Visit Olvera Street to learn about Los Angeles’ history, browse the shops and stalls, and enjoy tacos and other Mexican specialties. The area also boasts some small museums, including the Avila Adobe, LA’s oldest house. A number of LA city tours stop here: You can learn about the city’s beginnings on a historical walking tour, or explore by bike to cover ground a bit faster. Some hop-on hop-off tours also have an Olvera Street stop.
There is no admission fee to enter the market.
The narrow, 1-block lane is a pedestrian-only area.
Olvera Street abuts the “old plaza,” El Pueblo's central square.
Olvera Street runs parallel to Main Street from Cesar E Chavez Avenue. It is just a block from Union Station and is easily accessible via LA’s buses and metro lines, as well as other area train networks.
The marketplace is open daily from late morning until evening, with extended hours on the weekends. Olvera Street and the old plaza are busiest on Saturday and Sunday, when the area sometimes hosts mariachi bands and costumed dancers. To experience the area at its most festive, visit on holidays like Cinco de Mayo, Día de los Muertos, or Epiphany (for the festival of Los Tres Reyes).
If you’re interested in visiting more of LA’s historic ethnic districts, head just north to Chinatown or just south to Little Tokyo. While Chinatown is no longer the center of LA’s Chinese and Chinese-American communities, the area still boasts dozens of restaurants and shops as well as museums and historic landmarks. Little Tokyo is home to the Japanese American National Museum as well as sushi restaurants and ramen shops, Japanese stores, and beautiful gardens.
