Top 10 things to see and do in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is a mecca of culture, entertainment, and history. From the sunny beaches on the Pacific…
Solo Travel in Los Angeles: Neighbourhoods, Getting Around & Tips
Whether you’re drawn by the allure of the film industry, the thrill of sports, or the richness of its multicultural heritage, Los Angeles has something for everyone. You can tailor your visit to include star-studded tours, beachfront relaxation, or invigorating hikes in the nearby mountains. Your journey through this dynamic metropolis will surely inspire you and broaden your perspective on what makes LA a world-renowned destination.
Los Angeles is the solo travel destination that most requires advance recalibration of expectations. It is not a walking city in the European sense. It does not have a compact historic centre. Its landmarks are spread across a metropolitan area the size of a small country. And yet it is a genuinely rewarding place to visit alone, if you accept it on its own terms and plan for its specific geography rather than expecting it to behave like a different kind of city.
What LA does well for solo travellers: the food scene is one of the world’s best for independent, non-reservation dining (taco trucks, ramen bars, Korean BBQ, Vietnamese noodle shops, sushi counters). The neighbourhood diversity means you can spend a day in Silver Lake, another in Koreatown, another in Culver City and feel like you’ve been to three different cities. The beach cities (Santa Monica, Venice) are legitimately excellent. And the concentration of museums, the Getty, LACMA, the Broad, the Getty Villa, is exceptional.
ACTIVITIES
What to do in Los Angeles?
There are quite a few activities you can do in and around the city. Los Angeles is filled with activities for all tastes and ages.
ATTRACTIONS
What to see in Los Angeles?
There are quite a few attraction you can visit in and around the city. Los Angeles is filled with historical and cultural landmarks.
FOOD AND DRINKS
What to eat in Los Angeles?
Classic American food and wide variety of international cuisine are making Los Angeles a foodie paradise, fit for everyone’s taste.
ACCOMMODATION
Where to stay in Los Angeles?
Hotels for every taste, guest houses and various accomodation options available.
Is LA Good for Solo Travellers?
Yes, with the significant caveat that transport planning is essential. Los Angeles without a car is not impossible but it requires knowing which neighbourhoods are served by the Metro and which require rideshare. The Metro covers a useful corridor from Downtown through Koreatown, Hollywood, West Hollywood, and to Santa Monica (Expo Line). Uber and Lyft fill the gaps. Renting a car for some or all of a LA trip significantly expands what’s accessible.
The social culture of LA, everyone minding their own business, a city of people from everywhere, makes solo presence completely unremarkable. The anonymity that can feel isolating in LA for residents is liberating for solo visitors.
Best Neighbourhoods for Solo Travellers
Silver Lake is the best base for solo travel in LA. It’s walkable within the neighbourhood (a rarity), has excellent coffee shops, restaurants and bars, a vibrant independent music and arts scene, and accommodation options at a wide range of prices. The Silver Lake Reservoir walk is a good morning routine. It is on the Red Line Metro, making Hollywood and Downtown accessible without a car.
West Hollywood (WeHo) is very safe, has excellent restaurant and bar density, and the LGBTQ+ culture creates a welcoming social environment for solo travellers. Santa Monica Boulevard and the surrounding streets are comfortable at night.
Santa Monica and Venice are the right choice for visitors who primarily want the beach experience. Santa Monica’s 3rd Street Promenade has good food options, and Venice Beach is a genuinely unique urban beach experience, the boardwalk, the Muscle Beach gym, the canals one block from the ocean. Less useful for accessing the rest of the city without a car.
Safety
LA’s safety varies significantly by neighbourhood. The areas visitors typically go are generally safe during daylight hours. Areas requiring more awareness: parts of Downtown (Skid Row and surroundings), parts of South LA, and the stretches of Hollywood Boulevard away from the tourist attractions. None of these are places visitors typically end up without specifically going there.
The homeless population is significant and visible, particularly in Venice Beach and Downtown. This is a complex social issue rather than a direct safety threat to visitors, but it can be confronting for first-time visitors.
Los Angeles travel facts
Los Angeles welcomed 46 million visitors in 2022, with 38 million domestic and 8 million international tourists.
LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) is the 5th busiest airport in the world and the 2nd busiest in the U.S., handling over 88 million passengers in 2023.
The average daily hotel rate in Los Angeles is around $200-$250, with luxury hotels exceeding $500 per night.
Tourism generates $35 billion annually for the local economy and supports over 500,000 jobs in LA.
Getting Around
The Metro is improving but limited. The most useful lines: the Red/Purple Line (Downtown to Hollywood to North Hollywood), the Expo Line (Downtown to Culver City to Santa Monica), and the Gold Line (Downtown to Pasadena). For everything else, Uber and Lyft are the practical answer.
The Pacific Coast Highway drive (Malibu to Santa Monica or beyond) is genuinely one of California’s great drives, worth renting a car for a day specifically for this, plus whatever else you want to see in the wider region.
Dining Alone
LA is one of the best cities in the world for solo dining. Counter seating at every price point, from the counter at Sqirl (Silver Lake, legendary breakfast) to omakase sushi bars where the chef-facing counter is the best seat. The taco truck culture is inherently solo-friendly: find the truck, order two tacos, eat standing or at a plastic table, pay $5, move on. Grand Central Market in Downtown LA is an excellent food hall for solo lunches.
Koreatown is the best value dining neighbourhood in LA: Korean BBQ (do-it-yourself grilling at the table, perfectly comfortable alone), Korean fried chicken, banchan-heavy set meals. The stretch of Wilshire Boulevard through Koreatown has restaurants open extremely late.ies. It’s advisable to bring layers to accommodate these shifts. Keep in mind that, despite generally pleasant weather, strong gusts and sudden shifts can happen, particularly near the coast. Being aware of these weather patterns will enable you to plan effectively and enjoy your time in Los Angeles to the fullest.
Latest travel articles about Los Angeles
Practical Tips
Best time to visit: March-May and September-November. June-August has the famous ‘June Gloom’, mornings of grey overcast skies, usually clearing by noon. Temperatures are mild year-round by most standards (15-25°C in the city), warmer in the summer.
The Getty: the J. Paul Getty Museum in the Santa Monica Mountains is one of the world’s great museums, set in extraordinary gardens with views over the city. Free admission, small charge for parking. Take the cable car from the car park to the museum building. Allow a full morning or afternoon.
Day trips: Joshua Tree National Park (2.5 hours) for one of California’s most distinctive landscapes. San Diego (2 hours) for a genuinely good alternative city. Palm Springs (2 hours) for mid-century modernist architecture and desert heat. All require a car.
Written by Jennifer Ann Porter, solo travel writer at gotravelyourself.com. Jenny covers North American destinations as part of her solo travel writing.