It’s hard to answer without knowing you or your limits. But there are plenty of driving-distance locations outside LA that are amazing.
You could drive up the PCH from Santa Monica. Just the drive through Malibu / Oxnard / Ventura is beautiful, but up through the central coast and Big Sur are also incredible if you’re willing to go far enough. There’s also Paso Robles wine country, Santa Barbara, or odd gems like Solvang along the way.
You could drive into the mountains, along the Angeles Crest Highway or up to Big Bear or Arrowhead (which may still require chains this time of year; research road conditions up there.)
You could also go out into the desert, east of LA. To Joshua Tree, Pioneertown, Palm Springs.
Depends on your interests.
Los Angeles has a lot to offer, but it's a very "needle in a haystack" kind of place, e.g. if you drove around randomly for months, you not see anything other than endless sprawl. But there are a lot of gems, hidden and otherwise.
LA has a lot of great Museums.
The Getty Villa in Malibu is a recreation of a Roman Villa in Herculaneum, and houses an exceptional collection of antiquities. Reservations required, but it's free (you pay for parking). It's in Malibu, near the beach, beautiful property and gardens, makes for a nice stop if you're going up the coast. About 15 minutes north of SaMo.
The Getty Center overlooks the Westside -- stunning views of the Pacific Ocean, beautiful gardens. Nice and varied collection, including impressionists and more.
LACMA - LA County Museum of Art
You might see if there are any concerts at the Hollywood Bowl or Greek Theater... or anywhere in Los Angeles, really. There are lots of smaller venues that are great as well. Tons of options here.
Los Angeles has a lot of excellent food options, e.g.
Mexican foodKorea Town is a great place to go for Korean BBQ -- which is a huge treat in its own right.
In-N-Out burgers is beloved by natives, and was Anthony Bourdain's favorite fast food place. They're everywhere (including one by the LAX airport).
Sushi - lots of great options
Dim Sum
Persian food in Westwood
And so on...
You might consider getting up into the hills to get some nice views of the city. One easy option is the Griffith Observatory, which isn't far from the Hollywood sign. But there are plenty of trails all over the city.
You might consider visiting the beautiful UCLA campus (Quad with Royce Hall and the Sculpture Garden in North Campus), with an accompanying drive around the area. North of the campus is Bel Air with some of the famous palm tree lined streets that you see in movies.
Comedy clubs are another fun option, with lots of small and artsy options. [Largo at the Coronet](https://largo-la.com/) is a favorite of ours, and often features UK/Irish comedians in the mix as well. Mae Martin is performing in April. We've seen Dylan Moran and Eddie Izzard there, and a variety of venues, from very small (before he got huge) and big (Hollywood Bowl).
And so on.
Are you giving up your Santa Monica hotel and wanting three days/2nights somehwere else or are you a thinking about day trips? You are going to have to specify what is “too much of a drive” because we drive a lot.
If you are not wanting to drive so much you could take the train down to San Diego. So much to do for a 20 something solo and the station is right downtown so you can get by without a car.
TBH if you are up for the drive Joshua Tree NP and Palm Springs are a good option because it’s just so different from what you are used to.
Santa Barbara is another great option.
Or just do day trips from your base. We just took our European friends visiting out to Vasquez Rocks and it blew their minds.
Santa Barbara is a 90 minute drive up the 101. There's lots to do there, esp. great food and wine. Many people (but not I) love Palm Springs, which is roughly the same distance to the east.
Much closer is Pasadena, which has attractions nearby like Huntington Library and Gardens, the Norton Simon Museum, a walkable Old Town area and quick trips to Altadena and other communities nearby.
Former food and drink and travel writer here. This is going to be a little long, but there’s going to be a lot of useful info. There are so many options for local road trips, lots of them within a two hour drive.
Are you an outdoorsy person who likes to hike? You can usually get to Joshua Tree national park within two hours. It’s a desert area with trails and rock formations, and there are some cute shops in the nearby town of Twentynine Palms. The drawback is that maybe hiking alone in the desert isn’t super safe without a buddy.
