My recent trip to California began in Los Angeles International Airport where I landed on a Saturday morning. From there, I immediately took a shuttle to the car rental company to pick up my rental car. Indeed, you will 100% need a car if you want to explore the West Coast. If you’re planning on only staying in major cities, you might be able to do so without one, but it’s much easier to get from one place to another with a car. A very popular thing to do is to rent your car one-way, meaning you will get the car in one city, and drop it off in another one. I’d recommend checking for the best online deal in advance, and make sure to read the terms and conditions before confirming your reservation to ensure the price you see online is the price you will end up paying for real. I personally chose to book with Entreprise, and was very pleased with my experience. Their check in process was quick and simple, and the quality of the service I got was really outstanding.

Where to stay?

Honestly, if you’re looking at saving a few $$, Airbnb is the way to go! More specifically, I would recommend renting a private room in an apartment (meaning you’ll share the space with the owner and/or other guests). Prices for nice hotels are significantly more expensive so it really is up to you and the experience you want to have, but you’ll be out exploring pretty much the whole time. I chose to stay at an Airbnb in Hollywood to be in the heart of the city, and closer to most attractions. After I picked up my rental car, I went straight to my Airbnb as my host allowed me to check in early :)

Day 1

LACMA

After I dropped all my stuff at my Airbnb, I quickly headed to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (most commonly known as LACMA). I wanted to see the now famous Urban Light work of art by Chris Burden. It is composed of 202 antique street lamps assembled in a geometric shape right next to the left of the museum entrance (outside). Since my day started around noon, I unfortunately didn’t have time to visit the inside, but I only heard positive reviews. Next time!

Venice Beach

I then drove to Venice Beach in quest of a bit of sun and sand! Getting there on a Saturday was certainly not the best idea I’ve had, but I didn’t really have a choice. I struggled a lot to find parking, and ended up paying quite an expensive amount of money to park my car. Thankfully, I finally parked right next to the beach. Venice Beach is a very interesting place and was much different from what I had envisioned. Let me explain. I imagined the boardwalk to be full of little shops, which is the case, but not exactly the types I had in mind. The stores you find there are pretty eclectic, and you’ll find lots of weird stuff too. It is over crowded, and there are so many people performing, it’s very loud. I personally didn’t really like the vibe there. In my opinion, a much better alternative to Venice Boardwalk for shops and restaurants is to walk up to Abbott Kinney boulevard (approx. 15 min) and just walk around the area. It is full of super cute places, and it’s much more quiet. On the other hand, the beach itself is absolutely stunning. I don’t think I had ever seen a beach so impressive; it is very long and massive, the sand is white, it’s obviously super spacious so you can just sit there without being right next to other people. There’s also a beautiful skatepark right on the beach where locals and tourists come to watch skateboarders do their tricks.

Malibu

Afterwards, I felt a bit overwhelmed by the amount of people and traffic I had experienced in Venice so I decided to head to Malibu to end the day there. My friend Johanne knows I love beautiful nature and sceneries and recommended El Matador State Beach. Driving there took about 35 minutes, and once I arrived, there weren’t that many people considering it was a Saturday evening. I stayed there for a few hours until sunset, which was really beautiful. One thing I need to highlight though, is the amount of professional photoshoots that take place on that beach. Indeed the place is stunning so it serves as backdrop for all sorts of shoots: engagement, wedding, modelling, pregnancy, etc.

Day 2

Downtown LA

The next day I headed to The Broad museum, which opens at 10am. If you’re lucky enough to get a ticket online a few weeks in advance, good for you! Otherwise you can just show up there and wait in line. It typically doesn’t take much longer than 30-60 minutes to get in. I found this museum’s collection pretty awesome and particularly enjoyed Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Room and Jeff Koons artwork. After the museum, I walked to Los Angeles Grand Central Market to get breakfast, but the lines were long so I just walked around a bit and decided to go have brunch at The Exchange restaurant, which is on the main floor at the Broken Shaker. I definitely recommend checking out their rooftop terrace!

Hollywood

After that, I decided to quickly stop by Beverly Hills just to drive around the neighbourhood and get a feel of what it’s like living there. Clearly, I’ve seen worse places! I then headed to Hollywood boulevard to see the Walk of Fame, and shortly after I drove to the best Hollywood sign viewpoint I could find: Lake Hollywood Park. This place is honestly a bit hard to access, the roads to get there are narrow and there are so many turns you almost get a headache! But the view is totally worth it :) Once I was done with this place, I decided to go back to my car and drive to the Griffith Observatory, but right before I stepped into my car, this young couple approached me to ask me how far was the observatory from here. They were friendly and we got along well, so since they didn’t have a car, I offered them to come with me. Oktawia and Hassan are from the UK and had just started a one-year world trip. We had plenty of time to discuss during our little hike to the top of the observatory, and snapped lots of beautiful photos. The view there is truly stunning and you get a 360 degree viewpoint on the city, the ocean, as well as the backcountry and the Hollywood sign! It really is a must when you visit LA.

Santa Monica

Afterwards, I suggested that we all go to Santa Monica for sunset and dinner at the pier. They gladly accepted to join me so we headed there and arrived just in time to see the last few rays of sunshine. Santa Monica Pier is very lively and I’m glad we explored it at night. The vibe was awesome and there was animation everywhere.

Day 3

Victoria Beach

On my third day, I woke up really early (5am) because I wanted to drive to the South of Los Angeles and I knew the traffic was probably going to be horrible if I left the place too late. The first stop I had planned was Victoria Beach, a quiet beach located in Laguna Beach with a natural pool and a picturesque tower. I got so lucky I was alone when I got there so I enjoyed the place to myself!

Newport Beach

I then headed to Newport Beach to get breakfast. I stopped in Crystal Cove National Park, and parked my car in the designated area on the other side of the road. I went to have breakfast at the Beachcomber restaurant which is located right by the beach! The food was good and I also had excellent service. This place offers free parking for 3 hours if you give them your parking ticket. I thus enjoyed a couple more hours tanning on the beach after I was done eating! It is a really beautiful beach that I highly recommend visiting!

Huntington Beach

Next on my list was Huntington beach, which is very famous for its pier and its surfing contests. Again, I had a very pleasant experience there enjoying the sun, and watching surfers. The waves were quite strong so I decided not to go for a swim and simply enjoy the view and some time off my phone :)

Laguna Beach

Last but not least, I drove back to Laguna Beach to check out its famous beach, but also to watch the sunset. While waiting for the sun to go down I had drinks and dinner at Las Brisas, which was delicious, I recommend trying their tuna poke. I then headed to Heisler Park (which is just in front) to snap a few sunset pictures before driving back to my Airbnb.