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There's so much more to do than hunt celebrities in California's home of entertainment, Los Angeles. From the glittering lights of Hollywood to the sun-bathed Newport beach, there's plenty of culture for travellers to discover in this laid-back metropolis.
1/tab.galleryImage.size}Take a peek at the homes of the rich and famous with a tour of Los Angeles’s opulent Beverly Hills
2/tab.galleryImage.size}Hike up Los Angeles’s Mount Lee to the legendary Hollywood Sign for a bucket list photograph
3/tab.galleryImage.size}Busy with bodybuilders, street performers, and sun seekers, Venice Beach is Los Angeles’s famed beachside boardwalk and a prime spot for people watching
4/tab.galleryImage.size}With more than three miles of white sand and a famous pier, Santa Monica is one of Los Angeles’s most iconic beachfront neighbourhoods
5/tab.galleryImage.size}Glittering Los Angeles is a city filled with bright lights, creative types and plenty of sunshine
6/tab.galleryImage.size}See where the stars get their designer attire on Rodeo Drive, Los Angeles’s epicentre of luxury fashion
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Take a peek at the homes of the rich and famous with a tour of Los Angeles’s opulent Beverly Hills
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Hike up Los Angeles’s Mount Lee to the legendary Hollywood Sign for a bucket list photograph
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Busy with bodybuilders, street performers, and sun seekers, Venice Beach is Los Angeles’s famed beachside boardwalk and a prime spot for people watching
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With more than three miles of white sand and a famous pier, Santa Monica is one of Los Angeles’s most iconic beachfront neighbourhoods
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Glittering Los Angeles is a city filled with bright lights, creative types and plenty of sunshine
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See where the stars get their designer attire on Rodeo Drive, Los Angeles’s epicentre of luxury fashion
Things to do
We've chosen the must-see highlights of this fantastic city.
West Hollywood is the home of the famous Sunset Strip: a two-and-a-half kilometre stretch of rock 'n' roll history and a treasure trove of activity.
Just north of Melrose district, La Cienega Design Quarter has a burgeoning reputation as home to the best galleries and boutiques. Then there's Sunset Plaza, a two-block strip of designer boutiques. From the Roxy theatre to the Viper Room, Sunset has plenty of legendary venues for live music.
Visitors seeking a more sedate stay in the City of Angels will be charmed by L'Ermitage Beverly Hills hotel, in one of the most expensive residential neighbourhoods in the United States. A stroll to the end of the block is a sight-seeing trip in itself.
Over in the eclectic east-side neighbourhood of Los Feliz is Griffith Park, a great place to hike the trails, rent a bicycle or catch live music. More distinctively, home-grown entertainment lies on North Vermont Avenue at The Dresden Room. This intimate club full of local characters has the power to make you feel at home.
Things to do
We've chosen the must-see highlights of this fantastic city.
Exploring Santa Barbara on foot is the best way to take in the warm sun, gentle breezes and Spanish colonial architecture that have earned the city the title of "the American Riviera."
Stroll along the waterfront to the end of Stearns Wharf, California's oldest working pier, where you can take in the essence of the city: boats bobbing on the sea; golden beaches; and the Santa Ynez Mountains rising above picturesque rooftops. From downtown, take an uphill stroll to one of the city's oldest landmarks, the Old Mission. Founded by Spanish Franciscans in 1786, it was severely damaged during the 1925 earthquake and has been beautifully restored.
The Santa Barbara area is home to some of the country's best wineries, but you don't have to make a trip outside the city. The Urban Wine Trail, established by like-minded vineyards, brings wine bars and tasting rooms to downtown Santa Barbara. Art lovers should turn up on the first Thursday of the month, when locals and tourists stroll from gallery to gallery on State Street, sampling live music and local wine.
One place not to miss on your State Street excursion is Joe's Café. A local fixture since 1928, it is famous for its steaks, hospitality – and for serving the stiffest drinks in town.
Things to do
We've chosen the must-see highlights of this fantastic city.
We've chosen the must-see highlights of this fantastic city.
Do
The Downtown Art Walk
The second Thursday of every month, seven blocks are transformed into a public-art phenomenon where galleries open their doors for all to see. What might very well be a hair salon by day could transform into an avant-garde art gallery by night.
Location
Downtown Los Angeles, on Spring and Main streets between 2nd and 9th streets
Those looking for an invigorating hike that culminates in spectacular views of the coast should set their sights for Inspiration Point. The nearly six-kilometre hike can be moderately strenuous, but the pay-off is definitely worth it. The website provides maps, trailheads, routes and local weather conditions for this and other hikes.
With miles and miles of coastline and warm summer temperatures, there is no more perfect place to enjoy the water. Take lessons in surfing, ocean kayaking, and stand-up paddling, allowing you to see local wildlife up close.
