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This 7 day itinerary will take you on a tour of Los Angeles and some of the surrounding areas. You'll get to explore Hollywood, visit Disneyland, tour a movie studio, venture outside of LA to hangout in nearby Santa Barbara and Solvang, and enjoy the famous beaches of Malibu. Also keep an eye out for some celebrity sightings. Hope you are ready to "crush it"
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in LA
Welcome to Los Angeles, home of Hollywood, lots of celebrities and an abundance of sunshine. If you arrived in LA through LAX airport, I hope you booked a rental car as you are going to need it to get around town. You can hop on the rental car shuttles right outside of baggage claim and take a short ride to the offsite lots.
There are a ton of neighborhoods to chose from when booking your lodging. For this itinerary I’m going to assume you are staying in Santa Monica because who wouldn’t want to have an ocean view!
Drive from LAX to Santa Monica should take around 20 to 30 minutes. I’m giving you this warning now, LA traffic is the worst, it will likely take longer than the GPS says. Seriously, even coming from the East Coast where I commuted into New York City, LA traffic is bad so leave yourself extra travel time. You have been warned! On a positive note you will get a lot of time in the car to take in the scenic landscape views and palm trees.
Once you arrive at your lodging take your time getting settled in, you only have dinner on the itinerary tonight. Make sure you book your dinner reservations well in advance as places fill up fast.
For tonight’s dinner I suggest driving out to the Malibu Farm Restaurant on the Malibu Pier. It’s a beautiful drive along the coast and I love how you get both ocean and mountain views.
Depending on the day of the week, it could take 45mins to an hour and a half to get to the restaurant, plus you need to leave time to find a parking spot. There is a paid parking lot next to the pier but it tends to fill up fast. There are a couple of other lots in the area and free parking on the PCH so keep circling until you find something.
The Malibu Farm Restaurant is at the start of the Malibu Pier. Go to the desk to check-in and ask for a seat outside. The restaurant has great views of the Pacific Ocean. Depending on what time you are there you can watch surfers at Surfrider Beach (world famous surf spot) or you can catch the sunset from the right side of the pier as you are walking out.
Enjoy the drive back to your accommodations and get ready for an action packed day!
Day 2: Hollywood
Its time to start exploring Hollywood. First stop is going to be a 9:30am tour of Warner Bros. Studio. Plan to leave the hotel around 8:15am to arrive at the studio parking lot around 9:15am; check traffic especially for rush hour traffic. Parking will be onsite at Warner Bros for an additional fee.
The Warner Bros Studio Tour will take approximately 3 hours; the first hour will be a guided tour and the remaining 2 hours will be at your own pace. The guided tour will take you through the backlot so you can see the stages your favorite movies and tv shows were filmed on. One of the big attractions on the backlot is the Friend’s water fountain and couch from the intro of the show, don’t worry you’ll get a good photo-op there (I’lll be there for you…).
The guided tour will drop you off at the Central Perk Cafe (a lot of Friends exhibits on this tour!) where you can grab some coffee and snacks like your favorite Friends. Once you leave Central Perk, there are a number of fun exhibits you can walk through like Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts, Celebration of Awards Season (where you can take a picture holding an Oscar) and my favorite exhibit, DC Super Heroes and Super Villains (a must see for the superhero fans in your group).
Pro tips. In the Harry Potter exhibit make sure you visit the sorting hat to see which Hogwarts house you belong to. In the DC section get a picture in front of my suit, I mean Batman’s suit!
If you are interested in buying some memorabilia, Central Perk has exclusive Friends merchandise you can’t find anywhere else. At the end of the tour you will exit at the WB shop where you can get other WB licensed goods.
After a great tour you are going need some food so head to Loz Feliz for lunch around 1pm. It should take about 20 minutes (8 miles) to get to the Loz Feliz area, feel free to pick a restaurant based on your food preferences. Some suggestions would be Home Restaurant or Messhall Kitchen or if just want a snack get some ice Cream at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream.
Around 2pm start your drive from Loz Feliz to Griffith Observatory for one of the best views of the city! It should take about 10 minutes to get to the observatory. On the drive there, keep an out for the Greek Theater, one of LA’s famous music venues. Once you get to the observatory, I advise parking directly at the observatory lot, which is on the left when you are approaching. Pay for parking at one of the parking machines in the lot.
