Guide to Downtown, Los Angeles

By car – Downtown LA is one of the few neighborhoods in the city that is probably not best reached by car, thanks to the fact that it has lots of brilliant public transport links. Though if you plan on heading out of the ‘hood or taking the odd day trip outside LA, hiring a car could be a good option. Driving from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to DTLA takes around 20 minutes, and it’s around half an hour to Hollywood (as long as you make sure to avoid LA’s infamous rush hour).

By public transport – Downtown is the best-connected neighborhood in Los Angeles when it comes to public transport, with four of the city’s main Metro lines linking through here. The key lines worth knowing about include the Expo Line, which will take you from DTLA to Santa Monica in just under an hour, and the Red Line, which runs through Hollywood and up to Universal City. DASH buses are another great way to get around DTLA, with six routes serving the Downtown area and stopping at most of the neighborhood’s main attractions.

Downtown LA is home to some of the city’s finest contemporary art galleries and museums. Start off with a tour of the Broad, which houses Eli and Edythe Broad’s collection of works by the likes of Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Jeff Koons, as well as two of Yayoi Kusama’s perennially popular Infinity Mirror Rooms. Next, head over to the sprawling Hauser & Wirth complex, located in a former flour mill. Spread over 116,000 square feet, it’s easy to lose yourself among the multiple contemporary art exhibitions. Finish off at MOCA Grand Avenue, where you’ll find thousands of works dating from 1940 to the present day, including pieces by Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko.

This sports venue – which until recently was known as the Staples Center – is where the LA Lakers play their home fixtures, and on game nights the atmosphere is always electric. They’re not the only sports team you can catch here, though. The venue is also home to the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Sparks, as well as the Los Angeles Kings ice hockey team. Music lovers should note this is also a key LA concert venue – Taylor Swift has performed over 15 sellout shows here, and the annual Grammy Awards have been held at the venue since 2000.

Over recent years, DTLA has proved itself to be one of Los Angeles’ most exciting dining destinations, with creative restaurants taking over disused buildings in the Arts District or Historic Core and turning them into must-visit spots.

Husband-and-wife team Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis are behind two of the hottest Downtown restaurants, Bestia and Bavel. The former serves modern Italian food cooked in a wood-burning oven, the latter delicious Middle Eastern dishes that celebrate the couples’ shared cultural heritage. For first-rate Mexican food, book a table at Damian in the Arts District, where you can feast on unforgettable tostadas and quesadillas. Don’t miss the tasting menu at Michelin-starred Orsa & Winston, where the Japanese-Italian dishes are made using only the finest locally sourced ingredients.

If you’re just looking to pick up a quick bite while you’re on the go, you’re in luck – DTLA is full of great cheap and cheerful eateries. While the question of who invented the French dip sandwich has long been contested, Philippe the Original has one of the strongest claims, having been in business since 1908. Choose lamb, beef, or turkey for your sandwich filling, then ask your server to dunk the bread in the flavor-packed meaty juices. For pizza by the slice, head to the daytime-only counter at Danny Boy’s Famous Original, which specializes in the New York-style triangles, while the Tijuana-inspired tacos at Tacos 1986 can’t be beaten.

When it comes to bars, the offerings in DTLA tend to fall into two camps: scenic rooftop bars and moodily lit establishments that take their cocktails very seriously. For the former, try tiki-inspired Broken Shaker at the top of the Freehand Hotel and Perch LA, set amidst the skyscrapers on Pershing Square. For the latter, try the hip Everson Royce Bar in the Arts District and the sultry, subterranean Death & Co. on East 3rd Street.

In keeping with its distinctly cool urban vibe, the shops in DTLA tend to cater to a discerning crowd, who prefer to steer away from the mainstream when it comes to picking up their threads. The industrial-chic Dover Street Market in the Arts District epitomizes that trend. Specializing in cult streetwear labels and offbeat designers, you’ll find collections from Marni and Miu Miu sitting alongside pieces by Supreme and Bape.

Dubbed a creative city-within-a-city, the vast ROW DTLA space in the Fashion District has become a must-visit dining and retail destination since opening in 2017. The 32-acre former warehouse space houses a carefully curated selection of shops, ranging from vintage boutiques and streetwear faves to modern furniture and arty stationery stores.

Many of the hotels in Downtown LA have taken over the neighborhood’s most striking historic buildings, making good use of the grand façades and period details. The Hoxton is a buzzy spot housed in a French Beaux-Arts building that was once the headquarters of the LA Railway Authority; it’s now home to a cool rooftop pool and interiors curated by Soho House. The Ace Hotel, meanwhile, has turned the Gothic-inspired United Artists Building into a hip hangout with concrete columns and graffitied walls.

For old Hollywood grandeur, book a room at the Millennium Biltmore, which was one of the first venues to hold the Academy Awards. The interiors are filled with ornate flourishes, from hand-painted ceilings to murals and marble fountains. Those looking for a more affordable option should check into the eclectically designed Freehand LA. The hostel-hotel hybrid offers a range of different rooms, from sleek loft suites to shared dorms with bunk beds.

Up until fairly recently, DTLA was only reserved for business travelers, and the neighborhood is still a great option for those flying in for work, as it’s home to many of the city’s main offices and conference centers, as well as being a short drive from LAX. Thanks to its recent resurgence as a food and arts hot spot, it also now draws a young crowd looking to tap into the local creative scene. While its slightly gritty and shabby appearance may not appeal to some traveling with young kids, its great transport links to the rest of LA make it a good option for anyone visiting the City of Angels.