I recently took a girls trip to Los Angeles with my sister and my best friend Elle! I’ve been to Anaheim twice to visit Disneyland, but I’ve never actually gotten to explore Los Angeles before. My sister wants to move there in the next couple years so I thought it would be the perfect city for us to visit next! During our week in LA we did a ton of touristy things, visited lots of great restaurants, and stayed at some really cute hotels so I wanted to share all of this with you guys in an LA Travel Guide.

What To Do

Melrose Ave

Melrose was one of the first spots we hit after we landed in Los Angeles. Melrose is a famous shopping destination in LA and it did not disappoint. There were a ton of fun shops there from high end to low end. There is definitely something for everyone’s shopping needs on Melrose! Melrose also has a ton of popular murals like the Pink Wall, the Made In LA Wall, and many more. We found this fun art installation which was perfect for an Instagram photo opp! We ate at two restaurants on Melrose, the Carrera Cafe and The Hart & the Hunter. I cover these restaurants in the food section of this blog post 🙂

Tip: All three of the walls I mentioned including the one photographer above are in a 5 min walking distance of each other! Also, parking is super easy to find on and near Melrose.

Rodeo Drive

Rodeo Drive is definitely a cool spot to visit on a trip to LA! This the street to hit for high end shopping. We had funning strolling around and admiring the stores. Rodeo Drive is in Beverly Hills which is of course one of the more upscale areas in LA. We walked to Rodeo Drive from our brunch spot, Gratitude Kitchen & Bar.

Hollywood Walk Of Fame

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is another one of those typical LA tourist things to do. The crowds are a bit of a pain, but it was fun to see some of our favorite celebs on the stars!

Tip: The most crowded area is in front of the Chinese theatre but as you walk away from it the crowd isn’t as bad and there are still a ton of stars to see. Easier for photos too!

Beverly Hills

We had a ton of fun driving around Beverly Hills and some of the residential neighborhoods in the area. There were some beautiful mansions that we drove by and it was fun to imagine who might live in them. I had to get a classic shot with the palm tree lined roads in Beverly Hills! We also stopped by the classic Beverly Hills Hotel (from Pretty Woman) for some fun photos.

LACMA

The LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) is a popular spot to visit in LA. We didn’t get the chance to go into the Museum, but we stopped in front of the museum to take some photos with the famous lampposts. They’ve been in a ton of movies and I’ve always wanted to see them so I’m glad we got to stop by!

Santa Monica Pier

The Santa Monica Pier is a must on a trip to Los Angeles! There are a ton of restaurants, fair games, and rides on the pier. It was really cool to see all o the amusement park rides on the pier because I had never seen anything like that in person before! We went on the Ferris Wheel (tickets were $10), did a photo booth, and took some fun photos. After the pier, we walked down to the beach to see the cool view of the pier. It was actually a bit windy and cold the day we visited the pier so we didn’t spend a ton of time on the beach. It would be so nice on a warm day!

Tip: It’s a little hard to find parking in the area, we actually ended up paying to park in a hotel parking lot right off the promenade. Also, Venice Beach is about a 25 min bike ride from Santa Monica so you can totally make your way down the boardwalk by bike! Rocio and I ended up doing that on one of the nights during our stay in Venice Beach.

Hollywood Sign

Ok so I have some major advice for you guys when visiting the Hollywood sign. We originally headed to the Griffith Observatory to see that and then hike to the sign. We did not realize that the hike to the sign from the observatory is 1 1/2 hours both ways! At the end of the hike, the sign is still pretty far away. After talking to a security guard, we ended up driving to Lake Hollywood Park for a shorter walk and a better shot of the sign.

Tip: Parking at the Griffith Observatory and for the hike is $8 an hour!

Venice Beach

Venice Beach was probably my favorite area in LA! It has that unique feel to it that reminds me of Portland. Shopping on Abbot Kinney is fabulous and I loved walking through the Venice Canals and admiring the homes in the area. The boardwalk is also full of energy with a ton of things to see and stores to pop into! One evening, Rocio and I rode bikes down the boardwalk from Venice Beach to Santa Monica.

