From Betsy Malloy,
Your Guide to California Travel.
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Get Acquainted

Before you plan your trip, spend some time getting familiar with Los Angeles. Knowing a little about it before you go will make your trip more enjoyable.

• Los Angeles Fast Facts: A good place to get oriented and learn about the city.

• Getting to Los Angeles: By car, train, bus or plane.

• Driving in Los Angeles: Freeway map, traffic report lingo, driving tips.

• 8 Ways to be a Smart Los Angeles Tourist: To help you be a smarter tourist, enjoy your trip more and spend more of your hard-earned money doing it, review some Los Angeles tourist tips.

• Los Angeles Travel Weather and Climate: Review the average temperature and rainfall by month, and get a look at the weather forecast.

• Previews: Los Angeles Picture Gallery

Where to Stay, Getting There

One of the questions I get asked most often is some version of where to stay. The tips below will help you save money on your lodging and choose the hotel that's best for you.

• How to Find a Hotel - Fast: We know you're busy, so our strategies range from the very quick to the longer, more detailed. The more time you spend, the less money you'll spend, or you can get nicer hotels for a fixed budget.

• Hotel Finder: For your convenience, sorted by location.

• More Hotel Lists: Whether you're looking for a romantic spot, an all-suites hotel, a place on the beach or the best spot in town, you'll find it here.

Los Angeles Sights

There's enough to do to keep you busy for days, if not weeks. The trick is to decide what interests you the most. Our guides can help you decide.

• Top Sights: A guide to the 10 most popular sights and attractions in the Los Angeles area, and the best of the rest.

• Things to Do for Free: Free tours, free museum admissions and free performances can help keep you busy while keeping your wallet full.

• Los Angeles Activities: Our activity guide outlines all the things you can do here, including shopping, sightseeing, spectator sports, museums, theme parks, performing arts and outdoor recreation.

Los Angeles Day Trips

• Catalina Island:: 26 miles across the sea, and a world away. Where fish fly and people drive golf carts instead of cars.

• Newport Beach: One of the best beaches in the U.S., charming yacht harbor and almost undiscovered.

• San Juan Capistrano: A trip across the tracks to a part of the old town that's flash-frozen in time.

Plan Ahead

I don't advocate planning what you're going to every second of your vacation, but Los Angeles is such a popular tourist destination that a few advance plans and reservations are required.

• One Stop Shopping: Instead of running around to a bunch of websites to get all the tickets and reservations you need for your trip, you can get to them all from right here.

Weekend Getaways in Los Angeles

• Downtown Los Angeles Weekend Getaway: Read about things to do downtown and find out how to plan a weekend getaway in a jiffy

• Hollywood Weekend: Itinerary for a two- or three-day weekend in Hollywood.

• Beach Getaway Weekend: A three-day weekend in the "South Bay," one of my favorite things to do.

• Culture Getaway: Custom made for culture vultures, this weekend itinerary features the best cultural things to do, including museums and performing arts venues.