I love Los Angeles. Outside of New York, it’s one of my favorite U.S. cities and one of my favorite places on the planet, but I didn’t start out loving Los Angeles. After getting to know the city, like the locals, we’ve created an itinerary that will make you fall in love with LA.

Best of Los Angeles Travel Itinerary Map

Day 1: Arrive to Los Angeles

Upon arrival in Los Angeles, check into your hotel and enjoy dinner.

Day 2: West Hollywood

Take a West Hollywood Rock ‘n Roll Walking Tour of the Sunset Strip and beyond. Visit the sites where rock stars work and play, including insider’s destinations that your guide only knows, granting you exclusive access. Stops may include the the Viper Room, a rock and roll literary haven and Barney’s Beanery.

Outside of The Viper Room in West Hollywood

Looking to mix an active tour with glamour? Opt instead for The Beverly Hills Stars’ Homes jogging tour. You’ll get the inside scoop from your local guide, who’s lived and worked around Beverly Hills and the Sunset Strip for over 25 years!

Restaurant suggestion! Have lunch or a drink at Barney’s Beanery, a West Hollywood institution, which opened in the 1920s, and became a hotspot for artists and musicians. This is THE place to pick up your lunch today. Make sure to check out the spot where Janis Joplin used to sit and feel the vibes from past stars who were regulars, like Judy Garland and Rita Hayworth.

Gelato Making Class
From Barney’s Beanery, walk to Gelato Festival (1.2 mile), where you can become a gelato specialist. Learn how gelato is made and enjoy tasting lots of flavors in this 2-hour unique class.

Explore the shops in West Hollywood or take a taxi or walk to Rodeo Drive (1.5 miles away).

Day 3: Venice Beach & Santa Monica

Enjoy a two-hour guided walking tour of the Venice Canals, envisioned by their eccentric founder, Abbot Kinney, an entrepreneurial dreamer who won the land in a coin toss. Stop at the 1910 grocery shop, and grab some ancestral food and drinks.

Spend the afternoon continuing to explore Venice Beach or head into Santa Monica, either by taxi or by grabbing a bike and biking down by the beach!

Afternoon Recommendations: Explore the open-air mall at Third Street Promenade, an area made all the more lively by street performers. The stylish boutiques on Montana Avenue are perfect for finding the perfect so-L.A. item to take home, and keep your eyes peeled…This is a great place to spot local celebs. On Main Street, peruse handmade accessories and gifts by local artists.

A cultural hub for Southern California, Santa Monica boasts numerous art galleries all around the city, with the biggest concentration at Bergamot Station, a former railroad station and industrial site where you’ll find leading 20 galleries.

Fabled Route 66 once traveled along a stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard and reached the terminus of its 2,448-mile/3,940 km run from Chicago near the beach in Santa Monica. A sign commemorates the “end of the trail” on Santa Monica Pier, where you can marvel at amazing coastal views from atop the world’s only solar-powered Ferris wheel at Pacific Park amusement park.

Enjoy dinner in this area or take a taxi or uber over to West Hollywood to dine at Sunset Marquis or have a drink in its fabled bar.

Take a taxi or uber back to your hotel for the evening.

Day 4: Pasadena

Embark on a day in Pasadena!

Private Pasadena Guided Walking Tour
Pasadena has its roots as an agricultural citrus-growing community, and is now famous worldwide as the home of some of the best-known New Year’s Day celebrations, which happen at Pasadena’s Rose Bowl Stadium, listed as a National Historic Landmark. This is a beautiful city! Beyond the festivals, flowers, and tree-lined streets, prepare to learn more about the Crown City at the base of the foothills, fascinating every day of the year. Your guide will share an insider’s take on this city, including TV and movies filmed here.

Restaurant Suggestion! Enjoy lunch at one of Pasadena’s many great restaurants. We loved Amara Cafe, started by a female entrepreneur from Venezuela. Try arepas and enjoy coffee or hot chocolate and churros. Delish!

Explore Pasadena on your own for the afternoon. We recommend walking Colorado Avenue and checking out the Huntington Library, Museum and Garden. Plan on several hours to visit this iconic landmark, which includes the Huntington Art Gallery and Scott Galleries of American Art, a botanical conservatory, and acres of spectacular gardens in between! Explore living collections of orchids and camellias, a botanical conservatory, fragrant rose garden, childrens’s garden and more, in 16 themed gardens spread over 120 acres.

See paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, photographs, prints and drawings; European art in the Huntington Art Gallery, and American art in the Scott Galleries.

Dinner Suggestions! We loved dining at Bone Kettle for savory meats and soups. Cafe Santorini is another great pick for healthy Mediterranean.

Rose Bowl Stadium Tour in Pasadena, California

Day 5: Pasadena Food & History

Guided Food Tour of Pasadena
We love taking food tours to explore new places. Take a guided food tour of Pasadena! Your guide will share small, locally owned places you wouldn’t necessarily find on your own.

Colorful alleys and secret thru-ways spice up our walk as we seek out spectacular ethnic eateries and sweet-stuff havens. Enjoy all the fascinating stories behind the foods when you explore this historic district, once just a sunny haven of bountiful orange groves. Whenever possible, we’ll be met and hosted by our special merchants who proudly share their incredible offerings with us.

The Gamble House Tour
Seen Back to the Future? It’s Doc Brown’s House in this hit 1980’s movie starring Michael J. Fox. It’s also the most complete and best-preserved work of the American Arts and Crafts movement. Take a guided tour of this remarkable home, built by architects Charles and Henry Greene, listed on as a National Historic Landmark.

Day 6: Travel Home

Safe travels.

The Best of Los Angeles: Vacation Itinerary