You’ll recognize Griffith Observatory from the movie La La Land or Adele’s tv concert. The observatory is open on certain days for exhibits, for today’s itinerary we are just going to walk the exterior. Walking up to the building on the right side you will get a nice picture with the Hollywood Sign, be patient we have another photo-op with the sign coming up! Keep walking on the side of the building and there is an awesome overlook of the city, on a clear day you can even see to the ocean.
As you are walking around the exterior, check out the engravings on the floor as they show a model of our solar system with the sun located by the front doors. If you have extra time in LA I would recommend coming back to Griffith Park for a hike, if you are feeling adventurous enough you can even hike to the Hollywood Sign (6 miles roundtrip from the observatory)!
After walking around the observatory you will head to Lake Hollywood Park for an even better picture with the Hollywood Sign. The drive to Lake Hollywood Park is 25 minutes (6 miles), please note the road is very curvy with some tight turns so drive carefully.
You should arrive at Lake Hollywood Park around 3pm for some great shots of the Hollywood
Sign. Once you are done capturing your selfies, you’ll be heading to Hollywood Blvd to walk the Hollywood Walk of Fame; drive should take about 20 mins (3 miles).
On your drive from Lake Hollywood try and take the 101 route so you can pass the Hollywood Bowl (another famous music venue) and get a good view of the Capital Records building. You can park by the intersection of Vine and Hollywood Blvd and walk about 20 minutes each way.
On the Hollywood Walk of Fame you can search for your favorite celebrity’s star while passing famous sites like El Capitan Theater, TLC Chinese Theater and the Dolby Theater (home of the Oscars).
I’m going to be honest, I find walking the Hollywood Walk of Fame to be very underwhelming. If there are specific stars you want to see I would suggest looking up their location online and then driving directly to them instead of walking up and down the street.
Make sure you check the traffic report for Hollywood Blvd as there could be a movie premiere occurring which would partially close the street. If there is a movie premiere, you could always try and stand in the fan section to catch a glimpse of your favorite actors and actresses.
By 4:30pm start your drive back to Santa Monica for happy hour and dinner, you should arrive around 5:30pm. I would recommend walking around the 3rd street promenade for appetizers and drinks and then heading to the restaurant of your choice for dinner.
Hope you enjoyed your time exploring Hollywood, next up you’ll be heading north to Santa Barbara and the European inspired town of Solvang.
Day 3: Solvang and Santa Barbara
Solvang, “The Danish Capital of America” is a cute European inspired town in Santa Ynez Valley about 2.5hrs (125 miles) outside of LA. The town is full of Danish architecture, bakeries and wineries; trust me its worth the drive!
Leave Santa Monica around 9am to arrive in Solvang around 11:30am. You can park for free in one of the city lots, I prefer the lot at 1556 Mission Dr. The town is very pedestrian friendly; I would expect to spend around 1.5hrs walking around the town.
I would start your walk at the Wildling Museum (any Game of Thrones fans?) and head east towards Olsen’s Danish Village Bakery, a great place to start your pastry tasting. Keep walking east down Mission Dr and you’ll hit the Solvang Brewing Company which is a great place to stop and take a picture in front of their windmill!
Keeping walking until you reach the intersection of Mission and Alisal, this is where “The Little Mermaid” fountain is (fun fact as a child I dressed up as the little mermaid one year for Halloween). From here I would walk down Alisal Rd, feel free to stop along the way as you’ll be passing several bakeries, souvenir shops and an olive oil tasting store. There is also another picturesque windmill to see on Alisal Rd.
Once you’ve walked Alisal Rd I would head to Copenhagen Dr. If you are ready for lunch you can head to one of the restaurants on Copenhagen Dr like Solvang Restaurant or the Copenhagen Sausage Garden. There are also plenty of other restaurant options throughout the town so feel free to explore.
As you are walking around make sure to stop by Dowdle Gallery on Copenhagen and 1st street as it has the most amazing Disney art to look at. On Mission Dr there is Solvang Park which has a sculpture of Hans Christian Andersen the Danish author known for his fairy tales. If you are getting tired of walking you can always book a ride on the trolley or rent an eMoke to drive Solvang, “The Danish Capital of America” is a cute European inspired town in Santa Ynez Valley about 2.5hrs (125 miles) outside of LA. The town is full of Danish architecture, bakeries and wineries; trust me its worth the drive!
