Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) Activities & Attractions

If you have time to venture beyond the theme parks and Hollywood, and crave more of an urban experience, consider a visit to Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA), and the adjacent Arts District.

Since the early 2000s, Downtown LA has been experiencing an inner-city renaissance. The restoration of pre-war buildings and warehouses to live-work spaces with galleries, restaurants, and some high-end retail, the addition of the new urban rail transit system and the new construction of major city landmarks like the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall and The Broad, a contemporary art museum, has turned this area into a revitalized and teeming mecca for the arts, dining, and more.

Bordered roughly by 1st Street and Grand Avenue to the northwest and 5th Street and Spring Street to the southeast, there is much to see and do in a relatively small area– and it’s very walkable if you want to explore on foot.

We’ve selected just a few highlights that shouldn’t be missed AND that will not break your budget, because they are all FREE (or nearly free)!

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The Broad Museum

The Broad houses a vast collection of the world’s leading postwar and contemporary art from the 50s to the present. Founded by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad, the museum always offers FREE general admission and has rotating temporary exhibitions. The building was designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Gensler, and is hard to miss with its white honeycomb façade and unique geometry. Check out The Broad’s website to see what is currently on view. If Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Room–The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away (2013) has reservations available during your trip we recommend getting them! This immersive installation it is definitely worth experiencing. 

Admission to The Broad and the Infinity Mirror Room are FREE, but separate advance reservations are required for both.

Angels Flight Railway

For just $1 each way, you can purchase a ticket on one of the world’s shortest railways. In 2017 the historic Angels Flight Railway was reopened to the public. This 120+ year old Los Angeles landmark funicular takes passengers on a very short ride up or down Bunker Hill between Hill street and Grand Avenue. If you are a movie buff, you’ll recognize it– it’s appeared in dozens of movies and tv shows since the 1920s. The top station is located at California Plaza, 350 South Grand Avenue; the lower entrance is at 351 South Hill Street, across from Grand Central Market. The railway is open every day from 6:45 am to 10 pm, including weekends and holidays.

Tickets are $1 each way, and you can purchase a souvenir roundtrip ticket for $2.

Grand Central Market

Another historic landmark in DTLA is the Grand Central Market, a food emporium that opened in 1917 as the “Wonder Market,” and was billed as “the largest and finest public market on the Pacific Coast.” Today there are about 40 bustling food stalls representing the LA food scene, from legacy vendors to rising star eateries. There’s truly something for everyone here whether it’s freshly made pasta, oysters, tortang talong (a delicious Philippino dish), ice cream, brisket or a bento box– the range of foods is incredible. There is an area in the market with tables for eating with your party, and some vendors have countertop dining. Of course you can also order and pickup food to go.

Please note: Open hours vary from vendor to vendor, check the Grand Central Market website for more information. 

The Last Bookstore

Have you ever seen a tunnel of books? Still searching for vinyl LPs, CDs or DVDs? Art books, rare books, used books or just purple books? Looking for an art studio or a yarn shop? If any of this sounds intriguing, The Last Bookstore (which isn’t really the very last one, but is definitely the only one of its kind) is for you.

Founded by Josh Spencer during the revitalization of DTLA in 2005, The Last Bookstore is in its current and third incarnation, and is a 22,000 sq ft space with an enormous mezzanine level that includes the Labyrinth Above the Last Bookstore– a truly bizarre area that feels like a magic library designed by Lewis Carroll. You may find that your brief visit becomes a couple of hours in no time.

Arts District Street Art

A visit to Los Angeles would be incomplete without seeing some amazing street art.  There are several areas that are known as street art meccas: Mural Mile in the San Fernando Valley, Venice Beach, Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica, and especially, the Arts District off the east side of DTLA. This area, made up primarily of warehouses and newer condominium construction, is bordered by 1st Street and 7th Street with South Alameda Street to the west, and the Los Angeles River aqueduct to the east. In the early 2000s, many abandoned warehouse spaces were “affordable” and populated by artists who created live/work spaces. Over the years artists have adorned exterior walls that were once vast expanses of concrete or cinder block with thought provoking, often colorful and enormous murals throughout the Arts District.

You’ll find the popular “Bloom” mural by Hueman on the Neptune Building (701 East 3rd St.) , and several other murals at the intersection of East 3rd St., Rose St. and Traction Avenue, and the Elephant Mural at 298 Rose St. We found a number of works wandering into alleys and on small through streets– off some of the major streets.

It’s easy to find a number of free walking tour guides online – just google “LA murals”.  There is a brief primer on the history of murals, graffiti and street art on sprayplanet.com. La-artsdistrict.com has a point and click map that may be particularly helpful as you wander, but note that some works get painted over, and new works can appear overnight.

Little Tokyo

Wander the streets of the small but robust Japanese district, known as Little Tokyo, on the northeast side of DTLA between 1st and 2nd street near San Pedro St., for a distinct cultural shift from the immediate surrounding areas. You’ll find excellent authentic Japanese food, colorful markets and manga shops in this National Historic Landmark District that dates back to the turn of the 20th century.

In addition to the Japanese American National Museum (closed for renovation until late 2026), a visit to the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center, the largest Asian American cultural center in the U.S., gives you the opportunity for a peaceful respite in nature in the James Irvine Japanese Garden. Little Tokyo also has some lovely mural art, and The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA gallery (formerly the Temporary Contemporary Museum) is next to the Japanese American National Museum.

Admission costs vary – check the individual sites for more information.