We're going to Australia!! what would you do with one day in L.A.?

[Jillpie]

So excited. We're doing an 18 day tour of Australia! We have one full day in L.A (east coaster here), to break up the flights. Two years ago, we stopped here on our way to New Zealand and took a tourist bus to Manhattan Beach and walked the pier and had dinner there. That was fun. But having really never been to L.A., shouldn't we see Hollywood, Universal maybe? If you landed one day at 11:00 am, and didn't fly out till 11:00 pm the next day, what would you do?

 

[BrianL]

I mean, Disneyland if you're up for it. Only one day could be tough though. Universal Hollywood is great and can easily be done in a day. If you want to check out Hollywood and the like, you can go to the Hollywood and Highland area. The Madame Toussaud's there is pretty neat. Me'l's Diner is nearby, but it's not really that special other than being famous. You could roll that into the Warner Bro's Studio tour which is pretty fun. It only takes like 4 hours. It's closer to Universal though, but I think it'd be hard to do both that and Uni.

 

[Jillpie]

I mean, Disneyland if you're up for it. Only one day could be tough though. Universal Hollywood is great and can easily be done in a day. If you want to check out Hollywood and the like, you can go to the Hollywood and Highland area. The Madame Toussaud's there is pretty neat. Me'l's Diner is nearby, but it's not really that special other than being famous. You could roll that into the Warner Bro's Studio tour which is pretty fun. It only takes like 4 hours. It's closer to Universal though, but I think it'd be hard to do both that and Uni.

Thanks! We won't have a car, if we just wanted to do Warner Bro's tour, would that be easy to Uber from an LAX hotel? I think that would be a blast.

 

[BrianL]

Thanks! We won't have a car, if we just wanted to do Warner Bro's tour, would that be easy to Uber from an LAX hotel? I think that would be a blast.

Well, it's not that close. It's closer than Anaheim, but in LA Traffic it'll still take a while. Of course, if you are going to Hollywood it is in the same basic area, so I mean, yeah, go for it. It is also possible to take the subway to the Hollywood/Highland area if that's something you might consider. The studios are up in the hills from there.

The WB tour is definitely worthwhile, especially if you like Harry Potter or Batmobiles! They do a small tour with only about 8 people per tour guide and what you see can vary as it depends on what is taping and what isn't. They also have show tapings there, so you might consider going to one. They can take a while though.

 

[Jillpie]

Thanks Brian, great advice!

 

[Micca]

I'd do Disneyland by whatever means it took to get there. But that's just me

 

[elphaba91]

Good choice breaking up the flights! On my last trip to the States we stayed one night at the Hilton at LAX. The next day we got an Uber to Santa Monica, hung out on the pier a bit, hired bikes and rode them to Marina Del Ray and back and ate at Bubba Gump for dinner before heading back to the airport.

If you haven’t been to Hollywood before though, I would perhaps head to the Walk of Fame. It’s not something I’d do again though.

Universal could be an option on the day of your flight, but make sure you leave plenty of time to get back to the airport!

 

[Jillpie]

Good choice breaking up the flights! On my last trip to the States we stayed one night at the Hilton at LAX. The next day we got an Uber to Santa Monica, hung out on the pier a bit, hired bikes and rode them to Marina Del Ray and back and ate at Bubba Gump for dinner before heading back to the airport.

If you haven’t been to Hollywood before though, I would perhaps head to the Walk of Fame. It’s not something I’d do again though.

Universal could be an option on the day of your flight, but make sure you leave plenty of time to get back to the airport!

Good ideas, thank you!

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

With only one day, and if you won't have access to a car, I'd keep it really simple. There is a Disneyland Resort Express bus that would pick you up at LAX, and take you back there the next day, if you'd like to visit Disneyland and/or California Adventure.

LA is a huge place with so much to do. Virtually everything you might like to see requires driving a car on freeways you're better off navigating when you're not jetlagged or feeling pressure to make the most of just a day. If it were me, I would consider doing something minor this time around so that I would have time to get some rest for the long flight to Australia. Santa Monica isn't too far from LAX, and it's a cute area with a nice beach and shopping. Could you consider a separate trip later to visit LA and maybe San Diego? I'd try to take pressure off this trip if I were you.

 

[Jillpie]

I'd do Disneyland by whatever means it took to get there. But that's just me

We thought about that, but figured after flying and traveling since 5:00 am, we wouldn't enjoy it so much for that day, but thanks!

 

[Jillpie]

With only one day, and if you won't have access to a car, I'd keep it really simple. There is a Disneyland Resort Express bus that would pick you up at LAX, and take you back there the next day, if you'd like to visit Disneyland and/or California Adventure.