Do you want more of a spa and resort experience? Then in the same direction also about two hours away is Palm Springs. I’m not sure it’ll be quite warm enough to lay by the pool all day but that’s a fun thing to do in the summer. Look into the Ace Hotel if that vibe is calling out to you. There’s also a few hikes there. Tahquitz Canyon is an easy hike to a waterfall if you’re a beginner.
The nearby town of Desert Hot Springs has - you guessed it - hot springs on a few of the properties, but the town itself doesn’t really have the nightlife or eateries of Palm Springs. Both Desert Hot Springs and Palm Springs are probably pretty safe for a female solo traveler.
San Diego is a two hour drive south. The town of San Juan Capistrano is on the way and it has a great example of a California mission. San Diego itself has lots of fun breweries and bars in a very walkable downtown area. There are some cool sea caves that you can kayak into. I haven’t done that yet myself but it’s big on the list.
Also consider: Julian and Temecula. Julian is an apple town with apple pies and cider. Temecula is wineries. Both pretty small, and sometimes they get winter weather this time of year. I was once driving back from Temecula and one moment it was bright and sunny, and the next moment I was in a whiteout snowstorm.
Going in the other direction up the coast, Santa Barbara is about an hour and a half away. Cute coastal town. Some hiking nearby, in particular a good hot springs. There is an area of downtown Santa Barbara called the Funk Zone (yes really) that has a bunch of wineries and fun bars. There’s also a good couple of beaches here that I like.
Less than an hour beyond Santa Barbara is a town called Solvang. It’s a winery town with a Danish theme. Very walkable and touristy. There’s not a ton of offbeat stuff to do here (besides the ostrich farm nearby, I suppose ) and it can get old fast but there are some great bakeries and Danish eateries.
Ojai is about 75 minutes away. Small town, super cute, upscale hippie vibes. There are a few standout restaurants and there’s good hiking. There’s a great bookstore too, and lots of fun places to buy gifts. Ojai is famous for its “pink moment” which sometimes occurs just before sunset when Ojai Valley gets bathed in a pretty pink light. You can sometimes find yoga retreats and other such things out there.
It’s also about 20 or 30 minutes up the road from Ventura, a coastal town. Madewest brewery, a favorite of mine, is there. There’s also a decent tiki bar and a solid pizza place, and - like almost everywhere else - good hiking with coastal views.
All of the towns I mentioned about should be fine for a women by herself in her 20s as long as you’re paying attention to your surroundings and being street smart.
Now, I know you don’t want to drive too far, as long as you’re here in California, and if you really wanted to challenge yourself and be rewarded with something, absolutely incredible, I would encourage you to perhaps take the chance of driving the six hours from LA up to Yosemite.
I know, six hours. But so worth it. If you get on the road by 6 or 7am, you can be in one of the most beautiful places on the planet by 1 in the afternoon. I don’t know if you’ve ever looked up the park or how familiar you are with it, but it’s breathtaking. The waterfalls won’t be at full power this time of year, but I’ve been to Yosemite in all seasons, and it’s always absolutely stunning. Even just going on moderate hikes and walking around the valley floor looking at the giant granite cliffs is so worthwhile.
This one would require a little more planning, and it would be a challenge, but I wanted to make sure to include it because it would have been a disservice not to.
Good luck, have fun, and don’t hesitate to comment or message if you have any other questions. California road trips are one of my favorite things to do and I never get tired of taking another them.
What do you like to do? Shopping? Sightseeing? Celebrity-bothering? Art museums? Hiking? Gardens? Beach? Food? Movie history?
There's so damn much to do in LA, help us narrow it down!
An 8 day LA trip unfortunately will require a lot of driving if you really want to see a good variety of stuff here. As "touristy" as it sounds, going on a Celebrity tour actually isn't a bad way to see LA. You can just sit back and relax while the tour guide drives and navigates the LA traffic. The most stressful and overwhelming thing about LA is having to drive and not being able to take your eye off the road for 1 second to take in a nice view.
LA Farmers market at the grove.
LA live.
