10 Must-See Los Angeles Neighborhoods and How to Visit

Downtown Los Angeles contains more than a dozen districts with distinct characteristics. The historic core’s beautiful buildings were mainly built at the turn of the 20th century, and it’s well worth taking an architecture tour for a better understanding. Civic Center and Bunker Hill are both the administrative and cultural hubs, while the Walt Disney® Concert Hall, The Music Center, Broad Museum, and Museum of Contemporary Art are all within walking distance of each other.

Also in the Downtown area, Little Tokyo is the largest Japantown in the US—along with numerous Japanese restaurants and shops, and two Japanese gardens, it’s home to the Japanese American National Museum. To the south of Little Tokyo, the revitalized Arts District houses a number of small galleries and some of the hottest restaurants and bars in town.

West Hollywood’s Sunset Strip is famous for its entertainment, with live music venues, comedy clubs, and bars, including the legendary Comedy Store and Whisky a Go Go. Chateau Marmont, famous as a celebrity hideaway, can also be found on Sunset Boulevard.

Another West Hollywood strip bustling with nightlife is Santa Monica Boulevard, a stretch of which is part of the historic Route 66. It’s now the center of the LGBTQ+ action in the city, with plenty of gay hotspots, including famous hangout The Abbey.

A small neighborhood that spans roughly a mile along Wilshire Boulevard, Miracle Mile contains quite a few of LA’s top museums. Explore the art at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and its street lamp installation that’s an attraction in and of itself, Urban Lights; the impressive cars at Petersen Automotive Museum; or check out the city’s prehistoric side at the La Brea Tar Pits. Wilshire’s latest addition is the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which delves into everything about the film industry. Get the lay of the land with a Segway tour before heading into the museums.

Related: Must-See Museums in Los Angeles

The largest Koreatown in the country, this 3-square-mile (8-square-kilometer) neighborhood is filled with so many restaurants and nightclubs that it would take months to explore. Here you’ll find some of the best Korean restaurants outside of Seoul, from tabletop Korean BBQ to spicy stews. Aesthetically pleasing coffee and dessert spots can be found on almost every block, and there are also 24-hour Korean spas.

In addition, there’s a significant Oaxacan community here, and some of the best Oaxacan restaurants in town can be found in this neighborhood. The Wiltern, a historic art deco theater that hosts some of LA’s biggest live music performances, is also in Koreatown.

Named after the Silver Lake Reservoir, this was once a small community with bohemian roots, but these days it’s known as one of LA’s trendiest neighborhoods. Silver Lake’s streets are lined with restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and small boutiques, and its hidden staircases—which lead up to the hillside residential homes—are also prime photo backdrops, especially the colorfully painted Micheltorena Stairs.

On the northern edge of Los Feliz lies Griffith Park, one of the largest urban parks in the country. Covering over 4,000 acres (1,600 hectares), it’s the site of some of Los Angeles’ most iconic landmarks, including the Hollywood Sign to the west and the Griffith Observatory to the south. The observatory is free to visit, but a guided tour will help you dive into the history, architecture, and astronomy behind it.

After exploring the park and observatory, head down to Hillhurst Avenue and refuel at one of the many independently owned restaurants, coffee shops, and bars.