Los Angeles is a city that runs through its plains, hills and canyons. From the heights at night, the city appears as a carpet of light with improbable dimensions. Here, the ocean; Here, Downtown and its buildings. Los Angeles has more than one tower in his bag. Practical consequence: the tourist must travel all day! You will do the same: you will change city, not always perspective, but sometimes altitude.Nestled between its mountains north and east, L.A. continues to grow south. The valleys beyond are also populated, like San Bernardino in the east and San Fernando north of the Hollywood hills, the sprawling agglomeration stretches over hundreds of kilometers. Some even imagined San Angeles, monumental conurbation, extending from L.A. to San Diego! You never know whether the city you are in belongs to the city of Los Angeles, with separation purely administrative; on the other hand, the main counties are well defined.To find out in L.A., you need a compass in your head. The four cardinal points often appear in the directions on the motorway, as for the outings and connections.With 3.9 million inhabitants for the city of Los Angeles alone, $ 10 million across the County and over $ 18 million by counting neighboring counties (Riverside, Ventura, Orange and San Bernardino), Los Angeles, the cradle of Hollywood and the world's capital of entertainment, is the second largest city in America, and one of the cities. more extensive in the world.Also this sprawling city sometimes intimidates. It's all the more difficult to see, at first sight, that Los Angeles is a beautiful city. By using one of the roads or motorways that travel it in every direction, it is rare to find something that stops the eye… L.A. has to take arms. Moving in Los Angeles is always a challenge: public transport networks cover only part of the city, drivers are aggressive, traffic jams are the worst in the world, and sometimes it takes 3 hours to cross the city. And yet! Los Angeles has treasures of surprises, amazing and moving encounters, exoticism and inventiveness. Set up your itineraries, group your visits by neighborhoods and prepare to enter a wonderfully warm, cosmopolitan and dynamic world.In the early twentieth century, the city did not exist. It has formed by agglomerating nearby communities. Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Santa Monica and so many others, more or less neighbors, preceded Los Angeles. Most of them have grouped together to benefit from the organization of all valleys for water adduction. Some have preferred to retain their administrative autonomy and are now landlocked in Los Angeles. Beverly Hills, for example, is an independent city, just like Santa Monica. The region has not yet completed its changes.So Los Angeles is a geographical area rather than a single city: That is why, more than anywhere else in California, you will need to find out from your arrival the various sectors that compose it. One of the few tips that people give you is to prepare your itinerary; we therefore insist on this. Fortunately, street indications are clear and convenient and you will be very careful.Founded in 1781 by Felipe de Neve, research party for Monterey, El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Angeles, now Los Angeles, has changed well: everything here is only demeasurement, starting with its film industry that started in Hollywood from the early years of the twentieth century and made Los Angeles the capital of the western spectacle.The car also is a sacred emblem of this city where the automobile industry is a decisive economic sector. Here, everyone rolls, preferably in beautiful bodies. It is difficult to imagine another place in the world where the Jaguar, the Porsche, the Rolls are also common. The car generated the construction of a colossal motorway network (motorways or freeways) and the appearance of a permanent danger: smog, this cloud of pollution that overlooks the agglomeration. In the 1950 s, this calamity steadily increased; in summer, it is particularly advisable to inform each other about the state of the atmosphere.The third cult object in Los Angeles is his ego. You will already guess when you read the personalized registration plates, but above all by observing the attitude adopted by the majority of the city's inhabitants. Being in permanent representation seems a priority, or even an art of living in its own right. It is in Venice Beach that this trend is best observed.The cult in Los Angeles translates into a healthy (healthy) cult. Sometimes pushed to dictatorship, it will take you to fault in any public or private place, closed or open, where you would have lit a cigarette! More tender, he will watch you with pity when you order a steak in the restaurant. Internalised, he will cross you without seeing you, lost in his thoughts. Body and mind health! Los Angeles is the home of American personal development.The description of Los Angeles would not be complete without mentioning the popular side of the city. In the nineteenth century, attracted by the gold rush and labor requirements for the construction of the American railroad, thousands of Chinese settled in California, particularly in L.A. Mexicans, for their part, praised their services for agricultural work; American farmers driven by depression in the Middle West also took refuge in this new Eldorado. From his birth, Los Angeles was also the haven of the outsiders, outsiders from all over America to seek work. The cinema, the art angeleno par excellence, helped to amplify this phenomenon of migration by attracting, beginning in the 1920 s, a crowd of starters, writers and apprentices who still press on the streets of L.A., the eyes riveted on the Hollywood Sign…

What to visit Los Angeles?

When to go to Los Angeles?

Like all major American cities, especially its neighbour San Francisco, Los Angeles is open all year round. On the Californian coast, temperatures remain pleasant, even in winter, and the city's activity does not weaken. However, depending on your wishes, it will be wise to choose your stay period. Here are some tips on when to go to Los Angeles.

