Lonely Planet Los Angeles, San Diego & Southern California

Los Angeles, San Diego & Southern California

Contents

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Southern California

Los Angeles, San Diego & Southern Californias Top 25

Need to Know

If You Like

Month by Month

Itineraries

Southern California's Beaches

The Great Outdoors

Disneyland Trip Planner

Eat & Drink Like a Local

Travel with Children

Regions at a Glance

On The Road

Los Angeles

Los Angeles Highlights

Downtown Los Angeles

City Walk

Hollywood

Silver Lake & Echo Park

Los Feliz & Griffith Park

Westlake & Koreatown

West Hollywood & Mid-City

Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood & Westwood

Culver City & Mar Vista

Malibu & Pacific Palisades

Santa Monica

Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey

South Bay Beaches

Long Beach & San Pedro

San Fernando Valley

Pasadena & the San Gabriel Valley

Highland Park & Eagle Rock

Exposition Park & South LA

Around Los Angeles

Catalina Island

Six Flags Magic Mountain & Hurricane Harbor

Big Bear Lake

Disneyland & Orange County

Disneyland & Orange County Highlights

Disneyland & Anaheim

Around Disneyland

Knott's Berry Farm & Around

Discovery Cube

Bowers Museum & Kidseum

Christ Cathedral

Old Towne Orange

Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum

Orange County Beaches

Seal Beach

Sunset Beach

Huntington Beach

Newport Beach

Around Newport Beach

Laguna Beach

Around Laguna Beach

Dana Point

San Clemente

Palm Springs & the Deserts

Palm Springs & the Deserts Highlights

Palm Springs & The Coachella Valley

Joshua Tree National Park

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

Around Anza-Borrego

Julian

Route 66

Los Angeles to Barstow

Barstow

Barstow to Needles

Mojave National Preserve

Around Mojave National Preserve

Nipton

Primm

Death Valley National Park

Around Death Valley National Park

Shoshone

Tecopa

Upper Mojave Desert

Mojave

Ridgecrest & Around

Las Vegas

Santa Barbara County

Santa Barbara County Highlights

Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara Wine Country

Wineries

Solvang

Buellton

Around Santa Barbara

Montecito

Summerland

Carpinteria

Ojai

Ventura

Channel Islands National Park

San Diego & Around

San Diego Highlights

San Diego

La Jolla & North County Coast

La Jolla

Del Mar

Solana Beach

Cardiff-by-the-Sea

Encinitas

Carlsbad

Oceanside

Temecula Wine Region

Understand

Understand Southern California

Southern California Today

History

The Way of Life

On Location: Film & TV

Music & the Arts

Southern California Architecture

The Land & Wildlife

Survive

Directory AZ

Accommodations

Customs Regulations

Discount Cards

Electricity

Embassies & Consulates

Food & Drink

Health

Insurance

Internet Access

Legal Matters

LGBT Travellers

Money

Opening Hours

Post

Public Holidays

Safe Travel

Telephone

Time

Toilets

Tourist Information

Travelers with Disabilities

Visas

Volunteering

Transportation

Getting There & Away

Getting Around

Behind the Scenes

Our Writers

Welcome to Southern California

Southern California (SoCal to the locals) inhabits a dreamlike otherworld – a place where breathtaking natural beauty merges with modern mythology.

Pop Culture

SoCal is Valhalla for pop-culture fiends. Where else can you sip martinis in Jack Nicholson’s favorite booth, hike your way to Batman’s cave and gaze up at the stars just like Jimmy Dean in Rebel Without a Cause? Start with a tour of LA’s movie studios, attend a live TV taping, then join the paps in Malibu. Not that LA gets all the glory: wine and dine at Cary Grant’s former party pad in Palm Springs, a desert resort laden with Rat Pack anecdotes; or hit Orange County for TV-famous beaches and stars of the cartoon realm at Disneyland, the world’s best-loved theme park.

Natural Beauty

Iconic beaches, snowcapped crags, sculpted deserts: in case you hadn’t noticed, Mother Nature plays favorites with SoCal. Whether you’re a punk surfer, aspiring pro-volleyball nut or new-school bohemian, there's an idiosyncratic SoCal beach and adjacent beach town just for you. Offshore, the Channel Islands are a jewel-like archipelago and part of what is one of the planet’s richest marine ecosystems. Back on the mainland, escape to Big Bear Lake's cooler alpine climes or turn up the heat in Death Valley, Joshua Tree or Anza-Borrego, where dusty 4WD roads and hiking trails lead to hidden canyons and mirage-like oases.