Leave Santa Monica around 9am to arrive in Solvang around 11:30am. You can park for free in one of the city lots, I prefer the lot at 1556 Mission Dr. The town is very pedestrian friendly; I would expect to spend around 1.5hrs walking around the town.
I would start your walk outside of the Wildling Museum (any Game of Thrones fans?) and head east towards Olsen’s Danish Village Bakery, a great place to start your pastry tasting. Keep walking east down Mission Dr and you’ll hit the Solvang Brewing Company which is a great place to stop and take a picture in front of their windmill!
Keeping walking until you reach the intersection of Mission and Alisal, this is where “The Little Mermaid” fountain is (fun fact as a child I dressed up as the little mermaid one year for Halloween). From here I would walk down Alisal Rd, feel free to stop along the way as you’ll be passing several bakeries, souvenir shops and an olive oil tasting store. There is also another picturesque windmill to see on Alisal Rd.
Once you’ve walked Alisal Rd I would head to Copenhagen Dr. If you are ready for lunch you can head to one of the restaurants on Copenhagen Dr like Solvang Restaurant or the Copenhagen Sausage Garden. There are also plenty of other restaurant options throughout the town so feel free to explore.
As you are walking around make sure to stop by Dowdle Gallery on Copenhagen and 1st street as it has the most amazing Disney art to look at. On Mission Dr there is Solvang Park which has a sculpture of Hans Christian Andersen the Danish author known for his fairy tales. If you are getting tired of walking you can always book a ride on the trolley or rent an eMoke to drive around.
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Here is where you have options. If you are interested in doing a wine tasting, which I would highly recommend, you can stop at one of the many wine bars in Solvang or you can head 10 minutes outside of Solvang and visit a winery, Sunstone. I’ve done tasting at both locations and you can’t go wrong, but lets assume you are feeling adventurous and head to Sunstone.
Sunstone Vineyard & Winery is a beautiful winery with a French inspired villa that has hosted several celebrity weddings (Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Anna Camp and Clark Kent himself Tom Welling), it also has great wines.
Plan to arrive at Sunstone no later than 3pm, you’ll probably want to spend about 90 minutes tasting and walking the property. The tasting room closes at 5pm so if you are running late stay in Solvang and do a wine tasting there. Also make sure you have a designated driver, stay safe!
After all the sightseeing, shopping and wine tasting you are going to be thinking about dinner. Plan to leave Sunstone Winery around 4:30pm and drive 45 mins (35 miles) to Santa Barbara.
Depending on how hungry you are I would recommend spending about an hour walking around the pier (Stearns Wharf) and the beach walk before heading to dinner. For dinner you can eat along E Cabrillo Blvd and look out at the ocean or you can head over to the Funk Zone, Santa Barbara’s vibrant and hip neighborhood with several restaurants, breweries and wine bars.
Don’t forget the drive from Santa Barbara to Santa Monica is 1.5hrs (90 miles) so make sure you are comfortable driving that late. Santa Barbra has plenty of lodging options if you decide to stay the night.
Day 4: Beach trip
Today is a beach day, this can be a relaxing sit on the sand and watch the waves kind of day or you can book a surf lesson and hit the waves. Let’s assume you are like me and are looking to “crush it” on vacation, I would recommend booking a surf lesson in Malibu. There are several surf shops/schools to get a lesson at, search online to see which is available the day you will be there. If possible try to get a lesson at Surfrider or Malibu Lagoon beach, they are point break beaches which offer a long fun ride.
Most lessons happen in the morning and typically last between 90 minutes to 2 hours. Don’t worry if this is your first lesson, your instructor will provide you with everything you need. Have fun!
If you want to skip the surf lesson and just enjoy a relaxing beach day I’ve got a couple beach suggestions for you.
Easy access beach with amenities: Santa Monica beach by Hollister Ave. You can rent chairs and umbrellas through Perry’s cafe. Easy access to food vendors, arcade games/rides and the bike path. Also has easy paid parking.
Easy access beach without amenities: Zuma Beach in Malibu (not to be confused with Paradise Cove which is a tourist trap). Long, wide beach to spread out on with easy paid parking.
