StoryCulture
Free in Los Angeles: plan the whole visit
Free entry is a good start. Check reservations, special exhibitions and the cost of getting there before deciding on the day.
The Los Angeles edit
New in our Los Angeles edit
Recently added ideas. New here does not mean newly opened.
Recently added ideas. New here does not mean newly opened. Explore our growing Los Angeles selection, with checked details and official sources.
RestaurantMexican
Guelaguetza
Oaxacan cooking in Koreatown, with mole and tlayudas at the heart of the menu. A meal worth giving its own place in the day.
EventExhibitions
Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind
An invitation to participate, imagine and listen at The Broad. Seven decades of Yoko Ono’s work, in a separately ticketed exhibition.
Free entry
PlaceActivities
Getty Center
Art, pale stone and space to look out over the city. Free admission, with a timed reservation and a separate parking charge.
GuideCulture
Los Angeles, at your own pace
A hilltop, a museum terrace or a focused art visit. Three different ways to give a Los Angeles day some breathing room.
GuideCulture
Downtown art and something to eat
Make an art visit the anchor, then choose a market lunch or a French-dipped sandwich. A flexible Downtown edit.
Free entry
PlaceActivities
The Broad
A contemporary-art anchor on Bunker Hill. The collection is free to visit; special exhibitions can have separate tickets.
On the house
EventExhibitions
Stendahl’s World: Marketing Ancient Mexico and Modern Art in Los Angeles
An exhibition about the art trade and its consequences. Follow the movement of Mexican antiquities through a Los Angeles dealer’s archive.
RestaurantAmerican
Philippe The Original
French-dipped sandwiches on North Alameda Street. A straightforward food stop near Chinatown and El Pueblo.
On the house
EventExhibitions
Hammer Projects: Gê Viana
Sound, moving image and memory meet at the Hammer. Gê Viana’s first institutional presentation in the United States is free to visit.
Free entry
PlaceActivities
Hammer Museum
A free art visit in Westwood, with exhibitions that reward curiosity. Make one show the centre of an afternoon.
Free entry
PlaceActivities
Griffith Observatory
A view across Los Angeles and a reason to look up. The observatory building and grounds are free; planetarium shows are separate.
PlaceActivities
Grand Central Market
A Downtown food stop with room for different appetites. Browse the stalls before committing to lunch.
EventCulture
Love Letters to L.A.: the Autry Block Party
Live music, cultural performances and family activities turn the Autry’s grounds into a Saturday gathering.
RestaurantAmerican
Langer’s Deli
A daytime deli stop at Seventh and Alvarado. Pastrami on rye is the reason to build a lunch around this Westlake address.
Free entry
PlaceActivities
MOCA Grand Avenue
A free contemporary-art visit on Bunker Hill, in Arata Isozaki’s Grand Avenue building. Reserve ahead if you want a firmer plan.
GuideCulture
Los Angeles: art, then lunch
A Downtown museum, a Westlake deli and a Westwood alternative. Choose a neighbourhood plan instead of chasing the whole city.
On the house
EventExhibitions
Hammer Projects: Vibeke Mascini
Plants, cables and the movement of electrical energy meet in a new installation at the Hammer Museum.
Free entry
PlaceCulture
California Science Center
Free core science galleries in Exposition Park, with plenty of room for curiosity. IMAX and ticketed extras are separate from general admission.
Free entry
PlaceCulture
Fowler Museum at UCLA
A free museum on the UCLA campus, with exhibitions that open conversations about art, objects and cultural life.
Free entry
PlaceCulture
Exposition Park Rose Garden
An outdoor pause between Exposition Park’s museums, with rose beds, a fountain and room to sit when the garden is in season.
RestaurantAmerican
Musso & Frank Grill
An evening table on Hollywood Boulevard. A restaurant to plan around, with reservations and a different Sunday opening time.
GuideCulture
Los Angeles: museums and a garden break
Free core science galleries, a garden in Exposition Park and a UCLA museum. Build around one part of the city instead of spending the day crossing it.
PlaceFood & drink
Bar Lis
A Riviera-inflected rooftop on Wilcox Avenue, for a Hollywood evening with music, open air and a livelier finish.