Beverly Hills has our half-day plan.

A tray with a thick cheeseburger, fries, and a basket of buffalo wings with celery at Fatburger in Beverly Hills. — 📍Our Fatburger lunch, Beverly Hills

Day 5: A Day Trip, If You Rent a Car

Malibu: the beaches north of Santa Monica, along the Pacific Coast Highway.
Disneyland: about 41 miles from Santa Monica, and a long trip without a car.
Universal Studios Hollywood: the one big park you can reach on the Metro.

Cream and I haven't done any of these yet. This day is research. It's the day I'd want a car.

What Surprised Us on Our First Trips

LA Isn't Warm All Year

I wish I'd brought a heavier jacket. Both of our trips were in late winter, and the mornings by the beach were gray and cold enough that we ended up buying a jacket in LA. It usually warmed up by lunch, and on the warmer afternoons in March we were out walking in T-shirts. We still made a CVS run for sunscreen.

Los Angeles in February and Los Angeles in March have the weather month by month.

A gray, foggy morning over a palm-lined path and green lawns in Palisades Park, Santa Monica. — 📍A gray winter morning in Palisades Park

Is LA Safe for First-Time Visitors?

We walked all over Santa Monica for a month, day and night, and never once felt unsafe there. I'd still be city smart. Pickpocketing happens here like it does in any big city.

You will see homeless people in LA. It can be a shock if you're not used to it. It's real, but it isn't a huge issue for visitors. You don't really interact with them. Santa Monica is probably the safest part of LA, and is Santa Monica safe covers nights and the pier.

First Time in the US? The Short Version

Most of the year, Cream and I are the ones sorting out visas and phone data abroad. This is what I'd tell a friend flying in.

ESTA: travelers from the UK, most of the EU, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and the other Visa Waiver Program countries need one.³ It's $40.62 from October 16, 2026, on the official site, esta.cbp.dhs.gov.⁴ Apply at least 72 hours before you fly.
Visa: most other passports need a B-2 visitor visa ($185), with an interview at a US embassy.⁵ Book it before anything you can't cancel. Canadians only need a passport.
Phone data: a US eSIM, set up at home. We've never needed one here, but Airalo is who I'd use, and it runs on T-Mobile's network. New users get 15% off when you get a US eSIM from Airalo.
Sales tax: it isn't on the price tag. From October 1, 2026, it's 10.25% in the city of LA and 11.25% in Santa Monica.⁶
Tipping: 15% to 20% at a sit-down restaurant, counted on the total before tax. Tip Uber drivers in the app. At Starbucks or a counter, it's up to you.
Cards: we never hit a place that only took cash. When a card machine offers your home currency, pick dollars.
Insurance: medical care in the US is expensive. With SafetyWing, US cover is an add-on for non-residents,⁷ so tick that box if you buy SafetyWing travel medical insurance.
Plugs and units: US outlets take two flat pins at 120 volts. Weather is in Fahrenheit (70°F is about 21°C), and roads use miles.

Tax and tip together surprise most people. At Dan Modern Chinese in Santa Monica, tax added $7.35 to our dinner. Then came the tip!

A receipt from Dan Modern Chinese in Santa Monica for dinner for two in March 2025, showing a $71.75 subtotal, $7.35 tax, and a $79.10 total. — 📍Our receipt from Dan Modern Chinese, Santa Monica

If you get stuck after you land, ask someone. Americans are very friendly!

My Favorite First Evening in LA

My favorite LA evening is still sunset on the beach in Santa Monica. We walked down to the sand after dinner most nights that month. It was always so nice. One evening we spotted a sea lion on the sand, looking up and sunning itself while the sun went down behind it!

Bernie and Cream smiling in a selfie on Santa Monica Beach, with the orange sun setting over the ocean behind them. — 📍Sunset on Santa Monica Beach

Next Steps for Your First LA Trip

Where to stay in Santa Monica for a beach base.
Where to stay in Downtown LA, from Little Tokyo to South Park.
Griffith Observatory: free entry, parking, and sunset.
Santa Monica without a car, with Metro and Uber times.
Things to do in Beverly Hills for a half-day plan.