Epicurean Highs

Think of SoCal as one huge, heavily laden table, passionately prepared by forward-thinking chefs and artisan purveyors. At one end is San Diego and its incomparable fish tacos, at the other Santa Barbara and its luscious bottles of red. In between is a cornucopia of flavors, textures and thrills: decadent red-wine burgers in a pocket-sized Hollywood bistro, freshly steamed crab by the South Bay surf, fragrant pho (Vietnames noodle soup) in a loud, proud OC throwback. Whether you’re hankering for freshly made tamales at a proper panaderia (Mexican-style bakery) or cognoscenti pastas in a slinky downtown warehouse, SoCal delivers. Dig in!

Arts & Architecture

A bull's-eye for many of the world's leading actors, writers, musicians, artists and designers, SoCal explodes with inimitable creative energy. Heart of the action is LA, home to many of America's richest, riskiest and most innovative art collections, influential live-music venues and comedy clubs, and a slew of laterally thinking neighborhoods jammed with grassroots galleries, artisan studios and street art. Not enough inspiration for you? Turn your attention to SoCal’s architecture. Spanning everything from Spanish-flavored missions and art-deco theaters to modernist prototypes and cutting-edge concert halls, it’s an eclectic mash-up unmatched anywhere in the country.

Channel Islands National Park | TOMAS TICHY / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Why I Love Southern California

By Cristian Bonetto, Writer

The list is long and varied: warm winter sun and coastal drives, modernist homes and Hollywood lore, martinis and wildflowers in the desert. Despite the plastic clichés, LA is one of the world's great cultural cities, home to exceptional art collections, world-shaking architecture and a kaleidoscope of cultures. And when I tire of it all (rarely), lush mountain retreats and arid landscapes, Santa Barbara wineries and San Diego's cult-status fish tacos are all within driving distance. As a child I longed to be a part of this place. As an adult, I get to live the dream.

Los Angeles, San Diego & Southern California’s Top 25

Pacific Coast Highway

Make your escape from SoCal's tangled, traffic-jammed freeways and cruise the coast's spirit-lifting slow lanes. Legendary Hwy 1 snakes past dramatic sea cliffs and sun-soaked beach towns, each with its own idiosyncratic personality, from nostalgic Carpinteria to rich-and-fabulous Montecito. In between, you'll uncover hidden beaches and coves, the locals' favorite surf breaks and rustic seafood shacks dishing up the day’s freshest catch. And once the day wraps up, nostalgic wooden piers await with yet another flawless sunset over endless Pacific horizons.

SUPREECHA SAMANSUKUMAL / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

Los Angeles

If you think LA is little more than New York's soulless, surgically enhanced nemesis, think again. Beyond the tired clichés of celebrity culture, gridlocked traffic and Botoxed babes is one of the world's most complex urban conglomerations, made up of dozens of independent cities and no less than 185 languages. Sure, you can star-spot in Beverly Hills and envy chiselled abs in Santa Monica and Venice, but you can also lose yourself in superlative art collections, maverick architecture and spectacular hiking trails high above the city you thought you knew.

Los Angeles Theater | A KATZ / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

Disneyland Resort

Where orange groves and walnut trees once grew, there Walt Disney built his dream, throwing open the doors of his Magic Kingdom in 1955. Today, Disneyland is SoCal’s most-visited tourist attraction, a childlike universe of giant spinning tea cups, selfie-snapping mice and glittery fireworks over a storybook castle. Despite the crowds and prices, it's hard not to feel a quiet pang for childhood. The good times roll on next door at Disney California Adventure, a Golden State–themed amusement park with (more) thrill rides, parades and after-dark spectaculars.

© DISNEY. PHOTO: PAUL HIFFMEYER

Top Experiences

Death Valley National Park

Just uttering the name brings up visions of the scattered skeletons of ill-fated pioneers. And yet, the most surprising thing about Death Valley is just how full of life it is. Spring wildflower blooms explode with a painter’s palette of hues across camel-colored hillsides, while its resident critters include coyotes, kit foxes and desert bighorn sheep. Feeling adventurous? Twist your way up narrow canyons sheltering geological oddities, stand atop volcanic craters formed by violent prehistoric explosions or explore Wild West mining ghost towns where fortunes were made and lost.

CHRISTIAN VALLE / EYEEM / GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences

Santa Barbara

California’s ‘Queen of the Missions’, Santa Barbara is a rare beauty, graced with red-roofed, whitewashed adobe buildings that will make you want to order lunch in Spanish. All of downtown was rebuilt in Spanish Colonial style after a devastating earthquake in 1925, resulting in distinctly harmonious streetscapes. Add to this sinuous palms, powdery beaches and fishing boats clanking about in the harbor, and the city's self-proclaimed title as the ‘American Riviera’ seems totally justified. Come escape LA for the day or, better still, stay for a wine-soaked weekend in the country.

