Bucket list experience:
Credit Universal Studios
This fantasy film wonderland combines a studio tour and movie-themed amusement park.
Whereas other Universal Studios are built more around the theme park side of the equation, this Hollywood outpost is still firmly grounded in, well, Hollywood, thanks to features such as the one-hour studio tram tour that takes guests through a real working studio (with a few thrills along the way).
It’s essential viewing for any film fanatic or future movie mogul.
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Destination Guide >Universal City (the name of the Universal Studios and Universal CityWalk dining/retail complex) is located right off the 101 Freeway, roughly 20 minutes from Downtown in good traffic.
Queues for the rides can be quite long. Book a Front of Line Pass online as early as possible (there’s limited availability) so you can bypass the crowds.
If you’re willing to shell out the extra dough, the VIP studio tour is worth the upgrade for a smaller group size and better access.
It’s open all year round, seven days a week. Park hours vary depending on day and season. It’s open later Saturdays.
Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[4.3 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.
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Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[4.7 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.
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Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[5.2 miles]
Superbly-located West Hollywood hotel, right on Sunset Boulevard. One of LA’s sexiest hotels, with a hippest rooftop party scene.
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Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[6.3 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
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)[3 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
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[5.4 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)[6 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
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[8.3 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
Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[6.8 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)[7.4 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)[8.3 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
Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA)[8.3 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