LA is a huge place with so much to do. Virtually everything you might like to see requires driving a car on freeways you're better off navigating when you're not jetlagged or feeling pressure to make the most of just a day. If it were me, I would consider doing something minor this time around so that I would have time to get some rest for the long flight to Australia. Santa Monica isn't too far from LAX, and it's a cute area with a nice beach and shopping. Could you consider a separate trip later to visit LA and maybe San Diego? I'd try to take pressure off this trip if I were you.

You may be right. I still like the Warner Bros tour idea on that first day out there, but the second day and the Australia flight would be that night, I really want to relax, maybe stay by the hotel pool. We still have some time to think about it and plan. But thanks everyone!

 

[ronandannette]

So excited. We're doing an 18 day tour of Australia! We have one full day in L.A (east coaster here), to break up the flights. Two years ago, we stopped here on our way to New Zealand and took a tourist bus to Manhattan Beach and walked the pier and had dinner there. That was fun. But having really never been to L.A., shouldn't we see Hollywood, Universal maybe? If you landed one day at 11:00 am, and didn't fly out till 11:00 pm the next day, what would you do?

We LOVE LA and since there are so many things you've not seen there, how about one of those hop-on-hop-off double decker bus tours on the day you arrive? I haven't done one around LA but have had very good luck with them elsewhere. You could get in a brief visit to Hollywood (really all you need) as well as many of the other famous locations like Rodeo Drive, LaBrea and the Griffith Observatory. And definitely go to the Santa Monica pier - it's just SO iconic. As others have mentioned, US Hollywood is very manageable in one day and honestly, the back-lot tour and other rides with 3-D effects defy description. I'd do this on your 2nd day and if nothing else, it would ensure you were tired enough to sleep on your flight.

Have fun!!

I'd do Disneyland by whatever means it took to get there. But that's just me

I'm tempted to agree, although it doesn't seem quite right for the OP this time. We've done one-day visits to DLR and CA several times and wouldn't have missed it for the world (no pun intended ).

 

[cinnaminny]

Between two long flights? I wouldn't do much. I would take a nap! I would probably end up going to the Santa Monica Pier.

 

[Jillpie]

We LOVE LA and since there are so many things you've not seen there, how about one of those hop-on-hop-off double decker bus tours on the day you arrive? I haven't done one around LA but have had very good luck with them elsewhere. You could get in a brief visit to Hollywood (really all you need) as well as many of the other famous locations like Rodeo Drive, LaBrea and the Griffith Observatory. And definitely go to the Santa Monica pier - it's just SO iconic. As others have mentioned, US Hollywood is very manageable in one day and honestly, the back-lot tour and other rides with 3-D effects defy description. I'd do this on your 2nd day and if nothing else, it would ensure you were tired enough to sleep on your flight.

Have fun!!

I'm tempted to agree, although it doesn't seem quite right for the OP this time. We've done one-day visits to DLR and CA several times and wouldn't have missed it for the world (no pun intended ).

oh my gosh, I like this hop on hop off bus idea too! Does anyone know if we can catch one from the LAX hotel area?

 

[jaiminee krikit]

We spent a few days in LA this summer on a school trip. The best thing we did was the Warner Bros Studio Tour! I seriously could’ve spent a couple of days there! The Original Farmers Market was kinda neat, too - lots of different types of food (of course my kid headed straight for the pizza lol)
The Walk of Fame was something else we did. It was okay, a lot of homeless people hanging out there, and a lot of people selling stuff, and people dancing in the middle of the sidewalk with their boomboxes. It was not my favorite but I felt it was something we had to do.
But yeah, traffic is atrocious out there. It took a good hour to get anywhere. I don’t plan on ever going back.

 

[ronandannette]

oh my gosh, I like this hop on hop off bus idea too! Does anyone know if we can catch one from the LAX hotel area?

I know nothing about this company but I have seen their buses winding their way through the traffic! Everybody looks like they're having a great time.
https://www.citysightseeinglosangeles.com/categories/tours-from-lax

 

[Franrose]

We do the opposite to you - break up our flights from Australia to the east coast and back, lol. This trip and the last, I've booked us a night at Redondo beach and we will just take it easy. Last time we visited a little aquarium right there, and hired bikes to ride along the beach. The flight to Aus is long and for us it comes right at the end of our trip where we may be starting to fade a little bit. We have done Disneyland visits in prior trips, but we always leave at least a few days for that if it's an on-the-way stop to Orlando, or closer to a week if it's an on-the-way back stop.

 

[Franrose]

ETA we did do a bus tour one time actually, it was fun, can't remember who with (was 7 years ago, lol). It was just after landing from a 14 hour flight though and we were sooo tired, the kids fell asleep.

 

[Jillpie]

Thanks so much everyone, loving all these ideas!