A. VALLECILLOS / GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences

Palm Springs

A star-studded oasis in the Mojave ever since the heyday of old Blue Eyes and his Rat Pack, Palm Springs draws LA urbanites in need of a little retro-chic R&R. Follow the lead of A-list stars and hipsters: lounge by the pool at your mid-century-modern hotel, hit the galleries and vintage stores, then refresh with post-sunset cocktails. Too passive? Then break a sweat on hiking trails that wind through desert canyons across Native American tribal lands, or scramble to a summit in the San Jacinto Mountains, accessed via aerial tramway.

TRINETTE REED / GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences

Laguna Beach

Orange County's Huntington Beach may draw the hang-loose surfer crowd, while Newport Beach's marina is the darling of Gold-Amex yachties, but further south, Laguna Beach tempts with a more sophisticated blend of salubrity, culture and natural beauty. Startling seascapes led an early-20th-century artists’ colony to put down roots here, and Laguna’s bohemian past peeks out in downtown art galleries, arts-and-crafts bungalows tucked among multimillion-dollar mansions and an annual Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters, famed for turning famous paintings into living, 3D artworks.

JON BILOUS / GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences

Joshua Tree National Park

Not named after a U2 album, Joshua trees reach up toward heaven like a biblical prophet. You'll find no shortage in their namesake national park, where a network of hiking trails promise to lead you to even more natural wonders. Escape to native fan-palm oases that look airlifted straight out of Africa and soak up vistas that include the otherworldly Salton Sea and snow-dusted peaks of the San Bernardino Mountains. If you have kids in tow, boulder-hop in the park's Wonderland of Rocks, an outdoor playground for rock jocks.

BRAD GOLDPAINT / GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences

San Diego Zoo & Balboa Park

A vast green patch in the center of the city, beautiful Balboa Park is where San Diegans let their hair down when they’re not at the beach. Yet San Diego's communal backyard offers more than sunning sessions along El Prado promenade. The 1200-acre space is home to more than a dozen art, cultural and science museums, a faithful reconstruction of Shakespeare's Old Globe theater, not to mention elegant Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. It's most famous resident, however, is the San Diego Zoo, widely considered one of the finest in the world.

Leopard, San Diego Zoo | JUAN TORRES / ONEMA / 500PX ©

Top Experiences

La Jolla

On what some argue is the most beautiful stretch of San Diego’s coastline, La Jolla is no average SoCal beach town. Atop rocky bluffs just a whisper’s breath from the sea, its salubrious downtown is crowded with some of the city's finest boutiques, cafes and restaurants. But what’s right on the shoreline is even more precious. It's here that you'll stumble across the nature-sculpted fish bowl of La Jolla Cove and, further along the coast, the windswept Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, where migratory whales swim and leap by.

COREY JENKINS / GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences

Route 66

The SoCal section of this poetically lonely, world-famous heritage highway appears for a stretch in the Mojave Desert before being gobbled up by the interstate. You'll know you've succeeded in finding America's Mother Road once again when you start cruising by neon-lit diners, drive-ins, retro motels and kitschy roadside attractions tailor-made for your Instagram feed. Speed west through atmospheric ghost towns and sleep inside a 1940s faux wigwam before getting your final kicks on the bustling, carnival-like pier at oceanside Santa Monica.

EMYU / GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences

Venice Boardwalk

Strap on those Rollerblades, hop on a pastel-pink beach cruiser or simply slip into your trunks or bikini and shake what yo’ mama gave you. Captured in countless movies and music videos, Venice's oceanfront walk is where SoCal's crazier side lets it all hang out. It's like one long, skunk-scented runway of eccentricity, flanked by soaring palms, tattoo parlors and street art, and packed with new-age bohemians, hippie tribal-drummers, street artists, bulging Schwarzenegger wannabes, inked skaters and proud, loud freaks after a cameo in that screenplay you're writing.

LAYLAND MASUDA / GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences

Gaslamp Quarter

If you can tear yourself away from San Diego’s bodacious beaches after dark, hit the restaurants, bars and clubs of this cobblestone-clad downtown district. Just don't be fooled by those gracious gas lamps. This rollickin’ neighborhood’s true historical legacy is a heady jumble of long-gone gambling dens, saloons and bordellos. Nowadays the party scene spills out onto the sidewalk nightly, while cocktails and DJs lure the hordes indoors at hot spots like Bang Bang. Best of all, the quarter takes all comers, so you won’t be fighting those pesky velvet-rope bouncers.

W. G. MURRAY / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO ©

Top Experiences

Movie Studio Tours

LA is the world's movie-making capital, and snooping around its famous studios is one of the city's most idiosyncratic experiences. Top billing goes to Warner Bros, home to the biggest set construction project in studio history, as well as a booty of Batmobiles. Filmmaking and theme-park thrills join forces at Universal Studios, while Hollywood itself is home to Paramount Pictures, America's second-oldest studio and the very site on which classics including Breakfast at Tiffany's, Grease and TV series Happy Days were shot. Are you ready for your close up?

