California's largest city is a sun-soaked metropolis leading the way in culture, media and business. Every year millions of tourists take cheap flights to Los Angeles to experience the diversity, beach life, museums and galleries, cutting-edge architecture, fantastic cuisine and sheer star power of this city.
Los Angeles's landmarks are instantly recognisable - the giant Hollywood sign in the hills, Disneyland, Mann's Chinese Theater and the brass stars in the pavement along Hollywood Boulevard. LA might have a reputation for being superficial, but visitors will discover that it has a cultural heart. It boasts the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Getty Centre, which has one of the greatest art collections in the world, and Museum of Latin American Art, which shows contemporary Latino material.
The beaches are where the West-Coast vibe can be experienced and where the honed and toned work out. "South Bay" beach towns are beautiful and include Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach. Santa Monica Beach and Pier are also popular places to catch some rays and people watch.
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Los Angeles sees sunny weather year-round. Summers - when most travellers book cheap flights to Los Angeles - can reach as high as 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit). Award season happens during the winter when temperatures fall to approximately 18 degrees Celsius (64F).
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Peak Season:With mild weather year round and abundant sunshine from April through October, L.A. is always busy, but to avoid the highest prices on Los Angeles flights, hotels, and entertainment, plan your trip around major events, such as the Academy Awards, which are presented in Hollywood in February.
Off Season:There really isn’t an off season in Los Angeles. However, you might find cheap flights to Los Angeles and discounted hotel rates during the summer months when the heat can get unbearable and in January, which is usually the rainy season.
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Once travellers have disembarked their cheap flights to Los Angeles (LAX), there are several options for getting downtown.
There are about 40 rental car companies operating out of the airport including Advantage, National and Thrifty.
Several scheduled buses provide services from the airport to different parts of Los Angeles and surrounding areas. These include Grayline/Coach USA, Airport Bus of Bakersfield, Central Coast Shuttle, Mickey's Space Ship Shuttle, Santa Barbara Airbus and Ventura County Airporter.
The "C" Shuttle will take visitors to the Metro Bus Center, where they can board city buses serving the Los Angeles area. Other public bus authorities serving the airport are Culver City Bus Lines, Santa Monica Big Blue Bus, and Torrance Transit.
Prime Time Shuttle and SuperShuttle, shared ride van companies, operate out of LAX and serve all Southern California counties.
Taxis can be found on the Lower/Arrival Level islands in front of each terminal.
The Bob Hope Airport in Burbank is the closest airport to Hollywood, the Valley and downtown Los Angeles. There is service downtown with Metrolink (Monday to Friday) and Amtrak. There is a combined station within walking distance of the main terminal. The airport is also a stop on MTA bus lines and the City of Burbank Bus, which links Downtown Burbank and the Metro Red Line in North Hollywood.
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Los Angeles is so large and spread out that driving is the only way to get anywhere efficiently. Renting a car is your best option, and it’s one of the cheapest places in the country to do so. Don’t let the network of freeways scare you; you’ll be fine as long as you have a map or good directions. The city is very driver-friendly with wide streets and lots of parking. Rush hour is very crowded, and its best to avoid the freeways from 7am to 10am and 3pm to 7pm. If you’re not a driver, you can take the bus, but you’ll need to transfer several times and travel long distances, making bus travel extremely time-consuming. Avoid taking a bus late at night. The MetroRail consists of five subway lines that run frequently and quickly but only cover a small area of the city. Taxis are not advised, since the long distances rack up costs quickly.
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- Los Angeles has an enormous amount of natural open space. Griffith Park is the U.S.'s largest municipal park. While the number of recreational attractions have increased in recent years there are large parts of it that are the same now as when occupied by Native Americans. There are lots of family-friendly attractions, educational and cultural institutions, and plenty of hiking and horseback riding trails.
- Top nature reserves include the Santa Monica National Recreation Area and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.
- A bikeway runs for 32km over the sands from Will Rogers State Beach in the north to Torrance Beach in the south, passing many of the city's most attractive neighbourhoods on the way.
- West Hollywood (WeHo) is where Los Angeles dances, parties and schmoozes. After the Oscars, the stars pitch up to play, the luckiest have invitations to the Vanity Fair magazine extravaganza. WeHo is home to the legendary Sunset Strip, Santa Monica Boulevard, and the chic Avenues of Art & Design.
- Santa Monica Beach is a draw. The fairground rides on the pier, nearby Muscle Beach, the International Chess Park are all must-sees. Just a stroll to the south is Venice Beach, edgier and funkier filled with artists, street performers and a year-round carnival atmosphere.
- San Clemente might be best known by politicos as the place where former President Richard Nixon had his home. His Western White House or La Casa Pacifica sits high above the Trestles, the premier surfing spot. Other beaches that surfers take cheap flights to Los Angeles for include North Gate, Riviera, Lasuen, The Hole, T-Street, 204, North Beach and Poche Beach.
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Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) (website: www.lawa.org) The airport is situated 24km southwest of Los Angeles.
Bob Hope Airport (BUR) (website: www.burbankairport.com) The airport is situated 5km from Burbank and 20km north of Los Angeles.
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