10 Must-See Los Angeles Neighborhoods and How To Visit

Downtown Los Angeles contains more than a dozen districts with distinct characteristics—it's as if all the different parts of LA have merged into one fairly compact area.

The historic core’s beautiful buildings were mainly built at the turn of the 20th century, and it’s well worth taking an architecture tour for a better understanding. The Civic Center and Bunker Hill are both the administrative and cultural hubs, while top Los Angeles attractions like the Walt Disney® Concert Hall, The Music Center, The Broad, and Museum of Contemporary Art are all within walking distance of each other.

Also in the Downtown area is Little Tokyo, the largest Japantown in the US. It's also home to numerous Japanese restaurants and shops, two Japanese gardens, and the Japanese American National Museum. To the south of Little Tokyo, you’ll find the revitalized Arts District houses a number of small art galleries and some of the hottest restaurants and bars in town.

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Synonymous with wealth and high-end fashion, Beverly Hills is all about the brand-name stores, upscale restaurants, and celebrity homes. Even for those who can’t afford to shop here, the world-famous Rodeo Drive remains a popular sightseeing destination and photo-op spot. Explore this glitzy neighborhood on a Segway or go full Beverly Hills on a Ferrari tour.

As one of the most affluent zip codes in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills also has one of the largest concentrations of 5-star hotels in the country. Some of the standouts include The Maybourne, The Peninsula, The Waldorf Astoria, and the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel.

Most sightseeing tours in Los Angeles include stops in Hollywood—and with good reason. Within a few blocks along Hollywood Boulevard, you’ll find the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the TCL Chinese Theatre (formerly known as Grauman’s Chinese Theatre), and the Dolby Theatre. Beyond the main strip, there’s also Hollywood Bowl, one of the country’s best live music venues, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. A popular way to see this (sometimes notorious) neighborhood is on a haunted tour.

Insider tip: If you want to go on a Hollywood studio tour, most of the studios aren't actually in the Hollywood neighborhood. Head to the San Fernando Valley for two of the best: the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Burbank and Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City.

West Hollywood’s Sunset Strip is famous for its entertainment, with live music venues, comedy clubs, and bars, including the legendary Comedy Store and Whisky a Go Go. Chateau Marmont, famous as a celebrity hideaway, can also be found on Sunset Boulevard.

Another West Hollywood strip bustling with world-class nightlife is Santa Monica Boulevard, a stretch of which is part of the historic Route 66. It’s now the center of the LGBTQ+ action in the city, with plenty of gay hotspots, including famous hangout The Abbey.

Santa Monica offers one of the most accessible beaches in the LA area, complete with activities such as biking and surf lessons. On the Santa Monica Pier, you’ll find a historic merry-go-round, as well as Pacific Park and its photogenic solar-powered ferris wheel.

The area is also known for the Third Street Promenade, and while the pedestrian-only outdoor shopping isn’t as lively as it used to be, there are still some great boutiques, restaurants, and bars to explore. Start the day with a donut tour around this neighborhood before hitting the beach.

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A small neighborhood that spans roughly a mile (1.6 kilometers) along Wilshire Boulevard, Miracle Mile contains quite a few of LA’s top museums. Explore the art at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and its street lamp installation, Urban Lights, that’s an attraction in and of itself; ogle the impressive cars at Petersen Automotive Museum; or check out the city’s prehistoric side at the La Brea Tar Pits.

Wilshire’s latest addition is the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which delves into everything about the film industry. Get the lay of the land with a Segway tour before heading into the museums.

Related: Must-See Museums in Los Angeles

The largest Koreatown in the country, this 3-square-mile (8-square-kilometer) neighborhood is filled with so many restaurants and nightclubs that it would take months to explore them all. Here you’ll find some of the best Korean restaurants outside of Seoul, serving everything from tabletop Korean BBQ to spicy stews. Aesthetically pleasing coffee and dessert spots can be found on almost every block, and there are also 24-hour Korean spas.

In addition, there’s a significant Oaxacan community here, and some of the best Oaxacan restaurants in town can be found in this neighborhood. The Wiltern, a historic art deco theater that hosts some of LA’s biggest live music performances, is also in Koreatown.

Named after the Silver Lake Reservoir, this was once a small community with bohemian roots, but these days it’s known as one of LA’s trendiest neighborhoods. Silver Lake’s streets are lined with restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and small boutiques, and its hidden staircases—which lead up to the hillside residential homes—are also prime photo backdrops, especially the colorfully painted Micheltorena Stairs.

On the northern edge of Los Feliz lies Griffith Park, one of the largest urban parks in the country. Covering over 4,000 acres (1,600 hectares), it’s the site of some of Los Angeles’ most iconic landmarks, including the Hollywood Sign—arguably one of the top Los Angeles tourist attractions—to the west and the Griffith Observatory to the south. The observatory is free to visit, but a guided tour will help you dive into the history, architecture, and astronomy behind it.

After exploring the park and observatory, head down to Hillhurst Avenue and refuel at one of the many independently owned restaurants, coffee shops, and bars.

Compared to its neighboring beach, Santa Monica, Venice Beach has a wilder vibe, with its colorful murals and plenty of people-watching opportunities. In the summer, street performers showcase their talents up and down the Venice Boardwalk, entertaining the tourists with their ad-hoc shows. Muscle Beach Gym, perhaps the first gym set right on the beach, was where famous bodybuilders such as former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger once trained. Join a walking tour to get the scoop on this beachside community.