Unterkunft

Nightlife

Tourist - Attractions

Transport

Sports & Outdoors

Appropriate for a city synonymous with urban sprawl, much of LA lies in a fairly flat basin, hemmed in by mountains and the ocean. Although the Santa Monica Mountains, one of the most unheralded of the city’s remaining natural treasures, splits LA in half between the familiar sights of La-La Land to the south and the charmless suburbs to the north, the metropolis is easily traversed by any of the region’s myriad freeways, provided you don’t dare venture onto them during rush hour.

Good places for visitors to explore include Hollywood, whose old-time movie glamour was tarnished long ago by prostitution and decay, but which has recently attempted a comeback thanks to urban renewal, Mid-Wilshire, the central strip of Wilshire Boulevard that features the faded Art Deco "Miracle Mile" zone and a clutch of good museums, and the beach towns of Santa Monica and Venice, where you can stroll along the former’s remodeled pier and Third Street Promenade outdoor mall, or visit the latter’s famed Muscle Beach and oceanside Boardwalk.

Lengthier trips to LA may include the old-fashioned charm of Old Pasadena, home of the ever-popular Rose Parade and Bowl, Downtown, site of much city heritage and setting for what skyscrapers the area does have, the South Bay, the place to find the region’s second biggest city of Long Beach, and Malibu, where you can try to get a glimpse of movie stars and assorted celebrities – provided a wildfire isn’t driving them into the sea. If all else fails, there’s always Orange County, principally known as the suburban home of Mickey Mouse.