Where To Eat

Carrera Cafe

We ate a late lunch at the Carrera Cafe that totally hit the spot! They specialize in sandwiches which were super yummy. Carrera Cafe also sells this amazing rose water drink called H2Rose. I’d never had rose water before but it was so good! I loved the cafe interiors too.

Tip: The famous Pink Wall is just across the street and there is actually a really cute floral mural on the side of the restaurant!

Gratitude Kitchen & Bar

This Beverly Hills restaurant is located just one street over from Rodeo Drive. We had an amazing brunch and afterwards strolled down Rodeo Drive. The interiors in Gratitude Kitchen & Bar were absolutely fabulous and the vegan/vegetarian dishes were amazing! We shared three dishes, the Magical/Black Bean Burger, the Original/SF Mission Burrito, and Humble/Indian Curry Bowl. My favorite was definitely the burrito 🙂

Tip: It was really hard to find street parking in the area but there is a garage parking lot that is pretty affordable to park in!

The Hart And The Hunter

We had yummy brunch at the Hart and the Hunter before shopping on Melrose. The Hart and the Hunter is actually located inside the Palihotel. You just walk right through the lobby into the restaurant! It’s a very cute space. I love the eclectic feel of the restaurant! We shared the Thick-Cut Smoked Bacon and Two Eggs, the OG Breakfast Sandwich, and the Steak sandwhich. All of which were absolutely amazing! I definitely recommend this restaurant.

The Butcher’s Daughter

The Butcher’s Daughter is a very popular vegan/vegetarian restaurant in Venice Beach located right on the popular shopping street Abbot-Kinney. We got to sit at the cutest spot in the restaurant which I was thrilled about ;). The whole restaurant is super cute though and the staff was really friendly! We shared the Avacado Toast Benedict, the Surfer’s breakfast, and the Avocado Toast. The cocktails were delicious too!

Mrs. Fish

We had a really fun experience dining at this restaurant in downtown LA. There is an actual aquarium in the restaurant which we thought was super cool! The art work throughout Mrs. Fish and the overall design of the restaurant is amazing. We got to share several different sushi plates and popular dishes that were brought out one at a time which was really cool!

The Portofino Hotel & Marina

We had a great visit at The Portofino Hotel & Marina while staying in Redondo Beach! There was an amazing view of the ocean from our hotel room which was lovely. We ate breakfast out there one morning and it was so peaceful! The hotel has a hot tub and pool which we definitely took advantage of as well 😉 The staff at the hotel were very friendly and helpful as well.

The Bluestem Hotel

The newly renovated Bluestem Hotel is located in Torrance, CA. I loved the design of the hotel which highlights art work and decor pieces from local makers. Our hotel room was beautiful and very comfortable with a lot of extra space and storage. The hotel offers a great breakfast downstairs in the lobby each morning which was awesome! The lobby also has areas for lounging, working, and a lovely outdoor space with a fire pit. The staff at the hotel were super friendly too.

THE KINNEY

I loved the fun, retro design of this Venice Beach hotel. The Kinney is a 25 min walk from Abbot-Kinney and the boardwalk but you can also rent bikes from the hotel to get around very easily. Venice is very bike friendly! There is a pool, bar, and game area located in the center of the hotel and the rooms are very spacious. They also have a restaurant downstairs where we ate breakfast. This hotel is a great option when visiting Venice Beach!

If you are planning a trip to Los Angeles, I hope you can find this guide helpful! I’m so glad we got to see and do everything on my list while in LA! We were in LA for 7 days so we also got to visit Disneyland and Universal Studios. You can read about Disneyland and Universal Studios here!

More travel blog posts to check out!

What To Do In Birmingham, AL

Phoenix, AZ Travel Guide

What To Do In Memphis, TN

Instagrammable Places In New York City

The Best Instagram Spots in Nashville, TN

What To Do In Philadelphia

I hope you guys enjoyed my Los Angeles travel blog post! For more US travel and Europe travel too, check out the tabs at the top of the menu bar for a list with more destination locations.

XOXO