Universal Studios Hollywood | ANTON_IVANOV / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

Foxen Canyon Wine Trail

Napa what? Forget Northern California’s chichi wine country. SoCal beckons with the fog-kissed Santa Ynez and Santa Maria Valleys, aka Sideways wine country. Less than an hour’s drive from Santa Barbara, you can tread through fields of grapes, tipple Pinot Noir, Syrah or Malvasia, and graze on regional edibles. Start in the dandified village of Los Olivos, overflowing with wine-tasting rooms and cafes. Then follow the rural Foxen Canyon Wine Trail along winding country roads where big-name vineyards rub shoulders with risk-taking boutique winemakers.

YASKOCREATIVE / GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

When you start feeling crushed by SoCal’s almost 20 million residents, head inland from San Diego until you can breathe easy again in the wide-open desert. California’s largest state park is an incredible place to get lost. Follow 4WD roads or hiking trails to find hidden canyons, wind caves, cactus gardens and even herds of endangered bighorn sheep. In the middle of the park is pocket-sized Borrego Springs, the first Californian town officially dedicated to protecting the night sky from light pollution. (Don't forget to look up!)

RON THOMAS / GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences

Channel Islands

Tossed like so many lost pearls off the coast, the Channel Islands are SoCal’s last outpost of civilization. They’ve been that way for thousands of years, ever since seafaring Chumash tribespeople established villages on these remote rocks. The islands support an abundance of marine life, from coral reefs to giant elephant seals. Get back to nature in rustic Channel Islands National Park, a wildlife haven beckoning with fantastic sea kayaking and snorkeling, or go glam with a mod-con getaway to Med-style Catalina Island.

Sea anenome, Anacapa Island | DOUGLAS KLUG / GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences

Tacos

Tacos are a staple of the SoCal lifestyle, whether you’re a beach-bum surfer or an actor rushing between auditions, or both. You'll find them served all over SoCal, from curbside food trucks to trendy urban eateries. San Diego is especially famous for its Baja-style fish taco, a corn tortilla wrapped around fried or grilled fish on a bed of cabbage slathered with pico de gallo salsa and drizzled with a piquant white sauce. Savor the flavor at standout eateries such as Pacific Beach Fish Shop. We bet you’ll like it.

SABRINA DALBESIO / GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences

Coronado

Who says you can’t turn back time? Speed over the 2-mile bay bridge or board the ferry from San Diego to seaside Coronado, a civilized reminder of a more genteel era. Revel in the late-19th-century socialite atmosphere at the palatial Hotel Del where royalty and presidents have bedded down and Marilyn Monroe cavorted in the 1950s screwball comedy Some Like It Hot. Then pedal past impossibly white beaches all the way down the peninsula’s Silver Strand, stopping for ice cream and cotton candy.

DANCESTROKES / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

Temecula

Make a weekend getaway from San Diego to this Old West–flavored town, the jumping-off point for a wine-tasting tour through gently rolling vineyards. Luiseño tribespeople, present when Spanish missionaries first traipsed through in 1797, called this desert place temecunga (place of the sun). It became a ranching outpost for Mission San Luis Rey, and later a stop on the Butterfield stagecoach line and a railroad. These days, its nourishing sunshine, ocean breezes and nighttime fog provide the alchemy needed to turn Mediterranean varietals into some of California's most arresting wines.

JANAYIA / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

Santa Monica

With more than 250 miles of Pacific coastline, SoCal has an overwhelming number of beaches to choose from. Yet few offer the buzz, pop-culture references and diversions of Santa Monica, an easy metro ride from downtown LA. Sure, you can learn to surf, but you can also ride a solar-powered Ferris wheel on a Hollywood-famous pier, pump iron at Muscle Beach, or simply dip your toes in the ocean and catch another heart-melting SoCal sunset. You won't be the first to never want to leave.

FEOKTISTOFF / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

Surfing

Even if you never set foot on a board – and we, like, totally recommend that you do, dude – there’s no denying the influence of surfing on all aspects of SoCal life, from fashion to the way everyday people talk. With gnarly local waves, you won’t need to jet over to Hawaii to experience the adrenaline rush for yourself. Pros ride world-class breaks off Huntington Beach, aka ‘Surf City USA’, Malibu, San Diego and Santa Barbara, while newbies get schooled at ‘surfari’ camps along SoCal’s sun-kissed coastline.

