The resurgent urban core — downtown LA, with its skyscrapers, the Broad and MOCA art museums, Grand Central Market, Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Arts District's galleries and breweries, and the most walkable streets in the city. Central, cultured and increasingly hip (if uneven block to block), well-placed for transit; the base for travellers who want city energy, art, great food and to skip the sprawl. LA at its most urban and walkable.
A look around
What you’ll be living next to. Swipe through.
$280–450
typical per night in United States
The sensible middle
Typical prices for Los Angeles — neither steal nor splurge.
Where it sits
The circle is Downtown and roughly a 10-minute walk around it.
How far is everything?
From the middle of this area to the city's headline sights — pick your own on the city page and these become your list.
- LA tacos & Mexican food16 min walk1.3 km
- Griffith Observatory30 min taxi10.0 km
- LACMA & the Academy Museum32 min taxi10.7 km
- Hollywood & the Walk of Fame33 min taxi11.1 km
- The Getty Center64 min taxi21.3 km
- Venice Beach & the canals64 min taxi21.4 km
- Santa Monica & Venice (beach)68 min taxi22.6 km
- Santa Monica Pier & beach70 min taxi23.3 km
- Malibu & the coast147 min taxi49.1 km
On your doorstep
What you’re living next to if you stay here.
- 5.The Broad & Disney Hall — Downtown's cultural one-two — the Broad, a free contemporary-art museum with a stunning honeycomb façade and a superb collection (Warhol, Koons, Kusama's Infinity Rooms), next to Frank Gehry's dazzling silver-swooping Walt Disney Concert Hall. Book the free timed entry for the Broad and its famous mirror rooms, and admire Gehry's architecture next door. A brilliant, free dose of world-class art and design in the heart of resurgent DTLA. A cultural highlight; book the Broad ahead.
- 7.Grand Central Market — A century-old downtown food hall buzzing with the flavours of LA — dozens of stalls serving everything from legendary tacos and pupusas to gourmet sandwiches, ramen, egg sandwiches and craft coffee, packed with locals and visitors. A delicious, lively place to graze your way through the city's multicultural food scene under one roof; come hungry and try a bit of everything. A tasty, atmospheric hub in the heart of resurgent DTLA. A great-value, only-in-LA feast.
- 10.The Arts District — Downtown's coolest corner — the Arts District, a former industrial zone now covered in giant murals and street art, and packed with craft breweries, galleries, roasteries, boutiques and buzzing warehouse restaurants. Wander the mural-lined streets with a camera, sample a craft beer or a superb meal, and soak up the creative, hip energy. A brilliant window into LA's contemporary art-and-food scene, and endlessly photogenic; the perfect place to see the city's cool side. A great afternoon and evening.
- 14.LA's food scene — Los Angeles is one of America's great, diverse food cities — a sprawling feast of Korean BBQ in Koreatown, dim sum in the San Gabriel Valley, Thai, Ethiopian, Japanese and Salvadoran food, celebrity-chef restaurants, food halls and endless taco trucks. Graze your way across the city's neighbourhoods and cuisines; the quality and variety are extraordinary and often great value. From a $2 taco to a tasting menu, eating is a highlight of any LA visit. Come hungry and adventurous.
When are you staying?
Booking.com & Airbnb open searched to Downtown; flights via Google Flights.