Route 66, Best Things to do in Los Angeles

ByFernando America, Destinations, Road trip, Route 66, USA

We’ve compiled a list of the best things to do in Los Angeles and Route 66. So whether you’re looking for an adrenaline rush, some culture, or just want to see the sights, this guide has something for everyone!

Los Angeles, it’s a great place for travelers to experience and enjoy their trip. This blog post will tell you about some of the attractions that are worth visiting, as well as what makes them so special!

Start planning your trips with this Printable Travel Planner PDF

Los Angeles Route 66

We count on you having read the post on Route 66 Planning and Budget. And you have a plan for what you’re going to go through each day that can be more or less flexible, and you should be clear by now what dates you’re traveling.

I also recommend that you read this post about the day-to-day itinerary of Route 66 in 15 days. You will find a summary of what to see each day and the links to each post, where we expand the information.

Santa Monica Beach Los Angeles Route 66

Where to Stay in Los Angeles?

As mentioned at the beginning of Route 66, it is recommended that you book the hotel rooms in advance.

The main reason is the price. When you make the reservation at least a couple of months in advance, you find accommodation at a better price, especially in the big cities in the US 66.

Where is the END of Route 66 in Los Angeles?

Los Angeles Route 66 end-of-route sign is currently located on Santa Monica Pier.

Formally, Route 66 never ended here by the sea. Rather, it ended in downtown Los Angeles at the corner of 7th and Broadway st. in 1926.

A decade later, the journey was lengthened to Lincoln and Olympic boulevards in Santa Monica. One mile from the current end.

Since the end was not very scenic, in 2009, the Route 66 Alliance and the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation put up the sign on the Santa Monica Pier, creating this unofficial end of the road trip.

But much more attractive, so you won’t be disappointed after driving the 2,500 miles of Route 66 🙂

Los Angeles, Route 66, United States

Los Angeles Route 66 Attractions

Here’s a full-page with lots of activities to do in Los Angeles for all tastes and budgets. Let me know which ones are your favorites!

Los Angeles Beaches

Los Angeles is a gigantic city, but really gigantic, so you have to go a little directed to what you want to see; otherwise, you are lost. So what not to miss in Los Angeles, the beaches, to begin with:

  • Santa Mónica Beach,
  • Malibu Beach
  • Venice Beach
  • El Matador Beach
  • Manhattan Beach
  • Hermosa Beach
Los Angeles Route 66

One of the things that caught my attention is the lifeguard guard posts in Santa Monica. Although you will be sick of seeing them in the movies or the series of “The Baywatch,” they are very nice.

The pier of Santa Monica (Pier call them to the docks) is quite well, has attractions and shops where you can buy some souvenirs. It is one of the main attractions for those who travel Route 66 since the end of the route sign.

The only thing you should not stop doing is taking a dip in one of the beaches, not for nothing, but because you are bathing in the Pacific! Unfortunately, I don’t have many opportunities to do that, so I don’t let it escape.

Downtown Los Angeles

Los Angeles is a vibrant city with an awesome mix between old and new. You can find a skyscraper around the corner, a colorful mural, a museum, or a funicular.

You’ll find many things to do on your own; my recommendation is to do a self-guided walking tour of Downtown Los Angeles. It will take you about two hours, and you will get to know the most important places in the city.

Also, you can enjoy artisanal food at the Grand Central Market, a reinvented building, opened for the first time in 1917.

Beverly Hills

If you have tired of beaches or are not very interested in them, you are in the city of cinema, so you can take the opportunity to get to know Beverly Hills or try to get as close as possible to the famous Hollywood letters, the best place to do it is Mulholland Highway. Don’t stop taking a photo.

The people who live there are super used to tourists, so if you get lost, ask. I don’t know what others will experience with the Americans, but they were very kind and helpful to us practically as long as I remember.

But hey, I’m sure others will say otherwise, and they won’t be right either; that was my experience.

From Beverly Hills to tell you … well, you don’t see anything. However, you can buy a map with “The Famous Route,” where they tell you that this is the house of so and so and that is the house of …

When you go, you find a great house, fenced, with some super dense 7-meter-high trees; well, if you are lucky, you see someone famous on the street, but little else. I didn’t see any (at least I recognized). So we took a walk, took a couple of photos, and off we went.

Take a tour of the houses of famous; I’m sure they tell you interesting things.

Hollywood

Be sure to take a walk along Sunset Boulevard, and it has pretty cool places to have a drink.

If you like to go out at night, this is one place, but pack your wallet.

Parallel to Sunset Boulevard to the north runs Hollywood Boulevard, the famous (never better said) “walk of fame,” where its sidewalks are decorated with the famous stars and/or the hand’s shape of some celebrity.

In this same street are the famous Chinese Theater and Kodak Theater. In the latter, the Oscar gala is held.

Los Angeles Route 66

You will not recognize it without all the paraphernalia they assemble, but yes, those are. This street is also full of places to have a drink and pubs at night.

But it is definitely a normal street, I don’t want to be a redneck, but sometimes it reminded me of Bravo Murillo in Madrid… There are many more beautiful streets in the world.

Near Hollywood Boulevard, you have the Griffith Observatory, with great views of Los Angeles.

To visit Universal Studios, you have to spend one more day.

Los Angeles Route 66

Travel the West Coast before or after Route 66

Do you have time to tour around Los Angeles? Then, don’t forget to travel along the West Coast along Route 1, running through California from North to South, joining San Francisco and Los Angeles along the coast.

We did it before starting Route 66, and we loved it.