Two of Southern California's biggest assets – Hollywood films and beautiful weather – come together for entertaining outdoor Saturday evenings. The cinematic classics, 16-metre-wide screen, food trucks and live bands, draw thousands to what's become a summer tradition.
Despite the reputation of its wineries, Santa Barbara's breweries should not be overlooked. With two medals from the 2012 World Beer Cup, Telegraph Brewing Company is a must try. The tasting room can be a tight squeeze, so be prepared to meet some new friends.
Java aficionados have been flocking to this no-nonsense café/bakery in Little Tokyo for its potent specialty drinks and individually hand-dripped brews. Equally addictive are the green-tea doughnuts which, like all the pastries, are made on-site.
These four-hour eating tours through various neighbourhoods are as informative as they are gluttonous. The knowledgeable guides offer a window into the ever-evolving cultural and culinary traditions of seven "foodie" hot spots. You've never had a stroll as scrumptious as this.
Alexander Pantages was a Greek American vaudeville and early motion-picture producer and impresario, who created a large and powerful circuit of theatres across the western United States and Canada. Opened in 1930, the Art Deco-styled Pantages was his last theatre and in 1932 he sold it to Fox West Coast Theaters. It was acquired by tycoon Howard Hughes in 1949 and hosted the Academy Awards ceremonies for the next 10 years. In 1977, the theatre began its latest instalment staging plays and entertainment extravaganzas.
In the 1950s and early ’60s, Hollywood realised that, far from being a gimmick, television was here to stay. Not only that, but television was becoming more sophisticated in terms of both content and technology. Cinerama was a technology developed as a direct response to television's growing popularity; a synchronised three-projector process that sent images onto a huge curved widescreen. In 1963, Cinerama took it a step further, with a radical new design for a theatre based on the geodesic dome developed by Buckminster Fuller. Built in half the time and for roughly half the cost of a traditional theatre, the theatre – now part of the ArcLight Cinemas complex – continues to show first-run movies as well as classics from the age of Cinerama.
Sunbeams soak through the glass storefront and illuminate vials in bursts of gold and amber. But the gorgeous interior is nothing compared to the enthralling scents that permeate the store, where the on-site perfumer can custom-build an aromatic essence to your liking.
More than 30 marine species cross the Santa Barbara Channel throughout the year, making it one of the best places in the world to take a whale-watching tour, where you'll consistently see humpback, gray and blue whales, as well as dolphins.
When it opened in 1930, the Saban Theatre was then known as the Fox Wilshire Theatre, one of 20th Century Fox's flagships. It was built at the height of the Art Deco period and today remains a fine example of the genre, in a city well-known for that particular style of architecture. The movie palace hosted the premiere of How to Marry a Millionaire in 1953. In 1981, it was converted into a live-performance venue. In 2009, a US$5 million grant from billionaire media mogul Haim Saban and his wife Cheryl paid for the theatre's restoration, changing the name to the Saban Theatre. The theatre is owned and operated by Temple of the Arts and hosts everything from filming an episode of hit American TV show Glee to talks by spiritual gurus such as Marianne Williamson.
For 160 years, the Santa Barbara Courthouse has been the seat of law and local government. Rebuilt in 1929, after the 1925 earthquake, this national historic landmark is in a Spanish-Moorish design which incorporates intricate tile work and is surrounded by gardens and fountains. Although it is a working courthouse, visitors are encouraged and guided tours can be arranged.
This new addition to the scene specializes in "organic, local and thoughtful food" served for breakfast, lunch and weekend brunch. The lemon ricotta pancakes are the perfect start to an afternoon, especially taken alfresco. You cannot reserve for breakfast or lunch, so turn up early.
More of a neighbourhood place than a moving-picture palace, the Vista opened in October 1923 as the Lou Bard Playhouse. Like Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, the Vista has an interior with an Egyptian flavour, although nothing as grand as Grauman's. It still features first-run films as well as revivals and has even played a part in a Hollywood movie as the location where John Travolta and Rene Russo watch a movie in 1995's Get Shorty.
The Autry history centre's plaza turns into the hottest dance spot in Los Angeles on Thursday summer nights. Salsa dance underneath the stars to scintillating live Latin bands while bartenders pour mojitos to loosen those dancing feet. Instructors provide free lessons in the early evening.
Guests may be tempted to spend their entire time in the inviting bar with its lilting reggae, but the main attraction at the Caribbean-inspired restaurant is chef Roy Choi's bold food. Dark-lacquered jerk chicken wings pair perfectly with a rum cocktail.
No shelves are laid bare at this local bookstore. With knowledgeable staff, this tiny bookstore does not lack in heart. If your idea of bliss includes discovering the nooks and crannies of great writing, of authors new and old, you can't go wrong here.
At Cathay Pacific, we use our expertise to offer you authentic travel experiences. Our experts have put together inspirational guides to help you decide where to take your next dream holiday.
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