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Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Boulevard Sights

By , About.com Guide

Hollywood Boulevard is the stuff of legends, but it may not be what you expect. You won't find movie stars walking the streets, and most of the movie studios moved out years ago, with Paramount the only one left in town and quite far from Hollywood Boulevard.

Frankly, this part of Hollywood is one of the most touristy spots in all of Los Angeles, full of t-shirt and souvenir shops, the streets packed with gawping tourists snapping photos. It's also the home of the Walk of Fame, footprints at Grauman's Chinese Theatre and Hollywood at Highland shopping/dining complex.

Any time after mid-morning is exciting. During daylight hours, you get views and can enjoy the throngs of tourists. At night, the Boulevard is neon-lit.

See It Now: Hollywood Boulevard Photo Tour

Tips for Visiting Hollywood Boulevard

  • If you're going, check in advance to see if any star-studded events are happening. You'd hate to show up an hour after your favorite celeb had left, wouldn't you?

  • If you want to take photos with the dressed-up characters on the street, bring lots of change or $1 bills to tip them with.

  • If you want to take a tour of the Academy Awards' home, head for the Kodak Theatre box office first, to pick up tickets. Organize the rest of your day around your tour time.

  • If you plan to visit several Hollywood attractions, you may save money with a Hollywood Citypass. You can buy it at the entrance of any Hollywood attraction it covers or order it in advance online.

  • Similar to Citypass, the Go Los Angeles Card offers a lot of attractions at a very reasonable price. It's likely you won't be able to do all of them before your card expires, so be sure you can do enough to make it a good deal for you.

Touring Hollywood Boulevard

Hollywood at Highland offers the most convenient and affordable parking, so start your Hollywood Boulevard tour from there. Shopping is optional, but make a small purchase to get your parking ticket validated. A bottle of water at any of the food spots will do.

After you're parked, you can just check the sights nearby: the Kodak Theatre, Grauman's Chinese and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. You can see the Hollywood sign from the back of Hollywood at Highland. If you'd like to see more of Hollywood Boulevard, use our Hollywood Boulevard walking tour guide. It will take you to most of the famous Hollywood sights.

Review

We rate Hollywood Boulevard 4 stars out of 5. It's a fun place to spend a few hours, and Hollywood is a Los Angeles icon.

Others may disagree. You can see what other people just like you think about Hollywood Boulevard, then bookmark this page and after you've been there, come back and tell us what you think.

What do you think of Hollywood Boulevard???

Getting to Hollywood Boulevard

Hollywood Boulevard is west of downtown Los Angeles, and accessible from I-10 (exit La Brea Blvd north), I-110 (exit Hollywood Blvd west), but US 101 is the easiest access. Take the Highland Avenue exit south. Park in the underground lot at the Hollywood and Highland complex.

For a hassle-free approach, take the Metro Red line and get off at the Hollywood and Highland stop.It's and especially easy way to get there from downtown Los Angeles, Universal City and North Hollywood.

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