Bucket list experience:
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)
Credit Shutterstock.com/Sean Pavone
The studios may have (mostly) decamped to more spacious surroundings, but much of the film industry’s history and iconography are located in this iconic neighbourhood. And yes, folks, dreams are still made (and broken) in Hollywood.
You know you’ve really made it in Tinseltown when you get your own star. Spread across both sides of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, everyone from Marilyn Monroe and Walt Disney to Jennifer Aniston and John Travolta is immortalised here.
Set amidst the glitz, glamour and occasional grime of Hollywood Boulevard, this is often billed as the world’s most ornate and opulent cinema complex, home to some of film’s biggest movie premieres over the years. It’s still the place where the biggest premieres still go down.
It doesn’t get more Hollywood than the home of the actual Oscars – now known as the Dolby Theatre. It was custom designed for the Academy Awards themselves and features 3,400 seats, three balcony levels and 20 opera boxes.
Just nearby, but officially out of ‘Hollywood’ neighbourhood, is the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. The world’s largest museum dedicated solely to the art of film, it’s home to a collection of movie treasures, a rotating roster of exhibitions featuring industry creators, and an experience where you can hold a coveted Oscars statuette. Look out for Dorothy’s red slippers!
The famous Hollywood sign isn’t strictly in the Hollywood neighbourhood either, but up in the hills behind. You can see it from Hollywood of course – or you can also do the brilliant hike up to see it up close.
The big three film studios – Warner Bros, Paramount and Sony – all offer behind-the-scenes guided tours of the studios, where you’ll get a fascinating insight into how the films are made. They’re also just outside the neighbourhood, but close by.
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Destination Guide >Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)
You know you’ve really made it in Tinseltown when you get your own star. Spread across both sides of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, everyone from Marilyn Monroe and Walt Disney to Jennifer Aniston and John Travolta is immortalised here.
Best for ages: 4+ | Free
The entire district (and between attractions) is easily walkable. The intersection of Hollywood and Vine is the unofficial centre of Hollywood, and it’s a great place to start a movie-themed stroll. Head west along Hollywood Boulevard towards Highland Avenue – this stretch of town houses some of the world’s most famous theatres, including Grauman’s Chinese Theater, the Kodak Theater (current home of the Academy Awards), and the El Capitan Theater (which runs fun live stage shows).
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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[1.9 miles]
A Hollywood favourite is right in the thick of things; you can feel the neighbourhood’s energy pulsing through the property, whether you’re sipping cocktails in the Spare Room bar or lounging beside the David Hockney-painted swimming pool.
Official star rating:
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[4 miles]
Soak up Hollywood’s scandalous past, present and future at this wonderfully glamorous Sunset icon, where you’re bound to bump into an A-lister in the Gothic-chic drawing room or the outrageously raucous bar.
Official star rating:
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[4.5 miles]
Superbly-located West Hollywood hotel, right on Sunset Boulevard. One of LA’s sexiest hotels, with a hippest rooftop party scene.
Official star rating:
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[5.8 miles]
The coolest recenthttps://www.editionhotels.com/weho/ addition to the Sunset Strip, the WeHo Edition is home to a buzzy rooftop pool and terrace, a destination restaurant, an underground nightclub and a gloriously zen spa.
Official star rating:
Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
California, United States of America (USA)
The bright lights of Tinseltown are home to surfer-filled beaches, glorious mountain hikes, glitz and glamour in spades and year-round sunshine.
Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[4 miles]
The Art Deco observatory is one of LA’s most instantly-recognisable buildings, home to captivating exhibits, an out-of-this-world planetarium, and the site of some of the best views in Los Angeles.
Best for ages: 5+ | £6
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[4.2 miles]
A 20-acre compound of galleries and pavilions housing more than 100,000 works, from ancient Mayan bowls inscribed with bat heads and Japanese sculptures dating from 3000 BC to paintings by Rubens, Cezanne and Degas.
Best for ages: 13+ | £17
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[4.3 miles]
The world’s largest museum dedicated solely to the art of film, home to a collection of movie treasures, a rotating roster of exhibitions featuring industry creators and an experience where you can hold a coveted Oscars statuette.
Best for ages: 8+ | £22
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[5 miles]
Hike the picturesque but little-known Hollyridge Trail to the summit of Mount Lee, offering spectacular views and the closest point to the sign.
Best for ages: 8+ | Free | 2-3 hours
Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[3.7 miles]
This LA institution in West Hollywood first opened in 1934 and is home to over 100 food stalls and grocers, who specialise in everything from doughnuts and ice cream to beef jerky and gourmet pickles.
Best for ages: 13+ | Free
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[3.9 miles]
On Wilshire Boulevard, during the last Ice Age, asphalt bubbled from the ground, trapping sabre-toothed tigers, mammoths and giant sloths. Excavations continue to unearth new plants and animals and visitors can come to watch, or explore one of the world’s largest collections of fossils, on display in the museum.
Best for ages: 6+ | £12
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[6.9 miles]
If this Tudor Revival mansion in Beverly Hills looks more than a little familiar it’s due to its stellar Hollywood lineage, having appeared in films including The Big Lebowski and X-Men. Come to explore its formal English gardens and elegant grounds.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[8 miles]
The most popular of Downtown LA’s contemporary art museums, the Broad houses the collection of Edythe Broad as well as notable pieces by the likes of Jeff Koons, Andy Warhol, Ed Ruscha and Basquiat. It’s always packed, so book in advance.
Best for ages: 18+ | £15