It is 380 miles, about 600 km, where there are many places to stop, charming cities, super famous beaches, and much more.

Also, on the west coast, you have some places with the best waves in the world for surfing.

What is the best area to stay in LA?

  • Beverly Hills is the “posh” and most expensive area.
  • Downtown Los Angeles, the “Downtown,” is less touristy than Hollywood.
  • Hollywood, close to major attractions
  • Malibu, Santa Monica, Venice, LA’s beaches
  • West Hollywood, ideal for young couples.

Take into account for your road trip that your hotel has parking. Again, if it’s free or included in the room’s price, the better.

Here are the hotels we recommend to stay in and around Los Angeles. There is something for all tastes and budgets.

Booking.com

How to get from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on Route 66

From Los Angeles to Las Vegas on Route 66, there are 443 miles, approximately 700km. It may be a shorter ride if you’re on the interstate, but you’d be missing out on some of Route 66’s top attractions.

Route 66, what to see between Los Angeles and Las Vegas

Between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, you have some of the main attractions of Route 66. We recommend that you make this journey in 2 days and save about 4 days for Las Vegas, Death Valley, and Grand Canyon National Park.

Stretch 1. Los Angeles – Amboy

  • Madonna of the Trail
  • Fontana
  • Cajon Pass
  • Victorville
  • Newberry Springs. Bagdad Cafe
  • Calico ghost town
  • Ludlow
  • Joshua Tree National Park
  • Amboy, Roy’s Motel & Cafe

Read the full post of The Route 66 Stretch from Los Angeles to Amboy.

route 66 sunset on the road

Stretch 2. Amboy – Kingman

  • Laughlin y Colorado River
  • Needles
  • Topock
  • Oatman
  • Kingman

Read the full post of the Route 66 Stretch from Amboy to Kingman

Stretch 3. Kingman – Las Vegas

  • Hoover Dam, on the border of Nevada and Arizona

How to get from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon

You can go from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon following the previous section, go from Las Vegas, or go directly from Los Angeles.

From LA to Grand Canyon National Park, there are about 500 miles (about 800 km). If you like to drive, you can do it on a day’s drive. Stay at some grand canyon hotels and enjoy a couple of days in this wonder of nature.

Check out the post about the Grand Canyon National Park.

Itinerary Route 66 day by day

Route 66 must-visit places

And if you liked it, share it with your friends on social media. Happy and Safe Trips!

Last Updated on 5 July, 2021 by Veronica

Que decirte, nací con la democracia en España, me encanta viajar, conocer culturas y gente diferente, ampliar horizontes y darme cuenta de que el mundo es mucho mas rico de lo que nos creemos. No viajo para entretenerme, viajo para enriquecerme y volver algo diferente de como llegué a mi destino.

4 Comments

  1. ¡Hola! Gracias por tu publicación. Soy de California pero también viví en España10 años. Así que ambos amamos a California y España. 🙂 Estaba viendo tu blog porque una amiga me está visitando y no he ido a estos lugares turisticos desde hace décadas, así que tu blog me ayudó bastante. Gracias. Sólamente quería mencionar algunas correcciones en dos cosas que escribiste.

    Primero, escribiste:
    ¨On the highways in Los Angeles I found that a lane called “fast lane” is distinguished with a double line and to leave or enter these lanes is allowed only at very specific points, but these points are not defined by any guardrail. My first instinct is to get in, continuous line or not. Don’t do it – you might have an accident, and on the other hand, they control traffic pretty good so you can end up with a fine just for a silly thing. In addition, they are very respectful of traffic rules; I have seen very few exceptions to this.¨

    Lo que dijiste sobre la doble linea de este carril es correcto. Sin embargo, este carril no se llama el “fast lane;” se llama el “carpool lane,” y no todos pueden usarlo. Solamente coches que tienen 2 pasajeros o más (incluyendo el conductor) pueden usarlo. La razón por este carril es animar a los ciudadanos de California a compartir viajes, y por lo tanto, producir menos contaminación al aire de Los Ángeles. Si una policia ve a una sola persona en el carpool lane, se puede recibir una multa de cientos de dolares.
    Se ve que este carril va más rápido porque, desafortunadamente, menos gente comparte viajes.

    Otra corrección es el siguiente:
    ¨Another thing that’s a little different is joining to highways. In many of them you’ll find a traffic light for each lane, which runs alternately, allowing each lane to get into the highway.¨

    Aquí es mejor decir: “Another thing that´s a little different is when you get on (or enter) a freeway. In many of them….”

    !Saludos y bendiciones!

    Reply

    1. Maybe I should´ve written my above post in English.

      The “fast lane” is not called the “fast lane;” it’s called the “carpool lane,” and not everyone can use it. The carpool lane is only for cars that have two or more people (including the driver.) The reason for the carpool lane was to encourage Californians to carpool (ride-share) and thus lesson the car fumes and Los Angeles pollution. If a policeman catches someone in the carpool lane without any passengers, he/she can receive a ticket (fine) worth many hundreds of dollars.

      Another correction is from the paragraph:
      ¨Another thing that’s a little different is joining to highways. In many of them you’ll find a traffic light for each lane, which runs alternately, allowing each lane to get into the highway.¨
      In English it’s better to say: “Another thing that´s a little different is when you get on (or enter) a freeway. In many of them….”

      Reply

        1. Hola Margaret!
          Muchísimas gracias por las correcciones! Lo arreglo ahora mismo!
          Si ves alguna más en otros post, te agradezco si me lo dices también!

          Saludos! 🙂

          Reply

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