How to visit LA’s cultural highlights in 72 hours

Los Angeles has long been the West Coast’s star attraction, offering a heady blend of Hollywood glamour and glorious sunshine. Yet recently, away from the plush red carpets and swaying palm trees, it’s been LA’s revitalised downtown, thriving art scene and diverse culinary offerings that have stolen the limelight. While it’s hard to do the wonders of this sprawling, multi-layered city justice in just a couple of days, it’s still plenty of time to get a taste for what makes LA a blockbuster hit. Here's how to spend 72 hours in LA.

Day one: visit LA’s most exciting exhibitions

Kick things off with a 1,000-layer pancake at Pine and Crane DTLA, an airy eatery serving modern takes on traditional Taiwanese cuisine. Hungry for culture? Head to Exposition Park, a tree-lined neighbourhood that’s currently being transformed into a hub for PST Art: Art and Science Collide, a major art event organised by Getty exploring timely topics such as environmental justice and artificial intelligence (September 2024 to February 2025). Found in Exposition Park and participating in PST Art, the Natural History Museum is set to open a transformative $75 million wing called the NHM Commons. This project will house a 400-seat theatre used for performances, educational seminars and festivals. Within the leafy confines of Exposition Park, you’ll also find the California Science Center and the California African American Museum, which is home to over 5,000 objects representing the diverse contributions of African Americans in the United States. If time, sports fans should make a beeline for the 77,500-seater LA Memorial Coliseum also situated in the park. Make the most of a guided tour of the stadium before it hosts the 2028 Summer Olympics — making it the first stadium to have hosted the sporting event three times .

Work up an appetite by wandering through the park’s sunken rose gardens (a masterpiece of landscaping that’s even starred as an eery backdrop in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer) before heading to the nearby Mexican seafood restaurant Holbox in the Mercado La Paloma. Take a seat at the bustling counter of this laidback dining spot, where chef Gilberto Cetina Jr has gained a Michelin recommendation for his dishes, including the famed empanadas.

Fortified, head to Destination Crenshaw, which opens this year. The open-air museum will stretch 1.3 miles along Crenshaw Boulevard and feature works by more than 100 Black artists and be the largest Black public art project in the US. Then, swing by Sole Folks — a cutting-edge retail incubator showcasing young designers from underserved communities — to shop for sharp threads and cool travel bags.

These days, no visit to LA is complete without catching a football game at the glittering BMO Stadium in Exposition Park, an epic 22,000-seat stadium that’s home to Los Angeles Football Club and Angel City Football Club. Round your debut day off with a well-earned plate of smoked brisket slathered in tangy apple barbecue sauce at Alta Adams, a soul food joint with a stylish al fresco patio, perfect for balmy LA evenings.

Day two: get your design fix at LA's Arts District

Rise and shine with a hearty plate of spicy huevos rancheros at Zinc Cafe in LA’s Arts District, a trendy hub jampacked with galleries, breweries and underground music venues. The beauty of this neighbourhood is that most of the attractions are within walking distance, so ditch the car and explore on foot.

Over the Influence is a gallery showcasing contemporary art and design, while nearby, Hauser & Wirth has transformed a former flour mill into a globally recognised multipurpose art centre, complete with a tranquil mural-clad garden. Continue on to Hennessey & Ingalls to browse carefully curated shelves of design and architecture books, while a visit to high fashion Dover Street Market rewards with a glimpse into the latest style trends, housed within an industrial-chic boutique.

Head to the historic Olvera Street district to explore LA’s Latin heritage, first with lunch at Chiguacle Sabor Ancestral de Mexico, where the menu riffs on Yucatán classics, before stopping by at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, a cultural complex dedicated to Mexican-American artists. As evening falls, Bavel has become the city’s hotspot for new-wave Middle Eastern cuisine, with standout dishes including delicious slow-cooked shawarmas and tender beef cheek tagine sprinkled with pomegranate seed jewels.

Day three: discover a symphony of architecture & music in the Historic Core

Launching back in 2011, Eggslut has since become a cult breakfast destination, with outposts in London, Tokyo and LA’s Grand Central Market food hall and emporium. Try potato puree topped with coddled egg, before checking out the architectural delights of the area, including the imposing Bradbury Building, used in the 1982 sci-fi film Blade Runner, and the soaring Angels Flight funicular railway, famed as the world’s shortest railway.

Once you’ve come back down to earth, walk through a tunnel made entirely of well-thumbed novels at the Last Bookstore, which also stocks rare comics and vinyl. Leave the City of Angels on a high note with a farewell visit to the spectacular Walt Disney Concert Hall. Designed by architect Frank Gehry, this harmonic building of stainless-steel curves is the place to hear some of the finest classical, jazz and contemporary music around.