Beautiful but hard to get to beach: El Matador in Malibu. Really pretty beach with cliffs and rock formations. Free parking on the PCH or small parking lot, depending on the day parking can be hard to come by. Entrance of the beach is on a cliff, there are stairs you need to walk down to access the beach. Also check the tide report as you can only visit during low tide.
Feels private but isn’t: Carbon beach in Malibu. Also nicknamed Billionaire's beach. It’s a great low key beach you can walk and admire the multi-millionaire dollar homes. There are two access gates you can find on Google Maps, they look uninviting because the locals don’t want you there but don’t feel discouraged, enjoy your beach trip!
Notable mentions are: Point Dume State Beach, Venice Beach and Redondo Beach.
Take your time however you decide to spend your beach day.
Recommendation for the rest of the day would be to walk the Santa Monica Pier if you haven't already. It has some fun arcade games and rides to enjoy. If you are feeling adventurous you could rent bikes and ride down the bike path from Santa Monica to Venice. On the bike path you’ll pass the Venice skate park and the world famous Muscle Beach. If you are looking to “crush” your bike ride make sure you ride to the Venice canals. A little piece of Italy right here in California!
Dinner could be in Santa Monica again as there are so many great restaurants in the area. If you are feeling adventurous, you could drive out to Koreatown and have some authentic Korean BBQ which is about 30 min (15 miles) from Santa Monica.
Day 5: Disneyland
Disneyland is located about an hour outside of LA in Anaheim. Disneyland is made up of two parks, Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park.
I’m going to be honest, I’m not a big Disney theme park fan. I went once as kid to Disney World in Orlando and once as an adult to Disneyland. It’s fun for a couple of hours but I just don’t have the emotional attachment to the theme parks that other people do. Since I think I’m in the minority on this I’ve put it on the itinerary for you to decide.
The drive from Santa Monica to Disney should take about an hour (40 miles), early entry access starts at 7:30am so if you want to maximize your time at the parks I would recommend leaving your lodging at 6:30am. Keep in mind if you leave closer to 8am you might hit rush hour traffic which will definitely impact your travel time.
Enjoy your day at Disney as there is plenty to see between the two parks. If one day at Disney isn't enough for you I would recommend skipping your beach day on day 4 and using both days to explore Disney.
Day 6: LA Sightseeing
It’s another fun LA sightseeing day. I prefer to do self-guided tours so I can see exactly what I want and go at my own pace. If you prefer to be guided there are plenty of LA sightseeing tours to choose from.
Assuming your driving, leave your hotel around 10am and make your way towards Beverly Hills. Drive east on Santa Monica Blvd and you’ll start to pass the LA country club and some famous hotels like Beverly Hilton and Waldorf Astoria. Fun fact, the Global Globes are hosted at the Beverly Hilton. Right after you pass Rodeo Dr you can park on a side street to get out and see the Beverly Hills sign and pond.
After taking your picture by the Beverly Hills sign you can walk or drive thru Rodeo Dr. I prefer walking so you can window shop! The walk from the Beverly Hills sign to the Rodeo Dr Golden Triangle is 8 minutes each way. The Golden Triangle is where you can see the Rodeo Dr stairs in front of the Tiffany Store.
After you leave Rodeo Dr head towards Sunset Blvd. Driving on Sunset you can pass the Soho House, The Roxy Theatre, Whiskey a Go Go, where the Viper Room (owned by Johnny Depp) used to be as it will be torn down in 2023, The Oppenheim Group, Mel’s Drive-in, the Comedy Store, Sunset Tower Hotel, Chateau Marmont and the Laugh Factory. Feel free to get out at any of the locations if you want to take pictures or walk around.
Once you pass the Laugh Factory turn right on N Fairfax and drive about 8 mins (2 miles) till you hit the the Original Farmer’s Market parking lot. Park in the Original Farmer’s Market lot as you can get your parking ticket validated with lunch in the market (2hrs free)!
Arrive at the Original Farmer’s Market around 11:30am; if you want more time sightseeing just push back your lunch time. You can plan to spend about two hours walking around the Grove outdoor shopping mall and eating at the Original Farmer’s Market. The Original Farmer’s Market is made up of various food stalls so you can find just about any type of food. Have a proper lunch at one of the vendors or grab something from a bunch of vendors and have a smorgasbord!