The high tourist season is summer in Los Angeles. Southern California attracts many international travellers, who take their holidays in July-August. You will see many Europeans at this time of year. The Christmas holidays and the Thanksgiving Bridge are also very busy, with many Americans returning to their families. The period between March and May is also busy enough for spring break.

The low season begins in September/October and ends in March (excluding end-of-year holidays). You can try to negotiate prices for your hotels, especially outside Los Angeles. Visit the deserts in autumn or spring. Outside the summer months, national parks are subject to very low temperatures (snow is often still seen in the spring): check before you go!

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Weather at the moment

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Weather all year round

Los Angeles is sunny 320 days a year. Los Angeles has a semi-arid Mediterranean climate, which is conducive to mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. The average temperature is 19.3°C year-round, but the thermometer actually varies by several degrees between the coast and the interior. Rainfall is moderate with an annual total of 305.3 mm: the rainy season is in winter and spring.

Budget

A stay in Los Angeles requires a big budget. Everything is expensive: accommodation, restaurants, cabs. You should expect to pay between 80 and 200 US$ for a mid-range hotel and between 20 and 40 US$ per meal and per person, and 2 US$ for a transport ticket. This is about the same price as in France, but gasoline is cheaper here than in Europe.

Procedures

Two types of passports are valid in the United States. The biometric passports, issued since 2009, and the electronic passports which replace the machine-readable passport. Both types of passports must be accompanied by an ESTA. France is still part of the Visa Waiver Pilot program, which allows all French nationals to enter the United States without a visa for a maximum stay of 90 days. In addition to the passport, the traveler must be in possession of a non-refundable round-trip ticket to the United States and not intend to extend his or her stay. It is necessary to have filled out the ESTA form on the Internet at least 72 hours before departure and to have paid the US$14 fee that accompanies this form(https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov). For more information on the types of visas that exist and the steps to follow, consult the website of the U.S. Embassy in France .

Health

Traveling to Los Angeles does not present any major health risks, but there are a few things you should be aware of to avoid health problems during your trip.

Water. Tap water is safe to drink throughout the Los Angeles area and does not require any special precautions. If you have any doubts, especially outside of the city, you should use mineral water bottles and make sure they are well sealed.

Sea and beaches. The beaches are beautiful but not all of them are authorized for swimming. Ask about the tide times and the direction of the currents, which can be dangerous.

Sun. Beware of burns! The desert near the city is very hot and the sun's rays can be aggressive and dangerous. It is therefore necessary to be extremely careful and to avoid long and repetitive exposures. Use a high factor sunscreen and wear a hat and glasses.

How to go to Los Angeles? Our advice & tips

Los Angeles is a common destination for tour operators, who often include it in a Southern California tour that includes one or more national parks, sometimes a visit to a Hollywood studio and another coastal city. On a tour package, you'll be able to rest during the long drives and take advantage of negotiated hotel rates.

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Los Angeles may seem daunting to Europeans, as the city is so sprawling. You should know that you can get around almost exclusively by car - public transportation is quite slow and distances are very long. Apart from this, it is a city with a welcoming population, very much oriented towards tourism and therefore easy to approach - whether you speak English or not.

Renting a car is undoubtedly the ideal solution when traveling with two or more people. It is the most flexible way to visit Los Angeles. Autonomous, the traveler can get off the beaten track and reach the points not served by public transportation. Rental rates are generally lower than in Europe, toll roads are rare and fuel is about four times cheaper than in Europe.

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Pictures and images Los Angeles

Hollywood. David GUERSAN - Author's Image
Pershing Square. Stéphan SZEREMETA
Coucher de soleil sur Manhattan Beach pier à Los Angeles. Chones - Shutterstock.com
Panneau de la route 66 à Santa Monica. Natalia Macheda - Shutterstock.com

Discover Los Angeles

When to travel?

Like all major American cities, especially its neighbour Read more about it

Weather forecast

Los Angeles is sunny 320 days a year. Los Angeles has a semi-arid Mediterranean climate, which is conducive to mild,...
Read more about it

Budget

A stay in Los Angeles requires a big budget. Everything is expensive: accommodation, restaurants, cabs. You should ex...
Read more about it

Formalities

Two types of passports are valid in the United States. The biometric passports, issued since 2009, and the electronic...
Read more about it

Health

Traveling to Los Angeles does not present any major health risks, but there are a few things you should be aware of t...
Read more about it

How to travel by yourself?

Los Angeles may seem daunting to Europeans, as the city is so sprawling. You should know that you can get around almo...
Read more about it

How to get organized?

Los Angeles is a common destination for tour operators, who often include it in a Southern California tour that inclu...
Read more about it

Getting around

Renting a car is undoubtedly the ideal solution when traveling with two or more people. It is the most flexible way t...
Read more about it

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