This post was originally published on A Globe Well Travelled in 2017. The content has been revised and updated with fresh information.
I’d visited Los Angeles four times before I finally made it to Downtown LA.
On my most recent visit, I had tickets for a pop-up museum in the LA Arts District, which gave me the perfect excuse to finally explore the city centre. Rather than just ticking off a few attractions, I considered this the perfect opportunity to walk between some of DTLA’s most interesting landmarks.
Downtown Los Angeles often gets overlooked by visitors in favour of Hollywood, Santa Monica and the theme parks, but I think it’s well worth setting aside half a day to explore. It’s also surprisingly easy to see many of the highlights on foot, with most of the major sights clustered within a relatively compact area.
I originally put this route together before my visit, researching the places I most wanted to see and mapping out a walk that connected them all. I’ve since updated the guide with current visitor information to make it easier to follow. Here’s my self-guided walking tour of Downtown Los Angeles, including eight stops and a map to help you find your way!
Quick summary:
This self-guided Downtown Los Angeles walking tour connects eight of DTLA’s best sights, from historic landmarks and architectural gems to bookish photo spots, food markets, and rooftop bars with a view. I’ve included a walking route, map and practical tips to help you plan your own half-day exploring Downtown LA.
Recommended tours & hotels:
👣 DTLA Architecture Walking Tour – Dive deeper into the stories behind LA’s most iconic buildings.
🌭 DTLA Foodie Tour – Taste your way through six different eateries, bakeries and ethnic food destinations.
🏨 Stay at: The Westin Bonaventure Hotel – Central DTLA hotel with city views and a rotating lounge.
Self-guided Downtown Los Angeles walking tour map
This walking route connects eight of my favourite stops in Downtown Los Angeles:
P – Parking
1 – The Last Bookstore
2 – Angels Flight Railway
3 – Grand Central Market
4 – Bradbury Building
5 – Los Angeles City Hall
6 – Walt Disney Concert Hall
7 – Los Angeles Public Library
8 – BonaVista Lounge
How long does this Downtown LA walking tour take?
I’d allow around half a day to complete this Downtown Los Angeles walking tour. The attractions themselves are fairly close together, but you’ll want extra time to browse The Last Bookstore, stop for lunch at Grand Central Market, look inside some of the historic buildings and take in the views along the way.
The route starts at The Last Bookstore and finishes near the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, where my husband and I ended our afternoon with drinks and a view over the city. If you start in the late morning, Grand Central Market falls at a convenient point for lunch before continuing towards City Hall and the attractions around Bunker Hill.
You can also easily adapt the route depending on how much time you have. If you’re short on time, pick a few of the stops that interest you most, or skip the final bar and finish around the Los Angeles Public Library.
How to get to Downtown Los Angeles
Despite LA’s reputation as a driving city, you don’t necessarily need a car to explore Downtown Los Angeles. DTLA is well connected by Metro, and once you arrive, the attractions on this walking tour are close enough together to explore on foot.
There are several Metro stations around the route. Historic Broadway Station is particularly convenient for attractions around Broadway, while Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill Station provides easy access to the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the cultural attractions around Grand Avenue. Civic Center/Grand Park and 7th St/Metro Center are useful alternatives depending on where you’re travelling from.
If you’re driving, there are numerous paid parking garages throughout Downtown LA. When my husband and I visited, we spent at least 20 minutes circling the streets looking for cheap parking before eventually giving up and using a paid garage. If I were doing the walk again, I’d probably save myself the hassle and head straight for a garage or take the Metro into Downtown instead.
✈️ Arriving from LAX: If you’re heading directly from Los Angeles International Airport to Downtown LA, public transport is an option, but travellers with luggage may find a pre-booked private transfer from LAX much easier.
Best things to do in Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA):
1. The Last Bookstore
We started our walking tour at The Last Bookstore, a highly photogenic bookshop in DTLA. This place might seem like a regular bookstore at first glance, but when you look a little closer, you’ll find a wonderfully strange collection of book-themed art hidden throughout the shelves.
