The Ultimate 5-Day Los Angeles Itinerary

I’m excited to share this 5-day Los Angeles itinerary with you!  It’s based on a girls trip I took this March.  Every year, my friend Steph and I try to take a trip for spring break.  Steph’s a teacher so she actually has a spring break.  I just take some vacation days and pretend like I’m still a kid 😊  This year, we decided to go visit our friend (and my old roommate!) Mel in Los Angeles.

I was pleasantly surprised that there was so much to do in LA!  We had a busy but very fun five days there, which was the perfect amount of time to get a feel for the city and see the major sights.  I did a lot of research prior to going to LA and visited all the places referenced below, so I can attest that this is the best Los Angeles itinerary to use for your next trip!

Los Angeles Itinerary Day 1: Venice Beach and Abbot Kinney Boulevard

Try to take an early morning flight out so you can enjoy your first afternoon in LA.  If you’re flying from the continental USA, the time zones are on your side since LA is 1 to 3 hours ahead of the rest of the country.  From LAX, you can take an Uber or Lyft to your hotel or pick up a rental car.  Los Angeles is very spread out, so I recommend renting a car while you’re here.  Otherwise, you’ll be paying a lot of money on cabs/Uber/Lyft everywhere you go.  Downtown LA and Santa Monica are about 30 minutes away from LAX (beware LA traffic though!).  We stayed in Marina del Ray, which was a short 20-minute ride from the airport.

 

Venice Beach

After you drop off your luggage and get settled, head over to the Venice Whaler for lunch.  Grab a spot on the patio upstairs so you can see some nice views of Venice Beach and the Pacific Ocean.  One of the most popular items on the menu is the Whaler Burger, which was voted one of the top 10 burgers in LA.

After lunch, enjoy LA’s wonderful weather and walk down Venice Beach.  It’s right next to the restaurant so you won’t have to venture far.  After what felt like the longest Chicago winter ever, I was so excited to feel sunshine and walk along the beach barefoot!  It’s the little things in life 😊

If you walk down the beach for about 15 minutes, you’ll hit the Venice Beach Boardwalk, which has some street performers and touristy shops to buy souvenirs at.  It’s fun to walk down the boardwalk and enjoy the ambiance!

 

You can also take a short detour from the boardwalk to the Windward Ave. and Pacific Ave. intersection to see the iconic Venice sign over the road.  Pro tip: Wait for the traffic light to turn red, cross diagonally, and quickly snap a few pictures from the middle of the intersection.

 

Abbot Kinney Boulevard

Once you’re done exploring Venice (or get sick of all the tourists), walk or drive over to Abbot Kinney Boulevard, which is only 0.7 miles away.  Named “The Coolest Block in America” by GQ, Abbot Kinney is a hip street full of shops, restaurants, and galleries.

After you’ve shopped to your heart’s content, stop by The Butcher’s Daughter for dinner.  This super cute plant-based restaurant offers all vegetarian fare.  I didn’t love the Pad Thai I ordered, but all the pizza and pasta dishes looked delicious.

After dinner, walk a few blocks down the street to get dessert at Salt & Straw.  This ice cream shop serves up handmade ice cream in a variety of unique and fun flavors.  I visited Salt & Straw in Portland as well and it never disappoints!

Rest up the remainder of the night.  There will be another busy day tomorrow!

 

Los Angeles Itinerary Day 2: Downtown LA

Day 2 of your Los Angeles itinerary all about Downtown LA! If you’re staying near the coast, it’ll be about a 30-minute drive into the city.  Once you get there, start your day with brunch at Eggslut in the Grand Central Market.  The line will probably be long but don’t worry, it moves quickly.

One of Eggslut’s specialties is the Slut, which is an “age-free coddled egg on top of a smooth potato purée, poached in a glass jar” according to their menu.  Another popular option is the Fairfax, which I ordered.  It’s a sandwich with creamy scrambled eggs, cheese, onions, and sriracha mayo.  It was good but very decadent.

 

The Last Bookstore

Now that your body is fueled for the day, walk a few blocks over to The Last Bookstore.  I didn’t feel strongly about stopping here but am so glad I did!  The bookstore is quite large.  It has an extensive book and record collection as well as some fun book displays and shops on the second floor.  We had a lot of fun wandering around and taking pictures here.