SEBASTIEN BUREL / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

Ojai

The scenery is so surreal that Frank Capra set the 1937 movie Lost Horizon about a mythical Shangri-La in this mountain valley, flush with orange orchards. Ojai has delighted generations of artists, bohemians and new-age mystics. Doing nothing much is the goal for most visitors, especially those on retreat at one of Ojai’s spas, but you can happily spend an afternoon ambling around downtown’s quaint shops or dropping by the bountiful Sunday farmers market. Then, at around sunset, catch a legendary ‘pink moment,’ when the mountains emanate a rosy glow.

Post office tower, Ojai | HLEHNERER / GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences

Mission San Juan Capistrano

When you visit SoCal, you can’t help but follow in at least a few of the footsteps of early Spanish conquistadors and Catholic priests. Mission San Juan Capistrano, nicknamed the ‘Jewel of the Missions,’ was founded by peripatetic priest Junípero Serra in 1776. Authentically restored, the mission today deserves its nickname, with gorgeous gardens, stone arcades and fountains, and a chapel adorned with spiritual frescoes. In mid-March the whole town celebrates the swallows’ famous return from South America to nest in the mission’s walls.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO / GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences

Julian

Winding through pine-covered mountains and tree-shaded valleys east of San Diego, you'll finally arrive at the one-horse town of Julian. Settled by ex-Confederate soldiers after the US Civil War, flecks of gold were found in a creek here in 1869, sparking a short-lived burst of speculation. Today you can tour an underground 19th-century mine, then dig into homemade apple pie waiting in the windows of false-fronted shops on Main St. If it's fall, show up for apple picking in the orchards.

Panning for gold, Julian | AIJOHN784 / GETTY IMAGES ©

Need to Know

Currency

US dollar ($)

Language

English

Visas

Generally not required for stays of 90 days or less for citizens of Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries with ESTA approval (apply online at least 72 hours in advance).

Money

ATMs are widely available. Credit cards are usually required for reservations at hotels and some restaurants. Travelers checks (US dollars) and non-local checks rarely accepted. Tipping is customary, not optional.

Cell Phones

Cell-phone coverage is spotty in deserts. The only foreign phones that will work in the USA are GSM multiband models. Buy prepaid SIM cards or disposable cell phones locally.

Time

Pacific Standard Time (UTC -8).

When to Go

High Season (Jun–Aug)

A Accommodation prices up 50–100%.

A Major holidays are even busier and more expensive.

A Thick clouds may blanket the coast during ‘June gloom.’

A Coincides with low season in the desert.

Shoulder (Apr–May & Sep–Nov)

A Crowds and prices drop off, especially along the coast.

A Temperatures remain mild, with sunny, cloudless days in early autumn.

A Weather typically wetter in spring, drier in autumn.

Low Season (Dec–Mar)

A Accommodations rates drop near the coast, but not always in cities.

A Chillier temperatures, more frequent rainstorms and mountain snow.

A Coincides with peak season in the desert regions.

Useful Websites

Lonely Planet (www.lonelyplanet.com/california) Destination information, hotel bookings, traveler forum and more.

California Tourism (www.visitcalifornia.com) Trip-planning guides, themed inspiration and other tips.

Caltrans (www.dot.ca.gov) Current highway conditions and construction updates.

LA Times Travel (www.latimes.com/travel) Daily news, SoCal travel deals and travel blogs.

Theme Park Insider (www.themeparkinsider.com) Reviews, tips and discussion boards.

Screamscape (www.screamscape.com) Dated-looking but comprehensive site with theme-park news, developments and rumors.

Important Numbers

All phone numbers have a three-digit area code followed by a seven-digit local number. For long-distance and toll-free calls, dial 1 plus all 10 digits.

Exchange Rates

For current exchange rates see www.xe.com.

Daily Costs

Budget: Less than $75

A Dorm bed: $25–40

A Takeout meal: $6–10

A Beach parking: Free–$15

Midrange: $75–200

A Two-star inland motel or hotel double room: $75–150

A Rental car per day, excluding insurance and gas: $30–75

Top End: More than $200

A Three-star beach hotel or resort double room: $150–275

A Three-course meal (excluding drinks) in top restaurant: $75–100

Opening Hours

Standard opening hours are as follows. Individual opening hours vary widely.

Banks 9am–5pm Monday to Thursday, to 6pm Friday, some 9am–1:30pm Saturday

Bars 5pm–2am

Business hours (general) 9am–5pm Monday to Friday

Post offices 9am–5pm Monday to Friday, some 9am–noon Saturday

Restaurants 7:30–10:30am, 11:30am–2:30pm and 5:30–10pm

Shops 10am–6pm Monday to Saturday, noon–5pm Sunday (malls open later)

Supermarkets 8am–9pm

Arriving in Southern California

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Taxis around town ($30 to $50) take 30 minutes to one hour. Door-to-door shuttles ($16 to $27) operate 24 hours. The FlyAway bus ($8) runs to downtown LA, Hollywood, Westwood (West LA) and the San Fernando Valley. Free shuttles will get you to LAX City Bus Center & Metro Rail station. For ride hailing services (Uber, Lyft), pick up and drop off are on the upper (departure) level only.

