Single day ticket prices for Disneyland aren't posted yet for October/November, but the cost will be well over $100 + $30 for parking.

I don't know how many homeless people you have to see before a place becomes unpleasant to visit, but if you haven't been to L.A. since before the pandemic you can't imagine the scale of the homeless crisis throughout the city/county... and the intersection of tourists with the homeless/addicted/demented is particularly acute in the Venice/SM area. As for Malibu, I'm an L.A. native and used to visit Malibu years ago when it was still sparsely developed. These days, it's hard to understand the appeal. The views from the highway are unimpressive and mostly blocked by houses. You need to go all the way to the western most part of Malibu (El Matador Beach, Leo Carrillo State Beach, Sycamore Cove) to see the beautiful shoreline that used to exist throughout Malibu... that's about 50 miles round-trip from SM.

StuDudley Thanks a lot for the link about San Franciso. It was very interesting thread.

suze Yes you are totally right Malibu and Santa Monica are really famous. Walking at the Santa Monica Pier should be a cool thing. The homeless situation at the Santa Monica seems to be really bad though. I have heard quite often that situation is rather bad now. Not only hear at Fodor's. Even some travel youtuber mentioned the bad Situation at Santa Monica now.

Malibu seems to be cool but as Jean has already pointed it does not seem to as cool as it was in the 80s and 90s judging from the recent pictures. Jean Thanks for mentioning the western parts of Malibu. I checked them out on google and they really look quite nice. But they are away considering the limited time I have in LA.But in general the western part of Malibu looks quite interesting I have to say.



Concerning Disneyland Never have been there in my life but wanted to go there since I was a boy. It is still on my list of things to do once in my life but have not considered visting the one in California. Wanted to visit the Disneyland in Paris at some point in the future. I have to admit though that I have not done any research if th Disneyland in Anaheim is better than the one in Paris. If that is the case I might reconsider visting it in ase I have enough time left and my budget allows it.

Re Disneyland. (I've been to Paris DL once and Anaheim probably 10-12 times over the years)

Paris Disney is not quite as good as DL in Anaheim. Anaheim was the first one and is sort of the mother ship of all DisneyLands worldwide (though Orlando has hugely eclipsed it size-wise and the number of parks on site).

I would definitely try to fit in DisneyLand in, but if you run out of time DL Paris would be a reasonable substitute. While Paris DL is not quite as good as Anaheim, it is still fun and has many of the same rides/experiences but with a slightlyEuropean twist. Paris is nearer to your home and relatively more convenient due to having train access.

You can't see/do everything so IF you don't have enough time for DL do go to Paris DL sometime (you'd really want two full days in Anaheim - one for Disneyland and one for California Adventure - so it does eat up a lot of time),

Since you'll have a car, I'd suggest maybe exploring a couple of relatively "hidden" (as much as that's possible in LA) residential areas that - to me at least, as a native Angeleno - are the stuff that dreams are made of, to quote Sam Spade.

1. Balboa Island (or "Little Bal") - part of Newport Beach. Small lots and packed houses in this drop-dead picturesque corner of Orange County. Take the ferry to/from the Balboa Peninsula. https://goo.gl/maps/6w9FZPLxxoFvr9uW6 and https://goo.gl/maps/J1mJhBsAH66BEAtj9

2. Naples. This district in Long Beach is (IMO) what the Venice district (farther north) wanted to become. It's a residential area with canals and channels and houses-to-die-for, next to some great cafes and bars on 2nd Street in the adjacent Belmont Shores district. https://goo.gl/maps/EZhTXwYy85PrTFH47

3. Pasadena landmarks. Chief among these are the Gamble House, an astonishing arts and crafts structure, which you may recognize from its role in several movies. Pasadena is full of architectural treasures in several "landmarks districts." https://goo.gl/maps/FVcMfUWEPF8P6usF8

4. The Strand. This is a pedestrian/bike pathway that runs along the beachfront from Manhattan Beach all the way to Redondo Beach. On one side is the beach and ocean, on the other a collection of houses (and a few businesses) that provoke ideas about robbing a bank so you can buy one. One of my all-time (and we're talking decades) favorite mornings is to have a massive breakfast at Martha's on 22nd in Hermosa Beach, then walking off the carbs along the Strand. But you can also walk along the Strand up by the iconic Manhattan Beach pier (where my life as an inept surfer back when had its start and end) or all the way down near the Redondo pier with its collection of cafes and restaurants. https://goo.gl/maps/tLSEfUAuqYxegmD2A and https://goo.gl/maps/2CM7S4XoRtZ7NF6G7

5. The Pueblo. The area around the historic heart of LA - the pueblo, is full of iconic destinations. Don't miss wonderful Union Station, Olvera Street, the old plaza... Have a French Dip sandwich as Philippe's and consider walking south toward LA's famous city hall and on to the Grand Central Market. There will be homeless folks about but you shouldn't be bothered in the daytime. https://goo.gl/maps/YsXDiyPW73uej6Xk6 https://goo.gl/maps/sbvBFNkw5yqhBAcq6 and https://goo.gl/maps/USfiZYXRvVxs6dDq6

6. Palm Springs. This is a couple of hours from LA, but oh so worth it. See the fabulous mid-century architecture, spend a day driving through Joshua Tree National Park, eat great food, and get a sense of LA's desert back yard. This is worth a serious detour if you can manage the time. Maybe do it en route to San Diego? https://goo.gl/maps/GfVPeaAn5zvZMxJP7

@janisj Thx a lot for the information about Disneyland. Did not know that Anaheim one was the first. Your suggestions align very well with my plan. I was also thinking about to consider a visit at DL but only as second rate destination. If I have enough time left. If not I will campaign the visit to DL with my planned visit to Paris. It won't matter then if the Paris one is not so good as the one in Anaheim. I would be able to compare the both anyway because it was going to be my first DL visit. California Adventure also looks cool. It seems reasonable to use 2 days at Anaheim to see everything.

