first time visir

Hi there, i%26#39;m coming from london england( not sure when, or whats the best time to visit is) on my own, and want suggestions on certains things.

i want to stay in an area where i can get to disney, universal studios, knotts berry farm, hollywood, and the beach, plus all the other main attractiosn and sightseeing things

I dont drive so will i be able to get around to all of them by public transport(bus/metro)?

Where would be the best place to stay centrally, and not expensive. all i need is a basic room with shower, bed and tv.i will be in LA for 2 weeks hopefully, and would be happy if any of you can give me suggestion on the best places to see and go, and best places to go for outlet shooping malls.

Also, how far is the nearest airport away from the main city?

To be honest, i havent read up anything on the city, and would like as much info as your all able to give.

prices, directions, places of entertainment, etc?

many thanks, A Parke

first time visir

Start by reading our FAQs section (at the top of the TOPIC list) thoroughly. The section called ARRIVAL / DEPARTURE TRANSPORTATION discusses the 5 area airports (Bob Hope Airport in Burbank is the closest to downtown L.A.) and the section called LOCAL TRANSPORATION has an area map which shows you the locations of the attractions you%26#39;re interested in. The section called ITINERARY IDEAS shows suggested tours by car as well as via public transit.

Los Angeles is extremely spread out, not unlike London. However our public transit pales in comparison. In addition some attractions are outside of the city limits of Los Angeles, e.g. Disneyland and Knotts are southeast of the city (about 40 minutes by car, longer by public transit) in the city of Anaheim in the neighboring county, Orange County. Universal is also outside of the city limits (although it is JUST outside and the beach areas of Santa Monica and Malibu are also outside of the city of L.A. adjacent to its western boundary.

So, it%26#39;s hard to pick an area that is conveniently located to all of these areas except to say that the two neighborhoods that are the most central and have the best public transit are:

1. Downtown L.A. (which, surprisingly, is not in the center of our city but is, rather, near its eastern boundary)

and

2. Hollywood

Pick up a travel guide for Los Angeles. There is a British Company called ';DK'; which has ';Eyewitness'; guides for L.A and many, many other international cities. Google them:

DK EYEWITNESS

You can also look at the city of L.A.%26#39;s Tourist Board%26#39;s website:

www.latourist.com/index.php…

You can visit L.A. almost any time -- our weather is fairly mild most of the year. (We do have a ';cooler'; winter with some rain so you might want to skip Dec through February. June, July and August are ';high season'; (most expensive rates). May and September are very nice times to visit and a little less expensive than summer.

After reviewing all of the above, post a NEW Posting with any further questions you may have. Include your dates or travel and your nightly budget for a hotel (Sorry, we don%26#39;t know what ';not expensive'; means to a Londoner in view of the devalued U.S. $).

first time visir

Please take the advice above and get a book!

It%26#39;s like me asking you where to stay when I want to visit London, Brighton, Liverpool - and be in a central location, just one location. There%26#39;s just no such thing. And while your destinations look fairly close on a map, they are about an hour or two apart, each way, at a minimum.

It%26#39;s impossible to provide a meaningful response to your question. The answer to most is that it%26#39;s either not possible or too difficult. You should first read a free guidebook like www.frommers.com/destinations/losangeles to get an idea of where things are located and how spread out this part of the world is. Some of the things you%26#39;re talking about are literally an hour or more drive away from one another. You also need to provide a price range per night for hotel suggestions. Have you considered a hostel as well?

There are thousands of websites about Los Angeles, just google it. A spread out place like Los Angeles is hard to visit if you dont do a little homework beforehand. We can always assist you with more detailed questions that you might have

many thanks for your suggestions. I%26#39;ve never really noticed the size of california but think i will have to do a few trips to take it all in.

I always thought you could get to evrywhere by metro, but your saying some of the theme parks are a couple of hours away!.

when i mean inexpensive for a hotel..i%26#39;m looking at bout $80 a night(is that reasonable?)

Some the sights i want to visit are:-

Disney

Universal

Knotts Berry Farm

Ripleys,

Hollywood walk of fame

Rose bowl

Guiness book of records

Rodeo Drive

Beverley Hills

Farmers Market

shopping malls

maybe a beach.

i%26#39;d be travelling every day for 2 weeks, so what sort of pass would i need if i was in downtown hollywood or in downtown LA?

again many thanks, A Parke

- $80 is not reasonable for a hotel in LA. You can only get a motel for that price and not in a nicer area by the beach etc. That%26#39;s basically the cost of a private room at a hostel.

- LA has a very limited underground metro. From everything you listed, it only goes to Pasadena and Hollywood. You have the take buses for the rest. Getting from Hollywood to the beach areas for example takes 1 hr and 2 buses. Getting to Pasadena takes about 45min from central LA and an hour from beach neigborhoods. LA is huge and spread out. And Disneyland, Knott%26#39;s etc are not in LA at all. They%26#39;re in another county. Think of California as the entire UK. It%26#39;s that big.

- Your trip will be most convenient with a car, especially for such a long stay. If there is nothing preventing you from driving, rent one. It%26#39;s cheaper for extended periods of time anyway. And Southern California is a car city.

- The only theme park that%26#39;s actually located in Los Angeles itself is Universal Studios. All the other ones are a 45-60 min drive away in other cities. There is no easy way to get to them by public transportation. Most of that will require several connections and a 2-hr commute each way. You can go on an organized tour that includes admission to the park, but those tend to be expensive (i.e. it%26#39;s cheaper and more convenient to rent a car and go there yourself). There is a ~$20 shuttle (each way) that can take you to Disneyland either directly from the airport or twice a day from some of the major hotels in the area.

- FAQs on this forum describe each neighborhood you can stay in. Check them out and see what appeals to you. You basically need to decide what you%26#39;d rather be near, whether walking to bars is important, whether a nicer looking area is important, whether being by the beach is important, and whether you will rent a car. With a car, your options of where to stay increase tremendously.

- Btw, you should consider a hostel, especially if you%26#39;re relatively young (under 30) and traveling alone. It%26#39;s easy to meet people that way and the do lots of organized tours to popular sites and outings to bars and clubs. Check out the USA Hostels Hollywood website for example to see what they offer. You can get a private room for around $60-80, so you won%26#39;t have to share.

- Also, considering going up to SF. It%26#39;s a much smaller city and is actually walkable. Public transporation is good there, so you won%26#39;t need a car. You can take a train or fly (same price around $50 one way) from LA to SF and spend 4-5 days there easily. It%26#39;s a 50 min flight away.