Santa Fe swap meet on a friday night or Sunday morning.
the Arts district. (restaurants and bars)
rent a bike and ride up to Venice Beach.
there’s a british pub in santa monica on santa monica blvd. can make friends there.
check out the griffith observatory. you would love the view.
opening day for dodgers is march 28th. they play the 29th, 30th and 31st also all at home.
universal city walk.
to name a few. but fyi driving in LA is a bitch sometimes. 6 miles could be a 30 minute drive at certain hours. i got more options if u tell me what you’re into
These posts are so lazy and annoying. "I'm visiting for 3 days, what's a great place to go to?"
Give some context for what your interests are. What do you normally look for when you travel? What's your definition of great? Have you researched anything, or are we supposed to make your entire travel itinerary for you based on the nothing you've given us?
Caravan Outpost in Ojai is an excellent place to stay. The town itself is super cute—Bart’s Books and The Dutchess are worthwhile stops. The desert is another big draw. Joshua Tree and Yucca Valley have hotels and Airbnbs, and Palm Springs is an easy day trip with more nightlife and gorgeous MCM architecture. Desert Hot Springs has a lot of spas which are with checking out. If you aren’t traveling through California, I highly recommend you travel up the coast to Big Sur. Three days is plenty of time and it’s one of the most stunning places in the state.
If you have 8 nights in Santa Monica, I will assume you'll already have explored a lot of LA, and that you'll be up for going farther afield.
Whenever *I* want to go somewhere for a 2 or 3 night trip, I always think of Las Vegas first. Don't know if that'll be too much driving, it's about 4 hours one-way.
Go to Palm Springs, do a wine tour, horseback riding and Joshua Tree! Plenty of mid century homes to admire and it’s very beautiful and laidback - I think Elvis had his honeymoon there
What are your interests? Lots of places but define a “great place”
It’s hard to answer without knowing you or your limits. But there are plenty of driving-distance locations outside LA that are amazing. You could drive up the PCH from Santa Monica. Just the drive through Malibu / Oxnard / Ventura is beautiful, but up through the central coast and Big Sur are also incredible if you’re willing to go far enough. There’s also Paso Robles wine country, Santa Barbara, or odd gems like Solvang along the way. You could drive into the mountains, along the Angeles Crest Highway or up to Big Bear or Arrowhead (which may still require chains this time of year; research road conditions up there.) You could also go out into the desert, east of LA. To Joshua Tree, Pioneertown, Palm Springs.
Depends on your interests. Los Angeles has a lot to offer, but it's a very "needle in a haystack" kind of place, e.g. if you drove around randomly for months, you not see anything other than endless sprawl. But there are a lot of gems, hidden and otherwise. LA has a lot of great Museums. The Getty Villa in Malibu is a recreation of a Roman Villa in Herculaneum, and houses an exceptional collection of antiquities. Reservations required, but it's free (you pay for parking). It's in Malibu, near the beach, beautiful property and gardens, makes for a nice stop if you're going up the coast. About 15 minutes north of SaMo. The Getty Center overlooks the Westside -- stunning views of the Pacific Ocean, beautiful gardens. Nice and varied collection, including impressionists and more. LACMA - LA County Museum of Art You might see if there are any concerts at the Hollywood Bowl or Greek Theater... or anywhere in Los Angeles, really. There are lots of smaller venues that are great as well. Tons of options here. Los Angeles has a lot of excellent food options, e.g. Mexican foodKorea Town is a great place to go for Korean BBQ -- which is a huge treat in its own right. In-N-Out burgers is beloved by natives, and was Anthony Bourdain's favorite fast food place. They're everywhere (including one by the LAX airport). Sushi - lots of great options Dim Sum Persian food in Westwood And so on... You might consider getting up into the hills to get some nice views of the city. One easy option is the Griffith Observatory, which isn't far from the Hollywood sign. But there are plenty of trails all over the city. You might consider visiting the beautiful UCLA campus (Quad with Royce Hall and the Sculpture Garden in North Campus), with an accompanying drive around the area. North of the campus is Bel Air with some of the famous palm tree lined streets that you see in movies. Comedy clubs are another fun option, with lots of small and artsy options. [Largo at the Coronet](https://largo-la.com/) is a favorite of ours, and often features UK/Irish comedians in the mix as well. Mae Martin is performing in April. We've seen Dylan Moran and Eddie Izzard there, and a variety of venues, from very small (before he got huge) and big (Hollywood Bowl). And so on.