Upstairs, there are book sculptures like the magical warped bookshelves pictured above, along with bookshelves with circular holes cut through the middle and sections where books are arranged by the rainbow colours of their covers. It’s what I imagine the mind of Matilda looks like on the inside.
The Downtown LA store is housed inside a former bank building, complete with marble columns and old bank vaults that are now filled with vintage books. It’s worth allowing some time to wander around rather than just stopping in for a quick photo.
The Last Bookstore is located at 453 S Spring Street, near the corner of 5th and Spring. Opening hours vary throughout the week, so I’d recommend checking the current hours before your visit.
2. Angels Flight Railway
From The Last Bookstore, continue north towards Angels Flight Railway, a tiny historic funicular that first opened in 1901 and carries passengers up the steep slope between Hill Street and Bunker Hill.
Unfortunately the railway was closed for maintenance when my husband and I visited, but it was still interesting to see this historic piece of Los Angeles juxtaposed against all the modern skyscrapers surrounding it. If it had been running, I absolutely would have jumped aboard!
These days, you can ride Angels Flight for $1.50 each way, or $3 for a souvenir round-trip ticket. Metro TAP card users with Stored Value loaded onto their card can ride for $0.75 each way.
Angels Flight runs daily from 6:45 AM–10 PM. The lower station is on Hill Street, directly across from Grand Central Market, so it fits perfectly into this Downtown LA walking route.
3. Grand Central Market
Directly across the road from Angels Flight is Grand Central Market, which makes an ideal lunch stop on this walking tour.
The market has been operating since 1917 and was once the go-to place for LA residents to buy produce, baked goods, flowers and coffee. Today, the historic market is filled with dozens of food vendors representing the wonderfully diverse food scene of Los Angeles.
This is where I’d suggest taking a proper break from sightseeing. Grab whatever catches your eye, find somewhere to sit and refuel before continuing through Downtown. The market is open daily from 8 AM–9 PM, although individual vendor hours can vary.
🌭 If you’d rather explore the neighbourhood with someone who knows where to find the good stuff, this Downtown LA Food Tour visits six different eateries while introducing you to the food culture and history of DTLA.
4. Bradbury Building
The Bradbury Building is just across Broadway from Grand Central Market, so you barely have to walk anywhere to reach the next stop.
I only knew about the Bradbury Building as an architecturally beautiful landmark from a list of things to see in DTLA, but my husband got pretty excited when he realised that this building was a major filming location for Blade Runner (the old movie, not the new one!).
The real highlight is the building’s spectacular central atrium. Natural light pours through a huge skylight over the ornate wrought-iron staircases, open cage elevators and Victorian-style architecture, creating an interior that feels completely different from the surrounding streets of Downtown LA.
Public access to the Bradbury Building is limited, so don’t expect to wander freely through the upper floors. You can still step inside and admire the famous atrium from the public area on the ground floor, which is enough to get a good look at the architecture.
👣 If you’re particularly interested in the buildings and history of Downtown LA, you can also see the Bradbury Building along with some of the other landmarks on this route on a Downtown LA Architecture Walking Tour.
5. City Hall
From the Bradbury Building, continue towards Los Angeles City Hall. I was desperate to find somewhere with views over Downtown, so when I discovered that City Hall has a free observation deck, I quickly added it to our DTLA walking tour.
Getting up the tower was a little confusing when I visited as there wasn’t much signage, but eventually we found our way to the observation deck near the top of the building by asking a security guard for directions.
On a clear day, you’ll get some fabulous views over Los Angeles from up here — and unlike many city viewpoints, it’s completely free to visit.
The observation deck is still open to the public, although access to City Hall can be affected by government operating hours, holidays and security requirements. I’d recommend checking the current visitor information before you go.
When you’re ready to leave, continue through the Civic Center towards Grand Park before making your way up to the next stop.
