TRAVEL GUIDE: What to do in Los Angeles

As some of you might know, I went to Los Angeles for five days and I wish I could go back. It was an amazing trip, an amazing adventure and an amazing experience. I loved getting to know a new city, new places and new people. Even though we just had three full days in LA we saw and visited a lot and used our time wisely.

I wouldn’t have thought I might be able to fall in love with Los Angeles just because it’s so big and different but now, while laying in my bed back home, I totally miss the feeling I felt when I was there. The different worlds, melted together in one city.

It was magical and overwhelming and eye-opening and exciting and I would love to go back there one time in the future.

But now, let me show you what we did, saw and visited.

THE GROVE, FARMERS MARKET

Both of them were just a few minutes away from our hotel which was perfect. I loved the ambience of The Grove and how European the Farmers Market felt.

I went to Barnes and Nobels for the second time in my life which was so cool! I bought my long-desired Hamilton book and still couldn’t be happier!

Can I recommend it? For sure! The Grove has a lot of different shops where you can buy cool clothes and good food and is super cute during night with its fountain, the lights and the live music 🙂

 

HOLLYWOOD BUS TOUR

dolby theatre, walk of fame, tcl chinese theatre

It was probably our best decision ever to book a bus tour. Ours was 3,5 h long. Perfect, I think and we saw everything important in Hollywood.

They picked us up from our hotel and we had 20 minutes exploring the Walk of Fame area before the actual tour began. It was cool standing on the ground in front of the TCL Chinese Theatre where Michael Jackson or the Harry Potter cast stood.

 

 

 

 

griffith observatory

Going to the Griffith Observatory was the best thing ever and gave me major La La Land feelings. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t the best but I think we made the best out of it and the view was still breathtaking.

 

beverly hills, rodeo drive

We went to the Rodeo Drive with our bus tour and had 30 minutes to explore the area. After a cat nap in the afternoon we put on comfy shoes and walked to the Beverly Hills sign, we drove by with the bus earlier and took pictures with us in front of it. It was so cool. When we walked even further, we found ourselves at the Rodeo Drive again, now at night time which was super pretty and definitely worth our long long walk.

Can I recommend it? I would totally recommend a bus tour just because you get to see all the important attractions and don’t have to worry about where to park etc. Super easy and relaxing and you will get a lot of random information which will make it even more enjoyable!

 

VENICE BEACH, SANTA MONICA PIER

Probably my favorite part of our LA trip.

One of my favorite bloggers posted a picture of her standing in front of the Venice sign a few weeks ago and I always thought it would be so cool to just see the sign (that’s the picture I am talking about) and then we indeed did by chance. Super-happy-me took tones of pictures and I am actually quite happy how they turned out.

Walking around Venice Beach was amazing. The weather was perfect, it wasn’t crowded and it looked exactly like in the movies. I don’t know how I can express the feeling but Venice Beach just gives you these beachy, sunny vibes you just have to feel when walking next to palm trees and souvenir shops.

Santa Monica Pier disappointed me a bit, instead, only because it’s not very pretty.

Can I recommend it? Walking around Venice beach, watching the surfers and their waves, being impressed by some skater tricks and palm trees everywhere you look? Totally. Do it. You most definitely will not regret it.

 

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

Ohhhhhh yessssssssssss

So so so so so so so impressive and magical and cool. I got so excited when I first saw the popular globe, the red carpet and then the Hogsmead sign. You should ask my friend and she will confirm that I was super excited and couldn’t stop smiling.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was definitely my favorite. Hogwarts, the different shops you know from the books, all the wizards, butter beer dot dot dot. It was SO cool, guys. And it reminded me of how badly I have to finish reading the series.

We didn’t go on rides because I am not a big fan of them but we went to the Water World Show, the Animal Show, the Special Effects show and on the Studio tour which was super cool as well and I could recommend going on every single one.

Can I recommend it? Definitely. Just do it.

 

 

 

EXPLORING WEST HOLLYWOOD (+ THE LAST BOOK STORE)

West Hollywood was where our hotel was. The flight agency told us it’s a safe area and that was pretty important to us. It was super close to the Farmers Market and we walked to Rodeo Drive and the Beverly Hills sign from there. We also went a little bit shopping in the Beverly Hills Centre, found cute cafés, good coffee and pretty walls.

After Venice Beach we took an Uber downtown and visited The Last Book Store which made a little dream of me come true. You should totally go in there. It’s such a cool book store with so many cool book artwork. I also liked that the books they sell are used. It gives it that certain character and it’s  definitely a place you should visit.

Can I recommend it? I can totally recommend putting on comfy shoes and walking around the area you are staying. It gives you a feeling for the city and you will discover so many more things than just the usual tourist attractions. And The Last Book Store? Mmmhhh yes?! Definitely, guys. Just go there. You won’t regret it at all.

 

 

 

I had so so so so so so much fun going through all the pictures, kind of reliving our little trip and I hope from the bottom of my heart that you enjoyed this little travel post. Somehow it means a lot to me.

If you have any other questions about planning a trip to the US under 21 or where we stayed, which bus tour we booked etc. then just comment below or send me an email or dm 🙂

xo Franziska