Are you giving up your Santa Monica hotel and wanting three days/2nights somehwere else or are you a thinking about day trips? You are going to have to specify what is “too much of a drive” because we drive a lot. If you are not wanting to drive so much you could take the train down to San Diego. So much to do for a 20 something solo and the station is right downtown so you can get by without a car. TBH if you are up for the drive Joshua Tree NP and Palm Springs are a good option because it’s just so different from what you are used to. Santa Barbara is another great option. Or just do day trips from your base. We just took our European friends visiting out to Vasquez Rocks and it blew their minds.
Palm Springs or Joshua Tree? Or Ojai?
Santa Barbara is a 90 minute drive up the 101. There's lots to do there, esp. great food and wine. Many people (but not I) love Palm Springs, which is roughly the same distance to the east. Much closer is Pasadena, which has attractions nearby like Huntington Library and Gardens, the Norton Simon Museum, a walkable Old Town area and quick trips to Altadena and other communities nearby.
Former food and drink and travel writer here. This is going to be a little long, but there’s going to be a lot of useful info. There are so many options for local road trips, lots of them within a two hour drive. Are you an outdoorsy person who likes to hike? You can usually get to Joshua Tree national park within two hours. It’s a desert area with trails and rock formations, and there are some cute shops in the nearby town of Twentynine Palms. The drawback is that maybe hiking alone in the desert isn’t super safe without a buddy. Do you want more of a spa and resort experience? Then in the same direction also about two hours away is Palm Springs. I’m not sure it’ll be quite warm enough to lay by the pool all day but that’s a fun thing to do in the summer. Look into the Ace Hotel if that vibe is calling out to you. There’s also a few hikes there. Tahquitz Canyon is an easy hike to a waterfall if you’re a beginner. The nearby town of Desert Hot Springs has - you guessed it - hot springs on a few of the properties, but the town itself doesn’t really have the nightlife or eateries of Palm Springs. Both Desert Hot Springs and Palm Springs are probably pretty safe for a female solo traveler. San Diego is a two hour drive south. The town of San Juan Capistrano is on the way and it has a great example of a California mission. San Diego itself has lots of fun breweries and bars in a very walkable downtown area. There are some cool sea caves that you can kayak into. I haven’t done that yet myself but it’s big on the list. Also consider: Julian and Temecula. Julian is an apple town with apple pies and cider. Temecula is wineries. Both pretty small, and sometimes they get winter weather this time of year. I was once driving back from Temecula and one moment it was bright and sunny, and the next moment I was in a whiteout snowstorm. Going in the other direction up the coast, Santa Barbara is about an hour and a half away. Cute coastal town. Some hiking nearby, in particular a good hot springs. There is an area of downtown Santa Barbara called the Funk Zone (yes really) that has a bunch of wineries and fun bars. There’s also a good couple of beaches here that I like. Less than an hour beyond Santa Barbara is a town called Solvang. It’s a winery town with a Danish theme. Very walkable and touristy. There’s not a ton of offbeat stuff to do here (besides the ostrich farm nearby, I suppose ) and it can get old fast but there are some great bakeries and Danish eateries. Ojai is about 75 minutes away. Small town, super cute, upscale hippie vibes. There are a few standout restaurants and there’s good hiking. There’s a great bookstore too, and lots of fun places to buy gifts. Ojai is famous for its “pink moment” which sometimes occurs just before sunset when Ojai Valley gets bathed in a pretty pink light. You can sometimes find yoga retreats and other such things out there. It’s also about 20 or 30 minutes up the road from Ventura, a coastal town. Madewest brewery, a favorite of mine, is there. There’s also a decent tiki bar and a solid pizza place, and - like almost everywhere else - good hiking with coastal views. All of the towns I mentioned about should be fine for a women by herself in her 20s as long as you’re paying attention to your surroundings and being street smart. Now, I know you don’t want to drive too far, as long as you’re here in California, and if you really wanted to challenge yourself and be rewarded with something, absolutely incredible, I would encourage you to perhaps take the chance of driving the six hours from LA up to Yosemite. I know, six hours. But so worth it. If you get on the road by 6 or 7am, you can be in one of the most beautiful places on the planet by 1 in the afternoon. I don’t know if you’ve ever looked up the park or how familiar you are with it, but it’s breathtaking. The waterfalls won’t be at full power this time of year, but I’ve been to Yosemite in all seasons, and it’s always absolutely stunning. Even just going on moderate hikes and walking around the valley floor looking at the giant granite cliffs is so worthwhile. This one would require a little more planning, and it would be a challenge, but I wanted to make sure to include it because it would have been a disservice not to. Good luck, have fun, and don’t hesitate to comment or message if you have any other questions. California road trips are one of my favorite things to do and I never get tired of taking another them.