San Diego International Airport (SAN) Taxis to downtown ($10 to $25) take 15 to 30 minutes. Door-to-door shuttles ($8 to $20) operate 24 hours. Bus No 992 (‘the Flyer’; $2.25) runs to downtown San Diego every 15 to 30 minutes from 5am to 11pm. Ride hailing services are also available.

Getting Around

SoCal is famously car country, but plenty of alternatives exist. Cars are still SoCal's go-to, traffic notwithstanding, but LA has an expanding light-rail and subway network, and regional trains connect some coastal and inland destinations. In San Diego, trolleys are a popular alternative despite limited routes. Metropolitan bus travel is typically the cheapest, slowest option, but with the most extensive route network. If traveling by taxi, you must generally call for a cab, unless there is a taxi stand (don't try to hail one). Popular smartphone apps such as Uber and Lyft generally beat taxis on fares and convenience, although they are subject to 'surge pricing' at peak times.

If You Like…

Theme Parks

If visiting Disney’s ‘happiest place on earth,’ getting a thrill from Hollywood’s movie magic or riding heart-in-throat roller-coasters is on your itinerary, you’ve definitely come to the right place.

Disneyland Topping almost every family’s must-do fun list is Walt Disney’s ‘imagineered’ theme park, with Disney California Adventure next door.

Universal Studios Hollywood Cinematic theme park with a studio backlot tram tour, tame rides and live-action, special-effects shows.

Six Flags Magic Mountain Hair-raising roller-coasters to scare the bejeezus out of speed-crazed teens.

Knott's Berry Farm Adrenaline-pumping roller-coasters set against a wholesome, all-American backdrop.

Legoland Low-key theme park made of those beloved building blocks for tots.

Back to the Future film set, Universal Studios | ANTON_IVANOV / SHUTTERSTOCKWWW ©

Quaffing Wine

Northern California’s Napa and Sonoma Valleys may be more famous, but SoCal’s wine countries hold their own. Just crack open a bottle from these sun-kissed vineyards and you’ll become a believer.

Foxen Canyon Wine Trail Pastoral country roads wind past some of Santa Barbara’s most famous vintners.

Los Olivos The poshest village in Santa Barbara’s wine country, where quaint streets are graced with wine-tasting rooms.

Santa Rita Hills Independent innovators artfully crush grapes in the Santa Rita Hills, west of Hwy 101.

Temecula Stroll past Old West–style storefronts, then head out into San Diego's hot wine country.

Urban Wine Trail Amble on foot between wine bars and tasting rooms in Santa Barbara's 'Funk Zone'.

Ethnic Food

Especially around LA, celebrity restaurateurs have conquered many neighborhoods. But dollar for dollar, SoCal’s flavorful cornucopia of mom-and-pop ethnic eateries is what will really satisfy your belly and soul.

Little Tokyo Slurp on ramen or snap at sashimi in Downtown LA's mini version of Nippon.

Koreatown Juicy barbecue and fiery kimchi in LA's heavyweight Korean enclave.

Thai Town Tangy flavors worthy of a Bangkok night market just east of Hollywood.

San Gabriel Valley Dim-sum carts, seafood feasts and fluffy bean-stuffed buns in the suburbs of LA.

San Diego Just north of the border, Mexican taquerias – and the city's famous fish tacos – are serious business.

Fairfax District Jewish delis old and new rub shoulders in this traditionally Orthodox LA neighborhood.

Glendale LA's Armenian American community cheers on belly dancers over hummus and kabobs.

Boyle Heights Real-deal Mexican street food without the hipster attitude.

Freebies

Who says you need to max the credit card to have a good time in SoCal? Many of the most beautiful beaches are free, and that's just for starters.

Broad Schmooze with Warhol, Rauschenberg, Haring and Sherman at LA's hottest new art museum.

Getty Center Arrive by public transportation, and stroll a multimillion-dollar art collection with priceless LA vistas.

Griffith Observatory Ponder the mysteries of the universe while gazing at the stars in LA's Griffith Park.

Frederick R Weisman Art Foundation Book a guided tour of an LA mansion dressed head to toe in blockbuster modern art.

Getty Villa Malibu’s trove of ancient Greco-Roman art is a can’t-miss freebie (but you'll have to pay for parking).

El Pueblo Historical Monument Get a feel for LA’s earliest days along lively, adobe building–lined Olvera St.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery DIY tours of the verdant final resting place of bygone entertainment legends.

