travllady

We have two days in LA. Where should we stay and what should we do? We will not have a car and will be flying in and out of the airport. Thanks.

rjw_lgb_ca

The greater LA metropolitan area comprises two counties, 4,800 square miles and some 10,000,000 people. There are literally thousands of things to see and do. You're not giving us anything to work with in this post-- or in your other.

What are your interests? Why are you only giving the LA area two days (four or five being just enough to give you a good taste)? Without a car, you will be reliant on guided tours or our notoriously challenging mass transit options. And how much are you willing to spend? And who is "we"?!

With so little to go on, I can only suggest that you just head up to Santa Monica and spend both days there (well, "here"-- I work in Santa Monica). Stay near the Pier, and there's enough in the immediate area so that you won't need a car and won't get bored after two hours. The hotels can also get you onto a tour van to see the touristy bits like Hollywood (believe me, less than it's cracked up to be), Beverly Hills, etc.

Of course, you will then miss some truly delightful things in the area like Pasadena, Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, the great museums in the area, some superior shopping, outstanding dining opportunities, Disneyland, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Knott's Theme Park, etc., etc., etc.

suze

Los Angeles is difficult to "see" without a car. Knowing absolutely nothing about your interests, I would also suggest Santa Monica or maybe Venice where you can walk to many pleasant activities.

rjw_lgb_ca

And as long as we're pointing out the vagueness of your post: There are five airports with scheduled commercial jet service in the greater Los Angeles area: LAX, SNA, BUR, LGB and ONT. You probably thought that only LAX served the greater LA area.

mykidsdad

My family spent this past weekend in LA, arriving Thursday night and departing Sunday. My wife & I have 2 daughters, 18 & 15. We stayed at the Georgian Hotel in Santa Monica, an extremely comfortable small hotel right across from the Ocean and a block from the pier. Ate an expensive but good dinner Thursday night at Sushi Roku on Ocean. On Friday morning, rented bikes and rode along the beach through Venice seeing the "colorful local sights", with a bite to eat on Washington Blvd. just off the beach. A late afternooon drink on the hotel's veranda. Early evening, drove up to Malubu to see homes, sights and surfers. Strolled the 3rd Ave. Promenade in SM at night and found a place for a light meal. Saturday, drove out Topanda Canyon through the mountains, found our way to Beverly Hills. Drove around town, admired properties, walked and shopped Rodeo Drive area. Drove to Hollywood early pm, saw Graumann's, Stars, etc, had a late afternoon get together in Encino and dinner with friends in West Hills.

These were a very busy but fun two days. I don't know how we could have done more. But we had a car and if you don't, you will be severely limited in LA. Fact is, there is no way to do "everything" in LA in 2 days. So just do what you can and enjoy!

Jean_Valjean

Definitely get a car! If not, I'd second the Santa Monica suggestion.

If you feel uneasy about driving in LA, get a Hertz car with Neverlost. It works really well in LA.

happytrailstoyou

We prefer to stay in Santa Monica, where you will probably find plenty to fill two days even without a car. You can probably take a bus to Venice Beach, for instance, and hang out there for one of the days.

andiamo

I don't live in LA, but I do visit there. I have heard that the hotels near the airport (I'm assuming my friends were talking about LAX) can be quite seedy and the area a bit dangerous.

If at all possible, rent a car. Not sure if you don't want to rent one, or have physical reasons why you can't. LA is probably the one city in the US where you absolutely need a car to get around and see anything. There is public transportation, but with any public tranport, it takes a long time to get from point A to point B with all the stops. With only 2 days in LA and so many available things to see, you will be severely limited.

LA has a lot to offer for a tourist, but they do tend to be spread out, hence the need for the car. For example,in LA you can do the Getty Museum, go shopping (Rodeo, Melrose,etc), do Universal or Disneyland, hit the beach, or even the "hollywood" stuff the "walk of fame",kokak theater (where the oscars are held) etc. It depends on your interests.

Again, if at all possible, rent a car. If you don't, I agree with the post that says stay near Santa Monica. At least there are some things to do around there that you can either walk or taxi.

If you need more info, please post back and help out the fodorites who are trying to help, by providing more details about your trip. When are you coming? (Next week, next month, Christmas?) How many people, ages....Interests? Reason why you will not have a car? We're all happy to help, but need more from you.

Have a great time in LA.
Andiamo

andiamo

travllady,
Just noticed you had a second post asking basically the same question. You will get amazing advice from fellow fodorites on this site, but instead of asking the same question twice, please provide specific info, that way we can all help you and give you some better ideas.

Is there a reason why you do not want to rent a car in LA? Again, it's really a city where you need to have a car to get around.

Look forward to a more specific post so we can all offer some help.

'Mo

imanta

I agree with the above posters who said it is relatively difficult to "see" LA without a car. It is quite a car-dependant area. However, I would recommend going to the Santa Monica and Venice areas. Venice has actually been changing quite a bit over the past several years and there are quite a few interesting places to see (restaurants, streets, bars, shopping). Santa Monica is right next to it and has quite a different vibe to it but also can be quite fun. Both are pretty close to LAX. Also, malibu is nice to visit as well.