 

The Broad

Next up head up over to The Broad, a contemporary art museum.  I acknowledge that museums can sometimes be boring, but I thoroughly enjoyed The Broad!  It was one of my favorite parts of the trip.  General admission is free.  You just have to wait in the line outside to get in, which went much faster than the estimated wait time told to us by one of the employees.

Once inside, wander around and check out all the cool art.  I saw some Andy Warhol paintings, a giant dining room table, a balloon dog sculpture, and minimalist Ellsworth Kelly works of art.  I may or may not have gotten yelled at a few times for touching the art – oops!

 

Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms

One of the highlights of the Broad is Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms – The Souls of Millions Lightyears Away exhibit.  It’s a room filled with mirrors and flashing LED lights all over it.  SO COOL!  You get 45 seconds to go in, see it, and take pictures.  You can go in alone or in a group.  I recommend going in alone to get the full immersive experience.  Think ahead of time what pictures/videos you want to take because 45 seconds goes by fast!

In order to see this exhibit, you have to get a virtual “ticket” by adding your name to list on the iPad kiosk in the museum’s lobby (literally just an iPad on a stand next to some benches).  You’ll enter your name and phone number and then the iPad will tell you how long the wait time is.

While you wait, you’re free to explore the museum or can even leave and come back (just keep your paper museum ticket you got when you first arrived).  You’ll get a text message once it’s your turn.  Don’t worry if you’re far away.  One of the Broad employee’s said you can come back whenever you’re ready and aren’t bound to your time slot.  Once there, the exhibit is right off of the lobby on the first floor.  Get in line and wait your turn.

One other important note.  If the iPad says the queue is full, make sure to ask an employee when more slots will open up.  This happened to us in the afternoon and we were able to be the first ones to sign up.  Check out more FAQs on the Broad website.

 

Yayoi Kusama’s Longing for Eternity

There is also another Yayoi Kusama exhibit called Longing for Eternity.  Instead of a room, it’s a mirrored box with LED lights.  There are holes on each side of the box for people to look into.  This exhibit is on the second floor and you don’t need to sign up in advance.  Just walk on over and wait in the line.  Everyone gets 45 seconds to look into the box.  While not as cool as the infinity rooms, Longing for Eternity is still definitely worth checking out while you’re there and is a good alternative if you can’t snag a reservation at the other.

 

On your way out, check out the Walt Disney Concert Hall right across the street from The Broad.  It’s an architectural wonder!

 

Arts District Breweries

Next, drive to the Arts District to visit some breweries and eat dinner.  (I recommend driving, not walking, because you’ll pass Skid Row.)  We went to the Arts District Brewing Co.  They had a good beer called Two to Tango that I’d recommend trying.

 

Depending on what time you leave downtown LA, be aware that you may hit rush hour.  We left around 6 pm to head back to Marina del Ray, and it took 50 minutes.

If you are staying on the coast, I recommend catching the sunset over the ocean to end your night!

 

Los Angeles Itinerary Day 3: Hollywood

Spend your third day in Los Angeles seeing all things Hollywood!  All of the things to do in Hollywood are super touristy but still lots of fun.  It’s stuff you just have to see while you’re in town.

 

Hollywood Sign

Start off your day seeing the iconic Hollywood sign.  We drove up to Lake Hollywood Park to see it.  You can park in the street and then walk a little way up the hill for a photo op.  There are good views here of the front of the sign.  Other popular spots to see the sign are Griffith Park and Runyon Canyon.

Hollywood Boulevard

Now that you’ve seen the sign, it’s time to see the place.  Drive over to Hollywood and grab lunch at Mel’s Drive-In.  Then take a stroll down Hollywood Boulevard and see all the stars on the Walk of Fame.  There are so many – 15 blocks worth!

 

As you walk down the boulevard, there are a few notable stops you should make.

First, stop and see the Dolby Theatre where the Academy Awards are hosted.

Right next door is the TCL Chinese Theatre.  Built by Sid Grauman in 1927, the TCL Chinese Theater is one of the most iconic movie theaters in the world.  For decades, it has been the site for some of the world’s biggest movie premieres.