Old Town San Diego Step back in time at a 19th-century Mexican and American pueblo.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Hike to hidden canyons, soak up jaw-dropping viewpoints and even pitch your tent for nada.

Scenic Drives

SoCal's coastal highways are the stuff of legend, while inland detours beckon adventure-seeking road trippers. So drop the convertible top, cue up the Red Hot Chili Peppers and step on it!

Pacific Coast Hwy SoCal’s most famous scenic drive delivers beautiful ocean vistas as it hopscotches between beach towns.

Hwy 190 Deep inside Death Valley, horizons look boundless and roadside geology makes for otherworldly scenery.

Rim of the World Scenic Byway Hairpin turns to make you gasp on your way to rugged Big Bear Lake.

Palms to Pines Scenic Byway Carved into the San Jacinto Mountains above Palm Springs, a road that leads to Idyllwild.

Mulholland Dr So famous David Lynch named a movie after it; a twisting mix of LA views and movie-star mansions.

Malibu Canyon From the coast to the mountains, hair-raising cliffs and stunning valleys.

Pacific Coast Highway | KEN BROWN / GETTY IMAGES ©

Retail Therapy

SoCal covers all retail bases, from resale shops selling fashion straight off movie sets, to deeply discounted outlet malls and quirky boutiques peddling local design and threads. Ready, set, spend!

Melrose Ave Everyone from the Olsen twins to the Kardashians have their boutiques just east of La Cienega in LA.

Robertson Blvd A coveted strip of hip, higher-end boutiques popular with celebs and the paparazzi in LA.

It's a Wrap! Racks of castoffs from real TV shows and movies for sale in the San Fernando Valley.

Abbot Kinney Blvd An eclectic, artful mix of unique and indie boutiques by the beach in Venice.

Costa Mesa Shop luxe at South Coast Plaza or hit Camp and The Lab for an offbeat 'anti-mall' experience.

Palm Springs Especially good for mid-century design, thrift shops and outlet malls.

Retro Row Where Mad Men costume designers go to find mid-century treasures in LA.

Rose Bowl Flea Market ( h9am-4:30pm 2nd Sun each month, last entry 3pm, early admission from 5am) The granddaddy of all flea markets awaits in Pasadena.

Pacific City Huntington Beach's newest shopping center sits directly across from the ocean.

Museums & Galleries

Who says SoCal's only obsessions are pop culture and fame? You could spend most of your trip immersed in world-famous art galleries, moving museums and interactive high-tech exhibits exploring everything from marine life to the cosmos.

Balboa Park ( c) One San Diego park with a string of engaging museums, taking in everything from top-notch art to history and science.

Getty Center Art museum as fascinating as the architecture and setting in West LA.

LA County Museum of Art More than 150,000 works of art span the ages and cross all borders.

Broad A cutting-edge temple to pop art and other modern movements in Downtown LA.

Museum of Tolerance A moving, multimedia center in West LA exploring the Holocaust and the importance of compassion.

Autry Museum of the American West Learn the true stories of cowboys and Native Americans in LA's Griffith Park.

Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum Ponder installations by a world-famous artist at a desert studio north of Joshua Tree.

Wende Museum An out-of-the-box collection in LA exploring East German life before the wall came down.

California Science Center An interactive, multi-level wonderland, complete with a real-deal space shuttle in LA.

MOXI Engaging, kid-friendly exhibits covering science, technology and the arts in Santa Barbara.

History

Native American tribes, Spanish Colonial presidios (forts), Catholic missions, Mexican pueblos (villages) and mining ghost towns have all left traces in California's south.

Julian Pan for real gold in this historic mining town in the hills east of San Diego.

Old Town San Diego Turn back time on the site of California’s first civilian Spanish Colonial pueblo.

Mission Santa Barbara The ‘queen of the missions’ was the only one to survive secularization under Mexican rule.

La Brea Tar Pits Where prehistoric mammoths, sloths and saber-toothed cats once roamed in what is now LA.

Mission San Juan Capistrano A painstakingly restored treasure along ‘El Camino Real,’ California’s mission trail.

Los Angeles City Hall Head to level four for revealing black-and-white photographs of SoCal's fledgling megalopolis.

Celebrity Spotting

While no one can guarantee you’ll run into Ryan Gosling or Emma Stone on their way for coffee, it’s more likely to happen in SoCal than anywhere else on the planet.

Malibu Millionaire movie stars love their privacy, but you can often glimpse them in Malibu’s shopping plazas.

Runyon Canyon Don't let those baseball caps and shades fool you. Even the stars love hiking the hills.

Hotel Bel-Air A well-known celebrity hideaway in LA; discreetly scan the back tables at its Wolfgang Puck restaurant.

Melrose Ave & Robertson Blvd Hipper stars head to these LA strips to buy their skinny jeans, heels and candles.

