Mondrian Hotel Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[3.7 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:
Bucket list experience:
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
Last updated: 22 November, 2022
The Western US’s pre-eminent art museum is 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.
The museum also has a strong contemporary art offering, with works by Lichtenstein, Pollock and Jasper Johns. There’s also a space for lectures, performances and other events.
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Destination Guide >Price from: £17
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 13+
When: All year around
Getting there & doing it
LACMA spreads out over a large campus on Wilshire Boulevard and anchors Museum Row, a stretch of Wilshire between Fairfax Avenue and La Brea Boulevard that’s home to five museums (LACMA, the Academy Museum, the La Brea Tar Pits, Petersen’s Auto Museum and the Craft and Folk Art Museum).
Many buses run past the museum. There’s no official onsite parking, but there are several pay parking lots in the surrounding area.
There are no guided tours or audio guides, but you can see highlights of the collection on the website, categorised by type of art. Worth a browse before you go if you have a specific area of interest.
When to do it
It’s open all year round, Thursday to Tuesday. Closed Wednesday.
Arrive at noon and leave before 4pm to beat the Wilshire traffic. Or go later – LACMA stays open until 8pm and some nearby parking lots offer free parking after 6pm.
Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first
Mr C Beverly Hills
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[3.7 miles]
Stylish, spacious and reasonably-priced rooms in this low-key hotel in Beverley Hills.
Official star rating:
Chateau Marmont
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[3.9 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:
West Hollywood Edition
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[4 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.
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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Los Angeles
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.
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Overview >Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[0.2 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
Hollywood
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[4.2 miles]
The indomitable heart of the movie industry, where dreams are still made. See the star-studded Walk of Fame, Grauman’s Chinese Theater – where the biggest premieres still take place – and the Kodak Theater, home of the Academy Awards.
Best for ages: 8+ | Free
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Overview >
Griffith Observatory
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[8.1 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
Universal Studios Hollywood
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[8.3 miles]
The La La Land outpost of this movie-themed amusement park feels more grounded in actual Hollywood than the others, thanks to its popular tram tour that takes visitors behind the scenes of a real working studio.
Best for ages: 6+ | £85
Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..
Experience
La Brea Tar Pits
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[0.4 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
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Experience
Farmers Market on Fairfax
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[0.9 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
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Experience
Greystone Mansion’s Gardens
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[5 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
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Experience
Virginia Robinson Gardens
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[6 miles]
For a fascinating insider look at a period mansion and estate in Beverley Hills, call ahead to reserve a tour of the Virginia Robinson Gardens. The Beaux Arts mansion from 1911 is surrounded by stunning botanical gardens in a range of styles.
Best for ages: 13+ | £12
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Round-ups that include this experience
32 World’s greatest art museums
Multiple countries
From New York to London, Paris to Berlin, here’s our round-up of the must-see art galleries and museums around the world that should be on everyone’s travel bucket list.
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