Los Angeles Holidays

Griffith Park offers miles of trails through the hills above Los Angeles, with routes leading towards viewpoints, Griffith Observatory and different perspectives of the Hollywood Sign. The higher paths open out towards Downtown, the Hollywood Hills and the wider Los Angeles basin.

Runyon Canyon sits just above Hollywood and is one of the easiest places to add a proper hill walk to a sightseeing day. Trails climb through open hillside with broad city views, although the exposed terrain can become particularly warm during the middle of the day.

The long coastal cycle route linking beach communities around Los Angeles makes it possible to see stretches of the Pacific without spending the day in a car. Around Venice, cycling is particularly easy to combine with the boardwalk, beach and nearby canals.

Venice gives first-time surfers a convenient introduction to Southern California's beach culture without travelling far from the city. Conditions vary considerably, so beginners are better starting with a lesson rather than simply hiring a board and heading out alone.

Horseback rides through the Hollywood Hills offer an unusual alternative to hiking, with several routes overlooking Griffith Park, the city and the Hollywood Sign. It is one of the few Los Angeles activities where the skyline can feel remarkably distant despite being only a few miles away.

El Pueblo marks the historic heart of Los Angeles, close to where the settlement that became the city was established in 1781. Historic buildings and Olvera Street preserve parts of the area's Mexican, Spanish and multicultural heritage within walking distance of Union Station.

Natural asphalt has preserved an extraordinary record of Ice Age Los Angeles beneath what is now the Miracle Mile district. Excavations have uncovered millions of specimens, including remains of sabre-toothed cats, dire wolves and mastodons, while scientific work continues at the site today.

Opened in 1939, Union Station combines Spanish Colonial, Mission Revival and Art Deco influences beneath its tiled roofs and high ceilings. It remains an operating transport hub, but its waiting room, courtyards and historic details make it worth seeing even without a train to catch.

Frank Lloyd Wright designed Hollyhock House for Aline Barnsdall between 1919 and 1921. Set within Barnsdall Art Park, the house became the first site in Los Angeles to receive UNESCO World Heritage recognition as part of the group celebrating Wright's twentieth-century architecture.

Simon Rodia spent more than three decades creating the Watts Towers from steel, mortar, tiles, glass, shells and other materials. The collection of seventeen sculptural structures remains one of Los Angeles' most distinctive pieces of folk architecture and public art.

The Broad adds a strong contemporary-art presence to Downtown's cultural district. Its collection includes major post-war and contemporary artists, while its position beside Walt Disney Concert Hall makes the two easy to combine in the same visit.

Koreatown packs restaurants, cafés, markets, karaoke venues and late-night businesses into a relatively small area west of Downtown. Korean and Latino influences are both strongly visible here, while Korean barbecue has become one of the neighbourhood's defining dining experiences.

Little Tokyo has been part of Los Angeles for generations, with Japanese restaurants, shops, temples and cultural institutions concentrated across a compact section of Downtown. It remains an important centre of Japanese American history and contemporary community

Frank Gehry's stainless-steel Walt Disney Concert Hall is one of Downtown Los Angeles' defining pieces of modern architecture. It is home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with concerts providing a reason to experience the building from the inside rather than simply photographing its exterior.

Los Angeles' Chinatown has celebrated Lunar New Year with the Golden Dragon Parade for more than a century. The annual procession brings floats, performers, traditional lion and dragon dancing and firecrackers to the streets around North Broadway, with the exact date changing according to the calendar.

The Los Angeles Marathon has been running since 1986 and takes participants through a broad cross-section of the city. Its route has evolved over time, so visitors planning around the event should check the current course and road closures before travelling.

LA Pride has been part of the city's calendar for more than half a century. The annual celebration centres on a large parade in Hollywood alongside community events and entertainment, with programmes and routes announced for each edition.

Nisei Week celebrates Japanese and Japanese American heritage in historic Little Tokyo through cultural performances, community activities and a long-running parade tradition. The festival has roots stretching back to the 1930s and continues to be produced annually by the Nisei Week Foundation.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery hosts an established annual Día de los Muertos celebration centred on decorated altars, art, music, costumes and Mexican traditions honouring the dead. Its programme changes each year, but the festival itself has become a recurring part of Los Angeles' autumn calendar.

Set into the Hollywood Hills, the Hollywood Bowl has been one of Los Angeles' landmark outdoor music venues for generations. Its programme ranges from orchestral performances to contemporary concerts, with the surrounding hills forming part of the experience.

Dodger Stadium has been home to the Los Angeles Dodgers since opening in 1962. Baseball games offer a particularly local evening out during the season, while its hilltop setting also provides unexpected views towards Downtown and the surrounding city.

The Chinese Theatre has been closely connected with Hollywood premieres since the silent-film era. Its forecourt is particularly known for handprints, footprints and signatures left by generations of actors and filmmakers.

The Pantages brings major touring Broadway productions to Hollywood from an elaborate Art Deco theatre dating from the Golden Age of cinema. Its location close to Hollywood and Vine makes it easy to combine a performance with an evening elsewhere in the neighbourhood.