Cannot say yet if I can spare the 2 days or not. But I will consider it for sure.

@Gardyloo That's a good advice. All the destinations really look awesome. Worth a visit for sure.Will check them out.

I think I sent you a link to this blog for a different topic about California on a different one of your posts, but I think he does a pretty good job of giving you lots of information on topics that are easy to find in one place:

https://californiathroughmylens.com/los-angeles-guide/

Tickets for Disneyland start at $104 for one day, one park. If I only had one day, I would spend it at classic Disneyland, the park Walt built, and he even had an apartment where he stayed overnight sometimes. He did not live to see Disneyworld open.
California Adventure is more oriented to Pixar rides and movies (Cars, Monsters, Inc., Shrek, etc.).

The museum of Jurassic technologyL https://www.mjt.org/

If you do go to Disneyland, avoid the weekends.

Yes you posted the link already. Thanks for mentioning it again. It is really a good site. I have also watched the videos linked there.

@Jamie, Michelle, Michael thx for the further tipps.

One thing to be aware of is that is yu are planning on coming in August, September then Palm Springs area will be very hot. We spend the winters there but by April it is already too hot for us and it is usually not cool enough for us to want to return until December. But we don't love extreme heat....

That's a very good point. Thanks for mentioning it. I am also not used to extreme heat and according to the weather data in the internet says that temperature in Palm Springs can rise well into the 40 degree range. That is really too hot if you are not used to such extreme temperatures. In October (the most likely month I am going to go) it is still up to 33 degrees. Stil quite hot but more bearable than temperatures in the 40s.

Yes, October is likely to still be very hot, and also I would mention that Palm Springs is quite seasonal so some restaurants are likely to be closed. And going back to your other thread-driving the highway (the I-10) isn't really a joy. If it were me, I would focus my time in LA exploring the city areas. We always tell friends that you kind of have to fall in love with LA on a "block by block basis-neighborhoods at a time". It will make you much more relaxed if you can just explore and stay off freeways when you can :)

That's another good thing to consider. If November is really of season and some restaurants might to be closed and the heat are 2 reasons not to vist Palm springs and just spend my time with exploring LA. It is a pity because Palm Springs look interesting. Would be cool to explore the Dessert Neigborhood of LA but the Heat might be a problem. I am really not cut out for the heat. I had to stay one night in Dubai during one of my flights to Japan because Narita airport was closed due to a heavy Typhoon. I stayed the whole day in the hotel. Was way to hot for me to go out.

Maybe I can visit Palm Springs on my second trip to California when I come in Winter. 3 weeks are way to short to see everything so I hope I can visist California a second time at one point in my life.

I can't remember if you are visiting Las Vegas or not, but if so, just rent a car for a day and drive out to Valley of Fire or something to see the desert.
One year we visited Indian Wells at my friend's and it was so hot all we did was stay in the pool on floaties all day long. This was in late August so many restaurants were closed.

Thanks for the advice. No for my first trip I have planned visiting San Francisco, Los Angeles and then San Diego. A visit to Las Vegas is not planned but Las Vegas and Nevada in general are destinations that would be very interesting for potential second trip. Valley of Fire looks like a really cool park. Would visit for sure if I am in that area in winter.

Las Vegas and the national parks like Bryce and Zion and then to Palm Springs would make a good next trip for you in the late winter early spring for example. I think with 3 weeks that the areas you have planned would be perfect and allow you to have a relaxed, fun trip.

November could be fine for Joshua Tree or Palm Springs. Since you will have a vehicle, just check the weather reports. I would not worry about restaurants being closed. Mainly that happens in July August when it is REALLY hot!

I would give the LA Chinatown a miss. Koreatown is more unique to Los Angeles. I live in Long Beach and also would give that a miss (including Naples). There is no reason to drive down here.

I would also probably skip Venice Beach and Santa Monica. A nicer beach was mentioned above, the Strand in Manhattan Beach. Or in Malibu you can go to the Malibu Lagoon State Beach. There is free parking on the Pacific Coast Hwy from approx 2343 Pacific Coast Hwy north, or in the local park nearby called Legacy Park. You do not have to pay if you walk in. The Cross Creek Shopping Center opposite the State Park has a Whole Foods in the back or there are a number of restaurants and take out places. The Adamson House is worth a visit if it is open.

A trip along Mulholland Drive, from the Cahuenga pass to the Pacific Ocean will give you a birds eye view of LA. If you have time go to the eastern Sierras/ Owens Valley via 395. As spectacular as the alps in the winter. Avoid the freeways at rush hour at all costs. The traffic schedule should dictate a lot of your schedule. Download the Waze app to get around easier.

Yes that sounds like a great route for a potential second trip. Thx for recommending it.

@mlgb and richardstutsman7851 Thx as well for the further route recommendations.