After lunch head to the Academy Museum for your 2pm reservation. The drive from the Original Farmer’s Market to the Academy Museum should take about 5 mins (2 miles). There is valet parking at the Academy Museum or you can drive around the block and park in the LACMA parking garage.
The Academy Museum has a ton of great movie exhibits. Check to see what is on display while you are visiting, I was lucky enough to the see Dorothy’s ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz. If you’ve ever dreamed of winning an Oscar, the museum has the Oscar Experience exhibit where you can hear your name called and you can give a recorded acceptance speech; an extra admission ticket is required.
Before you leave the Academy Museum make sure you check out the Dolby Family Terrace for a great view of the Hollywood Hills!
Plan to spend about two hours at the Academy Museum. If you’d like to extend your time exploring Museum Row check out one of the other neighboring museums: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, La Brea Tar Pits, The Peterson Automotive Museum or the Craft Contemporary Museum. Make sure you check the museum‘s website for operating hours.
After your museum visit I would recommend having dinner in West Hollywood. This will allow you to experience one of the places you likely passed on your morning drive. Laurel Hardware is a great choice for happy hour and/or dinner. They have a cool outdoor patio you can have dinner at and who knows you may even see a celebrity there.
Enjoy your last night out on the town, it will take about 30 minutes (12 miles) to get back to Santa Monica from West Hollywood.
Day 7: Depart LA
Hope you had a great time in LA. If you are headed to LAX make sure you leave plenty of time to drop off your rental car and take the shuttle to the terminals.
Crushed it!
Timetable
Day 1: Arrive in LA
Free day to enjoy at your leisure; dinner in Malibu if schedule allows
Day 2: Hollywood
8:15am - 9:15am drive to Warner Bros Studio Tour
9:30am - 12:30pm Warner Bros Studio Tour
12:40pm - 1:00pm drive to Loz Feliz for lunch (8 miles, 20 mins) Home Restaurant or Messhall Kitchen (ice cream at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream)
1:00pm - 2:00pm lunch
2:00pm - 2:10pm drive Loz Feliz to Griffith Observatory (2 miles, 10 mins)
2:10pm - 2:45pm Griffith Observatory
2:45pm - 3:05pm drive Griffith Observatory to Lake Hollywood Park (6 miles, 25 mins)
3:05pm - 3:20pm Lake Hollywood Park pictures
3:20pm - 3:40pm drive to Vine St and Hollywood Blvd (3 miles, 20 mins) park there
3:40pm - 4:20pm walk Hollywood Blvd to N La Brea Ave (20 mins each way)
4:30pm - 5:10pm drive to Santa Monica
5:30pm - 6:30pm happy hour 3rd street promenade
7:00pm dinner
Day 3: Solvang & Santa Barbara
9:00am to 11:30am drive to Solvang
11:30am to 1:00pm walk around Solvang
1:00pm to 2:30pm lunch
2:30pm to 2:40pm drive to Sunstone Winery
3:00pm - 4:30pm winery reservation
4:30pm - 5:15pm drive from Sunstone Winery to Santa Barbara pier
5:15pm 6:15pm walk around Santa Barbara beach/pier
6:30pm - 8:00pm dinner
8:00pm - 9:30pm Santa Barbara to Santa Monica
Day 4: Beach Day
Book a surf lesson or pick a beach and enjoy at your own pace
Day 5: Disneyland
6:30am - 7:30am drive to Disneyland
Enjoy the park at your leisure
Day 6: LA Sightseeing
10am - 10:30am drive to Beverly Hills sign
10:45am - 11:00am walk Rodeo Dr
11:00am - 11:20am drive from Rodeo Dr down Sunset (Soho House to Laugh Factory)
11:20am - 11:30am drive from Laugh Factory to Original Farmer’s market
11:30am - 1:30pm The Grove and Original Farmer’s Market
1:30pm - 1:45pm drive to Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
2:00pm - 4:00pm Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
4:00pm - 6:00pm additional museum visits or happy hour
6:00pm dinner
Day 7: Depart LA
Things to book
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Lodging:
6 nights of lodging
Tours:
Warner Bros Studio Tour tickets
Sunstone Winery reservation
Surf lesson (optional)
Disneyland admission tickets
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
Additional museum visit (optional) (LACMA, La Brea Tar Pits, The Peterson Automative Museum or the Craft Contemporary Museum)
Car rental: a convertible is fun choice if it fits your budget
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