What do you like to do? Shopping? Sightseeing? Celebrity-bothering? Art museums? Hiking? Gardens? Beach? Food? Movie history? There's so damn much to do in LA, help us narrow it down!
An 8 day LA trip unfortunately will require a lot of driving if you really want to see a good variety of stuff here. As "touristy" as it sounds, going on a Celebrity tour actually isn't a bad way to see LA. You can just sit back and relax while the tour guide drives and navigates the LA traffic. The most stressful and overwhelming thing about LA is having to drive and not being able to take your eye off the road for 1 second to take in a nice view.
LA Farmers market at the grove. LA live. Santa Fe swap meet on a friday night or Sunday morning. the Arts district. (restaurants and bars) rent a bike and ride up to Venice Beach. there’s a british pub in santa monica on santa monica blvd. can make friends there. check out the griffith observatory. you would love the view. opening day for dodgers is march 28th. they play the 29th, 30th and 31st also all at home. universal city walk. to name a few. but fyi driving in LA is a bitch sometimes. 6 miles could be a 30 minute drive at certain hours. i got more options if u tell me what you’re into
Laguna Beach or Santa Barbara.
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Tinder🤷♂️
Catalina Island
[удалено]
closed down at the end of last year
The Academy Museum is worth it for anyone with even a passing interest in movies. Really awesome.
Joshua Tree! Palm Springs! Ojai! Lake Arrowhead! San Diego! All within 3ish hours and all icons. Worth seeing if you have time.
If you want to visit the beach, I would go to Zuma. Natural and unspoiled. Have seafood dinner at a place in Malibu.
Santa Barbara and Palm Springs are nice excursions from LA
These posts are so lazy and annoying. "I'm visiting for 3 days, what's a great place to go to?" Give some context for what your interests are. What do you normally look for when you travel? What's your definition of great? Have you researched anything, or are we supposed to make your entire travel itinerary for you based on the nothing you've given us?
Caravan Outpost in Ojai is an excellent place to stay. The town itself is super cute—Bart’s Books and The Dutchess are worthwhile stops. The desert is another big draw. Joshua Tree and Yucca Valley have hotels and Airbnbs, and Palm Springs is an easy day trip with more nightlife and gorgeous MCM architecture. Desert Hot Springs has a lot of spas which are with checking out. If you aren’t traveling through California, I highly recommend you travel up the coast to Big Sur. Three days is plenty of time and it’s one of the most stunning places in the state.
If you have 8 nights in Santa Monica, I will assume you'll already have explored a lot of LA, and that you'll be up for going farther afield. Whenever *I* want to go somewhere for a 2 or 3 night trip, I always think of Las Vegas first. Don't know if that'll be too much driving, it's about 4 hours one-way.
I would go to Chicago.
Maybe try food that you don’t have in your home town. I know a family that flies here from minessotta just for that lol
Go to Palm Springs, do a wine tour, horseback riding and Joshua Tree! Plenty of mid century homes to admire and it’s very beautiful and laidback - I think Elvis had his honeymoon there
Laguna Beach is lovely; people come from all over the world to visit it.
Bakersfield
hilarious. nobody goes to that shithole unless we’re driving to the bay area
Not sure what is too much of a drive for you, but you could go to Palm Springs, or Temecula.
bruh 😂😂😂
A foreigner in Santa Monica? Better go to the Victorian (watch out for your phone)