Chateau Marmont On the restaurant patio or in the lounge, expect to spot the odd celeb at this fabled LA hotel.

Grove Everyone from Justin Bieber to Demi Lovato and Kylie Jenner shop this alfresco LA mall.

TV-show taping Fawn over famous faces at a sitcom or talk-show taping in LA.

Brentwood Country Mart No shortage of actors and models graze and browse at this cute little LA hub.

Montecito Is that local resident on tiny Montecito's main drag Oprah Winfrey? Possibly.

Month by Month

Top Events

Rose Bowl & Parade, January

Modernism Week, February

Coachella Music & Arts Festival, April

Miramar Air Show, September

Fleet Week, October

January

One of the two wettest month in SoCal, January is a slow time for coastal travel. Mountain ski resorts are busy, as are desert destinations. Post-rain days see LA at its clearest.

3 Rose Bowl Parade

Held before the Tournament of Roses college football game, this New Year’s Day parade of flower-festooned floats, marching bands and the crowning of the Rose Queen and her court draws around one million spectators to Pasadena, outside LA.

February

z Chinese New Year

Firecrackers, parades, lion dances and street food celebrate the lunar new year. SoCal’s biggest celebrations take place in LA, where a Golden Dragon Parade snakes its way through Chinatown. Usually in early February.

1 Modernism Week

Join other mid-century-modern aficionados in Palm Springs mid-February for a blockbuster celebration of mid-20th-century design and style. Expect more than 250 events, from architectural tours and lectures, to art shows, film screenings and parties.

3 Academy Awards

The biggest Sunday of the year in LA, Oscar night sees Hollywood's heavyweights grace the red carpet at the Dolby Theatre. Usually held in late February or early March, this is the best time for celebrity-spotting in town.

March

The rain eases, so travelers head back to the SoCal coast, especially during spring break (varies, depending on school schedules and the Easter holiday). High season in the deserts. Ski season ends.

2 LA Marathon

On a Sunday in mid-March, more than 25,000 athletes race along a 26.2-mile course from Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica Pier. Even if you’re not a runner, come cheer 'em on and enjoy the live entertainment on stages through the city.

April

Peak wildflower season in the high desert. Shoulder season in the mountains and on the coast means lower prices, except during spring break. Music royalty hits the Coachella Valley.

3 Coachella Music & Arts Festval

Indie no-name bands, cult DJs and superstar rock bands and rappers descend on Indio, outside Palm Springs, for a musical extravaganza held over two weekends in mid-April.

May

Last month before vacationing school kids swarm attractions. Despite the warmer weather, some coastal areas are blanketed by fog (‘May gray’). The Memorial Day holiday weekend is one of the year’s busiest travel times.

z Cinco de Mayo

¡Viva México! Margaritas, music, piñatas and Latino-flavored merriment commemorate the victory of Mexican forces against the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5. LA and San Diego do it up in style.

June

Once school lets out for the summer, nearly everywhere in SoCal gets busier, from beaches to theme parks to mountain resorts. In the deserts, it’s just too hot. Some coastal fog lingers (‘June gloom’).

z LA Pride

Pulling crowds of around 400,000, SoCal’s biggest LGBT celebration takes place in West Hollywood over a long weekend in June, with live music, entertainment and a Sunday pride march.

July

Beach season gets into full swing on the coast. Theme parks are mobbed by vacationing families, as are mountain resorts, but the deserts are deserted. The July 4 holiday is summer’s peak travel weekend.

1 Festival of Arts

Running throughout July and August, Laguna Beach's Festival of Arts includes exhibitions, workshops and live music. One if its best-loved events is the Pageant of the Masters, which sees world-famous paintings recreated using costumed folk.

3 Orange County Fair

A million people come to the OC Fair (www.ocfair.com) mid-July through mid-August to ride the giant Ferris wheel, cheer on pie-eating contestants and rodeo cowboys, browse blue-ribbon agricultural and arts-and-crafts exhibits, and listen to live bands.

August

Warm weather and water temperatures keep beaches busy. School summer vacations come to an end, but everywhere (except for the hot, hot deserts) stays packed. Travel slows slightly before Labor Day weekend.

5 Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival

A four-day, multi-location celebration of LA's booming food scene, with culinary demonstrations, food and drink tastings, special lunches and no shortage of celebrated chefs talking shop and sharing tips.

September

Summer’s last hurrah is the Labor Day holiday weekend, which is extremely busy almost everywhere (except the deserts). After kids go back to school, the beaches and cities get fewer visitors.

1 Miramar Air Show

The USA’s largest air show (http://miramarairshow.com) wows the crowds at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, just north of San Diego, in late September. Expect death-defying aerial shows and military marching-band tunes.