We took a 30-minute tour of the theater for $18.  During the tour, you get to hear about the history of the theater, see some famous movie costumes, and go inside the theater.  The theater is huge (now an IMAX) and stunning.

If you don’t want to take the tour, I highly recommend at least checking out movie stars’ cement handprints outside the theater.  Many famous celebrities have been leaving their mark for decades, including Judy Garland in 1939 and Marilyn Monroe in 1953.

 

At the end of the block is Madame Tussauds Hollywood, the famous wax museum.  We don’t go in but there were a few wax figures on display in the lobby that they let you take pictures with.  We may have had a bit too much fun here taking pictures 😉  If you want to go in, buy your ticket online and save $10.

 

Farmer’s Market

Once you’ve had your fill of Hollywood Boulevard, drive on over to The Original Farmer’s Market.  Established in 1934, this isn’t your average farmer’s market.  The Original Farmer’s Market is a permanent LA fixture, open year-round with a variety of restaurants, bars, produce stalls, bakeries, and shops.  I would totally hang out here after work if I lived in LA!  Spend some time walking around, browsing all the stalls and trying some food.

 

LACMA

Less than a mile away is the Los Angeles Museum County of Art, commonly known as LACMA.  I didn’t get a chance to go inside but have heard good things about it.  Instead, we just went to see Chris Burden’s Urban Light exhibition.  It’s comprised of 202 restored cast iron antique street lamps.  You may recognize it from the films No Strings Attached and Valentine’s Day.  I thought it was lit (see what I did there? 😉).  You won’t need a ton of time there.  Just enough to see it and take a few pictures.

 

Rodeo Drive

Your last stop for the day is Rodeo Drive.  Located in Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive is a high-end, luxury shopping destination.  The epicenter of the 2-mile long street is between 200 and 500 North Rodeo Drive, so start your shopping there.

 If you have limited time in LA or your flight is leaving early on day 5, you can go hang out in Santa Monica for the night as we did.  See day 5 of this Los Angeles itinerary for the details on what to do there.

 

Los Angeles Itinerary Day 4: Day Trip to Laguna Beach

Now that you’ve seen a few of LA’s best neighborhoods, day four is a great time to take a day trip outside of LA.  There are many options for day trips.  Here are some of the most popular with approximate driving times.  Don’t forget to check traffic before you leave though as that could affect your schedule.  LA is infamous for its bad traffic.

• Malibu – 1 hour away
• Laguna Beach – 1 to 1.5 hours away
• Palm Springs – 1 hour 45 minutes away
• Santa Barbara – 2 hours away
• Joshua Tree – 2 hours away
• San Diego – 2 to 2.5 hours away

Laguna Beach

We decided to go to Laguna Beach to meet up with my brother Chris who lives in San Diego.  Laguna Beach is a charming beach town in Orange County that has cute shops, restaurants, and art galleries.  It’s so pretty!

Grab some lunch at Nick’s Laguna Beach.  It’s rated very highly for a reason.  The food was delicious.  Everyone in my group loved their food, including the buttermilk fried chicken, original ribeye melt, prime rib dip, and the crispy chicken sandwich.

After lunch, take a stroll through town to visit some of the shops and galleries.

Finally, after all this sightseeing, it’s time to relax!  Spend the rest of your afternoon laying out on the beach and swimming.  Or if you want to be like me, take a nap on the beach 😊

 

Los Angeles Itinerary Day 5: Santa Monica

Santa Monica is a must-see while in LA.  Spend your morning/afternoon on the Santa Monica Pier.  There is an amusement park on the pier called Pacific Park.  It has a handful of rides, including a Ferris wheel and a rollercoaster.  Blue Plate Tacos is a good spot for lunch and margaritas if you’re hungry.

 

If you’re not flying out today and want to grab drinks later in the day, I recommend The Bungalow (laidback, beachy vibes with a large patio) and the Basement Tavern (speakeasy vibes in the basement of The Victorian).

If you are flying out, head to LAX and have safe travels home.

I hope you find this 5-day Los Angeles itinerary helpful!  Enjoy your trip!