6. Walt Disney Concert Hall
From City Hall, continue west through Grand Park towards the Walt Disney Concert Hall. You’ll probably spot its sweeping metallic exterior before you reach it.
Designed by architect Frank Gehry, the concert hall opened in 2003 and has become one of Downtown LA’s most recognisable buildings.
We just admired the building from the outside, but if you’re interested in architecture, you can explore more of The Music Center on a self-guided tour or on one of its free guided tours. The current 90-minute tour includes Walt Disney Concert Hall along with the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum and Jerry Moss Plaza.
7. LA Public Library
From Walt Disney Concert Hall, continue south towards the Los Angeles Central Library.
I have a thing about photographing libraries. I just love towering bookcases, and the architecture of a library is often grand and interesting. The Los Angeles Central Library was no exception.
We initially took the escalators up to the top level for views over the atrium, which was mildly impressive, but the real wow-factor was the historic Rotunda. This space has a gigantic domed ceiling, with colourful murals covering the walls around it. I really can’t describe how beautiful this room was — you have to see it for yourself!
The Central Library dates back to 1926, and the historic building is worth stepping inside even if you have absolutely no intention of borrowing a book. Entry is free, and the library is open seven days a week, although hours vary depending on the day.
If you’re particularly interested in the building, the library also offers free one-hour docent-led art and architecture tours. These currently run Tuesday–Friday at 12:30 PM, with additional tours on Saturdays. If the timing happens to work with your walking tour, it could be a great way to see more of the building.
8. BonaVista Lounge
We wanted to end our afternoon walking tour at a bar with a view. Originally, my plan was to go to The Delphi Hotel for its rooftop bar, but as we exited the elevators, a security guard promptly told me that cameras weren’t allowed and that I would have to check mine downstairs before coming back up.
Now, I had no idea why the hotel thought banning cameras at a rooftop bar was a good idea. What good is a view without a way to capture it? And wouldn’t everyone just use the cameras built into their smartphones anyway? Fuming, I left the hotel and looked up somewhere else where we could enjoy views of the city — with my camera firmly in hand.
We settled on BonaVista Lounge at The Westin Bonaventure Hotel, a distinctive cluster of cylindrical glass towers in Downtown LA. The lounge is on the 34th floor and, wonderfully, it actually rotates. The dream of the 70s is alive in Los Angeles.
While this kind of venue isn’t usually one that I would choose on my travels, I have to admit that it was satisfying to sink into a puffy armchair with a glass of wine while the entire lounge slowly revolved around the Los Angeles skyline. The views were pretty great — we could even see all the way towards the coast as the sun was setting.
BonaVista Lounge is still operating today, so it remains a fun place to finish this walking tour with a cocktail and panoramic city views. It currently opens from 5 PM Wednesday–Sunday and is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so keep that in mind when deciding which day to follow this itinerary.
Where to stay in Downtown Los Angeles
On this particular trip, Rob and I actually stayed at the Hollywood Hotel, which is east of central Hollywood and around a 15-minute drive from Downtown LA. We had one of the recently updated rooms and really enjoyed our stay, especially the leafy inner courtyard and included breakfast. The location also worked well for us as we were splitting our time between Downtown, Hollywood and Griffith Observatory.
If your trip is focused mainly on DTLA, though, I’d choose somewhere within Downtown such as the Westin so that you can explore more of the area on foot and have easy access to the Metro.
🏨 If you want to stay within Downtown Los Angeles, The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites would be a convenient base for exploring many of the attractions in this guide.
I haven’t personally stayed overnight at the Westin, but my husband and I visited the hotel for drinks at BonaVista Lounge at the end of our walking tour. The distinctive glass-towered hotel is right in the heart of DTLA, within walking distance of the Los Angeles Central Library and not far from 7th Street/Metro Center Station.
The hotel has an outdoor pool, multiple restaurants and bars, and rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. And, of course, you can head upstairs for a cocktail at the rotating BonaVista Lounge without even leaving the building.
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