Any suggestions for a three day stopover in LA?

[DarkBlueEyes]

We are stopping off in LA for three days, and would like some ideas as to what would be good to do.

We went to Florida last year so not particularly interested in doing Disney (the DCs will be horrified but what the heck).

I had vague thoughts of staying somewhere central (Sunset Boulevard?) and having a peek at the Hollywood Walk of Fame and... well, that's where it ends. Not sure what else to do.

We have two DDs who will be 11 and 7.

Any other ideas? Perhaps Santa Monica might be a plan?

If you've done a stopover avoiding Disney and Universal but managing to entertain the children I would love to hear from you!

Hi OP, the Getty Centre is well worth a visit, interesting, cable car ride up and great views! I know you wanted to avoid Universal but I actually really enjoyed the LA one, it's much less theme park than the Florida version. We stayed at the London, very nice with roof top pool. Have fun!

I'd drive a couple of hours down the road and stay in OC or San Diego. It's simply beautiful and there's loads to do around there. LA is not very nice in comparison to somewhere like Laguna Beach.

Marking spot

I live in LA, and DP's family are from the OC. Laguna would be a nice place to spend a few days, it's a walkable town with nice beaches. But it's a bit dullsville, and the rest of the OC you can cheerfully miss.

I wouldn't stay somewhere central in LA, there really isn't anything there. Hollywood is nothing but the strip, and the strip is a bit like Oxford Street.

On the other hand, Venice is a sweet beach neighbourhood, great places to eat, cool independent hotels and guest houses, the canals, the beach. Rent some bikes, book some surf lessons or paddle board lessons and chill. Comparable to Laguna but with a bit of edge. Better shops, more interesting food, better people watching. Santa Monica's just the next beach / town north. Less interesting imo. Ditto Manhattan Beach, south. I love Malibu, but there's literally nothing there but the beach! and the country club and equestrian centre

That's interesting rooty I take it for granted that I'm a fan of 'ambling around small pretty places' over getting out there and doing stuff! Now added Venice to my list of places to go next time!

I'd stay around Santa Monica/Venice, it's lovely, great beach, boardwalk and shops. We went to Warner Studios which my (older DDs) loved and we also did a tour of the area (and the stars' homes ) in a vintage cadillac. It was fascinating and such fun, tourists were taking pictures of us! It was expensive but not much more than the individual price for 4 of us in a minibus.

ha. I think LA is not easily negotiated - not by the long term resident, let alone the casual visitor! My ddad and his DP loved Laguna best of the places thy saw on their first California trip.....I definitely get it.

In LA there is no real 'centre', though downtown is beautiful, interesting and lively. It truly is a sprawl. There are lots of wonderful things to do for the visitor, but they're scattered across what is a huge town. For three days I would say be by the ocean, hit the boardwalk and the juice bars , window shop and chill out. LAX is on the west side, right in town, only fifteen minutes from Venice on the freeway. (Though if you land in daylight hours, take the coast, stop and jump out at the beach!)

A car is a must. (But incredibly cheap too.)

Pick a couple of cultural things - I second the Getty Centre - great views, architecture, a small and interesting collection, garden, cafes. It's a nice morning or afternoon, you don't need a whole day, and is free (parking is $15). Drive over to the Hollywood strip mid afternoon another day (it's a half hour from Venice in light traffic), do the Chinese Theatre or whatever, hunt for your favourite stars, stay to see the neon come on, then scarper.

And do not drive across town between 3pm and 8pm, ever!

Look at a map - Abbott Kinney is the main drag in Venice, full of lovely independent, shops, cafes, bars. I'd aim to be west of Abbott Kinney, up to Rose, no further from the beach for optimal pottering.

Thank you all for such thoughtful responses. DH and I are going to sit down tonight and have a good old look at what you've said, and maps and stuff too.

I would definitely hire a car. LA has no decent public transport. For a more relaxing time stay at Santa Monica. It has the old pier and some good hotels. We stayed at a B and B. We have also stayed at The Mondrian on Sunset Blvd. . The best book for ideas is Lonely Planet, LA. I would totally agree with the Getty Centre. One of the best new buildings I have ever seen. The Getty Villa at Malibu is lovely and is a replica of a Roman Villa.

The walk of fame is total yuk!! We found Marilyn Monroe's star outside a MacDonalds, surrounded by rubbish with chewing gum all over it. Really, don't waste your time! However, in that area the former Max Factor factory is a little gem of a museum. It has the original Art Deco make up booths and a large collection of Hollywood film costumes. We also visited Paramount Studios, drove along the hill top road, Mulholland Drive, where you can see the Hollywood sign. Try and drive around some of the roads where the old stars used to live. They are some very exclusive roads!

Some areas of LA are a bit seedy. For a day trip, the Huntington Library, Art Collection and gardens at Pasadena are fantastic. The huge cactus garden is something I have never seen before. Definitely better than yet another theme park!